2004 Lexus IS 300 Owners Manual - Page 295

03 07.09 DRIVING TIPS D Never allow anyone to ride in the trunk or luggage compartment. It is not designed for passengers. They should ride in their seats with their seat belts properly fastened. Otherwise, they are much more likely to suffer serious bodily injury, in the event of sudden braking or a collision. D Do not place anything on the package tray behind the rear seatback or luggage cover. Such items may be thrown about and possibly injure people in the vehicle during sudden braking or an accident. D Do not drive with objects left on top of the instrument panel. They may interfere with the driver's field of view. Or they may move during sharp vehicle acceleration or turning, and impair the driver's control of the vehicle. In an accident they may injure the vehicle occupants. Capacity and distribution Cargo capacity depends on the total weight of the occupants. (Cargo capacity) = (Total load capacity) - (Total weight of occupants) Steps for determining correct load limit 1. Locate the statement "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX pounds" on your vehicle's placard. 2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your vehicle. 3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from XXX kilograms or XXX pounds. 4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if the "XXX" amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lb. passengers in your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. 1400 - 750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs. 5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4. 276