2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Owners Manual

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
992003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
To turn on the outside rear view mirror
defogger and windshield wiper deicer,
push the switch.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The heater panel in the outside rear view
mirrors will quickly clear the mirror sur-
face. An indicator light is on when the
defogger is operating.
Type B only—The windshield wiper deicer
is also equipped to deice the windshield
wiper blades by operating simultaneously
with the defogger.
Push the switch once again to turn off the
system.
CAUTION
Since the mirror surfaces can get hot,
do not touch them when the switch
is on.
Make sure you turn the system off when
the mirror surfaces have cleared or the
wiper blades have deiced. Leaving the
system on for a long time could cause the
battery to discharge, especially during
stopandgo driving. The defogger is not
designed for drying rain water or for melt-
ing snow. If the outside rear view mirrors are heavi-
ly coated with ice, use a spray deicer
before operating the switch.

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
1002003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
1012003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Gauges, Meters and Service reminder indicators
Fuel gauge 102
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Engine coolant temperature gauge 102
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Tachometer 103
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Odometer and two trip meters 103
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Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers 105
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SECTION 1 5

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
1022003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
Low fuel level
warning light
The gauge indicates the approximate
quantity of the fuel remaining in the
tank when the ignition switch is on.
Nearly full—Needle at “F”
Nearly empty—Needle at “E”
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
The needle moves when braking, acceler-
ating or making turns. This is caused by
the movement of the fuel in the tank.
If the fuel level approaches “E” or the low
fuel level warning light comes on, fill the
fuel tank as soon as possible. On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the fuel gauge
needle may fluctuate or the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
If the fuel tank is completely empty, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone,
your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stopandgo traffic.
Fuel gauge
Engine coolant temperature
gauge

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
1032003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your ve-
hicle overheats” on page 219 in
Section 4.
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm
( revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
This meter displays the odometer and
two trip meters.
1. Odometer—Shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Two trip meters—Show two different distances independently driven since
the last time each trip meter was set
to zero.
You can use one trip meter to calculate
the fuel economy and the other to
measure the distance on each trip. All
trip meter data is cancelled if the elec-
trical power source is disconnected.
Tachometer Odometer and two trip meters

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
1042003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
3. Trip meter reset knob—Resets the two
trip meters to zero, and also change
the meter display.
To change the meter display, quickly
push and release the knob. The meter
display changes in the order from the
odometer to trip meter A to trip meter
B, then back to the odometer each
time you push.
To reset the trip meter A to zero, dis-
play the meter A reading, then push
and hold the knob until the meter is
set to zero. The same process can be
applied for resetting the trip meter B.

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
1052003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
If the indicator or buzzer comes on...Do this.
(a)orIf parking brake is off, stop immediately and contact Toyota dealer.
(b)
(indicator and buzzer)
Fasten driver ’s seat belt.
(c)Fasten front passenger ’s seat belt.
(d)Stop and check.
(e)Stop and check.
(f)orTake vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(g)Low fuel level warning lightFill up tank.
Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
1062003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
If the indicator or buzzer comes on...Do this.
(h)orTake vehicle to Toyota dealer.
If brake system warning light is also on, stop immediately and contact Toyota dealer.
(i)Close all side doors and back door.
(j)Stop and check.
(k)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer immediately.
(l)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(m)Add washer fluid.
(n)Key reminder buzzerRemove key.