2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ignition

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
892003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Lights, Wipers and Defogger
Headlights and turn signals 90
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Emergency flashers 93
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Instrument panel light control 93
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Front fog lights 94
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Interior lights 94
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Ignition switch light 95
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Personal light 96
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Windshield wipers and washer 96
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Rear window wiper and washer 97
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Rear window defogger 98
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Outside rear view mirror defogger and windshield wiper deicer 98
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SECTION 1 4

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
902003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1—Parking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights
Position 2—Headlights and all of the
above
Position 3 (“AUTO”)—Headlights and/or all
of the lights in position 1
They automatically turn on or off depend-
ing on the darkness of the surroundings.
Manually twist the knob to the position 2
to turn on the headlights if they are need-
ed immediately when entering a dark tun-
nel, parking structure, etc.The automatic light control sensor is on
the top of the driver’s side instrument
panel.
Do not place anything on the instrument
panel, and/or do not affix anything on the
windshield to block this sensor. The lights automatically turn off when the
driver ’s door is opened with the ignition
key in the “ACC” or “LOCK” position. To
turn them on again, turn the key to the
“ON” position or actuate the headlight
switch. If you are going to park for over
one week, make sure the headlight switch
is off.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the lights on
for a long period when the engine is
not running.
Daytime running light system
(on some models)
The headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty when the parking brake is released with
the engine started, even with the light
switch in the “OFF” position. They will not
go off until the ignition switch is turned
off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and
instrument panel lights, twist the knob to
the position 1.
Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
the headlights to full intensity for driving
at night.
Headlights and turn signals
(with automatic light control
system)

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
912003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
HighLow beams—For high beams, turn
the headlights on and push the lever away
from you (position 1). Pull the lever to-
ward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will
tell you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)—Pull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights
with the knob turned to “OFF”.TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to position
1.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The lever automatically returns after you
make a turn, but you may have to return
it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position
2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal
bulb is burned out.HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1—Parking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights
Position 2—Headlights and all of the
above
The lights automatically turn off when the
driver ’s door is opened with the ignition
turned off. To turn them on again, turn the
key to the “ON” position or actuate the
headlight switch. If you are going to park
for over one week, make sure the head-
light switch is off.
Headlights and turn signals
(without automatic light
control system)

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
922003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the lights on
for a long period when the engine is
not running.
Daytime running light system
(on some models)
The headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty when the parking brake is released with
the engine started, even with the light
switch in the “OFF” position. They will not
go off until the ignition switch is turned
off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and
instrument panel lights, twist the knob to
the position 1.
Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
the headlights to full intensity for driving
at night.
HighLow beams—For high beams, turn
the headlights on and push the lever away
from you (position 1). Pull the lever to-
ward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will
tell you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)—Pull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights
with the knob turned to “OFF”.TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to position
1.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The lever automatically returns after you
make a turn, but you may have to return
it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position
2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal
bulb is burned out.

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
942003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
To turn on the front fog lights, twist
the band of the headlight and turn sig-
nal switch lever. They will come on
only when the headlights are on low
beam.To turn on the interior light, slide the
switch.
The interior light switch has the following
positions:
“ON”—Keeps the light on all the time.
“OFF”—Turns the light off.
“DOOR”—Turns the light on when any of
the side doors and back door are opened.
The light goes off when all the side doors
and back door are closed. ILLUMINATED ENTRY SYSTEM
When the switch is in “DOOR” position
and any of the side doors and back door,
the light will come on. After all the side
doors are closed, the light remains on for
about 15 seconds before fading out.
However, in the following cases, the light
fades out immediately:
All the side doors and back door are
closed when the ignition key is in
“ACC” or “ON” position.
The ignition key is turned to “ACC”,
“ON”, or “START” after all the side
doors and back door are closed.
All the side doors and back door are
locked when the light is still on.
When the driver’s door is unlocked by
turning a key in either of the front doors
or with a wireless remote control transmit-
ter, the interior light will come on and
remain on for about 15 seconds before
fading out.
Front fog lights Interior lights

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
952003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
The following adjustments can be made in
this system. For details, contact your
Toyota dealer.
Cancelling the door key or wireless re-
mote control operation
Changing the timing for the light turn-
ing off
For easy access to the ignition switch,
the ignition switch light comes on when
any of the side doors are opened.
The light remains on for some time after
all the side doors and back door are
closed.
However, in the following cases, the lights
go off immediately.
All the side doors and back door are
closed when the ignition key is in
“ACC” or “ON” position.
The ignition key is turned to “ACC”,
“ON”, or “START” after all the side
doors and back door are closed.
All the side doors and back door are
closed and locked when the light is still
on.
When the driver’s door is unlocked by
turning a key in either of the front doors
or with a wireless remote control transmit-
ter, the ignition switch light will come on
and remain on for about 15 seconds be-
fore fading out.
The following adjustments can be made in
this system. For details, contact your
Toyota dealer.
Cancelling the door key or wireless re-
mote control transmitter linked opera-
tion
Changing the timing for the light turn-
ing off
Ignition switch light

’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)
1072003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
(a) Brake System Warning Light
This light comes on in the following cases
when the ignition key is in the “ON” posi-
tion.
When the parking brake is applied...
This light comes on for a few seconds
when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position even after the parking brake
is released.
When the brake fluid level is low...
CAUTION
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level is
low.
Have your vehicle checked at your
Toyota dealer in the following cases:
The light does not come on even if the
parking brake is applied when the igni-
tion key is in the “ON” position.
The light does not come on even if the
ignition key is turned on with the park-
ing brake released. A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.
CAUTION
If either of the following conditions
occurs, immediately stop your vehicle
at a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
The light does not turn off even
after the parking brake is released
while the engine is running.
In this case, the brakes may not
work properly and your stopping
distance will become longer. De-
press the brake pedal firmly and
bring the vehicle to an immediate
stop.
The brake system warning light re-
mains on together with the “ABS”
warning light.
In this case, not only the antilock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely un-
stable during braking.
(b) Driver’s Seat Belt Reminder Light
and Buzzer
This light and buzzer remind you to
buckle up the driver’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes and
buzzer sounds if the driver ’s seat belt is
not fastened. Unless the driver fastens the
belt, the light keeps flashing and the
buzzer stops after about 4 to 8 seconds.
(c) Front Passenger ’s Seat Belt Reminder Light
This light reminds you to buckle up the
front passenger ’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes if a
passenger sits in the front passenger seat
and does not fasten the seat belt. Howev-
er, if a front passenger uses an additional
seat cushion, the light may not flash even
when the seat belt is not buckled up.
If luggage load is placed on the front
passenger seat, depending on its weight
and how it is placed on the seat, builtin
sensors in the seat cushion may detect
the pressure, causing the reminder light to
keep flashing.