2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER tow

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To avoid serious personal injury and
damage to your vehicle which might re-
sult from battery explosion, acid burns,
electrical burns, or damaged electronic
components, these instructions must be
followed precisely.
If you are unsure about how to follow this
procedure, we strongly recommend that
you seek the help of a competent me-
chanic or towing service.
CAUTION
Batteries contain sulfuric acid
which is poisonous and corrosive.
Wear protective safety glasses when
jump starting, and avoid spilling
acid on your skin, clothing, or ve-
hicle.
If you should accidentally get acid
on yourself or in your eyes, remove
any contaminated clothing and flush
the affected area with water im-
mediately. Then get immediate medi-
cal attention. If possible, continue
to apply water with a sponge or
cloth while en route to the medical
office.
The gas normally produced by a
battery will explode if a flame or
spark is brought near. Use only
standardized jumper cables and do
not smoke or light a match while
jump starting.
Warning: Battery posts, terminals
and related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds, chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and reproductive
harm. Wash hands after handling.
NOTICE
The battery used for boosting must
be 12 V. Do not jump start unless you
are sure that the booster battery is
correct.
JUMP STARTING PROCEDURE
1. If the booster battery is installed in another vehicle, make sure the vehicles
are not touching. Turn off all unneces-
sary lights and accessories.
2. If required, remove all the vent plugs from the booster and discharged batter-
ies. Lay a cloth over the open vents
on the batteries. (This helps reduce the
explosion hazard, personal injuries and
burns.)
3. If the engine in the vehicle with the booster battery is not running, start it
and let it run for a few minutes. During
jump starting, run the engine at about
2000 rpm with the accelerator pedal
lightly depressed.
(c) Jump starting

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Stop the vehicle on a level firm
ground, firmly set the parking brake
and put the transmission in “P”.
Block the wheel diagonally opposite
to the one being changed if neces-
sary.
Make sure to set the jack properly
in the jack point. Raising the ve-
hicle with jack improperly posi-
tioned will damage the vehicle or
may allow the vehicle to fall off the
jack and cause personal injury.
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
Use the jack only for lifting your
vehicle during wheel changing.
Do not raise the vehicle with some-
one in the vehicle.
When raising the vehicle, do not
place any objects on top of or un-
derneath the jack.
Raise the vehicle only high enough
to remove and change the tire.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a de-
flated tire. Driving even a short dis-
tance can damage a tire and wheel
beyond repair.
1. Get the required tools and spare
tire.
1. Jack handle
2. Wheel nut wrench
3. Front towing eyelet
4. Jack
5. Spare tire
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you
should fam iliarize yourself with the use of
the jack, each of the tools and their stor-
age locations.
—Required tools and spare
tire

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11. Check the air pressure of the re-
placed tire.
Adjust the air pressure to the specification
designated on page 289 in Section 8. If
the pressure is lower, drive slowly to the
nearest service station and fill to the cor-
rect pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire inflation
valve cap as dirt and moisture could get
into the valve core and possibly cause air
leakage. If the cap is missing, have a new
one put on as soon as possible.
12. Restow all the tools and jack secure- ly.
As soon after changing wheels as pos-
sible, tighten the wheel nuts to the torque
specified on page 289 in Section 8 with
a torque wrench. Have a technician repair
the flat tire.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools and jack are securely in place
in their storage location to reduce the
possibility of personal injury during a
collision or sudden braking.
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt
to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward.
If your vehicle is equipped with the
traction control system, turn off the
system to become unstuck. (For details,
see “Traction control system” on page
119 in Section 16.)
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and back-
ward if people or objects are any-
where near the vehicle. During the
rocking operation the vehicle may
suddenly move forward or backward
as it becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or ob-
jects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the
following precautions to prevent dam-
age to the transmission and other
parts.
 Do not depress the accelerator ped-
al while shifting the selector lever
or before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reverse
gear.
 Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
 If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as tow-
ing.
—After changing wheels If your vehicle becomes stuck

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(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck—
—From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
Twowheel drive models(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck— —From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
Fourwheel drive models
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice. In consultation with them, have
your vehicle towed using either (a) or
(b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or com-
mercial tow truck service, tow your ve-
hicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in “—Emergency tow-
ing” on page 231 in this section.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following pre-
cautions are observed. If necessary, show
this page to the tow truck driver.
If your vehicle needs to be
towed—

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TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
Twowheel drive models—
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From front—Release the parking brake.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to en-
sure adequate ground clearance for
towing at the opposite end of the
raised vehicle. Otherwise, the bumper
and/or underbody of the towed vehicle
will be damaged during towing.
From rear—
Use a towing dolly under the front wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle from the rear
with the front wheels on the ground,
as this may cause serious damage to
the transmission.
(b) Using flat bed truck
Fourwheel drive models—
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
Use a towing dolly under the wheels not
lifted by the truck.
(b) Using flat bed truck(c) Towing with sling
type truck
All models—
(c) Towing with sling type truck
NOTICE
Do not tow with sling type truck, ei-
ther from the front or rear. This may
cause body damage.

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Front
Rear
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tempo-
rarily towed by a cable or chain se-
cured to one of the emergency towing
eyelets on the front of the vehicle or
the right emergency towing eyelet un-
der the rear of the vehicle. Use extreme
caution when towing the vehicle.
To install the front towing eyelet, see
“—Installing front towing eyelet” on page
232 in this section.
NOTICE
Only use specified towing eyelet;
otherwise your vehicle may be dam-
aged.
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer
it and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hardsurfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, drive train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
CAUTION
Use extreme caution when towing ve-
hicles. Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which would place
excessive stress on the emergency
towing eyelet and towing cable or
chain. The eyelet and towing cable or
chain may break and cause serious
injury or damage.
NOTICE
Use only a cable or chain specifically
intended for use in towing vehicles.
Securely fasten the cable or chain to
the towing eyelet provided.
Before towing, release the parking brake
and put the transmission in “N”. The key
must be in “ACC” (engine off) or “ON”
(engine running).
CAUTION
If the engine is not running, the pow-
er assist for the brakes and steering
will not work so steering and braking
will be much harder than usual.
—Emergency towing

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1. Pull up the deck board and remove the
front towing eyelet by turning it coun-
terclockwise. (For the towing eyelet
location, see “—Required tools and
spare tire” on page 221 in this sec-
tion.)2. Remove the front towing eyelet coveron the front bumper by pushing the
outside of the cover.3. Secure it to the hole on the bumper byturning clockwise.
—Installing front towing eyelet

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4. Tighten the front towing eyelet securely
by a wheel nut wrench.
CAUTION
When installing the eyelet on the ve-
hicle, be sure to tighten the front
eyelet securely. If the tightening is
loose, it may come off when being
towed and result in death or serious
injury.
Before emergency towing, check that
the eyelet is not broken or damaged
and that the installation bolts are not
loose.
Fasten the towing cable or chain se-
curely to the eyelet.
Do not jerk the eyelet. Apply steady
and even force.
To avoid damaging the eyelet, do not
pull from the side or at a vertical
angle. Always pull straight ahead.
CAUTION
If the emergency towing eyelet is
used to get out when your vehicle
becomes struck in mud, sand or oth-
er condition from which the vehicle
cannot be driven out under its own
power, make sure to observe the pre-
cautions mentioned below. Otherwise,
excessive stress will be put on the
eyelet and the towing cable or chain
may break, causing serious injury or
damage.
If the towing vehicle can hardly
move, do not forcibly continue the
towing. Contact your Toyota dealer
or a commercial tow truck service
for assistance.
Tow the vehicle as straight ahead
as possible.
Keep away from the vehicle during
towing.
—Emergency towing eyelet
precautions