2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Owners Manual

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
352003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Seats, Seat belts, Steering wheel and Mirrors
Seats 36
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Front seats 36
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Rear seats 41
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Head restraints 43
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Armrests 44
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Seat heaters 45
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Seat belts 46
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SRS driver airbag and front passenger airbag 53
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SRS side airbags 61
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Child restraint 66
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Tilt steering wheel 83
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Outside rear view mirrors 84
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Antiglare inside rear view mirror 85
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Sun visors 86
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SECTION 1 3

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
362003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow sitting on top of a
foldeddown seatback, or in the
luggage compartment or cargo area.
Persons not properly seated and/or
properly restrained by seat belts
can be severely injured in the event
of emergency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow pas-
sengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Severe inju-
ries can occur in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
CAUTION
The SRS side airbags are installed in
the driver and front passenger seats.
Observe the following precautions.
Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use, since
the side airbag inflates with consid-
erable speed and force. Otherwise,
you may be killed or seriously in-
jured.
Do not use seat accessories which
cover the parts where the side air-
bags inflate. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from acti-
vating correctly, causing death or
serious injury.
Do not modify or replace the seats
or upholstery of the front seats
with the side airbags. Such changes
may disable the system or cause
the side airbags to inflate acciden-
tally, resulting in death or serious
injury. Consult your Toyota dealer if
you insist on modifications of this
kind.
Adjust the driver’s seat so that the foot
pedals, steering wheel and instrument
panel controls are within easy reach of
the driver.
CAUTION
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When adjusting the seat, be careful
that the seat does not hit a passen-
ger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position,
try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is locked in posi-
tion.
After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.
Do not put objects under the seats.
Otherwise, the objects may interfere
with the seatlock mechanism or
unexpectedly push up the seat posi-
tion adjusting lever and the seat
may suddenly move, causing the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Seats Front seats—
—Front seat precautions (on vehicles with SRS side airbags)—Seat adjustment precautions

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
372003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
While adjusting the seat, do not put
your hands under the seat or near
the moving parts. Otherwise, you
may catch and injure your hands or
fingers.1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LEVER
Hold the center of the lever and pull it
up. Then slide the seat to the desired
position with slight body pressure and
release the lever.
2. SEAT CUSHION ANGLE ADJUSTING KNOBS
Turn the knob either way.
3. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lever up.
Then lean back to the desired angle
and release the lever.
—Adjusting front seats
(manual seat)

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
382003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the pas-
senger are sitting up straight and
well back in the seats. If you are
reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces
directly to the abdomen. In the event
of a frontal collision, the more the
seat is reclined, the greater the risk
of personal injury.
1. SEAT POSITION AND SEAT CUSHION
ANGLE/HEIGHT ADJUSTING SWITCH
Move the control switch in the desired
direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seat at
that position.
Do not place anything under the front
seats, as this might interfere with the seat
movement. 2. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING SWITCH
Move the control switch in the desired
direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seat-
back at that position.
—Adjusting front seats (power
seat)

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
392003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the pas-
senger are sitting up straight and
well back in the seats. If you are
reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces
directly to the abdomen. In the event
of a frontal collision, the more the
seat is reclined, the greater the risk
of personal injury.
3. SEAT LUMBAR SUPPORT
ADJUSTING SWITCH
Push the switch on either way.
The amount of lumbar support will change
while the switch is pushed.
1. Remove the head restraint. Hold the center of the lever and pull it up.
Then slide the seat further forward
than the frontmost lock position.2. Pull the seatback angle adjusting le-ver to unlock and push down the
seatback.
When returning the seatback upright, be
careful not to make yourself hit by the
seatback which will bound with consid-
erable spring force.
After returning the seat to its original
position, be certain to replace the head
restraint.
—Flattening seatbacks
(manual seat)

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
402003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
CAUTION
Do not allow passengers to ride on
the flattened seat while driving; use
the seat in the normal position.
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat and seatback for-
ward and rearward to make sure it
is secured in place. Be certain to
replace head restraint.
1. Remove the head restraint. Push the
seat position adjusting switch for-
ward to slide the seat further for-
ward than the frontmost lock posi-
tion.2. Move the seatback angle adjustingswitch backward to flatten the seat-
back.
After returning the seat to its original
position, be certain to replace the head
restraint.
—Flattening seatbacks (power
seat)

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
412003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
CAUTION
Do not allow passengers to ride on
the flattened seat while driving; use
the seat in the normal position.
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat and seatback for-
ward and rearward to make sure it
is secured in place. Be certain to
replace head restraint.
CAUTION
Adjustment should not be made
while the vehicle is moving.
When adjusting the seatback, be
careful not to hit the seat against
a passenger or luggage.
After adjusting the seatback, push
back your body to make sure it is
locked in position.
When returning the seatback to the
upright position, observe the follow-
ing precautions in order to prevent
personal injury in a collision or
sudden stop:
Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback.
Failure to do so will prevent the
seat belt from operating properly.
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.
Folding rear seatbacks will enlarge the
luggage compartment. See “Luggage stow-
age precautions” on page 195 in Section
2 for precautions in loading luggage.
SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING LEVER
Pull the lever up. Then lean back to the
desired angle and release the lever.
CAUTION
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving.
Rear seats—
—Rear seat precautions —Adjusting rear seats

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
422003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision,
avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts
provide maximum protection in a
frontal or rear collision when the
passengers are sitting up straight
and well back in the seats. If you
are reclined, the lap belt may slide
past your hips and apply restraint
forces directly to the abdomen. In
the event of a frontal collision, the
more the seat is reclined, the great-
er the risk of personal injury.
After adjusting the seatback, push
back your body to make sure it is
locked in position.
NOTICE
Do not fold the seatback forward
while the luggage cover is set.
BEFORE FOLDDOWN REAR SEAT
1. Stow the rear seat belt buckles as shown in the illustration.2. Make sure the outer seat beltspasses through the hangers when
folding the rear seat.
This prevents the shoulder belt from being
damaged.
CAUTION
The seat belt must be removed from
the hangers when they are in use.
—Folddown rear seats