2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Owners Manual

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When the traction control system is oper-
ating, the following conditions occur:
The system controls the spinning of the
4 wheels. At this time, the slip indica-
tor light blinks.
You may feel vibration or noise in your
vehicle, caused by operation of the
brakes. This indicates the system is
functioning properly.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition key is turned
to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on,
contact your Toyota dealer.
“VSC” warning light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the traction control system
or the vehicle stability control system.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to “ON” and will go off after
a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, the
system does not work. However, as con-
ventional braking operates when applied,
there is no problem to continue your driv-
ing. In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light remains on after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing.

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The vehicle stability control system
helps provide comprehensive control of
the systems such as antilock brake
system, traction control, engine control,
etc. This system automatically controls
the brakes and engine to help prevent
the vehicle from skidding when corner-
ing on a slippery road surface or oper-
ating steering wheel abruptly.
This system activates when the vehicle
speed is about more than 15 km/h (9
mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the sys-
tem is in the self−check mode, but does
not indicate a malfunction.CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on the ve-
hicle stability control system. Even
if the system is operating, it cannot
completely eliminate the possibility
of an accident. Always keep safe
driving in mind, as reckless driving
increases the risk of an accident. If
the slip indicator light blinks, spe-
cial care should be taken while
driving.
Only use tires of specified size. The
size, manufacture, brand and tread
pattern for all 4 tires should be the
same. If you use the tires other
than specified, or different type or
size, the vehicle stability control
system may not function correctly.
When replacing the tires or wheels,
contact your Toyota dealer. (See
“Checking and replacing tires” on
page 380 in Section 72.)
If the vehicle is going to skid during driv-
ing, the slip indicator light blinks and an
alarm sounds intermittently. Special care
should be taken while driving.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition key is turned
to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on,
contact your Toyota dealer.
Vehicle stability control
system

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“VSC” warning light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the vehicle stability control
system or the traction control system.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to “ON” and will go off after
a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, the
system does not work. However, as con-
ventional braking operates when applied,
there is no problem to continue your driv-
ing. In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light remains on after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing.
Tw o −wheel drive models only—The “TRAC
OFF” indicator light will come on when the
“VSC” warning light comes on even if the
“TRAC OFF” switch is not pushed. The tire pressure warning system is de-
signed to provide warning when tire
inflation pressure is critically low while
the vehicle is moving. The low tire
pressure warning light comes on to in-
form you that such low tire pressure
may hamper driving.
This system is not designed to operate
when the vehicle is stopped. Therefore,
check the tire inflation pressure regularly.
The recommended cold tire inflation pres-
sure, tire size and the vehicle capacity
weight are on the tire and loading informa-
tion label. (For instructions, see “Checking
tire inflation pressure” on page 377 in
Section 7
−2.)
Installed tires should be of the specified
size. They should be of the same size
and construction. If tires other than the
specified size are used, or if tires of dif-
ferent sizes or constructions are mixed,
the tire pressure warning system will not
function properly.
Tire pressure warning system

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LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT
This light comes on when the ignition key
is turned to the “ON” position. It goes off
after a few seconds. This indicates that
the tire pressure warning system is func-
tioning properly.
If the low tire pressure warning light
comes on or blinks while driving, do
the following. If the warning light comes on:
1. Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified level as soon as pos-
sible. (See “Tires” on page 402 in
Section 8.)
2. Push the tire pressure warning sys- tem reset switch for a few seconds
and make sure the warning light
goes off.
If the light remains on after the reset
switch has been pushed, have the tire
pressure warning system checked at your
Toyota dealer.
If you have a flat tire, replace it with the
spare tire. For details, see “If you have
a flat tire” on page 329 in Section 4.
If the warning light blinks slowly (every
0.5 seconds):
The low tire pressure warning system may
be malfunctioning. Contact your Toyota
dealer.
If the warning light blinks rapidly (every
0.25 seconds):
The low tire pressure warning system
needs to be initialized. Reset the system
with the tire pressure warning system re-
set switch. (To reset the system, see
“TIRE PRESSURE WARNING SYSTEM
RESET SWITCH”.) The tire pressure warning system does
not function properly under certain cir-
cumstances. In the following cases, the
low tire pressure warning light may not
come on even if the tire inflation pres-
sure is low, or it may come on when
the tire inflation pressure is actually
normal.
A compact spare tire, snow tires, or
tire chains are used.
The tire inflation pressure is excessive-
ly higher than specified, or tire inflation
pressure suddenly drops due to burst-
ing or other causes.
The vehicle is driven on a slippery
road surface such as rough or frozen
roads.
The vehicle speed is less than 30 km/h
(19 mph) or more than 100 km/h (62
mph), and the driving duration is less
than 5 minutes.
The tires differ in tread pattern or
manufacturer.
The tires are not the specified size.
The tread wear is very different among
the installed tires.
Rapid acceleration/deceleration or
sharp turns is continued.
Towing a trailer.

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The loading is over the limit or imbal-
anced.
Initialization was not performed correct-
ly after replacing or rotating tires or
wheels.
The outside temperature is below 0 C
(32 F) or above 40 C (104 F).
CAUTION
When the tire pressure warning light
comes on, observe the following in-
structions:
Adjust the tire inflation pressure to
the specified level as soon as pos-
sible.
Avoid abrupt steering wheel maneu-
vering and braking. If the vehicle
tires deteriorate, you could lose
control of the steering wheel or the
brakes, causing death or serious in-
jury.
Note: The tire pressure monitoring
system on your vehicle will warn you
when one of your tires is significantly
underinflated and when some com-
binations of your tires are significant-
ly underinflated. However, there are
other combinations of significantly
underinflated tires for which your
tire pressure monitoring system may
not warn you. These other combina-
tions are relatively common, account-
ing for approximately half the
instances in which vehicles have sig-
nificantly underinflated tires. For ex-
ample, your system may not warn you
when both tires on the same side or
on the same axle of your vehicle are
significantly underinflated. It is par-
ticularly important, therefore, for you
to check the tire pressure in all of
your tires regularly and maintain
proper pressure.
TIRE PRESSURE WARNING SYSTEM
RESET SWITCH
The tire pressure warning system need
to be initialized in the following condi-
tions:
When the low tire pressure warning
light blinks every 0.25 seconds
After replacing or rotating tires or
wheels
When initializing the system, the pres-
ent tire condition is stored as a stan-
dard.

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To initialize the system, perform the fol-
lowing:
1. Park the vehicle at a safe place and apply the parking brake. Stop the en-
gine.
2. Adjust the pressure of all the installed tires to the specified level. (See “Tires”
on page 402 in Section 8.)
3. Turn the ignition key to “ON”. If the low tire pressure warning light
comes on, push the reset switch for a
few seconds and make sure the warn-
ing light goes off.
4. Push and hold the reset switch until the low tire pressure warning light
blinks three times.
Initialization is completed after driving at
the speeds of 30 km/h (19 mph) or over
for more than one hour. If the following
driving conditions are satisfied, initializa-
tion will be completed in about one hour.
The vehicle speed is between 50 km/h
(31 mph) and 100 km/h (62 mph).
The roads are dry, smooth and straight.
The number of passengers is 1 or 2
(including driver).
When initializing the system, make sure
the low tire pressure warning light blinks
three times. If the warning light does not
blink three times, initializing will be failed
and the tire pressure warning system will
not function properly.
Do not push the reset switch without ad-
justing the tire inflation pressure to the
specified level. Otherwise, the low tire
pressure warning light may not come on
even if the tire pressure is low, or it may
come on when the tire inflation pressure
is actually normal.
If you push the reset switch while the
vehicle is moving, initialization is not per-
formed. If the low tire pressure warning light does
not blink when you push and hold the
reset switch, have the low pressure warn-
ing system checked at your Toyota dealer.
When the warning light blinks every 0.25
seconds while driving, you may be unable
to reset the system. In this case, set the
system again according to the above pro-
cedure.

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Ty p e A
Ty p e B
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
To set: Fully depress the parking brake
pedal. For better holding power, first de-
press the brake pedal and hold it while
setting the parking brake.
To release: Depress the parking brake
pedal once again.
To remind you that the parking brake is
set, the parking brake reminder light in
the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
The buzzer will remind you to release the
parking brake when the vehicle speed
rises above 5 km/h (3 mph) with the park-
ing brake is applied.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing brake reminder light is off.
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of engine
performance, although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or
down the grades. On steeper hills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snowcovered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking
to slow down.
Parking brake Cruise control

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TURNING THE SYSTEM ON
To operate the cruise control, press the
“ON−OFF” switch. This turns the system
on. The indicator light in the instrument
panel shows that you can now set the
vehicle at a desired cruising speed. Anoth-
er press will turn the system completely
off.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the “ONOFF” switch
off when not using the cruise control.
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
The transmission must be in “D” before
you set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push the lever down in the “ − SET” direc-
tion and release it. This sets the vehicle
at that speed. If the speed is not satisfac-
tory, tap the lever up for a faster speed,
or tap it down for a slower speed. Each
tap changes the set speed by 1.6 km/h
(1.0 mph). You can now take your foot off
the accelerator pedal. If you need acceleration—for example,
when passing—depress the accelerator
pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the set speed. When you release it, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:
a. Pulling the lever in the “CANCEL” direction and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40
km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will auto-
matically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10
mph) below the preset speed, the preset
speed will also automatically cancel out.
If the preset speed automatically cancels
out other than for the above cases, have
your vehicle checked by your Toyota deal-
er at the earliest opportunity.