Page 268 of 420

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
260
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
The direction is indicated on the inside
rear view mirror.
If the ignition switch was turned off with
the system on, the system will automati-
cally turn back on when the ignition switch
is turned on.
Push the “COMP” switch to turn the com-
pass system on and off. The compass indicates the direction
that the vehicle is heading. In the
above case, it shows that the vehicle is
heading north.
Displays
Directions
N
NE E
SE
S
SW W
NWNorth
Northeast East
Southeast
South
Southwest West
Northwest
The compass may not show the correct
direction in the following conditions:
The vehicle is stopped immediately af-
ter turning.
The compass does not adjust while the
vehicle is stopped.
The ignition switch is turned off imme-
diately after turning.
The vehicle is on an inclined surface.
The vehicle is in a place where the
earth’s magnetic field is subject to in-
terference by artificial magnetic fields
(underground parking, under a steel
tower, between buildings, roof parking,
near a crossing, near a large vehicle,
etc.).
The vehicle is magnetized. (There is a
magnet or a metal object on or near
the inside rear view mirror.)
The battery has been disconnected.
Your vehicle is out of the set zone. Refer
to the “CALIBRATING THE COMPASS” be-
low to set the zone number.
The compass works to calibrate the direc-
tion automatically while the vehicle is in
motion, if deviation is small.
For additional precision or for complete
calibrating, see “CALIBRATING THE
COMPASS” below.
Compass
Page 271 of 420

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
263
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
CALIBRATING THE COMPASS (circling
calibration)
Sometimes the direction display on the
compass may not change after a turn. To
rectify this, stop the vehicle and push and
hold the “COMP” switch until “C” appears
on the display.
If “C” appears on the display because of
a drastic change in the magnetic field,
perform circling calibration.Drive the vehicle in a circle at 8 km/h (5
mph) or less. If there is not enough space
to drive in a circle, drive around the
block.
After driving 1 to 3 circles in the above
method, calibration is completed when the
direction is shown on the display.
If calibration cannot be performed because
of the magnetized vehicle etc., take your
vehicle to Toyota dealer. Perform circling calibration just after
you have purchased your Toyota. And
then always perform circling calibration
after the battery has been removed, re-
placed or disconnected.
Do not perform circling calibration of
the compass in a place where the
earth’s magnetic field is subject to in-
terference by artificial magnetic fields
(underground parking, under a steel
tower, between buildings, roof parking,
near a crossing, near a large vehicle,
etc.).
During calibration, do not operate elec-
tric systems (moon roof, power win-
dows, etc.) as they may interfere with
the calibration.
Page 283 of 420
’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
275
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
The bottle holders are designed to hold
bottles securely.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to use the holder for
any other purpose for which it was
intended. Inappropriately sized or
shaped objects may be thrown about
in the compartment and possibly in-
jure people in the vehicle during a
sudden braking or an accident.
NOTICE
Do not put a cup or open bottle in
the bottle holder because the con-
tents may spill when the door opens
or closes.
To secure your luggage, use the tie down
hooks as shown above.
See “—Stowage precautions” on page 305
in Section 2 for precautions when loading
luggage.
CAUTION
To avoid personal injury, keep the tie
down hooks folded in place on the
floor when not in use.
Vehicles with the third seat—When using
the tie−down hooks, the third seat must
be folded down. (See “—Folding down
third seat” on page 47 in Section 1 −3.)
Bottle holders Tie down hooks
Page 285 of 420
’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
277
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
REMOVING LUGGAGE COVER
To remove the luggage cover, push in
the left end to release the right end,
and lift the luggage cover out.
After you remove the luggage cover, stow
it under deck board as described below.
This will prevent passengers from injury in
the event of a sudden stop or accident.STOWING LUGGAGE COVER
To stow the luggage cover, do the fol-
lowing.
1. Remove the side deck boards and open the center deck board.
Page 286 of 420
’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
278
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
2. Push in the left end of the luggage
cover and place the luggage cover in
the holder as shown.
CAUTION
Make sure the luggage cover is se-
curely stowed.
Cross rails
Roof rails
The roof luggage carrier consists of
roof rails and sliding cross rails.
Upper
knob Side knobs
ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF CROSS
RAILS:
1. Turn the upper and side knobs coun- terclockwise to loosen the cross
rails.
Roof luggage carrier
Page 291 of 420

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
283
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
Always slow down in gusty cross-
winds. Because of its profile and
higher center of gravity, your ve-
hicle is more sensitive to side
winds than an ordinary passenger
car. Slowing down will allow you to
have better control.
When driving off road or in rugged
terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns,
strike objects, etc. This may cause
loss of control or vehicle rollover
causing death or serious injury. You
are also risking expensive damage
to your vehicle’s suspension and
chassis.
Do not drive horizontally across
steep slopes. Driving straight up or
straight down is preferred. Your ve-
hicle (or any similar off road ve-
hicle) can tip over sideways much
more easily than forward or back-
ward.
Drive gently and avoid high speeds.
Your vehicle does not need an elaborate
break−in. But following a few simple tips
for the first 1600 km (1000 miles) can add
to the future economy and long life of
your vehicle:
Avoid full throttle acceleration when
starting and driving.
Avoid racing the engine.
Try to avoid hard stops during the first
300 km (200 miles).
Do not drive for a long time at any
single speed, either fast or slow.
Do not tow a trailer during the first 800
km (500 miles). FUEL TYPE
Your new vehicle must use only un-
leaded gasoline.
To help prevent gas station mix
−ups, your
Toyota has a smaller fuel tank opening.
The special nozzle on pumps with un-
leaded fuel will fit it, but the larger stan-
dard nozzle on pumps with leaded gas will
not.
At a minimum, the gasoline you use
should meet the specifications of ASTM
D4814 in the U.S.A. and CGSB 3.5 −M93
in Canada.NOTICE
Do not use leaded gasoline. Use of
leaded gasoline will cause the three
way catalytic converter to lose its ef-
fectiveness and the emission control
system to function improperly. Also,
this can increase maintenance costs.
Break in period Fuel
Page 312 of 420

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
304
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
Vehicle load limits include total load
capacity, seating capacity, towing ca-
pacity and cargo capacity. Follow the
load limits shown below.
Total load capacity:
Without third seat390 kg (860 lb.)
With third seat 526 kg (1159 lb.)
Total load capacity means com-
bined weight of occupants, cargo
and luggage. Tongue load is in-
cluded when trailer towing.
Seating capacity: Without third seatTotal 5 (Front 2, Rear 3)
With third seat
Total 7 (Front 2, Rear 5)
Seating capacity means the maxi-
mum number of occupants whose
weight is supposed to be 68 kg (150
lb.) per person. Depending on the
weight of person, the seating ca-
pacity given may exceed the total
load capacity. NOTICE
Even if the number of occupants
are within the seating capacity,
do not exceed the total load ca-
pacity.
Towing capacity:
2AZ −FE engine
1360 kg (3000 lb.)
3MZ −FE engine
1585 kg (3500 lb.)
Towing capacity means the maxi-
mum gross trailer weight (trailer
weight plus its cargo weight) that
your vehicle is able to tow.
Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or de-
crease depending on the size (weight)
and the number of occupants. For de-
tails, see “—Capacity and distribu-
tion” on page 306.
CAUTION
Do not apply the load more than
each load limit. That may cause
not only damage to the tires, but
also deterioration to the steering
ability and braking ability, which
may cause an accident.
Veh icle lo ad limit s
Page 313 of 420

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
305
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
When stowing cargo and luggage in
the vehicle, observe the following:
Put cargo and luggage in the lug-
gage compartment when at all
possible. Be sure all items are se-
cured in place.
Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far
forward as possible helps maintain
balance.
For better fuel economy, do not
carry unneeded weight.CAUTION
To prevent cargo and l uggage
from sliding forward during
braking, do not stack anything
in the luggage compartment
higher than the seatbacks.
Keep cargo and luggage low,
as close to the floor as pos-
sible.
Never allow anyone to ride in
the luggage compartment. It is
not designed for passengers.
They should ride in their seats
with their seat belts properly
fastened. Otherwise, they are
much more likely suffer seri-
ous bodily injury, in the event
of sudden braking or a colli-
sion.
Do not place anything on the
flattened seat, or it may slide
forward during braking.
Do not place anything on the
luggage cover. Such items may
be thrown about and possibly
injure people in the vehicle
during sudden braking or an
accident. Secure all items in a
safe place.
Do not drive with objects left
on top of the instrument panel.
They may interfere with the
driver’s field of view. Or they
may move during sharp vehicle
acceleration or turning, and im-
pair the driver’s control of the
vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occu-
pants.
Do not put objects in the con-
tainer which can shift, roll out
or be thrown out in the event
of sudden stops or accidents.
Objects which come out of the
container can create a safety
hazard due to interference with
pedal operation or driver dis-
traction.
Cargo and luggage—
—Stowage precautions