2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID brake light

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“ABS” warning light
When the ignition is turned on, the
“ABS” warning light comes on. It will
go off when the “READY” light comes
on. If the “ABS” warning light does not
come on when the ignition is turned
on, contact your Toyota dealer.
If the “ABS” warning light remains on
after the ignition is turned on or if it
comes on while driving, the antilock
brake system function may not operate
properly. Although the brake system op-
erates without the function, drive care-
fully and have your vehicle checked by
a Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
For details, see “Service reminder indi-
cators and warning buzzers” on page
144 in Section 16.
Warning message “CHECK VSC SYSTEM”
If “CHECK VSC SYSTEM” appears on
the multiinformation display, the trac-
tion control and vehicle stability control
functions may not operate properly. Al-
though the brake system operates nor-
mally without these functions, drive
carefully and have your vehicle checked
by a Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
For details, see “—Warning messages”
on page 155 in Section 16. BRAKE ASSIST FUNCTION
The brake assist function is designed to
assist with emergency braking. When the
driver suddenly depresses the brake ped-
al, the device treats it as emergency brak-
ing and adds braking force.
If you slam the brakes on or apply the
brakes more firmly, more powerful braking
will be applied. At this time, you may hear
a sound in the engine compartment and
feel the vibrations of the brake pedal. This
does not indicate a malfunction.
CAUTION
The brake assist function is not de-
signed to shorten braking distance.
Always drive at a moderate speed and
maintain a safe distance from the ve-
hicle in front of you. Depending on
road conditions, braking distance may
be longer than that of a vehicle with-
out the brake assist device. If tire
chains are used, braking distance
may become longer.

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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 (red
brake system warning light) in the instru-
ment panel remains on until you release
the parking brake.
A warning message “PARK BRAKE” ap-
pears on the multi−information display and
a warning tone sounds to remind you to
release the parking brake when the ve-
hicle speed rises above 5 km/h (3 mph)
with the parking 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.
Within the hybrid system capabilities,
cruising speed will be maintained up or
down grades. Because speed changes will
increase in proportion to grade, cruise
control should not be used on steeper
hills.
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. c. Pushing the “ON −OFF” switch.
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.

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RESETTING TO A FASTER SPEED
Push the lever up in the “+ RES” direction
and hold it. Release the lever when the
desired speed is attained. While the lever
is held up, the vehicle will gradually gain
speed.
However, a faster way to reset is to ac-
celerate the vehicle and then push the
lever down in the “− SET” direction.
RESETTING TO A SLOWER SPEED
Push the lever down in the “− SET” direc-
tion and hold it. Release the lever when
the desired speed is attained. While the
lever is held down, the vehicle speed will
gradually decrease.
However, a faster way to reset is to de-
press the brake pedal and then push the
lever down in the “− SET” direction.
With the cruise control on, the vehicle will
not decelerate even if you downshift from
“D” to “B”. The cruise control must first
be cancelled. To reduce the vehicle speed,
you must reset the cruising speed using
the control lever or apply the brakes. Ap-
plying the braked cancels the cruise con-
trol. RESUMING THE PRESET SPEED
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling
the control lever or by depressing the
brake pedal, pushing the lever up in the
“+ RES” direction will restore the speed
set prior to cancellation.
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE WARNING
If the “CRUISE” indicator light in the
instrument cluster flashes when using the
cruise control, press the “ON
−OFF” switch
to turn the system off and then press it
again to turn it on.
If any of the following conditions then oc-
curs, there is some trouble in the cruise
control system.
The indicator light does not come on.
The indicator light flashes again.
The indicator light goes out after it
comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Toyota
dealer and have your vehicle inspected.

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REGENERATIVE BRAKE
When the brake is applied, the motor gen-
erator converts kinetic energy into electric
energy.
The regenerative brake works in the fol-
lowing operations.
1. When the accelerator pedal is released, the reduced speed equal to engine
braking in a gasoline −fueled vehicle is
obtained in accordance with the running
mode position of the selector lever.
2. When the brake pedal is depressed with the selector lever in “D” or “B”,
the regenerative brake works.
HYDRAULIC BRAKE
This brake system has 3 independent hy-
draulic circuits. If any circuit should fail,
the other will still work. However, the ped-
al will be harder to press, and your stop-
ping distance will increase. Also, the
brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with only a
single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
BRAKE ACTUATOR
The brake actuator uses brake fluid pres-
surized by the pump to power −assist the
brakes. If the brake actuator fails during
driving, the brake system warning light
comes on and the buzzer sounds continu-
ously. In this case, the brakes may not
work properly. If they do not work well,
depress the brake pedal firmly. If the
brake system warning light comes on, im-
mediately stop your vehicle and contact
your Toyota dealer.
The red and yellow brake system warning
lights may stay on for about 60 seconds
after the ignition is turned on. It is normal
if the light turns off after a while.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the red warning light. It is
normal if the light turns off after a few
seconds.
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment after the hybrid system is
started or the brake pedal is depressed
repeatedly. This is a pump pulsating
sound of the brake system, and it is not
a malfunction. In the following conditions, you may hear
a motor sound in the engine compartment.
The brake pedal is depressed when the
hybrid system is turned off.
The driver ’s door is opened.
For a few seconds after the hybrid sys-
tem is off and about 90 seconds have
passed.
The brake pedal stroke may be short
when you turn the ignition on with the
brake pedal depressed.
CAUTION
Do not pump the brake pedal if the
hybrid system is not operating.
Each push on the pedal uses up
your reserved brake fluid pressure.
Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push the
pedal hard, much harder than nor-
mal. And your braking distance will
increase.
Brake system

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DRUMINDISC TYPE PARKING BRAKE
SYSTEM
Your vehicle has a drum−in −disc type
parking brake system. This type of brake
system n eeds bedding −down of the brake
shoes periodically or whenever the parking
brake shoes and/or drums are replaced.
Have your Toyota dealer perform the bed-
ding− down.
The brake pad wear limit indicators on
your disc brakes give a warning noise
when the brake pads are worn to where
replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise
while driving, have the brake pads
checked and replaced by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible. Expensive ro-
tor damage can result if the pads are not
replaced when necessary. Driving conditions where the steering
wheel must be turned frequently may
cause an overload to the electric power
steering system. The system will reduce
assistance for sometime to prevent the
power steering from overheating. In this
case, you may feel some resistance when
turning the steering wheel though it is not
a malfunction.
CAUTION
If the “P/S” warning light comes on,
take your vehicle to the Toyota dealer
as soon as possible. In this case, you
may feel the heavy steering wheel
maneuvering. Drive your vehicle while
gripping the steering wheel firmly.
Brake pad wear limit
indicators
Electric power steering system

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1. Check the area around the vehicle be-
fore getting in.
2. Adjust seat position, seatback angle, seat cushion angle, seat height, head
restraint height and steering wheel
angle.
3. Adjust the inside and outside rear view mirrors.
4. Lock all side doors and back door.
5. Fasten seat belts.
When you get in the vehicle, check
whether the “READY” light is on or
not.
CAUTION
Your vehicle does not produce any
noise or vibration when the vehicle is
ready to be driven with the “READY”
indicator light on. Move your foot
carefully from the brake pedal to the
acceleration pedal when driving.
1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces- sories.
3. Put the selector lever in “P”.
4. Depress the brake pedal and hold it to the floor until driving off.
As the hybrid system starts only with the
transmission in the “P” position, put the
selector lever in “P” whenever starting the
system.
Before starting the hybrid system, be sure
to follow the instructions in “(a) Before
starting”.
Starting procedure
With your foot off the accelerator pedal,
turn the key to “START” briefly and firmly.
After a few seconds, the “READY” light
will come on and a beep will sound. If the
ambient temperature is low, such as dur-
ing winter driving conditions, it may take
time until the “READY” light comes on.
The engine may not start even with the
“READY” light on.
Before starting the hybrid
system How to start the hybrid
system—
(a) Before starting (b) Starting the hybrid system

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You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment when the brake pedal is de-
pressed with the hybrid system off. How-
ever, this does not indicate any trouble.
When the hybrid system is started or
stopped, you may hear a sound coming
from the traction battery under the rear
seats. However, this does not indicate any
trouble.
When the hybrid system is started or
stopped, or while the vehicle is idling, you
may hear a sound coming from the trans-
mission. However, this does not indicate
any trouble.
When applying brakes, you may hear a
sound coming from the regenerative
brakes. However, this does not indicate
any trouble.
When the gasoline engine is started or
stopped with the hybrid system on, you
may feel a vibration. However, this does
not indicate any trouble.
If there is a problem somewhere in the
hybrid system, “CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM”
warning message will appear on the multi −
information display. Have your vehicle
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible. If the hybrid system will not start...
See “If your vehicle will not start” on page
340 in Section 4.
CAUTION
Never start the hybrid system from
outside the vehicle, or an accident
may occur. Be sure to sit in the driv-
er seat, then start the system.
NOTICE

If any service reminder indicator
light comes on or warning message
appears on the multiinformation
display (see page 144 and page 155
for details) or the auxiliary battery
is disconnected, the hybrid system
may not start. In that case, turn the
ignition on again. If the “READY”
light does not come on, contact
your Toyota dealer.
 When you start the hybrid system
at a lower outside temperature, it
may take longer before the blinking
“READY” light changes to constant
on.
Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
This will allow you much better control.
Drive slowly onto curbs and, if pos-
sible, at a right angle. Avoid driving
onto high, sharp− edged objects and
other road hazards. Failure to do so
can lead to severe tire damage such
as a tire burst.
Drive slowly when passing over bumps
or travelling on a bumpy road. Other-
wise, the impact could cause severe
damage to the tires and/or wheels.
When parking on a hill, turn the front
wheels until they touch the curb so
that the vehicle will not roll. Apply the
parking brake, and place the transmis-
sion in “P”. If necessary, block the
wheels.
Washing your vehicle or driving through
deep water may get the brakes wet. To
see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you, and then
press the pedal lightly. If you do not
feel a normal braking force, the brakes
are probably wet. To dry them, drive
the vehicle cautiously while lightly
pressing the brake pedal with the park-
ing brake applied. If they still do not
work safely, pull to the side of the road
and call a Toyota dealer for assistance.
Tips for driving in various
conditions