2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID ground clearance

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2006 HIGHLANDER (Hybrid) from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM48530U)
Tires and loading on your
To y o t a
Underinflated or overinflated tire pressure and the
excess load may result in the deterioration of
steering ability and braking ability, leading to an
accident. Check the tire inflation pressure periodi-
cally and be sure to keep the load limits given in
this Owner ’s Manual. For details about tire inflation
pressure and load limits, see pages 391 and 319.
Onpavement and offroad
driving tips
This vehicle belongs to the utility vehicle class. Utility ve-
hicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles. This vehicle will handle and maneuver
differently from an ordinary passenger car. In addition, this
vehicle has a higher ground clearance and center of gravi-
ty than that of an ordinary passenger car. This vehicle de-
sign feature causes this type of vehicle to be more likely
to rollover. Failure to operate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control, accidents or vehicle rollover caus-
ing death or serious injury. Be sure to read “Utility vehicle
precautions” on page 300 in Section 2 and “Off −road driv-
ing precautions” on page 328 in Section 3.

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2006 HIGHLANDER (Hybrid) from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM48530U)
This vehicle belongs to the ut ility ve-
hicle class, which has higher ground
clearance and narrower tread in relation
to the height of its center of gravity.
Specific design characteristics give it a
higher center of gravity than ordinary
passenger cars. This vehicle design fea-
ture causes this type of vehicle to be
more likely to rollover. And, utility ve-
hicles have a significantly higher rol-
lover rate than other types of vehicles.
It is not designed for cornering at the
same speeds as ordinary passenger
cars any more than lowslung sports
cars designed to perform satisfactorily
under offroad conditions. Therefore,
sharp turns at excessive speeds may
cause rollover.CAUTION
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of serious
personal injury or damage to your ve-
hicle:
In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. Therefore, the driver and all
passengers should fasten their seat
belts whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-
vers, if at all possible. Failure to
operate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control or vehicle
rollover causing death or serious
injury.
Loading cargo on the roof luggage
carrier will make the center of the
vehicle gravity higher. Avoid high
speeds, sudden starts, sharp turns,
sudden braking or abrupt maneu-
vers, otherwise it may result in loss
of control or vehicle rollover due to
failure to operate this vehicle cor-
rectly.
Utility vehicle precautions

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2006 HIGHLANDER (Hybrid) from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM48530U)
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the
bolts or nuts. The nuts may loose
and the wheels may fall off,
which could cause a serious ac-
cident.
4. Position the jack at the correct
jack point as shown.
Make sure the jack is positioned on
a level and solid place.5. After making sure that no one is in the vehicle, raise it high
enough so that the spare tire
can be installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the spare
tire than when removing the flat tire.
To raise the vehicl e, insert the jack
handle into the jack (it is a loose fit)
and turn it clockwise. As the jack
touches the vehicle and begins to lift,
double −check that it is properly posi-
tioned.
—Positioning the jack —Raising your vehicle

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2006 HIGHLANDER (Hybrid) from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM48530U)
Front wheel 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
All wheel 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.
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 at less than 30 km/h (18
mph) by a cable or chain secured to
one of the emergency towing eyelets on
the front of the vehicle. Use extreme
caution when towing the vehicle.
To install the front towing eyelet, see
“—Installing front towing eyelet” on page
357 in this Section.
—Emergency towing

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2006 HIGHLANDER (Hybrid) from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM48530U)
If air loss occurs while driving, do not
continue driving. Driving even a short
distance can damage a tire beyond
repair.
An y ti res wh i ch are over 6 years
old must be checked by a qualified
technician even if damage is not
obvious.
Tires deteriorate with age even if they
have never or seldom been used.
This applies also to the spare tire and
tires stored for future use. REPLACING YOUR TIRES
When replacing a tire, use a tire of
the same size and construction,
and the same or greater maximum
load as the originally installed
tires. Also, on all wheel drive mod-
els, all the tires must be the same
brand and have the same tread pat-
terns.
Using any other size or type of tire
may seriously affect handling, ride,
speedometer/odometer calibration,
ground clearance, and clearance be-
tween the body and tires or snow
chains.
Check that the maximum load of the
replaced tire is greater than 1/2 of the
Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR)
of either the front axle or the rear
axle, whichever is greater. As for the
maximum load of the tire, see the load
limit at maximum cold tire inflation
pressure mentioned on the sidewall
of the tire, and as for the Gross Axle
Weight Ratings (GAWR), see the Cer-
tification Label.For details about the side wall of the
tire and the Certification Label, see
pages 309 and 311.
CAUTION
Observe the following instruc-
tions. Otherwise, an accident
may occur resulting in death or
serious injuries.

Do not mix radial, bias belted,
or biasply tires on your ve-
hicle, as this may cause dan-
gerous handling characteris-
tics resulting in loss of control.
 Do not use tires other than the
manufacturer’s recommended
size, as this may cause danger-
ous handling characteristics
resulting in loss of control.

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2006 HIGHLANDER (Hybrid) from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM48530U)
NOTICE
If the wrong combination of tire and
chain is used, the chains could dam-
age the vehicle body.
CHAIN INSTALLATION
Install the chains on the front tires as
tightly as possible. Do not use tire
chains on the rear tires. Retighten
chains after driving 0.5—1.0 km
(1/4—1/2 mile).
When installing chains on your tires, care-
fully follow the instructions of the chain
manufacturer.
If wheel covers are used, they will be
scratched by the chain band, so remove
the covers before putting on the chains.
CAUTION
Do not exceed 50 km/h (30 mph) or
the chain manufacturer ’s recom-
mended speed limit, whichever is
lower.
Drive carefully avoiding bumps,
holes, and sharp turns, which may
cause the vehicle to bounce.
Avoid sharp turns or lockedwheel
braking, as use of chains may ad-
versely affect vehicle handling.
When driving with chains installed,
be sure to drive carefully. Slow
down before entering curves to
avoid losing control of the vehicle.
Otherwise an accident may occur.
WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR WHEELS
If you have wheel damage such as
bending, cracks or heavy corrosion, the
wheel should be replaced.
If you fail to replace a damaged wheel,
the tire may slip off the wheel or cause
loss of handling control.
WHEEL SELECTION
When replacing wheels, care should be
taken to ensure that the wheels are re-
placed by ones with the same load ca-
pacity, diameter, rim width, and offset.
Correct replacement wheels are available
at your Toyota dealer.
A wheel of a different size or type may
adversely affect handling, wheel and bear-
ing life, brake cooling, speedometer/odom-
eter calibration, stopping ability, headlight
aim, bumper height, vehicle ground clear-
ance, and tire or snow chain clearance to
the body and chassis.
Replacing wheels