2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ESP

158 2-1. Driving procedures
■Normal characteristics afte r turning off the engine
Approximately five hours after the engine is turned off, you may hear sound
coming from under the vehicle for several minutes. This is the sound of a
fuel evaporation leakage check and, it does not indicate a malfunction.
CAUTION
■ When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the engine run-
ning. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■ When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accel-
erator pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake
pedal will result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident
that could result in death or serious injury.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a diffi- culty in operating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle only slightly, allowing you to depress the brake and accelerator
pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, result-
ing in an accident.
● Do not drive the vehicle over or st op the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. This may
cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.
● Do not let the vehicle roll backwards while the shift lever is in a driving
position, or roll forward while the shift lever is in R.
Doing so may cause the engine to stall or lead to poor brake and steering
performance, resulting in an accident or damage to the vehicle.
● If the smell of exhaust is noticed inside the vehicle, open the windows and
check that the back door is closed. Large amounts of exhaust in the vehi-
cle can cause driver drowsiness and an accident, resulting in death or a
serious health hazard. Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.

191
2-2. Instrument cluster
2
When driving
■
Returning to the previous screen
Select “RETURN” on the menu screen. Press and hold the “DISP”
button until the display changes.
■System check display
After switching the “ENGINE START STOP” switch or the engine switch to
ON, SYSTEM CHECK is displayed while system operation is checked.
When the system check is complete, the normal screen will return.
■ Liquid crystal display
Small bright spots or dots may appear on the liquid crystal display. This is a
particular characteristic of liquid crystal displays and does not indicate a mal-
function. No action is required.
■ Customization that can be co nfigured at Toyota dealer
Setting (e.g. language selection) can be changed. (Customizable features
P. 554)
NOTICE
■ The multi-information disp lay at low temperatures
Allow the interior of the vehicle to warm up before using the liquid crystal
information display. At extremely low temperatures, the information display
monitor may respond slowly, and display changes may be delayed.

211
2-4. Using other
driving systems
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When the Enhanced VSC is activated
The slip indicator light flashes and a warning buzzer sounds. Always drive
carefully. Reckless driving may cause an accident. Exercise particular care
when the indicator light flashes and a buzzer sounds.
■ When TRAC and Enhanced VSC are off
Be especially careful and drive at a speed appropriate to the road condi-
tions. As these are systems to ensure vehicle stability and driving force, do
not turn off TRAC and Enhanced VSC unless necessary.
■ Replacing tires
Make sure that all tires are of the same size, brand, tread pattern and total
load capacity. In addition, make sure that the tires are inflated to the appro-
priate tire pressure level.
The ABS and Enhanced VSC systems will not function correctly if different
tires are fitted on the vehicle.
Contact your Toyota dealer for further information when replacing tires or
wheels.
■ Handling of tires and suspension
Using tires with any kind of problem or modifying the suspension will affect
the driving assist systems, and may cause the system to malfunction.

216 2-5. Driving information
Off-road drivingWhen driving your vehicle off-road, please observe the following pre-
cautions to ensure your driving enjoyment and to help prevent the
closure of areas to off-road vehicles.
● Drive your vehicle only in areas wh ere off-road vehicles are permit-
ted to travel.
● Respect private property. Get owner’s permission before entering
private property.
● Do not enter areas that are closed. Honor gates, barriers and signs
that restrict travel.
● Stay on established roads. When conditions are wet, driving tech-
niques should be changed or trav el delayed to prevent damage to
roads.
■ Additional information for off-road driving
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information pertaining to driving your vehicle off-road,
consult the following organizations.
● State and Local Parks and Recreation Departments
● State Motor Vehicle Bureau
● Recreational Vehicle Clubs
● U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management

217
2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
CAUTION
■
Off-road driving precautions
Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk of serious per-
sonal injury or damage to your vehicle:
●Drive carefully when off the road. Do not take unnecessary risks by driving
in dangerous places.
● Do not grip the steering wheel spokes when driving off-road. A bad bump
could jerk the wheel and injure your hands. Keep both hands and espe-
cially your thumbs on the outside of the rim.
● Always check your brakes for effectiveness immediately after driving in
sand, mud, water or snow.
● After driving through tall grass, mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc., check that
there is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stone, sand, etc. adhering or trapped
on the underbody. Clear off any such matter from the underbody. If the
vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adhering to the underbody,
a breakdown or fire could occur.
● 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.
NOTICE
■To prevent the water damage
Take all necessary safety measures to ensure that water damage to the
engine or other components does not occur.
●Water entering the engine air intake will cause severe engine damage.
● Water entering the automatic transmission will cause deterioration in shift
quality, locking up of your transmission accompanied by vibration, and ulti-
mately damage.
● Water can wash the grease from wheel bearings, causing rusting and pre-
mature failure, and may also enter the differentials, transmission and
transfer case, reducing the gear oil’s lubricating qualities.

232 2-5. Driving information
HitchTrailer hitch assemblies have different weight capacities established
by the hitch manufacturer. Even th ough the vehicle may be rated for
towing a higher weight, the operat or must never exceed the maxi-
mum weight rating specified for the trailer hitch.
Trailer towing tips
Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. The 3 main
causes of vehicle-trailer accidents are driver error, excessive speed
and improper trailer loading. Keep the following in mind when towing.
● Before starting out, check the trailer lights and the vehicle-trailer
connections. Recheck after driving a short distance.
● Practice turning, stopping and reve rsing with the trailer attached in
an area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the feel
of the vehicle.
● Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and requires practice.
Grip the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the
left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to right. (This is generally opposite to reversing
without a trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or prolonged turning. Have
someone guide you when reversing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
● As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to-
vehicle distance should be increased. For each 10 mph (16 km/h)
of speed, allow at least o ne vehicle and trailer length.
● Avoid sudden braking as you may skid, resulting in jackknifing and
loss of control. This is especiall y true on wet or slippery surfaces.
● Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
● Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before mak-
ing turns.

266 3-2. Using the audio system
■Using cellular phones
Interference may be heard through the audio system's speakers if a cellular
phone is being used inside or close to the vehicle while the audio syste\
m is
operating.
Ty p e C
TitlePage
Using the radioP. 268
Using the CD playerP. 274
Playing back MP3 and WMA discsP. 281
Optimal use of the audio systemP. 288
Using the AUX adapterP. 291
Using the steering wheel audio switchesP. 293

304 3-3. Using the rear audio system
Turning on or off the operation switchesPress or to turn on the operation switches.
Press or once again or select to turn off the opera-
tion switches.
Turning on the title selection screenPress or select to turn on the title selection screen. For
the operation of the title selectio n screen, see the separate manual
for the DVD disc.
Turning on the menu screen
Press or select to turn on the menu screen. For the oper-
ation of the menu screen, see the separate manual for the DVD disc.
NOTICE
■Cleaning the display
Wipe the display with a dry soft cloth.
If the screen is wiped with a rough cloth, the surface of the screen may be
scratched.
■ To prevent damage to the remote controller
●Keep the remote control away from direct sunlight, temperature heat and
high humidity.
● Do not drop or knock the remote controller against hard objects.
● Do not sit on or place heavy objects on the remote controller.
■ DVD player
Never try to disassemble or oil any part of the DVD player. Do not insert any-
thing other than a disc into the slot.