2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER brake light

TABLE OF CONTENTSIndex
2
1-1. Key information .................. 30Keys ..................................... 30
1-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors ............. 32
Smart key system................. 32
Wireless remote control ....... 53
Side doors ............................ 64
Back door ............................. 68
Glass hatch .......................... 73
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors,
steering wheel) ................. 75
Front seats ........................... 75
Rear seats ............................ 78
Head restraints ..................... 87
Seat belts ............................. 90
Steering wheel ..................... 96
Anti-glare inside rear view mirror .................................. 97
Outside rear view mirrors ..... 99
1-4. Opening and closing the windows and
moon roof ....................... 101
Power windows .................. 101
Moon roof ........................... 103
1-5. Refueling ........................... 106 Opening the fuel tank cap ................................... 106 1-6. Theft deterrent
system ............................. 110
Engine immobilizer system .............................. 110
Alarm .................................. 116
Theft prevention labels (U.S.A.)............................. 119
1-7. Safety information ............ 120 Correct driving posture ....... 120
SRS airbags ....................... 122
Front passenger occupant classification system ......... 134
Child restraint systems ....... 140
Installing child restraints ..... 144
2-1. Driving procedures........... 156 Driving the vehicle .............. 156
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles with smart key
system) ............................. 164
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without smart
key system) ...................... 168
Automatic Transmission ..... 171
Turn signal lever ................. 175
Parking brake ..................... 176
2-2. Instrument cluster ............ 177 Gauges and meters ............ 177
Indicators and warning lights ................................. 179
Multi-information display ..... 183
1Before driving
2When driving

16
Rear view monitor system 
Multi-information display

Clock

P. 203
P. 183
P. 373
Gauges and
meters
P. 177
Tilt and telescopic steering lock release
lever
P. 96
Glove box P. 359
Pictorial indexInstrument panel
Power back door
main switch

P. 68
VSC/TRAC off switch P. 210
Tire pressure warning reset switch P. 433
Parking brake pedal P. 176
Hood lock release lever P. 414
Auxiliary box P. 367
“ENGINE START STOP” switch
(vehicles with smart key system)
P. 164
Fog light switch 
Headlight switch
Turn signal lever P. 196
P. 192
P. 175
Windshield wipers and
washer switch
Rear window wiper and
washer switch
P. 197
P. 199

When driving2
155
2-1. Driving procedures ........ 156Driving the vehicle............ 156
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles with smart
key system).................... 164
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without smart
key system).................... 168
Automatic Transmission... 171
Turn signal lever .............. 175
Parking brake ................... 176
2-2. Instrument cluster.......... 177 Gauges and meters ......... 177
Indicators and warning lights .............................. 179
Multi-information display............................ 183
2-3. Operating the lights and wipers ........................... 192
Headlight switch ............... 192
Fog light switch ................ 196
Windshield wipers and washer ........................... 197
Rear window wiper and washer ........................... 199 2-4. Using other driving
systems ........................ 200
Cruise control ................... 200
Rear view monitor system (vehicles with
multi-information
display) .......................... 203
Downhill Assist Control system
(4WD models only) ........ 207
Driving assist systems ..... 209
2-5. Driving information ........ 214 Off-road precautions ........ 214
Cargo and luggage .......... 219
Vehicle load limits ............ 223
Winter driving tips ............ 224
Trailer towing ................... 228
Dinghy towing .................. 238

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.

160 2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
●Sudden changes in engine speed, such as engine braking caused by up-
shifting or down-shifting, may cause the vehicle to skid, resulting in an
accident.
● After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pedal to make
sure that the brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent
the brakes from functioning properly. If the brakes on only one side are wet
and not functioning properly, steering control may be affected, resulting in
an accident.
■ When shifting the shift lever
Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed.
This may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of the vehicle that may
cause an accident and result in death or serious injury.
■ When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not race the engine.
If the vehicle is in any gear other than P or N, the vehicle may accelerate
suddenly and unexpectedly, and may cause an accident.
● Do not leave the vehicle with the engine running for a long time.
If such a situation cannot be avoided, park the vehicle in an open space
and check that exhaust fumes do not enter the vehicle interior.
● Always keep a foot on the brake pedal while the engine is running to pre-
vent an accident caused by the vehicle moving.
■ When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft drink cans in
the vehicle when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following.
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a
fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plastic material of eye glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehi-
cle's electrical components.

194 2-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Turning on the high beam headlightsWith the headlights on, push
the lever forward to turn on the
high beams.
Pull the lever back to the center
position to turn the high beams
off.
Pull the lever toward you to
turn on the high beams.
Release the lever to turn them off.
You can flash the high beams
with the headlights on or off.
■Daytime running light system (if equipped)
To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers, the headlights turn on
automatically (at a reduced intensity) whenever the engine is started and the
parking brake is released. Daytime running lights are not designed for use at
night.
U.S.A.: Daytime running lights can be turned off by operating the switch.
■ Headlight control sensor (if equipped)
The sensor may not function properly if
an object is placed on the sensor, or any-
thing that blocks the sensor is affixed to
the windshield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor
detecting the level of ambient light and
may cause the automatic headlight sys-
tem to malfunction.

209
2-4. Using other
driving systems
2
When driving
■Turning off TRAC and VSC
Push and hold the button while
the vehicle is stopped to turn off
TRAC and Enhanced VSC.
The slip indicator light and VSC
OFF indicator light should come
on.
Push the button again to turn the
system back on.
■Automatic reactivation of TRAC and Enhanced VSC
Turning the “ENGINE START STOP” switch or the engine switch OFF after
turning off the TRAC and Enhanced VSC systems will automatically re-
enable them.
■ Automatic TRAC reactivation
If only the TRAC system is turned off, the TRAC system will turn on when
vehicle speed increases.
■ Automatic TRAC and Enha nced VSC reactivation
If the TRAC and Enhanced VSC systems are turned off, the systems will not
turn on even when vehicle speed increases.
■ Sounds and vibrations caused by the ABS, TRAC, Enhanced VSC,
brake assist
● A sound may be heard from the engine compartment when the engine is
started or just after the vehicle begins to move. This sound does not indi-
cate that a malfunction has occurred in any of these systems.
● Any of the following conditions may occur when the above systems are
operating. None of these indicates that a malfunction has occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard after the vehicle comes to a stop.
• The brake pedal may pulsate slightly when the ABS is activated.
• The brake pedal may move down slightly after the ABS is activated.

212
2-4. Using other driving systems
Hill-start assist control
■Hill-start assist control operating conditions
The system operates in the following situations:
●The shift lever is in the D or S position.
● The brake pedal is not depressed.
■ Hill-start assist control
●While hill-start assist control is operating, the brakes remain automati-
cally applied after the driver releases the brake pedal. The stop lights and
the high mounted stop light turn on.
CAUTION
■Hill-start assist control
●Hill-start assist control may not operate effectively on extremely steep
inclines or roads covered in ice.
● Do not use hill-start assist control to stop or park the vehicle on an incline.
Hill-start assist control helps to prevent the vehicle from rolling
backwards when starting on incline or slippery slope.
If the vehicle is in danger of
slipping, rolling backwards
when starting on an incline, or
the front wheels (2WD mod-
els) or four wheels (4WD mod-
els) spin, the indicator flashes
to indicate that the hill-start
assist control system have
been engaged.