2009 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Owners Manual

5
When trouble arises
497
5-1. Essential information
If you think something is wrong
If you notice any of the following symptoms, your vehicle probably
needs adjustment or repair. Cont act your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
■ Visible symptoms
●Fluid leaks under the vehicle
(Water dripping from the air cond itioning after use is normal.)
● Flat-looking tires or uneven tire wear
● Engine coolant temperature ga uge needle continually points
higher than normal
■ Audible symptoms
●Changes in exhaust sound
● Excessive tire squeal when cornering
● Strange noises related to the suspension system
● Pinging or other noises related to the hybrid system
■ Operational symptoms
●Engine missing, stumbling or running rough
● Appreciable loss of power
● Vehicle pulls heavily to one side when braking
● Vehicle pulls heavily to one side when driving on a level road
● Loss of brake effectiveness, s pongy feeling, pedal almost
touches the floor

498
5-1. Essential information
Event data recorder
In a crash or a near car crash eventThe SRS airbag sensor assembly c ontains the EDR. In a crash or a
near car crash event, this device may record some or all of the follow-
ing information:
● Gasoline engine speed
● Whether the brake pedal was depressed or not
● Vehicle speed
● To what extent the accelerator pedal was depressed
● Position of the transmission shift lever
● Whether the driver and front passenger wore seat belts or not
● Driver's seat position
● SRS airbag deployment data
● SRS airbag system diagnostic data
● Front passenger's occupant classification
The information above is intended to be used for the purpose of
improving vehicle safety performance. Unlike general data recorders,
the EDR does not record sound data such as conversation between
passengers.
Your vehicle has computers that monitor and control certain aspects
of your vehicle. These computers assi st in driving and maintaining
optimal vehicle performance.
Besides storing data useful for tr oubleshooting, there is an event
data recorder (EDR) that records data in a crash or a near car
crash event.

5
When trouble arises
499
5-1. Essential information
Disclosure of the data
Toyota will not disclose the data recorded in an EDR to a third party
except when:
● An agreement from the vehicle's ow ner (or the leasing company for
a leased vehicle) is obtained
● Officially requested by the police or other authorities
● Used as a defense for Toyota in a law suit
● Ordered by a court law
However, if necessary Toyota will:
● Use the data for research on Toyo ta vehicle safety performance
● Disclose the data to a third party for research purposes without dis-
closing details of the vehicle ow ner, and only when it is deemed
necessary
● Disclose summarized data cleared of vehicle identification informa-
tion to a non-Toyota organization for research purposes

500
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If a warning light turns on or a warning buzzer sounds...
Stop the vehicle immediately. Continuing to drive the vehicle may be dangerous.
The following warning indicates a possible problem in the brake sys-
tem. Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
*: Parking brake engaged warning buzzer:
A buzzer sounds to indicate that the parking brake is still engaged (with
the vehicle having reached a speed of 3 mph [5 km/h]).
Electronically controlled brake system warning buzzer:
A buzzer sounds to indicate that a malfunction has occurred that could
lead to a loss of brake effectiveness.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
(U.S.A.)
(Canada) Brake system warning light
in red (warning buzzer)*
• Low brake fluid
• Malfunction in the brake system This light also comes on when the parking brake is not
released. If the light turns off after the parking brake is
fully released, the system is operating normally.
• Malfunction in the electronically controlled brake system
Calmly perform the following action s if any of the warning lights turn
on or flash. If a light turns on or flashes, but then turns off, this does
not necessarily indicate a malfunction in the system.

5
When trouble arises
501
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
Stop the vehicle immediately.
The following warnings indicate the possibility of damage to the vehi-
cle that may lead to an accident. Immediately stop the vehicle in a
safe place and contact your Toyota dealer.
Have the vehicle inspected immediately.Failing to investigate the cause of the following warnings may lead to
the system operating abnormally and possibly cause an accident.
Have the vehicle inspected by yo ur Toyota dealer immediately.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
Charging system warning light Indicates a malfunction in the vehicle’s charging system.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
(U.S.A.)
(Canada) Malfunction indicator lamp
Indicates a malfunction in:
• The hybrid system;
• The electronic engine control system;
• The electronic throttle control system;
• The electronic transmission control system.
SRS warning light Indicates a malfunction in:
• The SRS airbag system;
• The front passenger occupant classification system; or
• The seat belt pretensioner system.
(U.S.A.)
(Canada) ABS warning light
Indicates a malfunction in:
•ABS; or
• The brake assist system.

502 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
Brake system warning light in yellowIndicates a malfunction in:
• The regenerative brake system; or
• The electronically controlled brake system
Electric power steering warning light Indicates a malfunction in the EPS (Electric Power Steer-
ing) system.
■ If the malfunction indicator lamp comes on while driving
First check the following:
● Is the fuel tank empty?
If it is, fill the fuel tank immediately.
● Is the fuel tank cap loose?
If it is, tighten it securely.
The light will go off after taking several driving trips.
If the light does not go off even after several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
■ Brake system warning light operation
The following does not indicate a malfunction:
●After the hybrid system is turned on, the red and yellow brake system
warning lights may stay on for about 60 seconds.
● Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly may turn on the red brake system
warning light and buzzer.
Warning lightWarning light/Details

5
When trouble arises
503
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
Follow the correction procedures.
After taking the specif ied steps to correct the suspected problem,
check that the warning light turns off.
Warning lightWarning light/DetailsCorrection procedure
Open door warning light
(warning buzzer)
*1
Indicates that a door is not
fully closed. Check that all doors are
closed.
Low fuel level warning
light Indicates that remaining
fuel is about 2.5 gal. (9.8
L, 2.1 lmp. gal.) or less Refuel the vehicle.
Driver’s seat belt
reminder light
(warning buzzer)
*2
Warns the driver to fasten
his/her seat belt. Fasten the seat belt.
*3
*4
(On the center
panel) Front passenger’s seat
belt reminder light
(warning buzzer)
*2
Warns the front passen-
ger to fasten his or her
seat belt.
Fasten the seat belt.
Tire pressure warning
light
When the light comes on:
Low tire inflation pressure
Adjust the tire inflation
pressure.
When the light comes on
after blinking for 1 minute:
Malfunction in the tire
pressure warning system Have the system checked
by your Toyota dealer.

504 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
*1: Open door warning buzzer:The open door warning buzzer sounds to alert one or more of the doors is
not fully closed (with the vehicle having reached a speed of 3 mph [5 km/h]).
*2: Driver's and front passenger’s seat belt reminders:The driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt reminders sound to alert the
driver and front passenger that his or her seat belt is not fastened. These
buzzers sound for 10 seconds after the vehicle has reached a speed of at
least 12 mph (20 km/h). Then, if the seat belt is still unfastened, the buzzer
will sound in a different tone for 20 more seconds.
*3: Vehicles without navigation system
*4: Vehicles with navigation system
Master warning light A buzzer sounds and the
warning light comes on
and flashes to indicate that
the master warning system
has detected a malfunc-
tion. →P. 5 0 9
■ Open moon roof reminder buzzer
The buzzer indicates that the moon roof is not fully closed with the hybrid
system off and the driver’s door opened.
■ Front passenger detection sensor and passenger seat belt reminder
● If luggage is placed on the front passenger seat, the front passenger
detection sensor may cause the warning light to flash, even if a passen-
ger is not sitting in the seat.
● If a cushion is placed on the seat, the sensor may not detect a passen-
ger, and the warning light may not operate properly.
■ Changing the engine oil (U.S.A. only)
Make sure to reset the oil change system. ( →P. 437)
Warning lightWarning light/DetailsCorrection procedure