2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER stop start

246 2-5. Driving information
CAUTION
■Capacity and distribution
●Do not exceed the maximum axle weight rating or the total vehicle
weight rating.
●Even if the total load of occupant's weight and the cargo load is less
than the total load capacity, do not apply the load unevenly.
Improper loading may cause deterioration of steering or braking con-
trol which may cause death or serious injury.
■Roof luggage carrier precautions (if equipped)
To use the roof rails as a roof luggage carrier, you must fit the roof rails
with two or more genuine Toyota cross rails or their equivalent.
When you load cargo on the roof luggage carrier, observe the following:
●Before driving, make sure the cargo is securely fastened on the roof
luggage carrier.
●Loading cargo on the r oof luggage carrier will make the center of the
vehicle gravity higher. Avoid high speeds, sudden starts, sharp turns,
sudden braking or abrupt maneuvers, otherwise it may result in loss of
control or vehicle rollover due to failure to operate this vehicle correctly
and result in death or serious injury.
●If driving for a long distance, on rough roads, or at high speeds, stop
the vehicle now and then during the trip to make sure the cargo
remains in its place.
●Do not exceed 100 lb. (45 kg) cargo weight on the roof luggage carrier.
●Place the cargo so that its weight is
distributed evenly between the front
and rear axles.
●If loading long or wide cargo, never
exceed the vehicle overall length or
width. ( P. 618)
Cross rails
Roof rails

261
2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
Trailer towing tips
Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. Help to avoid
an accident, death or serious injury, keep the following in mind when
towing:
● Speed limits for towing a trailer vary by state or province. Do not
exceed the posted towing speed limit.
● Toyota recommends that the vehicle-trailer speed limit is 65 mph
(104 km/h) on a flat, straight, dry road. Do not exceed this limit, the
posted towing speed limit or the speed limit for your trailer as set
forth in your trailer owner’s man ual, whichever is lowest. Instability
of the towing vehicle-trailer combin ation (trailer sway) increases as
speed increases. Exceeding speed limits may cause loss of con-
trol.
● Before starting out, check the trailer lights, tires 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-trailer combination.
● 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 the right. (Thi s 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 the trailer jack-
knifing and a loss of vehicle control. This is especially true on wet
or slippery surfaces.

262 2-5. Driving information
●Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
● Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before mak-
ing a turn.
● Note that when making a turn, th e trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. Compensate by making
a wider than normal turning radius.
● Slow down before making a turn, in cross winds, on wet or slippery
surfaces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed c an destabilize the trailer.
● Take care when passing other v ehicles. Passing requires consider-
able distance. After passing a vehi cle, do not forget the length of
your trailer, and be sure you hav e plenty of room before changing
lanes.
● To maintain engine braking efficiency and charging system perfor-
mance when using engine braking, do not put the transmission in
D.
● Instability happens more frequently when descending steep or long
downhill grades. Before descending, slow down and downshift. Do
not make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long down-
hill grades.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the
brakes too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and
result in reduced braking efficiency.
● Due to the added load of the trailer, your vehicle’s engine may
overheat on hot days (at temper atures over 85°F [30°C]) when
driving up a long or steep grade. If the engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating, immediately turn off the air condition-
ing (if in use), pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot.
(  P. 610)

263
2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
●
Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and the
trailer’s wheels when parking. Ap ply the parking brake firmly, and
put the transmission in P. Avoid pa rking on a slope, but if unavoid-
able, do so only after performing the following:
Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
Have someone place wheel blo cks under both the vehicle’s
and trailer’s wheels.
When the wheel blocks are in pl ace, release the brakes slowly
until the blocks absorb the load.
Apply the parking brake firmly.
Shift into P and turn off the engine.
● When restarting after parking on a slope:
With the transmission in P, start the engine. Be sure to keep
the brake pedal depressed.
Shift into a forward gear. If reversing, shift into R.
Release the parking brake and also the brake pedal, and
slowly pull or back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and
apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.
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STEP5
STEP1
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STEP4

296 3-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
■The defogger can be operated when
Vehicles without smart key system
The engine switch is in the “ON” position.
Vehicles with smart key system
The “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in IGNITION ON mode.
■ Outside rear view mirror defoggers (vehicles with outside rear view
mirror defoggers)
Turning the rear window defogger on will turn the outside rear view mirror
defoggers on.
CAUTION
■ Outside rear view mirror defoggers (vehicles with outside rear view
mirror defoggers)
Do not touch the outside surface of the rear view mirrors, as they can
become very hot and cause burns.

297
3-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
3
Interior features
Windshield wiper de-icer
■The de-icer can be operated when
Vehicles without smart key system
The engine switch is in the “ON” position.
Vehicles with smart key system
The “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in IGNITION ON mode.
CAUTION
■ When the windshield wiper de-icer is on
Do not touch the lower part of the windshield or the side of the front pillars,
as the surfaces can become very hot and cause burns.
This feature is used to prevent ice from building up on the wind-
shield and wiper blades.
On/off
Press the button to turn on the
windshield wiper de-icer. The
indicator light will come on.
The windshield wiper de-icer
will automatically turn off after
approximately 15 minutes.
: If equipped

369
3-3. Using the Bluetooth
® audio system
3
Interior features
Press the talk switch and say “From car” or “From audio”, and
select “Confirm” using a voice command or .
Vehicles with smart key system: If “From car” is selected, the porta-
ble player will be automatically connected whenever the “ENGINE
START STOP” switch is in either ACCESSORY or IGNITION ON
mode.
Vehicles without smart key system: If “From car” is selected, the por-
table player will be automatically connected whenever the engine
switch is in either the “ACC” or “ON” position.
Changing the registered name of a portable player
Select “Change Name” using a voice command or .
Select the name of the portable player to be changed by
either of the following methods, and select “Confirm” using a
voice command or :
a. Press the talk switch and say the name of the desired por-table player.
b. Press the talk switch and say “List audio players”. When the name of the desired portable player is read aloud, press the
talk switch.
Press the talk switch or select “Record Name” using ,
and say the new name.
Select “Confirm” using a voice command or .
STEP3
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4

409
3-5. Using the rear audio system
3
Interior features
■
The rear seat entertainmen t system can be used when
Vehicles without smart key system
The engine switch is in the “ACC” or “ON” position.
Vehicles with smart key system
The “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in ACCESSORY or IGNITION ON
mode.
■ Discs that can be used
Discs with the marks shown below can be used.
Playback may not be possible depending on recording format or disc fea-
tures, or due to scratches, dirt or deterioration.
■ When appears on the screen
It indicates that the selected switch cannot work.
■ Error messages
“DISC CHECK”: Indicates that the disc is dirty, damaged or was inserted
upside down. Clean the disc or insert it correctly.
“REGION ERROR”: Indicates that the DVD region code is not set properly.
“DVD ERROR”: Indicates that there is a problem inside the player. Eject the disc. Set the disc again.
If the malfunction still exists, take the vehicle to your
Toyota dealer.