Page 164 of 604

1643-3. Adjusting the seats
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48D74U)
WARNING
■When folding the rear seatbacks down
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
● Do not fold the seatbacks down while driving.
● Stop the vehicle on level ground, set the parking brake and shift the shift
lever to P.
● Do not allow anyone to sit on a folded seatback or in the luggage compart-
ment while driving.
● Do not allow children to enter the luggage compartment.
● Do not fold down a rear seatback when there are passengers sitting in the
rear seats or when there is luggage placed on the rear seats.
● Be careful not to catch your hand when folding the rear seatbacks.
■ Seat adjustment
● To reduce the risk of sliding under the lap belt during a collision, do not
recline the seat more than necessary.
If the seat is too reclined, the lap belt may slide past the hips and apply
restraint forces directly to the abdomen, or your neck may contact the
shoulder belt, increasing the risk of death or serious injury in the event of
an accident.
Adjustments should not be made while driving as the seat may unexpect-
edly move and cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
● Be careful that the seat does not hit passengers or luggage.
● Be careful not to get your hands or feet caught in the seat.
■ After adjusting or returning the seats
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
● Make sure that the seat and seatback are securely locked in position by
lightly rocking them back and forth.
● Check that the seat belts are not twisted or caught in the seatback.
Page 173 of 604
173
3
Operation of each component
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48D74U)
3-4. Adjusting the steering wheel and mirrors
Hold the steering wheel and
push the lever down.
Adjust to the ideal position by
moving the steering wheel hori-
zontally and vertically.
After adjustment, pull the lever up
to secure the steering wheel.
To sound the horn, press on or
close to the mark.
Steering wheel
Adjustment procedure
1
2
Horn
Page 174 of 604
1743-4. Adjusting the steering wheel and mirrors
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48D74U)
WARNING
■Caution while driving
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driving.
Doing so may cause the driver to mishandle the vehicle and cause an acci-
dent, resulting in death or serious injury.
■ After adjusting the steering wheel
Make sure that the steering wheel is securely locked.
Otherwise, the steering wheel may move suddenly, possibly causing an
accident, and resulting in death or serious injury. Also, the horn may not
sound if the steering wheel is not securely locked.
Page 201 of 604

2014-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48D74U)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■If you hear a squealing or scraping noise (brake pad wear limit indica-
tors)
Have the brake pads checked and replaced by your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible.
Rotor damage may result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads
and/or those of the brake discs are exceeded.
■ When the vehicle is stopped
● Do not depress the accelerator pedal unnecessarily.
If the vehicle is in any gear other than P or N, the vehicle may accelerate
suddenly and unexpectedly, causing an accident.
● In order to prevent accidents due to the vehicle rolling away, always keep
depressing the brake pedal while the “READY” indicator is on. Apply the
parking brake as necessary.
● If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, in order to prevent accidents caused
by the vehicle rolling forward or backward, always depress the brake pedal
and securely apply the parking brake as needed.
● Avoid revving or racing the engine.
Running the engine at high speed while the vehicle is stopped may cause
the exhaust system to overheat, which could result in a fire if combusti\
ble
material is nearby.
Page 203 of 604

2034-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48D74U)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When braking
● When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and this may cause
one side of the vehicle to brake differently than the other side. Also, the
parking brake may not securely hold the vehicle.
● If the electronically controlled brake system does not operate, do not fol-
low other vehicles closely and avoid hills or sharp turns that require brak-
ing.
In this case, braking is still possible, but the brake pedal should be
depressed more firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance will increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
● The brake system consists of 2 or more individual hydraulic systems; if
one of the systems fails, the other(s) will still operate. In this case, the
brake pedal should be depressed more firmly than usual and the braking
distance will increase. Have your brakes fixed immediately.
■ If the vehicle becomes stuck
Do not spin the wheels excessively when any of the tires is up in the air, or
the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may damage the driveline com-
ponents or propel the vehicle forward or backward, causing an accident.
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
● Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time during
driving, as this may restrain driving torque.
● Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake
pedals at the same time to hold the vehicle on a hill.
Page 207 of 604

2074-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48D74U)
WARNING
■Things that must not be carried in the luggage compartment
The following things may cause a fire if loaded in the luggage compart-
ment:
●Receptacles containing gasoline
●Aerosol cans
■Storage precautions
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may prevent the pedals from being depressed properly,
may block the driver’s vision, or may result in items hitting the driver or
passengers, possibly causing an accident.
●Stow cargo and luggage in the luggage compartment whenever possi-
ble.
●Do not stack cargo and luggage in the luggage compartment higher
than the seatbacks.
●Do not place cargo or luggage in or on the following locations.
• At the feet of the driver
• On the front passenger or rear seats (when stacking items)
• On the instrument panel
• On the dashboard
●Secure all items in the occupant compartment.
●When you fold down the rear seats, long items should not be placed
directly behind the front seats.
●Never allow anyone to ride in the luggage compartment. It is not
designed for passengers. They should ride in their seats with their seat
belts properly fastened.
Page 208 of 604

2084-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48D74U)
WARNING
■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 control which
may cause death or serious injury.
■Roof luggage carrier precautions (vehicles with roof rails)
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:
●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 maneuvers, otherwise it may result in loss of
control or vehicle rollover due to failu re 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 165 lb. (75 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. 528)
●Before driving, make sure the cargo is
securely fastened on the roof luggage
carrier.
Cross rails
Roof rails
Page 209 of 604
2094-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48D74U)
WARNING
■When installing cross rails (vehicles with roof rails)
Make sure the cross bars are installed securely by pushing them forward
and rearward.
Failure to do so may cause an unexpected accident.
NOTICE
■When loading cargo
Be careful not to scratch the surface of the moon roof or panoramic moon
roof.