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483
7Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)7-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior .......... 484
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior ........... 487
7-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ................... 490
General maintenance........ 493
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M)
programs ......................... 497
7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance Do-it-yourself service precautions ..................... 498
Hood ................................. 500
Positioning a floor jack ...... 502
Engine compartment ......... 503
Tires .................................. 515
Tire inflation pressure ....... 525
Wheels .............................. 528
Air conditioning filter.......... 530
Wireless remote control/ electronic key battery ...... 532
Checking and replacing fuses ............................... 535
Light bulbs......................... 539
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4967-2. Maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors operate smoothly?
Engine hood• Does the engine hood lock system work prop-erly?
Fluid leaks• There should not be any signs of fluid leakageafter the vehicle has been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or exces-sively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to the maintenance schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wipers/rear
window wiper
• The wiper blades should not show any signs
of cracking, splitting, wear, contamination or
deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the windshield/
rear window without streaking or skipping.
WARNING
■If the engine is running
Turn the engine off and ensure that there is adequate ventilation before per-
forming maintenance checks.
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5157-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)
New tread
Treadwear indicator
Worn tread
The location of treadwear indica-
tors is shown by the “TWI” or “”
marks, etc., molded on the side-
wall of each tire.
Check spare tire condition and
pressure if not rotated.
Rotate the tires in the order shown.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pressure warning system after tire rota-
tion.
To equalize tire wear and extend tire life, Toyota recommends that tire
rotation is carried out at the same interval as tire inspection.
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance sched-
ules and treadwear.
Checking tires
1
2
3
Tire rotation
Vehicles with compact spare
tireVehicles with full-size spare
tire
FrontFront
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5167-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses
tire pressure warning valves and transmitters to detect low tire infla-
tion pressure before serious problems arise.
If the tire pressure drops below a predetermined level, the driver is
warned by a warning light. (P. 565)
◆Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are
installed, new ID codes must be registered in the tire pressure
warning computer and the tire pressure warning system must be
initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmitter ID
codes registered by your Toyota dealer. ( P. 518)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the fol-
lowing circumstances:
● When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when chang-
ing traveling speed or load weight.
When the tire pressure warning system is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
Tire pressure warning system
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5187-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)
◆Registering ID codes
The tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is equipped with a
unique ID code. When replacing a tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter, it is necessary to register the ID code. Have the ID code
registered by your Toyota dealer.
■When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough to
expose the fabric, and bulges indicating internal damage
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or cannot be properly repaired due to the size
or location of a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult with your Toyota dealer.
■Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID code of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is not reg-
istered, the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. After driv-
ing for about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light blinks for 1
minute and stays on to indicate a system malfunction.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even
if it has seldom or never been used or damage is not obvious.
■Proper storage of the spare tire
As an improperly stored spare tire may cause damage to the wire cable
that holds it, check that the spare tire is stored properly on a daily basis.
• If the spare tire is slanted, the hoist assembly may be stuck in thewheel opening. If the spare tire rattles while driving, it may not be fully
raised. Lower the spare tire to the ground and make sure that the
hoist assembly is perpendicular to the wheel opening.
• Raise the tire slowly and steadily until a click is heard and the jack handle skips.
• If the spare tire cannot be lowered, the wire cable may be severed. Have the vehicle inspected at your Toyota dealer.
●If the stored spare tire is slanted or
causes a rattle while driving, properly
store the spare tire by following the tire
change procedure correctly ( P. 590).
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5197-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)■
Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation
pressure checks. Make sure to check tire inflation pressure as part of
your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the number given by dividing the maximum load by 1.10 of the
replacement tire is greater than 1/2 of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings
(GAWR) of either the front axle or the rear axle, whichever is greater.
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Since summer tires do not have the same
traction performance as snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow-covered or icy roads. For driving on snow-covered
roads or icy roads, the use of snow tires is recommended. When install-
ing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
●All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow and to
be adequate for driving in most winter conditions as well as for use
year-round. All season tires, however, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Also, all
season tires fall short in acceleration and handling performance com-
pared with summer tires in highway driving.
●Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using
snow tires. If you need snow tires, select tires of the same size, con-
struction and load capacity as the originally installed tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equipment, make sure your snow
tires also have radial construction. Do not install studded tires without
first checking local regulations for possible restrictions. Snow tires
should be installed on all wheels. (
P. 323)
■If the tread on snow tires wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is lost. For the GAWR, see the Certification
Label. For the maximum load of the tire,
see the load limit at maximum cold tire
inflation pressure mentioned on the
sidewall of the tire. ( P. 649)
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5217-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)■
The initialization operation
●Make sure to carry out initialization after adjusting the tire inflation pres-
sure.
Also, make sure the tires are cold before carrying out initialization or tire
inflation pressure adjustment.
●If you have accidentally turned the engine switch to the “LOCK” position
(vehicles without a smart key system) or off (vehicles with a smart key
system) during initialization, it is not necessary to press the reset switch
again as initialization will restart automatically when the engine switch
has been turned to the “ON” position (vehicles without a smart key sys-
tem) or IGNITION ON mode (vehicles with a smart key system) for the
next time.
●If you accidentally press the reset switch when initialization is not neces-
sary, adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified level when the
tires are cold, and conduct initialization again.
■When initialization of the tire pressure warning system has failed
Initialization can be completed in a few minutes. However, in the following
cases, the settings have not been recorded and the system will not oper-
ate properly. If repeated attempts to record tire inflation pressure settings
are unsuccessful, have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer.
●When operating the tire pressure wa
rning reset switch, the tire pressure
warning light does not blink 3 times.
●After carrying out the initialization procedure, the tire pressure warning
light blinks for 1 minute then stays on after driving for 20 minutes.
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5237-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)
NOTE:
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may
not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference,
including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.
NOTE:
L’utilisation de ce dispositif est autorisée seulement aux deux conditions
suivantes : (1) il ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et (2) l’utilisateur du
dispositif doit être prêt à accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique reçu,
même si ce brouillage est susceptible de compromettre le
fonctionnement du dispositif.
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to parts of the drive train as well as
dangerous handling characteristics, which may lead to an accident
resulting in death or serious injury.
●Do not mix tires of different makes, models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of remarkably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than those recommended by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently constructed tires (radial, bias-belted or bias-ply
tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season and snow tires.
●Vehicles with a compact spare tire: Do not tow if your vehicle has a
compact spare tire installed.
■When initializing the tire pressure warning system
Do not operate the tire pressure warning reset switch without first
adjusting the tire inflation pressure to the specified level. Otherwise, the
tire pressure warning light may not come on even if the tire inflation
pressure is low, or it may come on when the tire inflation pressure is
actually normal.