Page 485 of 712

4857-1. Maintenance and care
7
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)■
When using a car wash (vehicles with a smart key system)
If the door handle becomes wet while the electronic key is within the effective
range, the door may lock and unlock repeatedly. In that case, follow the fol-
lowing correction procedures to wash the vehicle:
●Place the key in a position 6 ft. (2 m) or more separate from the vehicle
while the vehicle is being washed. (Take care to ensure that the key is not
stolen.)
● Set the electronic key to battery-saving mode to disable the smart key sys-
tem. ( P. 149)
■ Aluminum wheels
●Remove any dirt immediately by us ing a neutral detergent. Do not use hard
brushes or abrasive cleaners. Do not use strong or harsh chemical clean-
ers.
Use the same mild detergent and wax as used on the paint.
● Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, for example after
driving for long distance in the hot weather.
● Wash detergent from the wheels immediately after use.
■ Bumpers
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
WARNING
■When washing the vehicle
Do not apply water to the inside of the engine compartment. Doing so may
cause the electrical components etc. to catch fire.
■ Precautions regarding the exhaust pipe
Exhaust gasses cause the exhaust pipe to become quite hot.
When washing the vehicle, be careful not to touch the pipe until it has
cooled sufficiently, as touching a hot exhaust pipe can cause burns.
■ Precaution regarding the rear bumper with Blind Spot Monitor (if
equipped)
If the paint of the rear bumper is chipped or scratched, the system may mal-
function. If this occurs, consult your Toyota dealer.
Page 496 of 712
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.
Page 512 of 712

5127-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)■
After recharging/reconnecting the battery (vehicles with a smart key sys-
tem)
The engine may not start. Follow the procedure below to initialize the system.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Open and close any of the doors.
Restart the engine.
● Unlocking the doors using the smart key system may not be possible imme-
diately after reconnecting the battery. If this happens, use the wireless
remote control or the mechanical key to lock/unlock the doors.
● Start the engine with the engine switch in ACCESSORY mode. The engine
may not start with the engine switch turned off. However, the engine will
operate normally from the second attempt.
● The engine switch mode is recorded by the vehicle. If the battery is discon-
nected and reconnected, the vehicle will return the engine switch mode to
the status it was in before the battery was disconnected. Make sure to turn
off the engine before disconnecting the battery. Take extra care when con-
necting the battery if the engine switch mode prior to the battery being dis-
connected is unknown.
If the system will not start even after multiple attempts, contact your Toyota
dealer.
WARNING
■ Chemicals in the battery
Batteries contain poisonous and corrosive sulfuric acid and may produce
hydrogen gas which is flammable and explosive. To reduce the risk of death
or serious injury, take the following precautions while working on or near the
battery:
●Do not cause sparks by touching the battery terminals with tools.
● Do not smoke or light a match near the battery.
● Avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothes.
● Never inhale or swallow electrolyte.
● Wear protective safety glasses when working near the battery.
● Keep children away from the battery.
1
2
3
Page 548 of 712
5487-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)■
Stop/tail lights and rear side marker lights, and rear turn signal
lights
Open the back door and
remove the 2 screws, and
remove the lamp assembly
by pulling it directly backward
from the rear of the vehicle.
Remove the wire harness.
Turn the bulb base counterclockwise.
1
2
3
Stop/tail lights and rear side
marker lightsRear turn signal lights
Page 550 of 712
5507-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)■
Tail lights and back-up lights
Open the back door and
remove the cover.
Insert a flathead screwdriver or
similar into the hole at the top of
the cover and remove it as
shown in the illustration.
To prevent damaging the vehi-
cle, wrap the flathead screw-
driver with a tape.
Turn the bulb base counterclockwise.
Remove the light bulb.
When installing, reverse the steps listed.
1
2
Tail lightsBack-up lights
3
Tail lightsBack-up lights
4
Page 585 of 712

5858-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)
After taking the specified steps to correct the suspected problem,
check that the warning message and light go off.
Have the malfunction repaired immediately. (vehicles with a
smart key system)
InteriorbuzzerExterior buzzerWarning messageDetails/Actions
Con-
tinu-
ous The driver’s door was opened
when the shift lever was not in
P and the engine switch was
not turned off.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Con-
tinu-
ousContin-
uous
The driver’s door was opened
and closed while the electronic
key was not in the vehicle, the
shift lever was not in P and the
engine switch was not turned
off.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Bring the electronic key
back into the vehicle.
OnceContin-
uous
An attempt was made to exit
the vehicle with the electronic
key and lock the doors without
first turning the engine switch
off when the shift lever was in P.
Turn the engine switch off
and lock the doors again.
(Flashes)
(Displayed alternately)
(Flashes)
(Displayed alternately)
(Flashes)
Page 586 of 712

5868-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)
Once3 times
The driver’s door was opened
and closed while the electronic
key was not in the vehicle, the
shift lever was in P and the
engine switch was not turned
off.
Turn the engine switch off.
Bring the electronic key
back into the vehicle.
The electronic key was carried
outside the vehicle and a door
other than the driver’s door was
opened and closed while the
engine switch was in a mode
other than off.
Bring the electronic key
back into the vehicle.
Once
The electronic key is not
detected when an attempt is
made to start the engine.
Start the engine with the
electronic key present.
9
times
An attempt was made to drive
when the electronic key was not
inside the vehicle.
Confirm that the elec-
tronic key is inside the
vehicle.
Contin-
uous
An attempt was made to lock
the doors using the smart key
system while the electronic key
was still inside the vehicle.
Retrieve the electronic key
from the vehicle and lock
the doors again.
Interior
buzzerExterior buzzerWarning messageDetails/Actions
(Flashes)
(Flashes)
(Flashes)
(Flashes)
Page 587 of 712
5878-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48A12U)
OnceContin-
uous
An attempt was made to lock
either front door by opening a
door and putting the inside lock
button into the lock position,
then closing the door with the
electronic key still inside the
vehicle.
Retrieve the electronic key
from the vehicle and lock
the doors again.
Once
The electronic key has a low
battery.
Replace the electronic key
battery. ( P. 532)
Once
The steering lock could not be
released within 3 seconds of
the engine switch being
pressed.
Press the engine switch
while depressing the brake
pedal and moving the
steering wheel left and
right.
Once
Indicates a malfunction in the
smart key system
Have the vehicle inspected
by your Toyota dealer.
Interior
buzzerExterior buzzerWarning messageDetails/Actions
(Flashes)
(Flashes)
(Flashes)