2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Owners Manual

3214-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F02U)
Your vehicle is not designed to be driven off-road. However, in the
event that off-road driving cannot be avoided, please observe the fol-
lowing precautions to help avoid the areas prohibited to vehicles.
● Drive your vehicle only in areas where off-road vehicles are permit-
ted to travel.
● Respect private property. Get owner’s permission before entering
private property.
● Do not enter areas that are clos ed. Honor gates, barriers and signs
that restrict travel.
● Stay on established roads. When conditions are wet, driving tech-
niques should be changed or trav el delayed to prevent damage to
roads.
● Avoid driving on very steep, sli ppery roads and other surfaces,
such as sand, where the tires are li able to lose traction. Your vehi-
cle may not perform as well as conventional AWD on-road vehicles
on these surfaces.
■ Additional information for off-road driving
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information pertaini ng to driving your vehicle off-road,
consult the following organizations.
● State and Local Parks and Recreation Departments
● State Motor Vehicle Bureau
● Recreational Vehicle Clubs
● U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
Off-road driving

3224-6. Driving tips
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F02U)
WARNING
■Off-road driving precautions
Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk of death, seri-
ous injury or damage to your vehicle:
● Drive carefully when off the road. Do not take unnecessary risks by driving
in dangerous places.
● Do not grip the steering wheel spok es when driving off-road. A bad bump
could jerk the wheel and injure your hands. Keep both hands and espe-
cially your thumbs on the outside of the rim.
● Always check your brakes for effectiveness immediately after driving in
sand, mud, water or snow.
● After driving through tall grass, mud, rock, sand, water, etc., check that
there is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stone, sand, etc. adhering or trapped
on the underbody. Clear off any such matter from the underbody. If the
vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adhering to the underbody,
a breakdown or fire could occur.
● When driving off-road or in rugged te rrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns, strike objects, etc. This may cause loss
of control or vehicle rollover causing death or serious injury. You are also
risking expensive damage to your vehicle’s suspension and chassis.

3234-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F02U)
NOTICE
■To prevent water damage
Take all necessary safety measures to ensure that water damage to the
hybrid battery, hybrid system or other components does not occur.
● Water entering the engine compartment may cause severe damage to the
hybrid system. Water entering the interior may cause the hybrid battery
stowed under the rear seats to short circuit.
● Water entering the hybrid transaxle will cause deterioration in transmission
quality. The malfunction indicator may come on, and the vehicle may not
be drivable.
● Water can wash the grease from wheel bearings, causing rusting and pre-
mature failure, and may also enter the transaxle case, reducing the gear
oil’s lubricating qualities.
■ When you drive through water
If driving through water, such as when crossing shallow streams, first check
the depth of the water and the bottom of the riverbed for firmness. Drive
slowly and avoid deep water.
■ Inspection after off-road driving
● Sand and mud that has accumulated in brake drums and around brake
discs may affect braking efficiency and may damage brake system compo-
nents.
● Always perform a maintenance inspection after each day of off-road driv-
ing that has taken you through rough terrain, sand, mud, or water. For
scheduled maintenance information, refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.

3244-6. Driving tips
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F02U)

325
5Interior features
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F02U)5-1. Using the air conditioning
system and defogger
Front automatic air conditioning system ........ 326
Rear automatic air conditioning system ........ 333
Heated steering wheel/ seat heaters/
seat ventilators ................ 336
5-2. Using the interior lights Interior lights list ................ 339
• Interior lights ................. 340
• Personal lights .............. 340
5-3. Using the storage features
List of storage features ..... 342
• Glove box...................... 343
• Console box .................. 343
• Bottle holders ................ 344
• Cup holders .................. 345
• Auxiliary boxes.............. 347
• Open tray ...................... 348
Luggage compartment features ........................... 349 5-4. Using the other interior
features
Other interior features ....... 351
• Sun visors ..................... 351
• Vanity mirrors................ 351
• Conversation mirror ...... 352
• Clock ............................. 353
• Outside temperature display........................... 353
• Power outlets ................ 354
• Rear sunshades............ 357
• Armrest ......................... 358
• Coat hooks.................... 359
• Assist grips ................... 359
• Side table ...................... 360
Garage door opener.......... 361
Safety Connect ................. 368
Compass ........................... 374

326
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F02U)
5-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
■Adjusting the temperature setting
To adjust the temperature setting, turn clockwise to increase
the temperature and countercloc kwise to decrease the tempera-
ture.
The temperature for the driver, front passenger and rear seats can be
adjusted separately when: • is pressed. (The “SYNC” displays disappear.)
• The front passenger side dial is turned. (The “PASS SYNC”
display changes to “PASS”.)
• The “
” or “” side of is pressed. (The “REAR SYNC” display
changes to “REAR”.)
The air conditioning system switches between individual and synchro-
nized modes each time is pressed.
Front automatic air conditioning system
Air outlets and fan speed are automatically adjusted according
to the temperature setting.
Air conditioning controls

3275-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F02U)■
Fan speed setting
To adjust the fan speed, press
“” on to increase the fan
speed and “
” to decrease the fan speed.
Press to turn the fan off.
■
Changing airflow modes
To change the airflow mode,
press .
The air outlets used are
switched each time the button is
pressed.
Air flows to the upper body.
Air flows to the upper body
and feet.
Air flows to the feet.
Air flows to the feet and the
windshield defogger oper-
ates.
Press .
Adjust the temperature setting.
To stop the operation, press .
■Automatic mode indicator
If the fan speed setting or air fl ow modes are operated, the auto-
matic mode indicator goes off. However, automatic mode for func-
tions other than that operated are maintained.
■Switching between outside air and recirculated air modes
Press .
The mode switches between outside air mode (indicator off) and recir-
culated air mode (indicator on) each time is pressed.
1
2
3
4
Using automatic mode
Other functions
1
2
3

3285-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F02U)■
Defogging the windshield
Defoggers are used to defog the windshield and front side win-
dows.
Press .
Set the outside/recirculated air mode button to outside air mode if the
recirculated air mode is used. (It may switch automatically.)
To defog the windshield and the side windows early, turn the air flow and
temperature up.
To return to the previous mode, press again when the windshield
is defogged.
■
Defogging the rear window and outside rear view mirrors
Vehicles without outside rear view mirror defoggers
A defogger is used to defog the rear window.
Press .
The defogger will automatically turn off after a period of time.
Vehicles with outside rear view mirror defoggers
Defoggers are used to defog the rear window, and to remove rain-
drops, dew and frost from the outside rear view mirrors.
Press .
The defoggers will automatically turn off after a period of time.