Page 99 of 608
992. Instrument cluster
2
Instrument cluster
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F12U)
Warning lights inform the driver of malfunctions in the indicated vehi-
cle’s systems.
Warning lights
*1
(U.S.A.)
Brake system warning
light ( P. 461)*1
(Canada)
ABS warning light
(P. 462)
*1
(Canada)
Brake system warning
light ( P. 461)*1Electric power steering
system warning light
(P. 462)
*1
(Yellow)
Brake system warning
light ( P. 461)*1, 2, 3
Pre-collision system
warning light ( P. 462)
*1, 2Charging system warn-
ing light (P. 461)*1
Slip indicator ( P. 462)
*1, 2Low engine oil pressure
warning light (P. 461)*2Open door warning light
(P. 463)
*1
(U.S.A.)
Malfunction indicator
lamp ( P. 461)Low fuel level warning
light (P. 463)
*1
(Canada)
Malfunction indicator
lamp ( P. 461)Seat belt reminder light
(P. 463)
*1SRS warning light
(P. 462)*1Master warning light
(P. 463)
*1
(U.S.A.)
ABS warning light
(P. 462)*1
Tire pressure warning
light ( P. 463)
Page 164 of 608

1643-3. Adjusting the seats
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F12U)
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 193 of 608

193
4Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F12U)4-1. Before driving
Driving the vehicle ............. 194
Cargo and luggage ........... 205
Vehicle load limits ............. 210
Trailer towing..................... 211
Dinghy towing ................... 228
4-2. Driving procedures Power (ignition) switch ...... 229
EV drive mode .................. 235
Hybrid transmission........... 237
Turn signal lever................ 242
Parking brake .................... 243
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch ................ 244
Automatic High Beam ....... 248
Fog light switch ................. 254
Windshield wipers and washer ............................ 255
Rear window wiper and washer ............................ 259
4-4. Refueling Opening the fuel tank cap .................................. 261 4-5. Using the driving
support systems
Cruise control .................... 266
Dynamic radar cruise control ............................. 271
LDA (Lane Departure Alert) .... 286
Driving assist systems ...... 294
PCS (Pre-Collision System) .... 300
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) ........ 307
• The Blind Spot Monitor function ......................... 311
• The Rear Cross Traffic Alert function ................. 314
4-6. Driving tips Hybrid vehicle driving tips .................................. 317
Winter driving tips ............. 319
Utility vehicle precautions ..................... 323
Page 194 of 608
194
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F12U)
4-1. Before driving
P. 2 2 9
With the brake pedal depressed, shift the shift lever to D.
( P. 237)
Release the parking brake. ( P. 243)
Gradually release the brake pedal and gently depress the accelera-
tor pedal to accelerate the vehicle.
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
If necessary, set the parking brake.
If the vehicle is to be stopped for an extended period of time, shift the shift
lever to P. ( P. 237)
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
Shift the shift lever to P. ( P. 237)
Set the parking brake. ( P. 243)
Press the power switch off to stop the hybrid system.
Lock the door, making sure that you have the key on your person.
If parking on a hill, block the wheels as needed.
Driving the vehicle
The following procedures should be observed to ensure safe
driving:
Starting the hybrid system
Driving
Stopping
Parking the vehicle
1
2
3
1
2
1
2
3
4
5
Page 195 of 608

1954-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F12U)
Make sure that the parking brake is set and shift the shift lever to D.
Gently depress the accelerator pedal.
Release the parking brake.
■When starting off on an uphill
The hill-start assist control will activate. ( P. 295)
■ Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is raining, because visibility will be reduced, the win-
dows may become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.
● Drive carefully when it starts to rain, because the road surface will be espe-
cially slippery.
● Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain,
because there may be a layer of water between the tires and the road sur-
face, preventing the steering and brakes from operating properly.
■ Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, the engine speed may become high while driving.
This is due to automatic up-shifting control or down-shifting implementation to
meet driving conditions. It does not indicate sudden acceleration.
●The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill or downhill
● When the accelerator pedal is released
■ Breaking in your new Toyota
To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is recom-
mended:
●For the first 186 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
● For the first 500 miles (800 km):
Do not tow a trailer.
● For the first 621 miles (1000 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
Starting off on a steep uphill
1
2
3
Page 196 of 608

1964-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F12U)■
Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system. This type of brake
system needs bedding-down of the brake shoes periodically or whenever the
parking brake shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have your Toyota dealer per-
form the bedding down operation.
■ Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability
of the correct fuel. ( P. 535)
■ For efficient use
●Shift the shift lever to D when driving.
In the N position, the gasoline engine operates but electricity cannot be gen-
erated. The hybrid battery (traction battery) will discharge, requiring unnec-
essary engine power to recharge.
● Drive your vehicle smoothly.
Avoid abrupt acceleration and deceleration. Gradual acceleration and decel-
eration will make more effective use of the electric motor (traction motor)
without having to use gasoline engine power.
● Avoid repeated acceleration.
Repeated acceleration consumes hybrid battery (traction battery) power,
resulting in poor acceleration. Battery power can be restored by driving with
the accelerator pedal slightly released.
● Shift the shift lever to P when parking.
In the N position, the hybrid battery (traction battery) does not recharge.
Leaving the shift lever in the N position for an extended period of time may
discharge the hybrid battery. The vehicle cannot run if the hybrid battery is
discharged.
Page 197 of 608

1974-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F12U)■
Brake actuator
The brake actuator uses brake fluid pressurized by the pump to power-assist
the brakes. If the brake actuator fails during driving, the brake system warn-
ing light comes on and the buzzer sounds intermittently. In this case, the
brakes may not work properly. If they do not work well, depress the brake
pedal firmly. If the brake system warning light comes on, immediately stop
your vehicle and contact your Toyota dealer.
In the following conditions, you may hear a sound in the engine compartment.
This is not a malfunction.
● The driver’s door is opened with the hybrid system turned off.
● The brake pedal is depressed with the hybrid system turned off.
● After the hybrid system is turned on.
● The brake pedal is depressed repeatedly with the hybrid system turned on.
● After the hybrid system is turned off.
The brake pedal may be hard to depress or the brake pedal stroke may be
short before turning the hybrid system on. This is not a malfunction.
■ When braking the vehicle
When applying brakes, you may hear a sound coming from the motor gener-
ator.
However, this does not indicate any trouble.
Page 198 of 608

1984-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_HV_U (OM48F12U)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the hybrid sys-
tem operating. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■ When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and ac\
cel-
erator pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake
pedal will result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a diffi- culty in operating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle only slightly. This allows you to depress the brake and accelera-
tor pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, result-
ing in an accident.
● The driver should pay extra attention to pedestrians when the vehicle is
powered only by the electric motor (traction motor). Because there is no
engine noise, the pedestrians may misjudge the vehicle’s movement.
● Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. These hot
parts may cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.
● During normal driving, do not turn off the hybrid system. Turning the hybrid
system off while driving will not cause loss of steering or braking control,
however, power assist to the steering will be lost. This will make it more
difficult to steer smoothly, so you should pull over and stop the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so.
In the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way: P. 455