
5047-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
WARNING
The engine compartment contains many mechanisms and fluids that may
move suddenly, become hot, or become electrically energized. To avoid death
or serious injury, observe the following precautions.
■When working on the engine compartment
●Keep hands, clothing and tools away from the moving fan and engine
drive belt.
● Be careful not to touch the engine, radiator, exhaust manifold, etc. right
after driving as they may be hot. Oil and other fluids may also be hot.
● Do not leave anything that may burn easily, such as paper and rags, in the
engine compartment.
● Do not smoke, cause sparks or expose an open flame to fuel or the bat-
tery. Fuel and battery fumes are flammable.
● Be extremely cautious when working on the battery. It contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid.
■ When working near the electric cooling fans or radiator grille
Vehicles without a smart key system:
Be sure the engine switch is off.
With the engine switch in the “ON” position, the electric cooling fans may
automatically start to run if the air conditioning is on and/or the coolant tem-
perature is high. ( P. 514)
Vehicles with a smart key system:
Be sure the engine switch is off.
With the engine switch in IGNITION ON mode, the electric cooling fans may
automatically start to run if the air conditioning is on and/or the coolant tem-
perature is high. ( P. 514)
■ Safety glasses
Wear safety glasses to prevent flying or falling material, fluid spray, etc.
from getting in your eyes.
NOTICE
■If you remove the air cleaner filter
Driving with the air cleaner filter removed may cause excessive engine wear
due to dirt in the air.

5327-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
■Tire inflation pressure check interval
You should check tire inflation pressure every two weeks, or at least once
a month.
Do not forget to check the spare.
■Effects of incorrect tire inflation pressure
Driving with incorrect tire inflation pressure may result in the following:
●Reduced fuel economy
●Reduced driving comfort and poor handling
●Reduced tire life due to wear
●Reduced safety
●Damage to the drive train
If a tire needs frequent inflating, have it checked by your Toyota dealer.
■Instructions for checking tire inflation pressure
When checking tire inflation pressure, observe the following:
●Check only when the tires are cold.
If your vehicle has been parked for at least 3 hours or has not been
driven for more than 1 mile or 1.5 km, you will get an accurate cold tire
inflation pressure reading.
●Always use a tire pressure gauge.
It is difficult to judge if a tire is properly inflated based only on its appear-
ance.
●It is normal for the tire inflation pressure to be higher after driving as
heat is generated in the tire. Do not reduce tire inflation pressure after
driving.
●Never exceed the vehicle capacity weight.
Passengers and luggage weight should be placed so that the vehicle is
balanced.

559
8When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)8-1. Essential information
Emergency flashers .......... 560
If your vehicle has to be stopped
in an emergency ............. 561
8-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs to be towed ..................... 563
If you think something is wrong .......................... 567
Fuel pump shut off system ............................ 568
If a warning light turns on or a warning buzzer
sounds ............................ 569
If a warning message is displayed ..................... 578
If you have a flat tire.......... 596
If the engine will not start ........................... 621
If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P ............. 623
If the electronic key does not operate properly ....... 624
If the vehicle battery is discharged ................... 627
If your vehicle overheats ........................ 632
If the vehicle becomes stuck ............................... 635

5688-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
Follow the procedure below to restart the engine after the system is
activated.
Vehicles without a smart key system
Turn the engine switch to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position.
Restart the engine.
Vehicles with a smart key system
Turn the engine switch to ACCESSORY mode or turn it off.
Restart the engine.
Fuel pump shut off system
To minimize the risk of fuel leakage when the engine stalls or
when an airbag inflates upon collision, the fuel pump shut off
system stops the supply of fuel to the engine.
NOTICE
■Before starting the engine
Inspect the ground under the vehicle.
If you find that fuel has leaked onto the ground, the fuel system has been
damaged and is in need of repair. Do not restart the engine.
1
2
1
2

5718-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
Open door warning light (warning buzzer)*2, 5
Indicates that one or more of the doors, the back door or
the glass hatch
*4 is not fully closed
Check that all the doors, the back door and the glass
hatch
*4 are closed.
Low fuel level warning light Indicates that remaining fuel is approximately 2.9 gal.
(10.7 L, 2.4 Imp. gal.) or less
Refuel the vehicle.
Seat belt reminder light (warning buzzer)*6
Warns the driver and/or front passenger to fasten their
seat belts
Fasten the seat belt.
If the front passenger’s seat is occupied, the front
passenger’s seat belt also needs to be fastened to
make the warning light (war ning buzzer) turn off.
Master warning light
A buzzer sounds and the warning light comes on and
flashes to indicate that the master warning system has
detected a malfunction.
P. 578
Tire pressure warning light
When the light comes on:
Low tire inflation pressure such as
• Natural causes ( P. 573)
• Flat tire ( P. 596)
Adjust the tire inflation pressure (including the
full-size spare tire) to the specified level.
The light will turn off after a few minutes. In case
the light does not turn off even if the tire inflation
pressure is adjusted, have the system checked by
your Toyota dealer.
When the light comes on after blinking for 1 minute:
Malfunction in the tire pressure warning system
( P. 574)
Have the system checked by your Toyota dealer.
Warning lightWarning light/Details/Actions

5738-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
■SRS warning light
This warning light system monitors the airbag sensor assembly, front impact
sensors, side impact sensors (front door), side impact sensors (rear), driver’s
seat position sensor, driver’s seat belt buckle switch, front passenger occu-
pant classification system (ECU and sensors), “AIR BAG ON” indicator light,
“AIR BAG OFF” indicator light, front passenger’s seat belt buckle switch,
driver’s seat belt pretensioner, front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner and
force limiter, airbags, interconnecting wiring and power sources. ( P. 42)
■ Front passenger detection sensor, seat belt reminder and warning
buzzer
If luggage is placed on the front passenger seat, the front passenger detec-
tion sensor may cause the warning light to flash and the warning buzzer to
sound even if a passenger is not sitting in the seat.
■ If the malfunction indicator la mp comes on while driving
First check the following:
● Is the fuel tank empty?
If it is, fill the fuel tank immediately.
● Is the fuel tank cap loose?
If it is, tighten it securely.
The light will go off after several driving trips.
If the light does not go off even after several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
■ Electric power steering system warning light (warning buzzer)
When the battery charge becomes insufficient or the voltage temporarily
drops, the electric power steering system warning light may come on and the
warning buzzer may sound.
■
When the tire pressure warning light comes on
Check the tire inflation pressure and adjust to the appropriate level. Push-
ing the tire pressure warning reset switch will not turn off the tire pressure
warning light.
■The tire pressure warning light may come on due to natural causes
The tire pressure warning light may come on due to natural causes such
as natural air leaks and tire inflation pressure changes caused by temper-
ature. In this case, adjusting the ti re inflation pressure will turn off the
warning light (after a few minutes).

5768-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
WARNING
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked monthly
when cold and inflated to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure
label (tire and load information label). (If your vehicle has tires of a dif-
ferent size than the size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label [tire and load information label], you should determine
the proper tire inflation pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS-ti re pressure warning system) that
illuminates a low tire pre ssure telltale (tire pressure warning light) when
one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated. Accordingly,
when the low tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warning light) illumi-
nates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as possible, and
inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel effi ciency and tire tread life, and may
affect the vehicle’s hand ling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS (tire pres sure warning system) is not a sub-
stitute for proper ti re maintenance, and it is the driver’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached
the level to trigger illumina tion of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale (tire
pressure warning light).
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS (tire pressure warn-
ing system) malfunction indicator to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS (tire pressure warning system) malfunc-
tion indicator is combined with the lo w tire pressure telltale (tire pressure
warning light). When the system dete cts a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then remain continuously illumi-
nated. This sequence will continue up on subsequent vehicle start-ups
as long as the malfunction exists. When the malfunction indicator is illu-
minated, the system may not be able to detect or signal low tire pres-
sure as intended.
TPMS (tire pressure warning system) malfunctions may occur for a vari-
ety of reasons, including the installati on of replacement or alternate tires
or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS (tire pressure warning
system) from functioning properly. Always check the TPMS (tire pres-
sure warning system) malfunction te lltale after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the replacement or alter-
nate tires and wheels allow the TPMS (tire pressure warning system) to
continue to function properly.

5888-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
Monochrome display
Color displayIndicates that the accelerator and brake pedal
are being depressed simultaneously
Release the accelerator or brake pedal.
Indicates that the washer fluid level is low
Add washer fluid.
Indicates that remaining fuel is approximately 2.9
gal. (10.7 L, 2.4 Imp. gal.) or less
Refuel the vehicle.
Indicates that the TRAC (Traction Control) sys-
tem has been deactivated
Turn the TRAC on. ( P. 304)
(U.S.A. only)
Indicates that all maintenance according to the
driven distance on the maintenance schedule*
should be performed soon.
Comes on approximately 4500 miles (7200 km)
after the message has been reset.
If necessary, perform maintenance.
(U.S.A. only)
Indicates that all maintenance is required to cor-
respond to the driven distance on the mainte-
nance schedule*.
Comes on approximately 5000 miles (8000 km)
after the message has been reset.
(The indicator will not work properly unless the
message has been reset.)
Perform the necessary maintenance.
Please reset the message after the mainte-
nance is performed ( P. 496)
Warning messageDetails/Actions
(Flashes)