
TABLE OF CONTENTS2
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)For your information....................... 8
Reading this manual .................... 12
How to search .............................. 13
Pictorial index .............................. 14
1-1. For safe use
Before driving ...................... 26
For safety drive ................... 28
Seat belts ............................ 30
SRS airbags ........................ 40
Front passenger occupant classification system ......... 53
Safety information for children ............................. 60
Child restraint systems ........ 61
Installing child restraints ...... 65
Exhaust gas precautions ..... 79
1-2. Theft deterrent system Engine immobilizer system............................... 80
Alarm ................................... 82
2. Instrument cluster Warning lights and indicators........................... 86
Gauge and meters .............. 92
Multi-information display (with monochrome
display).............................. 95
Multi-information display (with color display) ............ 99
Eco Driving Indicator ......... 105
Fuel consumption information ...................... 107 3-1. Key information
Keys................................... 112
3-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
Side doors ......................... 119
Back door .......................... 127
Glass hatch........................ 141
Smart key system .............. 146
3-3. Adjusting the seats Front seats......................... 154
Rear seats ......................... 156
Driving position memory .... 163
Head restraints .................. 167
3-4. Adjusting the steering wheel and mirrors
Steering wheel ................... 171
Inside rear view mirror ....... 173
Outside rear view mirrors ............................. 175
3-5. Opening and closing the windows
Power windows.................. 177
Moon roof .......................... 181
Panoramic moon roof ........ 185
1For safety and security
2Instrument cluster
3Operation of each
component

3
1
8 7
6
5
4
3
2
9
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
10
4-1. Before drivingDriving the vehicle ............. 192
Cargo and luggage............ 201
Vehicle load limits ............. 206
Trailer towing..................... 207
Dinghy towing.................... 224
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without
a smart key system) ........ 225
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles with
a smart key system) ........ 228
Automatic transmission ..... 234
Turn signal lever................ 239
Parking brake .................... 240
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch ................ 241
Automatic High Beam ....... 246
Fog light switch ................. 252
Windshield wipers and washer ............................ 253
Rear window wiper and washer ............................ 257
4-4. Refueling Opening the fuel tank cap .................................. 259 4-5. Using the driving
support systems
Cruise control .................... 263
Dynamic radar cruise control.............................. 268
LDA (Lane Departure Alert)..... 283
Rear view monitor system ............................. 291
All-wheel drive lock switch .............................. 300
Driving assist systems ....... 301
Downhill assist control system ............................. 307
PCS (Pre-Collision System) ........................... 309
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor)......... 316
• The Blind Spot Monitor function......................... 320
• The Rear Cross Traffic Alert function ................ 323
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips .............. 326
Utility vehicle precautions ...................... 330
4Driving

15Pictorial index
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)Fuel filler door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 259
Refueling method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 259
Fuel type/fuel tank capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 641
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 520
Tire size/inflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 648
Winter tires/tire chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 326
Checking/rotation/tire pressure warning system . . . . . . . . . . . P. 520
Coping with flat tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 596
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 505
Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 505
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 642
Coping with overheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 632
Warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 581
Headlights/daytime running lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 241
Front fog lights
*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 252
Turn signal lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 239
Stop/tail lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 241
Hill-start assist control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 301
Downhill assist control system
*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 307
License plate lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 241
Back-up lights
Shifting the shift lever to R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 234
Side marker lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 241
6
7
8
Light bulbs of the exterior lights for driving
(Replacing method: P. 545, Watts: P. 651)
*: If equipped
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

17Pictorial index
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 240
Applying/releasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 240
Precautions against winter season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 327
Warning buzzer/message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 578
Turn signal lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 239
Headlight switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 241
Headlights/tail lights/daytime running lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 241
Front fog lights
*1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 252
Wiper and washer switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 253, 257
Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 253, 257
Adding washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 519
Warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 588
Emergency flasher switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 560
Hood lock release lever. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 505
Tilt and telescopic steering lock release lever . . . . . . . . . . P. 171
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 171
Manual air conditioning system
*1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 426
Automatic air conditioning system
*1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 432
Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 426, 432
Rear window defogger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 428, 434
Audio system
*1, 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 340
Navigation system
*1, 3
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 461
Power back door main switch
*1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 130
Fuel filler door opener switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 261
*1: If equipped
*2: For Entune Audio Plus, refer to “NAVIGATION AND MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM OWNER’S MANUAL”.
*3: Refer to “NAVIGATION AND MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM OWNER’S MANUAL”.
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

281-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
Adjust the angle of the seat-
back so that you are sitting
straight up and so that you do
not have to lean forward to
steer. (P. 154)
Adjust the seat so that you can
depress the pedals fully and so
that your arms bend slightly at
the elbow when gripping the
steering wheel. ( P. 154)
Lock the head restraint in place with the center of the head restraint
closest to the top of your ears. ( P. 167)
Wear the seat belt correctly. ( P. 3 0 )
Make sure that all occupants are wearing their seat belts before driv-
ing the vehicle. ( P. 3 0 )
Use a child restraint system appropriate for the child until the child
becomes large enough to properly wear the vehicle’s seat belt.
( P. 61)
For safety drive
For safe driving, adjust the seat and mirror to an appropriate
position before driving.
Correct driving posture
1
2
Correct use of the seat belts
3
4

431-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
Your vehicle is equipped with ADVANCED AIRBAGS designed based
on the US motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The airbag
sensor assembly (ECU) controls airbag deployment based on infor-
mation obtained from the sensors et c. shown in the system compo-
nents diagram above. This informat ion includes crash severity and
occupant information. As the airbags deploy, a chemical reaction in
the inflators quickly fills the airbag s with non-toxic gas to help restrain
the motion of the occupants.
WARNING
■ SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the SRS airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
●The driver and all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts
properly.
The SRS airbags are supplemental devices to be used with the seat belts.
● The SRS driver airbag deploys with considerable force, and can cause
death or serious injury especially if the driver is very close to the airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises:
Since the risk zone for the driver’s airbag is the first 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 mm)
of inflation, placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm) from your driver airbag pro-
vides you with a clear margin of safety. This distance is measured from
the center of the steering wheel to your breastbone. If you sit less than 10
in. (250 mm) away now, you can change your driving position in several
ways:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the ped- als comfortably.
• Slightly recline the back of the seat.
Although vehicle designs vary, many drivers can achieve the 10 in. (250
mm) distance, even with the driver seat all the way forward, simply by
reclining the back of the seat somewhat. If reclining the back of your
seat makes it hard to see the road, raise yourself by using a firm, non-
slippery cushion, or raise the seat if your vehicle has that feature.
• If your steering wheel is adjustable, tilt it downward. This points the air-
bag toward your chest instead of your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as recommended by NHTSA above, while
still maintaining control of the foot pedals, steering wheel, and your view
of the instrument panel controls.

671-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
Fold the seatback while pulling
the lever. Return the seatback
and secure it at the 1st lock
position (most upright position).
Move the seat as far back as
possible.
If your child restraint system inter-
feres with a head restraint and can-
not be installed properly, install the
child restraint system after remov-
ing the head restraint. (P. 168)
Widen the gap between the seat cu shion and seatback slightly.
Ty p e A
Latch the hooks of the lower
straps onto the LATCH
anchors.
If the child restraint has a top
tether strap, the top tether strap
should be latched onto the top
tether strap anchor.
For owners in Canada:
The symbol on a child restraint
system indicates the presence
of a lower connector system.
Installation with LATCH system
1
2
Canada only
3

791-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER_U (OM48F09U)
Exhaust gas precautions
Harmful substance to the human body is included in exhaust
gases if inhaled.
WARNING
Exhaust gases include harmful carbon monoxide (CO), which is colorless and
odorless. Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause exhaust gases enter the vehicle and may lead to
an accident caused by light-headedness, or may lead to death or a serious
health hazard.
■Important points while driving
●Keep the back door and glass hatch closed.
● If you smell exhaust gases in the vehicle even when the back door and
glass hatch are closed, open the windows and have the vehicle inspected
at your Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
■ When parking
●If the vehicle is in a poorly ventilated area or a closed area, such as a
garage, stop the engine.
● Do not leave the vehicle with the engine on for a long time.
If such a situation cannot be avoided, park the vehicle in an open space
and ensure that exhaust fumes do not enter the vehicle interior.
● Do not leave the engine running in an area with snow build-up, or where it
is snowing. If snowbanks build up around the vehicle while the engine is
running, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle.
■ Exhaust pipe
The exhaust system needs to be checked periodically. If there is a hole or
crack caused by corrosion, damage to a joint or abnormal exhaust noise, be
sure to have the vehicle inspected and repaired by your Toyota dealer.