
1994-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When braking
● When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and this ma y cause
one side of the vehicle to brake differently than the other sid e. Also, the
parking brake may not securely hold the vehicle.
● If the brake booster device does not operate, do not follow oth er vehicles
closely and avoid hills or shar p turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but the brake pedal sh ould be
depressed more firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance wi ll increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
● Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted
brakes.
● The brake system consists of 2 individual hydraulic systems; if one of the
systems fails, the other will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal
should be depressed more firmly than usual and the braking dist ance will
increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
■ If the vehicle becomes stuck (AWD models)
Do not spin the wheels excessively when any of the tires is up in the air, or
the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may damage the driveline com-
ponents or propel the vehicle forward or backward, causing an a ccident.
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
● Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same tim e during
driving, as this may restrain driving torque.
● Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake
pedals at the same time to hold the vehicle on a hill.

2034-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
■Things that must not be carried in the luggage compartment
The following things may cause a fire if loaded in the luggage compart-
ment:
●Receptacles containing gasoline
●Aerosol cans
■Storage precautions
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may prevent the pedals from being depressed pr operly,
may block the driver’s vision, or may result in items hitting t he driver or
passengers, possibly causing an accident.
●Stow cargo and luggage in the luggage compartment whenever poss i-
ble.
●Do not stack cargo and luggage in the luggage compartment highe r
than the seatbacks.
●Do not place cargo or luggage in or on the following locations.
• At the feet of the driver
• On the front passenger or rea r seats (when stacking items)
• On the instrument panel
• On the dashboard
●Secure all items in the occupant compartment.
●When you fold down the rear seats, long items should not be pla ced
directly behind the front seats.
●Never allow anyone to ride in the luggage compartment. It is no t
designed for passengers. They should ride in their seats with t heir seat
belts properly fastened.

2044-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
■Capacity and distribution
●Do not exceed the maximum axle weight rating or the total vehicle
weight rating.
●Even if the total load of occupant’s weight and the cargo load is less
than the total load capacity, d o not apply the load unevenly. I mproper
loading may cause deterioration of steering or braking control which
may cause death or serious injury.
■Roof luggage carrier precautions (vehicles with roof rails)
To use the roof rails as a roof luggage carrier, you must fit t he roof rails
with two or more genuine Toyota cross rails or their equivalent.
When you load cargo on the roof luggage carrier, observe the fo llowing:
●Loading cargo on the roof luggage carrier will make the center of the
vehicle gravity higher. Avoid hi gh speeds, sudden starts, sharp turns,
sudden braking or abrupt maneuvers, otherwise it may result in loss of
control or vehicle rollover due to failure to operate this vehi cle correctly
and result in death or serious injury.
●If driving for a long distance, on rough roads, or at high spee ds, stop
the vehicle now and then during the trip to make sure the cargo
remains in its place.
●Do not exceed 165 lb. (75 kg) cargo weight on the roof luggage carrier.
●Place the cargo so that its weight is
distributed evenly between the front
and rear axles.
●If loading long or wide cargo, never
exceed the vehicle overall length or
width. (P. 652)
●Before driving, make sure the cargo is
securely fastened on the roof luggage
carrier.
Cross rails
Roof rails

2054-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
■When installing cross rails (vehicles with roof rails)
Make sure the cross bars are installed securely by pushing them forward
and rearward.
Failure to do so may cause an unexpected accident.
NOTICE
■ When loading cargo
Be careful not to scratch the surface of the moon roof or panor amic moon
roof.

2064-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
◆Total load capacity (vehicle capacity weight): P. 652
Total load capacity means the co mbined weight of occupants, cargo
and luggage.
◆Seating capacity: 7 or 8 occ upants (Front 2, Rear 5 or 6)
Seating capacity means the max imum number of occupants whose
estimated average weight is 1 50 lb. (68 kg) per person.
◆TWR (Trailer Weight Rating): P. 212, 652
TWR means the maximum gross trai ler weight (trailer weight plus
its cargo weight) that your vehicle is able to tow.
◆Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or decrease depending on the weight
and the number o f occupants.
■Total load capacity and seating capacity
These details are also described on the tire and loading inform ation label.
( P. 544)
Vehicle load limits
Vehicle load limits include total load capacity, seating capaci ty,
TWR (Trailer Weight Rati ng) and cargo capacity.
WARNING
■Overloading the vehicle
Do not overload the vehicle.
It may not only cause damage to the tires, but also degrade steering
and braking ability, res ulting in an accident.

2214-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
■Trailer towing precautions
To tow a trailer safely, use extreme care and drive the vehicle in accordance
with the trailer’s characteristics and operating conditions. Failure to do so
could cause an accident resulting in death or serious injury. V ehicle stability
and braking performance are affected by trailer stability, brak e setting and
performance, and the hitch. Your vehicle will handle differently when towing
a trailer.
■ To avoid accident or injury
● Do not exceed the TWR, unbraked TWR, GCWR, GVWR or GAWR.
● If the gross trailer weight is over 2000 lb. (900 kg), a sway control device
with sufficient capacity is required.
● If the gross trailer weight is over 5000 lb. (2200 kg), a weigh t distributing
hitch with sufficient capacity is required.
● Adjust the tongue weight within the appropriate range. Place he avier loads
as close to the trailer axle as possible.
● Do not exceed 65 mph (104 km/h), the posted towing speed limit or the
speed limit for your trailer as set forth in your trailer owner ’s manual,
whichever is lowest. Slow down sufficiently before making a tur n, in cross
winds, on wet or slippery surface, etc. to help avoid an accident. If you
experience a vehicle-trailer instability from reducing a certai n speed, slow
down and make sure you keep your vehicle speed under the speed of
which you experience the instability.
● Do not make jerky, abrupt or sharp turns.
● Do not apply the brakes suddenly as you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of vehicle control. This is especially true on wet or slippery sur-
faces.
● Do not exceed the trailer hitch assembly weight, gross vehicle weight,
gross axle weight and trailer tongue weight capacities.
● Do not use dynamic radar cruise control when towing.
● Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long
downhill grades.

2224-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
●Vehicle-trailer instability is more likely on steep long downhi lls. Before
descending steep or long downhill grades, slow down and downshi ft. Do
not make sudden downshifts when descending steep or long downhi ll
grades. Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the
brakes too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and result
in reduced braking efficiency.
● Vehicles with a compact spare tire: Do not tow a trailer when t he compact
spare tire is installed on your vehicle.
■ Hitch
Trailer hitch assemblies have different weight capacities estab lished by the
hitch manufacturer. Even though the vehicle may be physically capable of
towing a higher weight, the operator must determine the maximum weight
rating of the particular hitch assembly and never exceed the ma ximum
weight rating specified for the trailer-hitch. Exceeding the ma ximum weight
rating set by the trailer-hitch manufacturer can cause an accid ent resulting
in death or serious personal injuries.
■ When towing a trailer
Toyota recommends trailers with brakes that conform to any appl icable fed-
eral and state/provincial regulations.
● If the gross trailer weight exceeds unbraked TWR, trailer brake s are
required. Toyota recommends trailers with brakes that conform t o all appli-
cable federal and state/provincial regulations.
● Never tap into your vehicle’s hydraulic system, as this will lo wer the vehi-
cle’s braking effectiveness.
● Never tow a trailer without using a safety chain securely attac hed to both
the trailer and the vehicle. If damage occurs to the coupling u nit or hitch
ball, there is danger of the trailer wandering into another lan e.
NOTICE
■When installing a trailer hitch
Use only the position recommended by your Toyota dealer. Do not install
the trailer hitch on the bumper; this may cause body damage.
■ Do not directly splice trailer lights
Do not directly splice trailer lights. Directly splicing traile r lights may damage
your vehicle’s electrical system and cause a malfunction.

2254-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
■Turning the key from “ACC” to “LOCK”
Shift the shift lever to P. (P. 233)
■ If the engine does not start
The engine immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. ( P. 86)
Contact your Toyota dealer.
■ When the steering lock cannot be released
■ Key reminder function
A buzzer sounds if the driver’s door is opened while the engine switch is in
the “LOCK” or “ACC” position to remind you to remove the key. Push in the key and turn it to the
“LOCK” position.
1
2
When starting the engine, the engine
switch may seem stuck in the “LOCK”
position. To free it, turn the key while turn-
ing the steering wheel slightly left and
right.
WARNING
■
When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not depress the
accelerator pedal while starting the engine under any circumsta nces.
Doing so may cause an accident resulting in death or serious in jury.
■ Caution when driving
Do not turn the engine switch to the “LOCK” position while driving. If, in an
emergency, you must turn the engine off while the vehicle is mo ving, turn
the engine switch only to the “ACC” position to stop the engine. An accident
may result if the engine is stopped while driving. ( P. 575)