1984-1. Before driving
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WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When the vehicle is parked
● Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft d rink cans in
the vehicle when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may le ad to a
fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plastic material of glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray ov er the
interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehicle’s
electrical components.
● Do not leave cigarette lighters in the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a
place such as the glove box or on the floor, it may be lit acci dentally when
luggage is loaded or the seat is adjusted, causing a fire.
● Do not attach adhesive discs to the windshield or windows. Do n ot place
containers such as air fresheners on the instrument panel or da shboard.
Adhesive discs or containers may act as lenses, causing a fire in the vehi-
cle.
● Do not leave a door or window open if the curved glass is coate d with a
metallized film such as a silver-colored one. Reflected sunligh t may cause
the glass to act as a lens, causing a fire.
● Always apply the parking brake, shift the shift lever to P, stop the engine
and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended while the engine is running .
If the vehicle is parked with the shift lever in P but the park ing brake is not
set, the vehicle may start to move, possibly leading to an acci dent.
● Do not touch the exhaust pipe while the engine is running or immediately
after turning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.
■ When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. Otherwise, if you accidentally move the shift
lever or depress the accelerator pedal, this could cause an acc ident or fire
due to engine overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is park ed in a poorly
ventilated area, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicl e, leading to
death or a serious health hazard.
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.
2424-3. Operating the lights and wipers
HIGHLANDER_U
With the headlights on, push
the lever away from you to turn
on the high beams.
Pull the lever toward you to the
center position to turn the high
beams off.
Pull the lever toward you and
release it to flash the high
beams once.
You can flash the high beams with the headlights on or off.
■Daytime running light system
●Type A:
The daytime running lights illuminate using the same lights as the headlights
and illuminate darker than the headlights.
Type B:
The daytime running lights illuminate using the same lights as the parking
lights and illuminate brighter than the parking lights.
● To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers during dayti me driving,
the daytime running lights turn on automatically when all of the following
conditions are met. (The daytime running lights are not designe d for use at
night.)
• The engine is running
• The parking brake is released
• The headlight switch is in the (Canada only), or “AUTO”
*
position
*: When the surroundings are bright
The daytime running lights remain on after they illuminate, even if the parking
brake is set again.
● For U.S.A.: Daytime running lights can be turned off by operati ng the switch.
● Compared to turning on the headlights, the daytime running ligh t system
offers greater durability and consumes less electricity, so it can help improve
fuel economy.
Turning on the high beam headlights
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2784-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_U• When driving in inclement weather such as heavy rain, fog, sno
w or a
sandstorm
• When the vehicle is hit by water, snow, dust, etc. from a vehicle ahead
• When driving through steam or smoke
• When driving in a place where the surrounding brightness changes sud- denly, such as at the entrance or exit of a tunnel
• When a very bright light, such as the sun or the headlights of oncoming
traffic, shines directly into the camera sensor
• When the surrounding area is dim, such as at dawn or dusk, or while at
night or in a tunnel
• After the engine has started the vehicle has not been driven for a certain amount of time
• While making a left/right turn and for a few seconds after mak ing a left/
right turn
• While driving on a curve and for a few seconds after driving o n a curve
• If your vehicle is skidding
• If the wheels are misaligned
• If a wiper blade is blocking the camera sensor
• The vehicle is wobbling.
• The vehicle is being driven at extremely high speeds.
• When driving on a hill
• If the radar sensor or camera sensor is misaligned
● In some situations such as the following, sufficient braking fo rce may not be
obtained, preventing the system from performing properly:
• If the braking functions cannot operate to their full extent, such as when
the brake parts are extremely cold, extremely hot, or wet
• If the vehicle is not properly maintained (brakes or tires are excessively
worn, improper tire inflation pressure, etc.)
• When the vehicle is being driven on a gravel road or other sli ppery sur-
face
• If the front of the vehicle is raised or
lowered
2804-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_U●
If the PCS warning light continues to flash or remains illuminated or the
warning message does not disappear even though the vehicle has returned
to normal, the system may be malfunctioning.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
■ If VSC is disabled
●If VSC is disabled ( P. 341), the pre-collision brake assist and pre-collision
braking functions are also disabled.
● The PCS warning light will turn on and “VSC Turned Off Pre-Coll ision Brake
System Unavailable” will be displayed on the multi-information display.
2954-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
This mode employs a radar sensor to detect the presence of vehicles
up to approximately 320 ft. (100 m) ahead, determines the curre nt
vehicle-to-vehicle following distance, and operates to maintain a suit-
able following distance from the vehicle ahead.
Note that vehicle-to-vehicle distance will close in when traveling on long
downhill slopes.
Example of constant speed cruising
When there are no vehicles ahead
The vehicle travels at the speed set by the driver. The desired vehicle-to-
vehicle distance can also be set by operating the vehicle-to-ve hicle dis-
tance switch.
Example of deceleration crui sing and follow-up cruising
When a preceding vehicle driving slower than the set speed
appears
When a vehicle is detected running ahead of you, the system automatically
decelerates your vehicle. When a greater reduction in vehicle s peed is
necessary, the system applies the brakes (the stop lights will come on at
this time). The system will respond to changes in the speed of the vehicle
ahead in order to maintain the vehicle-to-vehicle distance set by the driver.
Approach warning warns you when the system cannot decelerate su ffi-
ciently to prevent your vehicle fr om closing in on the vehicle ahead.
Example of acceleration
When there are no longer any preceding vehicles driving slower
than the set speed
The system accelerates until the set speed is reached. The syst em then
returns to constant speed cruising.
Driving in vehicle-to-vehi cle distance control mode
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3134-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
■When the Stop & Start system is operating
● Depress the brake pedal and apply the parking brake when necess ary
while the engine is stopped by the Stop & Start system (while t he Stop &
Start indicator is on).
● Do not allow anyone to leave the vehicle while the engine is stopped by
the Stop & Start system (while the Stop & Start indicator is on ).
An accident may occur due to the automatic engine start functio n.
● Ensure that the engine is not stopped by the Stop & Start system while the
vehicle is in a poorly ventilated area. The engine may restart due to the
automatic engine start function, causing exhaust gases to colle ct and
enter the vehicle, possibly resulting in death or a serious hea lth hazard.
NOTICE
■To ensure the system operates correctly
If any of the following situations occur, the Stop & Start syst em may not
operate correctly. Have your vehicle inspected by Toyota dealer .
● While the driver's seat belt is fastened, the driver's and front passenger's
seat belt reminder light flashes.
● Even though the driver's seat belt is not fastened, the driver's and front
passenger's seat belt reminder light does not illuminate.
● Even though the driver's door is closed, the open door warning is dis-
played on the multi-information display or the interior light i s illuminated
when door linked illumination is enabled ( P. 464).
● Even though the driver's door is open, the open door warning is not dis-
played on the multi-information display or the interior light d oes not illumi-
nate when door linked illumination is enabled ( P. 464).
3414-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
■Turning off both TRAC and VSC systems
To turn the TRAC and VSC systems off, press and hold for more than 3
seconds while the vehicle is stopped.
The VSC OFF indicator light will come on and “Traction Control Turned Off”
will be shown on the multi-information display.
*
Press again to turn the systems back on.
*: Pre-collision brake assist and pre-collision braking will also be disabled.
( P. 280)
■ When the message is displayed on the multi-information display show-
ing that TRAC has been disabled even if switch has not been
pressed
TRAC cannot be operated. Contact your Toyota dealer.
■ Operating conditions of hill-start assist control
When the following four conditions are met, the hill-start assi st control will
operate:
● The shift lever is in a position other than P or N (when starting off forward/
backward on an upward incline).
● The vehicle is stopped.
● The accelerator pedal is not depressed.
● The parking brake is not engaged.
■ Automatic system cancelation of hill-start assist control
The hill-start assist control will turn off in any of the following situations:
● The shift lever is moved to P or N.
● The accelerator pedal is depressed.
● The parking brake is engaged.
● Approximately 2 seconds elapse after the brake pedal is release d.
■ Sounds and vibrations caused by the ABS, brake assist, VSC, TRAC and
hill-start assist control systems
●A sound may be heard from the engine compartment when the brake pedal
is depressed repeatedly, when the engine is started or just aft er the vehicle
begins to move. This sound does not indicate that a malfunction has
occurred in any of these systems.
● Any of the following conditions may occur when the above system s are
operating. None of these indicates that a malfunction has occur red.
• Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard also after the vehicle comes to a s top.
• The brake pedal may pulsate slightly after the ABS is activate d.
• The brake pedal may move down sli ghtly after the ABS is activated.