
1713-3. Adjusting the seats
3
Operation of each component
HIGHLANDER_U■
Adjusting the height o f the head restraints
■ Adjusting the third seat head restraints
Always  raise  the  head  restraint  one  level  from  the  stowed  posit ion  when
using. Make  sure  that  the  head  restraints  are
adjusted  so  that  the  center  of  the  head
restraint is closest to the top of your ears. 
WARNING
■ Head restraint precautions
Observe  the  following  precautions  regarding  the  head  restraints.  Failure  to
do so may result in death or serious injury.
● Use the head restraints designed for each respective seat.
● Adjust the head restraints to the correct position at all times.
● After  adjusting  the  head  restraints,  push  down  on  them  and  make  sure
they are locked in position.
● Do not drive with the head restraints removed. 

1753-4. Adjusting the steering wheel and mirrors
3
Operation of each component
HIGHLANDER_U
Auto anti-glare inside rear view mirror
Responding  to  the  level  of  brightness  of  the  headlights  of  vehi cles
behind, the reflected light is automatically reduced.
Changing automatic anti- glare function mode
ON/OFF
When  the  automatic  anti-glare
function is in ON mode, the indica-
tor illuminates.
The  function  will  set  to  ON  mode
each  time  the  engine  switch  is
turned to IGNITION ON mode. 
Pressing the  button turns  the func-
tion  to  OFF  mode.  (The  indicator
also turns off.)
 
■ To prevent sensor error (vehicles with an auto anti-glare insid e rear view
mirror)
Indicator
To  ensure  that  the  sensors  operate  prop-
erly, do not touch or cover them.
WARNING
Do not adjust the position of the mirror while driving.
Doing  so  may  lead  to  mishandling  of  the  vehicle  and  cause  an  ac cident,
resulting in death or serious injury. 

1813-5. Opening and closing the windows
3
Operation of each component
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions. 
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■Closing the windows
● The driver is responsible for all the power window operations,  including the
operation  for  the  passengers.  In  order  to  prevent  accidental  op eration,
especially  by  a  child,  do  not  let  a  child  operate  the  power  win dows.  It  is
possible  for  children  and  other  passengers  to  have  body  parts  c aught  in
the power window. Also, when riding with a child, it is recomme nded to use
the window lock switch. ( P. 179)
● Check to make sure that all passengers do not have any part of their body
in a position where it could be caught when a window is being o perated.
● When using the wireless remote control, key or mechanical key and oper-
ating  the  power  windows,  operate  the  power  window  after  checkin g  to
make sure that there is no possibility of any passenger having any of their
body parts caught in the window. Also do not let a child operat e window by
the  wireless  remote  control,  key  or  mechanical  key.  It  is  possi ble  for  chil-
dren and other passengers to get caught in the power window.
● When exiting the vehicle, turn the engine switch off, carry the  key and exit
the vehicle along with the child. There may be accidental operation, due to
mischief, etc., that may possibly lead to an accident.
■ Jam  protection  function  (windows  with  one-touch  closing  functio n
only)
● Never use any part of your body to intentionally activate the j am protection
function.
● The  jam  protection  function  may  not  work  if  something  gets  caught  just
before the window fully closes. 

1853-5. Opening and closing the windows
3
Operation of each component
HIGHLANDER_U■
Moon roof open warning buzzer
A buzzer sounds and a message is shown on the multi-information  display in
the  instrument  cluster  when  the  engine  switch  is  turned  off  and   the  driver’s
door is opened with the moon roof open.
■ Customization
Settings (e.g. linked door lock operation) can be changed. 
(Customizable features:  P. 682)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
■Opening the moon roof
● Do not allow any passengers to put their hands or heads outside  the vehi-
cle while it is moving.
● Do not sit on top of the moon roof.
■ Closing the moon roof
● The driver is responsible for moon roof opening and closing ope rations. 
In order to prevent accidental operation, especially by a child , do not let a
child  operate  the  moon  roof.  It  is  possible  for  children  and  ot her  passen-
gers to have body parts caught in the moon roof.
● Check to make sure that all passengers do not have any part of  their bod-
ies in a position where they could be caught when the moon roof  is being
operated.
● When using the wireless remote control, key or mechanical key and oper-
ating  the  moon  roof,  operate  the  moon  roof  after  checking  to  ma ke  sure
that there is no possibility of any passenger having any of the ir body parts
caught in the moon roof. Also, do not let a child operate moon  roof by the
wireless  remote  control,  key  or  mechanical  key.  It  is  possible  for  children
and other passengers to get caught in the moon roof.
● When exiting the vehicle, turn the engine switch off, carry the  key and exit
the vehicle along with the child. There may be accidental operation, due to
mischief, etc., that may possibly lead to an accident.
■ Jam protection function
● Never use any part of your body to intentionally activate the j am protection
function.
● The  jam  protection  function  may  not  work  if  something  gets  caught  just
before the moon roof fully closes. 

1903-5. Opening and closing the windows
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions. 
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■Closing the shade
● Check to make sure that all passengers do not have any part of their body
in a position where it could be caught when the shade is being  operated.
● Do not allow children to operate the shade. 
Closing a shade on someone can cause death or serious injury. The driver
is responsible for instructing children not to operate the shad e.
■ Opening the moon roof
● Do not allow any passengers to put their hands or heads outside  the vehi-
cle while it is moving.
● Do not sit on top of the moon roof.
■ Closing the moon roof
● The driver is responsible for moon roof opening and closing ope rations. 
In order to prevent accidental operation, especially by a child , do not let a
child  operate  the  moon  roof.  It  is  possible  for  children  and  ot her  passen-
gers to have body parts caught in the moon roof.
● Check to make sure that all passengers do not have any part of their body
in  a  position  where  it  could  be  caught  when  the  moon  roof  is  being  oper-
ated. 
● When exiting the vehicle, turn the engine switch off, carry the  key and exit
the vehicle along with the child. There may be accidental operation, due to
mischief, etc., that may possibly lead to an accident.
■ Jam protection function
● Never use any part of your body to intentionally activate the j am protection
function.
● The  jam  protection  function  may  not  work  if  something  gets  caught  just
before the shade or moon roof is fully closed.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the moon roof
● Before  opening,  make  sure  that  there  are  no  foreign  objects  such  as
stones or ice around the opening.
● Do not hit the face or edge of the moon roof with hard objects. 

1934-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
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. 338)
■ 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  r ain,
because there may be  a layer of  water  between the tires  and  the  road sur-
face, preventing the steering  and brakes from operating properl y.
■ 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 prec autions 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 

1944-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U■
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 wh enever 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. 655)
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  engine
running. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■ When driving the vehicle
● Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accel-
erator pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal. 
• Accidentally  depressing  the  accelerator  pedal  instead  of  the  b rake
pedal will result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an ac cident.
• 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  t he
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.
● Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
The  exhaust  system  and  exhaust  gases  can  be  extremely  hot. Thes e  hot
parts may cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.
● During  normal  driving,  do  not  turn  off  the  engine.  Turning  the  engine  off
while  driving  will  not  cause  loss  of  steering  or  braking  contro l,  but  the
power assist to these systems will be lost. This will make it m ore difficult to
steer and brake, so you should pull over and stop the vehicle a s soon as it
is safe to do so. 
However, in  the  event of  an emergency, such  as if  it becomes  im possible
to stop the vehicle in the normal way: P. 575 

2174-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
●As  stopping  distance  is  increased  when  towing  a  trailer,  vehicl e-to
vehicle  distance  should  be  increased.  For  each  10  mph  (16  km/h)
of speed, allow at least one v ehicle and trailer length.
● Avoid sudden braking as you may  skid, resulting in the trailer  jack-
knifing and a loss of vehicle control. This is especially true  on wet or
slippery surfaces.
● Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
● Avoid jerky steering  and sharp turns, and slow down before maki ng
turn.
● Note that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer  than
the vehicle wheels to the inside  of the turn. Compensate by mak ing
a wider than normal turning radius.
● Slow down before making a turn, in cross winds, on wet or slipp ery
surfaces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can destabilize the trailer.
● Take care when passing other vehicles. Passing requires consider-
able  distance. After  passing  a  vehicle,  do  not  forget  the  lengt h  of
your  trailer,  and  be  sure  you  have  plenty  of  room  before  changi ng
lanes.
● To  maintain  engine  braking  efficiency  and  charging  system  perfo r-
mance  when  using  engine  braking,  do  not  put  the  transmission  in
D. If in the S mode, the transm ission shift range position must be in
6 (8-speed models) or 4 (6-speed models) or lower.
● Instability happens more frequently when descending steep or lo ng
downhill grades. Before descending, slow down and downshift. Do
not make sudden downshifts while  descending steep or long down-
hill grades.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the bra kes
too frequently. This could cause  the brakes to overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.