2164-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
Use the wire harness stored in the
rear end under body.
Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. Help to avoid
an accident, death or serious injury, keep the following in min d when
towing:
● Speed limits for towing a trailer vary by state or province. Do not
exceed the posted to wing speed limit.
● Toyota recommends that the vehicl e-trailer speed limit is 65 mph
(104 km/h) on a flat, straight, dry road. Do not exceed this li mit, the
posted towing speed limit or the speed limit for your trailer as set
forth in your trailer owner’s manu al, whichever is lowest. Instability
of the towing vehicle-trailer combination (trailer sway) increa ses as
speed increases. Exceeding speed limits may cause loss of contr ol.
● Before starting out, check the trailer lights, tires and the vehicle-
trailer connections. Recheck af ter driving a short distance.
● Practice turning, stopping and reversing with the trailer attac hed in
an area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the fe el
of the vehicle-trailer combination.
● Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and requires pra ctice.
Grip the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the
left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the rig ht to
move the trailer to right. (This is generally opposite to reversing
without a trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or prolonged turning. Have
someone guide you when reversing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
Connecting trailer lights
Trailer towing tips
2194-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
■Matching trailer ball height to trailer coupler height
■ Before towing
Check that the following conditions are met:
●Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are properly inflated. ( P. 662)
● Trailer tires are inflated according to the trailer manufacture r’s recommen-
dation.
● All trailer lights work as required by law.
● All lights work each time you connect them.
● The trailer ball is set at the proper height for the coupler on the trailer.
● The trailer is level when it is hitched.
Do not drive if the trailer is not level, and check for imprope r tongue weight,
overloading, worn suspension, or other possible causes.
● The trailer cargo is securely loaded.
● The rear view mirrors conform to all applicable federal, state/provincial or
local regulations. If they do not, install rear view mirrors ap propriate for tow-
ing purposes.
No matter which class of tow hitch
applies, for a more safe trailer hookup,
the trailer ball setup must be the proper
height for the coupler on the trailer.
Coupler
Trailer ball
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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.
2394-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
Right turn
Lane change to the right (move
the lever partway and release
it)
The right hand signals will flash 3
times.
Lane change to the left (move
the lever partway and release
it)
The left hand signals will flash 3
times.
Left turn
■Turn signals can be operated when
Vehicles without a smart key system
The engine switch is in the “ON” position.
Vehicles with a smart key system
The engine switch is in IGNITION ON mode.
■ If the indicator flashes faster than usual
Check that a light bulb in the front or rear turn signal lights has not burned
out.
■ Customization
The number of times the turn signals flash during a lane change can be
changed. (Customizable feature P. 690)
Turn signal lever
Operating instructions
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3
4
241
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Driving
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4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Operating the switch turn s on the lights as follows:
The headlights, day-
time running lights ( P.
242) and all the lights
listed below turn on and
off automatically.
(Vehicles without a
smart key system:
When the engine
switch is in the “ON”
position)
(Vehicles with a smart
key system: When the
engine switch is in
IGNITION ON mode)
The side marker, parking, tail, license plate, instrument
panel lights, and day time running lights (P. 242) turn on.
The headlights and all the li ghts listed above (except day-
time running lights) turn on.
Off
The daytime running lights turn on. ( P. 242)
*1: For U.S.A.
*2: For Canada
Headlight switch
The headlights can be operated manually or automatically.
Operating instructions
*2*1
1
2
3
4
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
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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2434-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
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Headlight control sensor
■ Automatic light off system
Vehicles without a smart key system
● When the headlights are on: The headlights and tail lights turn off 30 sec-
onds after the engine switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” p osition and
any of the doors is opened and closed. (The lights turn off imm ediately if
on the key is pressed after all the doors are locked.)
● When only the tail lights are on: The tail lights turn off automatically if the
engine switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position and the driver’s
door is opened.
To turn the lights on again, turn the engine switch to “ON” pos ition, or turn the
light switch off once and then back to or .
If any of the doors is kept open, the lights automatically turn off after 20 min-
utes.
Vehicles with a smart key system
● When the headlights are on: The headlights and tail lights turn off 30 sec-
onds after the engine switch is turned to ACCESSORY mode or tur ned off
and any of the doors is opened and closed. (The lights turn off immediately if
on the key is pressed after all the doors are locked.)
● When only the tail lights are on: The tail lights turn off automatically if the
engine switch is turned to ACCESSORY mode or turned off and the driver’s
door is opened.
To turn the lights on again, turn the engine switch to IGNITION ON mode, or
turn the light switch off once and then back to or .
If any of the doors is kept open, the lights automatically turn off after 20 min-
utes. The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything
that blocks the sensor is affixed to the
windshield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor
detecting the level of ambient light and
may cause the automatic headlight sys-
tem to malfunction.
2444-3. Operating the lights and wipers
HIGHLANDER_U■
Light reminder buzzer
Vehicles without a smart key system
A buzzer sounds when the engine switch is turned to the “LOCK” or “ACC”
position and the driver’s door is opened while the lights are t urned on.
Vehicles with a smart key system
A buzzer sounds when the engine switch is turned off or turned to ACCES-
SORY mode and the driver’s door is opened while the lights are turned on.
■ Battery-saving function
In the following conditions, the remaining lights will go off automatically after
20 minutes in order to prevent the vehicle battery from being d ischarged:
● The headlights and/or tail lights are on.
● Vehicles without a smart key system:
The engine switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position.
Vehicles with a smart key system:
The engine switch is turned to ACCESSORY mode or turned off.
This function will be canceled in any of the following situatio ns:
● Vehicles without a smart key system:
When the engine switch is turned to the “ON” position.
Vehicles with a smart key system:
When the engine switch is turned to IGNITION ON mode.
● When the light switch is operated.
● When any of the doors is opened or closed.
■ Customization
Settings (e.g. light sensor sensitivity) can be changed.
(Customizable features: P. 691)
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not leave the lights on longer than necessary when the engin e is not
running.