
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. 

3224-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
●In  low  temperatures,  the  screen  may  darken  or  the  image  may  bec ome
faint.  The  image  could  distort  when  the  vehicle  is  moving,  or  y ou  may
become  unable  to  see  the  image  on  the  screen.  Be  sure  to  check  direct
visually and with the mirrors al l around the vehicle before pro ceeding.
● If the tire sizes are changed, the position of the fixed guide  lines displayed
on the screen may change.
● The  camera  uses  a  special  lens.  The  distances  between  objects  a nd
pedestrians  that  appear  in  the  image  displayed  on  the  screen  will  differ
from the actual distances. ( P. 317)
NOTICE
■How to use the camera
● The  rear  view  monitor  system  may  not  operate  properly  in  the  fo llowing
cases.
• If  the  back  of  the  vehicle  is  hit,  the  position  and  mounting  a ngle  of  the
camera may change.
• As the camera has a water proof construction, do not detach, disassem- ble or modify it. This may cause incorrect operation.
• When cleaning the camera lens, flush the camera with a large quantity
of water and wipe it with a soft and wet cloth. Strongly rubbin g the cam-
era  lens  may  cause  the  camera  lens  to  be  scratched  and  unable  t o
transmit a clear image.
• Do not allow organic solvent, car wax, window cleaner or glass  coat to
adhere to the camera. If this happens, wipe it off as soon as possible.
• If  the  temperature  changes  rapidly,  such  as  when  hot  water  is  poured
on the vehicle in cold weather, the system may not operate norm ally.
• When washing the vehicle, do not apply intensive bursts of wat er to the
camera  or  camera  area.  Doing  so  may  result  in  the  camera  malfun c-
tioning.
• When the camera is used under fluorescent lights, sodium light  or mer-
cury light etc., the lights and the illuminated areas may appea r to flicker.
● Do not expose the camera to strong impact as this could cause a  malfunc-
tion.  If this  happens,  have the  vehicle inspected  by your Toyot a  dealer  as
soon as possible. 

3474-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
Perform the following according to the driving conditions: 
● Do not try to forcibly open a window or move a wiper that is fr ozen.
Pour  warm  water  over  the  frozen  area  to  melt  the  ice.  Wipe  away
the water immediately to p revent it from freezing. 
● To  ensure  proper  operation  of  the  climate  control  system  fan,
remove  any  snow  that  has  accumulated  on  the  air  inlet  vents  in
front of the windshield. 
● Check for and remove any excess ic e or snow that may have accu-
mulated  on  the  exterior  lights,  vehicle’s  roof,  chassis,  around  the
tires or on the brakes.
● Remove  any  snow  or  mud  from  the  bottom  of  your  shoes  before
getting in the vehicle.
Accelerate the vehicle slowly, keep a safe distance between you  and
the vehicle ahead, and drive at a reduced speed suitable to roa d con-
ditions. 
● Park the vehicle and move the shift lever to P without setting  the
parking brake. The parking brake  may freeze up, preventing it from
being  released.  If  the  vehicle  is  parked  without  setting  the  pa rking
brake, make sure t o block the wheels.
Failure to do so may be dangerou s because it may cause the vehi-
cle to move unexpectedly, pos sibly leading to an accident.
● If  the  vehicle  is  parked  without   setting  the  parking  brake,  confirm
that the shift lever c annot be moved out of P
*.
*: The  shift  lever  will  be  locked  if  it  is  attempted  to  be  shifte d  from  P  to  any
other position without depressing the brake pedal. If the shift  lever can be
shifted from P, there may be a problem with the shift lock syst em. Have the
vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
Before driving the vehicle
When driving the vehicle
When parking the vehicle 

3504-6. Driving tips
HIGHLANDER_U
●Specific design charac teristics give it a higher center of grav ity than
ordinary  passenger  cars.  This  vehi cle  design  feature  causes  this
type  of  vehicle  to  be  more  likel y  to  rollover.  And,  utility  vehicles
have a significantly higher rollover rate than other types of v ehicles.
● An advantage of the higher ground  clearance is a better view of the
road allowing you to anticipate problems.
● It is not designed for cornering at the same speeds as ordinary  pas-
senger  cars  any  more  than  low-s lung  sports  cars  are  designed  to
perform  satisfactorily  under  o ff-road  conditions.  Therefore,  sh arp
turns at excessive speeds may c ause the vehicle to rollover.
Utility vehicle precautions
This  vehicle  belongs  to  the  utility  vehicle  class,  which  has
higher  ground  clearance  and  narrower  tread  in  relation  to  the
height of its center of gravity.
Utility vehicle feature
WARNING
■Utility vehicle precautions
Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk o f death, seri-
ous injury or damage to your vehicle:
● In  a  rollover  crash,  an  unbelted  person  is  significantly  more  l ikely  to  die
than a person wearing a seat belt. Therefore, the driver and al l passengers
should always fasten their seat belts.
● Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers, if at all possible. 
Failure  to  operate  this  vehicle  correctly  may  result  in  loss  of  control  or
vehicle rollover causing death or serious injury.
● Loading cargo on the roof luggage carrier (if equipped) will make the cen-
ter  of  the  vehicle  gravity  higher. Avoid  high  speeds,  sudden  starts,  sharp
turns, sudden braking or abrupt maneuvers, otherwise it may res ult in loss
of control or vehicle rollover due to failure to operate this vehicle correctly.
● Always  slow  down  in  gusty  crosswinds.  Because  of  its  profile  and  higher
center of gravity, your vehicle is more sensitive to side winds  than an ordi-
nary passenger car. Slowing down will allow you to have better  control.
● Do  not  drive  horizontally  across  steep  slopes.  Driving  straight   up  or
straight  down  is  preferred.  Your  vehicle  (or  any  similar  off-ro ad  vehicle)
can tip over sideways much more easily than forward or backward . 

431
5
Audio system
HIGHLANDER_U
5-10. Bluetooth®
■When using the Bluetooth® audio system
● In the following conditions, the system may not function.
• If the portable audio player is turned off
• If the portable audio player is not connected
• If the portable audio player’s battery is low
● There  may  be  a  delay  if  a  cellular  phone  connection  is  made  dur ing
Bluetooth
® audio play.
● Depending on the type of portable audio player that is connecte d to the sys-
tem, operation may differ slightly and certain functions may no t be available.
■ When using the hands-free system
●Entune Audio is muted when making a call.
● If both parties speak at the same time, it may be difficult to  hear.
● If the received call volume is overly loud, an echo may be heard. 
If the Bluetooth
® phone is too close to the system, quality of the sound may
deteriorate and connection status may deteriorate.
● In the following circumstances, it may be difficult to hear the other party:
• When driving on unpaved roads
• When driving at high speeds
• If a roof or window is open
• If the air conditioning is blowing directly on the microphone
• If there is interference from the network of the cellular phon e
■ Conditions under which the system will not operate
●If using a cellular phone that does not support Bluetooth
®
●If the cellular phone is turned off
● If you are outside of cellular phone service coverage
● If the cellular phone is not connected
● If the cellular phone’s battery is low
● When outgoing calls are controlled, due to heavy traffic on tel ephone lines,
etc.
● When the cellular phone itself cannot be used
● When transferring contact data from the cellular phone
Bluetooth® 

4365-11. Using the voice command system
HIGHLANDER_U
■Microphone
P. 404
■ When using the microphone
●It is unnecessary to speak directly into the microphone when gi ving a com-
mand.
● When  “Voice  Prompt  Interrupt”  set  to  on,  it  is  not  necessary  to   wait  for  the
confirmation beep before speaking a command. ( P. 368)
● Voice commands may not be recognized if:
• Spoken too quickly.
• Spoken at a low or high volume.
• The roof or windows are open.
• Passengers are talking while voice commands are spoken.
• The air conditioning speed is set high.
• The air conditioning vents are turned towards the microphone.
● In  the  following  conditions,  the  system  may  not  recognize  the  command
properly and using voice commands may not be possible:
• The command is incorrect or unclear. Note that certain words,  accents or
speech patterns may be difficult for the system to recognize.
• There is excessive background noise, such as wind noise.
Due  to  natural  language  speech  recognition  technology,  this  sys tem
enables  recognition  of  a  command  when  spoken  naturally.  However ,
the system cannot recognize ever y variation of each command.
In  some  situations,  it  is  possi ble  to  omit  the  command  for  the  proce-
dure and directly state the desired operation.
Not all voice commands are displayed in the short cut menu.
This function is available in  English, Spanish and French.
■Expression examples for each function
Casual speech recognization
CommandExpression examples
“Call  
Dial 
“Dial 
Ring <3334445555>. 

4996-4. Using the other interior features
6
Interior features
HIGHLANDER_U
■Conditions unfavorable to correct operation
The compass may not show the correct direction in the following  conditions:
● The vehicle is stopped immediately after turning.
● The vehicle is on an inclined surface.
● The vehicle is in a place where the earth's magnetic field is s ubject to inter-
ference by artificial magnetic fields (underground car park/par king lot, under
a steel tower, between buildings, roof car park/parking lot, near an intersec-
tion, near a large vehicle, etc.).
● The vehicle has become magnetized.
(There is a magnet or metal object near the inside rear view mi rror.)
● The battery has been disconnected.
● A door is open.
WARNING
■While driving the vehicle
Do  not  adjust  the  display.  Adjust  the  display  only  when  the  veh icle  is
stopped.
■ When doing the circling calibration
Secure  a  wide  space,  and  watch  out  for  people  and  vehicles  in  the  neigh-
borhood. Do not violate any local traffic  rules  while performin g circling  cali-
bration.
NOTICE
■ To avoid compass malfunctions
Do not place magnets or any metal objects near the inside rear  view mirror. 
Doing this may cause the compass sensor to malfunction.
■ To ensure normal operation of the compass
● Do  not  perform  circling  calibration  of  the  compass  in  a  place  w here  the
earth's magnetic field is subject to interference by artificial magnetic fields.
● During calibration, do not operate electric systems (moon roof,  power win-
dows, etc.) as they may interfere with the calibration.