
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

1954-1. Before driving
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Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When driving the vehicle
● Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving
down a steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause the brakes to overheat and lose
effectiveness. ( P. 233)
● Do not adjust the positions of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or
outside rear view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control.
● Always check that all passengers’ arms, heads or other parts of their body
are not outside the vehicle.
● Do not drive in excess of the speed limit. Even if the legal sp eed limit per-
mits it, do not drive over 85 mph (140 km/h) unless your vehicl e has high-
speed capability tires. Driving over 85 mph (140 km/h) may resu lt in tire
failure, loss of control and possible injury. Be sure to consult a tire dealer
to determine whether the tires on your vehicle are high-speed c apability
tires or not before driving at such speeds.
■ When driving on slippery road surfaces
● Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippa ge and
reduce your ability to control the vehicle.
● Sudden acceleration, engine braking due to shifting, or changes in engine
speed could cause the vehicle to skid.
● After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pedal to make
sure that the brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads m ay prevent
the brakes from functioning properly. If the brakes on only one side are wet
and not functioning properly, steering control may be affected.

1984-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
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.

2254-2. Driving procedures
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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.
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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)

2454-3. Operating the lights and wipers
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Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
Push the lever away from you
with the headlight switch in the
or position.
Press the Automatic High
Beam switch.
The Automatic High Beam indica-
tor will come on when the system
is operating.
Automatic High Beam
The Automatic High Beam uses a camera sensor located behind
the upper portion of the windshi eld to assess the brightness of
the lights of vehicles ahead, streetlights, etc., and automatic ally
turns the high beams on or off as necessary.
WARNING
■Limitations of the Automatic High Beam
Do not overly rely on the Automatic High Beam. Always drive saf ely, taking
care to observe your surroundings and turning the high beams on or off
manually if necessary.
■ To prevent incorrect operation o f the Automatic High Beam syste m
Do not overload the vehicle.
Activating the Automatic High Beam
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2534-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
■Caution regarding the use of wind shield wipers in “AUTO” mode (vehi-
cles with rain-sensing windshield wipers)
The windshield wipers may operate unexpectedly if the sensor is touched or
the windshield is subject to vibration in “AUTO” mode. Take car e that your
fingers etc. do not become caught in the windshield wipers.
■ Caution regarding the use of washer fluid
When it is cold, do not use the washer fluid until the windshie ld becomes
warm. The fluid may freeze on the windshield and cause low visi bility. This
may lead to an accident, resulting in death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■ When the windshield is dry
Do not use the wipers, as they may damage the windshield.
■ When the washer fluid tank is empty
Do not operate the switch continually as the washer fluid pump may over-
heat.
■ When a nozzle becomes blocked
In this case, contact your Toyota dealer.
Do not try to clear it with a pin or other object. The nozzle w ill be damaged.

2594-4. Refueling
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
After refueling, turn the fuel tank
cap until you hear a click. Once
the cap is released, it will turn
slightly in the opposite direction.
Closing the fuel tank cap
WARNING
■When replacing the fuel tank cap
Do not use anything but a genuine Toyota fuel tank cap designed for your
vehicle. Doing so may cause a fire or other incident which may result in
death or serious injury.