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5297-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
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Check the battery as follows:
■Battery exterior
Make sure that the battery terminals are not corroded and that
there are no loose connections, cracks, or loose clamps.
Terminals
Hold-down clamp
■ Before recharging
When recharging, the battery produces hydrogen gas which is flammable and
explosive. Therefore, observe the following before recharging:
●If recharging with the battery installed on the vehicle, be sur e to disconnect
the ground cable.
● Make sure the power switch on the charger is off when connectin g and dis-
connecting the charger cables to the battery.
Battery
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5307-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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After recharging/reconnecting the battery (vehicles with a smar t key sys-
tem)
The engine may not start. Follow the procedure below to initial ize the system.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Open and close any of the doors.
Restart the engine.
● Unlocking the doors using the smart key system may not be possi ble imme-
diately after reconnecting the battery. If this happens, use the wireless
remote control or the mechanical key to lock/unlock the doors.
● Start the engine with the engine switch in ACCESSORY mode. The engine
may not start with the engine switch turned off. However, the e ngine will
operate normally from the second attempt.
● The engine switch mode is recorded by the vehicle. If the batte ry is discon-
nected and reconnected, the vehicle will return the engine swit ch mode to
the status it was in before the battery was disconnected. Make sure to turn
off the engine before disconnecting the battery. Take extra car e when con-
necting the battery if the engine switch mode prior to the batt ery being dis-
connected is unknown.
If the system will not start even after multiple attempts, contact your Toyota
dealer.
WARNING
■ Chemicals in the battery
Batteries contain poisonous and corrosive sulfuric acid and may produce
hydrogen gas which is flammable and explosive. To reduce the ri sk of death
or serious injury, take the following precautions while working on or near the
battery:
● Do not cause sparks by touching the battery terminals with tool s.
● Do not smoke or light a match near the battery.
● Avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothes.
● Never inhale or swallow electrolyte.
● Wear protective safety glasses when working near the battery.
● Keep children away from the battery.
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5317-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
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WARNING
■Where to safely charge the battery
Always charge the battery in an open area. Do not charge the ba ttery in a
garage or closed room where there is insufficient ventilation.
■ How to recharge the battery
Only perform a slow charge (5 A or less). The battery may explo de if
charged at a quicker rate.
■ Emergency measures regarding electrolyte
● If electrolyte gets in your eyes
Flush your eyes with clean water for at least 15 minutes and ge t immedi-
ate medical attention. If possible, continue to apply water wit h a sponge or
cloth while traveling to the nearest medical facility.
● If electrolyte gets on your skin
Wash the affected area thoroughly. If you feel pain or burning, get medical
attention immediately.
● If electrolyte gets on your clothes
It can soak through clothing on to your skin. Immediately take off the cloth-
ing and follow the procedure above if necessary.
● If you accidentally swallow electrolyte
Drink a large quantity of water or milk. Get emergency medical attention
immediately.
NOTICE
■When recharging the battery
Never recharge the battery while the engine is operating. Also, be sure all
accessories are turned off.
Page 532 of 732
5327-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U
If any washer does not work or the
warning message appears on the
multi-information display, the
washer tank may be empty. Add
washer fluid.
Washer fluid
WARNING
■When adding washer fluid
Do not add washer fluid when the engine is hot or running as wa sher fluid
contains alcohol and may catch fire if spilled on the engine, e tc.
NOTICE
■Do not use any fluid ot her than washer fluid
Do not use soapy water or engine antifreeze instead of washer f luid.
Doing so may cause streaking on the vehicle's painted surfaces, as well as
damaging the pump leading to problems of the washer fluid not s praying.
■ Diluting washer fluid
Dilute washer fluid with water as necessary.
Refer to the freezing temperatures listed on the label of the washer fluid bot-
tle.
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5337-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
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Check if the treadwear indicators are showing on the tires. Also check
the tires for uneven wear, such as excessive wear on one side o f the
tread.
Check the spare tire condition and pressure if not rotated.
New tread
Worn tread
Treadwear indicator
The location of treadwear indicators is shown by a “TWI” or “” mark,
etc., molded into the s idewall of each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance sched-
ules and treadwear.
Checking tires
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5347-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U
Rotate the tires in the order shown.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pressure warning system afte r tire rota-
tion.
To equalize tire wear and extend tire life, Toyota recommends that tire
rotation is carried ou t at the same interval as tire inspection .
Tire rotation
Vehicles with compact spare
tireVehicles with full-size spare
tire
FrontFront
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5357-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER_U
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses
tire pressure warning valves and transmitters to detect low tire infla-
tion pressure before serious problems arise.
If the tire pressure drops below a predetermined level, the dri ver is
warned by a warning light. ( P. 586)
◆Installing tire pressure warn ing valves and transmitters
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves an d
transmitters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are
installed, new ID codes must be registered in the tire pressure
warning computer and the tire pressure warning system must be
initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmitter I D
codes registered by your Toyota dealer. ( P. 537)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the fol-
lowing circumstances:
● When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when chang-
ing traveling speed or load weight.
When the tire pressure warning sy stem is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
Tire pressure warning system
Page 536 of 732

5367-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U■
How to initialize the tire pressure warning system
Park the vehicle in a safe plac e and turn the engine switch to the
“LOCK” position (vehicles with out a smart key system) or off
(vehicles with a sm art key system).
Initialization cannot be perfo rmed while the vehicle is moving.
Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified cold tire i nflation
pressure level. ( P. 662)
Make sure to adjust the tire pre ssure to the specified cold tire infla-
tion pressure level. The tire pressure warning system will oper ate
based on this pr essure level.
Turn the engine switch to the “ON” position (vehicles without a
smart key system) or IGNITION ON mode (vehicles with a smart
key system).
Press and hold the tire pres-
sure warning reset switch
until the tire pressure warn-
ing light blinks slowly 3 times.
Vehicles without a smart key syst em: Wait for a few minutes with
the engine switch in the “ON” position and then turn the engine
switch to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position.
Vehicles with a smart key system : Wait for a few minutes with the
engine switch in IGNITION ON mode and then turn the engine
switch off.
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