
2204-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U■
Break-in schedule
If  your  vehicle  is  new  or  equipped  with  any  new  power  train  com ponents
(such  as  an  engine,  transmission,  differential  or  wheel  bearing ),  Toyota  rec-
ommends  that  you  do  not  tow  a  trailer  until  the  vehicle  has  bee n  driven  for
over 500 miles (800 km).
After  the  vehicle  has  been  driven  for  over  500  miles  (800  km),  you  can  start
towing. However, for the next 500 miles (800 km), drive the veh icle at a speed
of  less  than  50  mph  (80  km/h)  when  towing  a  trailer,  and  avoid  full  throttle
acceleration.
■ Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will require more frequent m aintenance due
to  the  additional  load.  (See  “Scheduled  Maintenance  Guide”  or  “ Owner’s
Manual Supplement”.)
● Retighten the fixing bolts of the towing ball and bracket after  approximately
600 miles (1000 km) of trailer towing.
■ If trailer sway occurs
One  or  more  factors  (crosswinds,  passing  vehicles,  rough  roads,   etc.)  can
adversely affect handling of your vehicle and trailer, causing  instability.
● If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer swaying by turning the steering w heel.
• Begin  releasing  the  accelerator  pedal  immediately  but  very  gra dually  to
reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not apply vehicle brakes.
If  you  make  no  extreme  correction  with  the  steering  or  brakes,  your  vehicle
and trailer should stabilize. (if enabled, Trailer Sway Control  can also help to
stabilize the vehicle and trailer.)
● After the trailer swaying has stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occupants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer.
Make sure the load has not shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle. Make sure the vehicle is not overloaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the speed at which trailer swaying occurred
is  beyond  the  limit  of  your  particular  vehicle-trailer  combinat ion.  Drive  at  a
lower speed to prevent instability. Remember that swaying of the towing vehi-
cle-trailer increases as speed increases. 

3534-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
NOTICE
■To prevent water damage
Take  all  necessary  safety  measures  to  ensure  that  water  damage  to  the
engine or other components does not occur.
● Water entering the engine air intake will cause severe engine d amage. 
● Water  entering  the  automatic transmission will cause  deteriorat ion in  shift
quality, locking up of your transmission accompanied by vibrati on, and ulti-
mately damage.
● Water can wash the grease from wheel bearings, causing rusting  and pre-
mature  failure,  and  may  also  enter  the  differentials,  transmission  and
transfer case, reducing the gear oil’s lubricating qualities.
■ When you drive through water
If driving through water, such as when crossing shallow streams , first check
the  depth  of  the  water  and  the  bottom  of  the  riverbed  for  firmn ess.  Drive
slowly and avoid deep water.
■ Inspection after off-road driving
● Sand  and  mud  that  has  accumulated  in  brake  drums  and  around  bra ke
discs may affect braking efficiency and may damage brake system  compo-
nents.
● Always  perform  a  maintenance  inspection  after  each  day  of  off-r oad  driv-
ing  that  has  taken  you  through  rough  terrain,  sand,  mud,  or  wat er.  For
scheduled maintenance information, refer to the “Scheduled Main tenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”. 

509
7
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER_U
7-2. Maintenance
General maintenance should be performed on a daily basis. This can
be done by yourself or by a Toyota dealer.
Scheduled  maintenance  should  be  performed  at  specified  intervals
according to the maintenance schedule.
For  details  about  maintenance  items  and  schedules,  refer  to  the   “Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.
You can perform som e maintenance procedures by yourself. 
Please be aware that do-it-yourse lf maintenance may affect warranty
coverage.
The use of Toyota Repair Manuals is recommended.
For  details  about  warranty  coverage,  refer  to  the  separate  “Own er’s  War-
ranty Information Booklet” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.
Maintenance requirements
To ensure safe and economical driving, day-to-day care and reg-
ular maintenance are essential. I t is the owner’s responsibility to
perform regular checks. Toyota  recommends the following main-
tenance:
General maintenance
Scheduled maintenance
Do-it-yourself maintenance 

5107-2. Maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U
■Repair and replacement
It  is  recommended  that  genuine  Toyota  parts  be  used  for  repairs   to  ensure
performance of each system. If non-Toyota parts are used in rep lacement or if
a  repair  shop  other  than  a  Toyota  dealer  performs  repairs,  conf irm  the  war-
ranty coverage.
■ Resetting the message indicating ma intenance is required (U.S.A. only)
After  the  required  maintenance  is  performed  according  to  the  ma intenance
schedule, please reset the message.
To reset the message, follow the procedure described below:
 Using the trip meter
Vehicles without a smart key system: Turn the engine switch to  the “LOCK”
position with the trip meter A reading shown.
Vehicles  with  a  smart  key  system:  Turn  the  engine  switch  off  with  the  trip
meter A reading shown.
Vehicles  without  a  smart  key  system:  While  pressing  the  trip  me ter  reset
button ( P. 99), turn the engine switch to the “ON” position (do not start the
engine, reset mode will be canceled).
Vehicles  with  a  smart  key  system:  While  pressing  the  trip  meter  reset  but-
ton ( P. 99), turn the engine switch to the IGNITION ON mode (do not  start
the engine, otherwise the reset mode will be canceled).
Continue to press and hold the button until the trip meter disp lays “000000”.
Using the multi-information display
While  the  engine  is  running,  switch  the  multi-information  display  to  .
(P. 105)
Select “Maintenance System” on   of the multi-information displa y.
Select “Yes” on the “Maintenance System” screen.
“Initialization  Completed”  will  be  displayed  on  the  multi-infor mation  display
when the reset procedure has been completed.
■ Allow inspection and repairs to be performed by a Toyota dealer
●Toyota  technicians  are  well-trained  specialists  and  are  kept  up   to  date  with
the  latest  service  information. They  are  well  informed  about  th e  operations
of all systems on your vehicle.
● Keep  a  copy  of  the  repair  order.  It  proves  that  the  maintenance   that  has
been  performed  is  under  warranty  coverage.  If  any  problem  should  arise
while  your  vehicle  is  under  warranty,  your  Toyota  dealer  will  p romptly  take
care of it.
1
2
3
1
2
3 

5147-2. Maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors operate smoothly?
Engine hood• Does the engine hood lock system work prop-erly?
Fluid leaks• There should not be any signs of fluid leakageafter the vehicle has been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire inflati on pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or exces- sively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to the
maintenance schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield  wipers/rear
window wiper
• The  wiper  blades  should  not  show  any  signs
of  cracking,  splitting,  wear,  contamination  or
deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the windshield/
rear window without streaking or skipping.
WARNING
■If the engine is running
Turn the engine off and ensure that there is adequate ventilati on before per-
forming maintenance checks. 

5507-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U
Remove the filter cover.
Remove  the  air  conditioning  fil-
ter  and  replace  it  with  a  new
one.
The “UP”  marks  shown  on  the  fil-
ter should be pointing up.
■ Checking interval
Inspect  and  replace  the  air  conditioning  filter  according  to  th e  maintenance
schedule.  In  dusty  areas  or  areas  with  heavy  traffic  flow,  earl y  replacement
may be required. (For scheduled maintenance information, please  refer to the
“Schedule maintenance guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.)
■ If air flow from the ven ts decreases dramatically
The filter may be clogged. Check the filter and replace if nece ssary.
■ Air conditioning filter with deodorizing function
The use of air fresheners may significantly reduce the life spa n of the deodor-
izing effect.
When an air conditioning odor comes out continuously, replace t he air condi-
tioning filter.
5
6
NOTICE
■ When using the air conditioning system
Make sure that a filter is always installed.
Using the air conditioning system without a filter may cause da mage to the
system. 

6038-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER_U
(U.S.A. only)
Indicates  that  all  maintenance  according  to  the
driven  distance  on  the  maintenance  schedule
*
should be performed soon.
Comes  on  approximately  4500  miles  (7200  km)
after the message has been reset.
If necessary, perfo rm maintenance.
(U.S.A. only)
Indicates  that  all  maintenance  is  required  to  cor-
respond  to  the  driven  distance  on  the  mainte-
nance schedule
*.
Comes  on  approximately  5000  miles  (8000  km)
after the message has been reset. 
(The  indicator  will  not  work  properly  unless  the
message has been reset.)
 Perform  the  necessary  maintenance.
Please  reset  the  message  after  the  mainte-
nance is performed ( P. 510)
Indicates that the Automatic High Beam switch is
pressed while the headlights are in low beam.
Turn the high beam on and press the Auto-
matic High Beam switch again.
Indicates  that,  since  the  VSC  (Vehicle  Stability
Control)  system  was  turned  off,  the  pre-collision
brake system operation is stopped
Turn the VSC on. ( P. 341)
Indicates  that  the  pre-collision  system  is  tempo-
rarily unavailable
Please  wait  until  the  system  returns.  If  the
message  does  not  disappear,  the  system
may  be  malfunctioning.  Have  the  vehicle
inspected  by  your  Toyota  dealer  immedi-
ately.
Warning messageDetails/Actions
(Flashes) 

6048-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER_U
*: Refer to the separate “Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner’s Manual
Supplement” for the maintenance interval applicable to your veh icle.
■Messages displays
The  message  illustrations  used  are  intended  as  examples,  and  ma y  differ
from the image that is actually displayed on the multi-informat ion display.
■ Conditions that the tire pressure warning system may not functi on prop-
erly
 P. 539
■ Warning buzzer
 P. 589
■ Warning message in radar cruise mode 
In  the  following  cases,  the  warning  message  may  not  be  displaye d  even  if
vehicle-to-vehicle distance decreases:
● When your vehicle and the vehicle ahead are traveling at the sa me speed or
the vehicle ahead is traveling more quickly than your vehicle
● When the vehicle ahead is traveling at a very low speed
● Immediately after cruise control speed is set
● At the instant the accelerator pedal is depressed
Indicates  that  the  pre-collision  system  sensor  is
dirty, covered with ice, etc.
 Remove any dirt, ice, etc.
Indicates a malfunction in the brake system
A buzzer also sounds.
 Have  the  vehicle  inspected  by  your  Toyota
dealer immediately.
Continuing to drive th e vehicle may be dan-
gerous.
Warning messageDetails/Actions
(Flashes)
(U.S.A.) (Canada) (Flashes)