Page 199 of 732

1994-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When braking
● When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and this ma y cause
one side of the vehicle to brake differently than the other sid e. Also, the
parking brake may not securely hold the vehicle.
● If the brake booster device does not operate, do not follow oth er vehicles
closely and avoid hills or shar p turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but the brake pedal sh ould be
depressed more firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance wi ll increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
● Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted
brakes.
● The brake system consists of 2 individual hydraulic systems; if one of the
systems fails, the other will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal
should be depressed more firmly than usual and the braking dist ance will
increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
■ If the vehicle becomes stuck (AWD models)
Do not spin the wheels excessively when any of the tires is up in the air, or
the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may damage the driveline com-
ponents or propel the vehicle forward or backward, causing an a ccident.
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
● Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same tim e during
driving, as this may restrain driving torque.
● Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake
pedals at the same time to hold the vehicle on a hill.
Page 223 of 732
2234-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
Dinghy towing
Your vehicle is not designed to be dinghy towed (with 4 wheels
on the ground) behind a motor home.
NOTICE
■To avoid serious damage to your vehicle
■ To prevent causing serious damag e to the transmission and the
Dynamic Torque Control AWD system (AWD models)
Do not tow your vehicle with 4 wheels on
the ground.
2WD models: Never tow this vehicle from
the rear with the front wheels on the
ground. This may cause serious damage
to the transmission.
AWD models: Never tow this vehicle with
any of the wheels on the ground. This
may cause serious damage to the
Dynamic Torque Control AWD system
and transmission.
Page 337 of 732

3374-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
Press the switch.
The torque of the engine is distrib-
uted to the rear wheels to the max-
imum extent possible in
accordance with driving conditions.
Pressing the switch again cancels
all-wheel drive lock mode and
returns the Dynamic Torque Con-
trol AWD system to normal mode.
(P. 339)
■ All-wheel drive lock mode 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.
■ All-wheel drive lock mode
●All-wheel drive lock mode is canceled when the brakes are appli ed to
ensure the ABS and VSC systems operate effectively.
● All-wheel drive lock mode is canceled when the vehicle speed ex ceeds 25
mph (40 km/h).
All-wheel drive lock switch (AWD models)
All-wheel drive lock mode can b e used when a large amount of
drive power needs to be applied to all the wheels, such as when
the vehicle gets stuck in m ud and you need to free it.
Page 338 of 732

3384-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_U
◆ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Helps to prevent wheel lock when the brakes are applied suddenl y,
or if the brakes are applied while driving on a slippery road surface
◆Brake assist
Generates an increased level of braking force after the brake p edal
is depressed when the system de tects a panic stop situation
◆VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
Helps the driver to control skidding when swerving suddenly or
turning on slippery road surfaces
◆Enhanced VSC (Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control)
Provides cooperative control of the ABS, TRAC, VSC and EPS.
Helps to maintain directional stability when swerving on slippe ry
road surfaces by controlling steering performance.
◆Trailer Sway Control
Helps the driver to control tra iler sway by selectively applying brake
pressure for individual wheels and reducing driving torque when
trailer sway is detected.
◆TRAC (Traction Control)
Helps to maintain drive power and prevent the drive wheels from
spinning when starting the vehicl e or accelerating on slippery roads
◆Hill-start assist control
Helps to reduce the backward movement of the vehicle when start -
ing on an uphill
Driving assist systems
To help enhance driving safety and performance, the following
systems operate autom atically in response to various driving
situations. Be aware, however, that these systems are supple-
mentary and should not be relied upon too heavily when operat-
ing the vehicle.
Page 339 of 732
3394-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
◆Dynamic Torque Control AWD system (AWD models)
Automatically switches from fron t-wheel drive to all-wheel drive
(AWD) according to the driving conditions, helping to ensure re li-
able handling and stability. Ex amples of conditions where the s ys-
tem will switch to AWD are when cornering, going uphill, starting off
or accelerating, and when the road surface is slippery due to s now,
rain, etc.
◆EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce the amount of effort needed to
turn the steering wheel
Page 580 of 732

5808-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER_U
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the vehicle when towing using a wheel-lift type
truck
● Vehicles without a smart key system: Do not tow the vehicle fro m the rear
when the engine switch is in the “LOCK” position or the key is removed.
The steering lock mechanism is not strong enough to hold the front wheels
straight.
● Vehicles with a smart key system: Do not tow the vehicle from the rear
when the engine switch is off.
The steering lock mechanism is not strong enough to hold the front wheels
straight.
● When raising the vehicle, ensure adequate ground clearance for towing at
the opposite end of the raised vehicle. Without adequate clearance, the
vehicle could be damaged while being towed.
■ To prevent damage to the vehicle when towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck, either from the front or re ar.
■ Recreational towing (behind motor home, etc.)
Never dinghy tow your vehicle to prevent
causing serious damage to the Dynamic
Torque Control AWD system (AWD mod-
els) and transmission. ( P. 223)
Page 623 of 732

6238-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
■Replacing a flat tire
●Do not touch the disc wheels or the area around the brakes immedi-
ately after the vehi cle has been driven.
After the vehicle has been driven the disc wheels and the area around
the brakes will be extremely hot. Touching these areas with hands, feet
or other body parts while changin g a tire, etc. may result in burns.
●Failure to follow these precautions could cause the wheel nuts to
loosen and the t ire to fall off, resulting in death or serious injury.
• Have the wheel nuts tightened with a torque wrench to 76 ft•lbf (103
N•m, 10.5 kgf•m) as soon as possible after changing wheels.
• Do not attach a heavily damaged wheel ornament, as it may fly off
the wheel while the vehicle is moving.
• When installing a tire, only use wheel nuts that have been spe cifi-
cally designed for that wheel.
• If there are any cracks or defo rmations in the bolt screws, nut
threads or bolt holes of the wheel, have the vehicle inspected by
your Toyota dealer.
• When installing the wheel nuts, be sure to install them with the
tapered ends facing inward. ( P. 548)
●Observe the followi ng precautions.
Failure to do so may result in serious injury:
• Do not try to remove the wheel ornament by hand. Take due care in
handling the ornament to avoid unexpected personal injury.
• Lower the spare tire completely to the ground before removing it
from under the vehicle.
Page 625 of 732
6258-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER_U
Lower the vehicle.
Firmly tighten each wheel nut
two or three times in the order
shown in the illustration.
Vehicles with wheel locks:
Tighten the wheel lock using
the wheel lock key after tighten-
ing other wheel nuts.
Tightening torque:
76 ft•lbf (103 N•m, 10.5 kgf•m)
■ Wheel locks (if equipped)
Each wheel is equipped with one wheel lock which requires a whe el lock key
for removal. The key can be found in the jack compartment of th e vehicle.
( P. 6 1 1 )
3
4
NOTICE
■When using a wheel lock key (vehicles with wheel locks)
Do not use an impact wrench to install or remove wheel locks. U se of an
impact wrench may cause permanent damage to wheel lock and key.