3535-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_U
5
Interior features
Turns the heated steering wheel
on/off
The indicator light comes on when
the heated steering wheel is oper-
ating.
■Operation condition
The power swit ch is in ON.
■Timer function
The heated steer ing wheel will auto-
matically turn off after a period of
time.
■Front (Front air condition-
ing control panel)
Each time the switch is pressed,
the operation condition changes
as follows.
Hi (3 segments lit) Mid (2 seg-
ments lit) Lo (1 segment
lit) Off
The level indicator (amber)
lights up during operation.
Vehicle with a 12.3-inch dis-
play
Vehicle with a 8-inch display
■Front (Toyota multi-opera-
tion touch: Vehicle with a
12.3-inch display)
Select to display the seats
climate screen.
Each time the switch is selected,
the operation condition changes
as follows.
Hi (3 segments lit) Mid (2 seg-
ments lit) Lo (1 segment
lit) Off
The level indicato r (red) lights
up during operation.
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-vo lt battery dis-
charge
Do not use the functions when the
hybrid system is off.
Heated steering wheel
Seat heaters
393
HIGHLANDER HV_U
6
6
Maintenance and care
Maintenance and care
.6-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior .......... 394
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior ........... 397
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements.................................. 400
General maintenance.. 402
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M) pro-
grams ........................ 404
6-3. Do-it-yourself mainte- nance
Do-it-yourself service pre- cautions ..................... 406
Hood ........................... 408
Positioning a floor jack .................................. 409
Engine compartment ... 410
12-volt battery ............. 416
Tires ............................ 418
Tire inflation pressure.. 430
Wheels ......... ...............432
Air conditioning filter .... 433
Cleaning the hybrid battery (traction battery) air intake
vents and filter ........... 435
Electronic key battery.. 438
Checking and replacing fuses.......................... 439
Headlight aim .............. 442Light bulbs ...................
443
3946-1. Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_U
6-1.Maintenance and care
Working from top to bottom,
liberally apply water to the
vehicle body, wheel wells and
underside of the vehicle to
remove any dirt and dust.
Wash the vehicle body using
a sponge or soft cloth, such
as a chamois.
For hard-to-remove marks,
use car wash soap and rinse
thoroughly with water.
Wipe away any water.
Wax the vehicle when the
waterproof coating deterio-
rates.
If water does not bead on a clean
surface, apply wax when the vehi-
cle body is cool.
■Automatic car washes
●Before washing the vehicle:
• Fold the mirrors
• Turn off the power back door
Start washing from the front of the
vehicle. Extend the mirrors before
driving.
●Brushes used in automatic car
washes may scratch the vehicle
surface, parts (wheel, etc.) and
harm your vehicle’s paint.
●Rear spoiler may not be washable
in some automatic car washes.
There may also be an increased
risk of damage to vehicle.
■High pressure car washes
As water may enter the cabin, do
not bring the nozzle tip near the
gaps around the doors or perimeter
of the windows, or spray these
areas continuously.
■When using a car wash
If the door handle becomes wet
while the electronic key is within the
effective range, the door may lock
and unlock repeatedly. In that case,
follow the following correction pro-
cedures to wash the vehicle:
●Place the key in a position 6 ft. (2
m) or more separate from the
vehicle while the vehicle is being
washed. (Take care to ensure that
the key is not stolen.)
●Set the electronic key to bat-
tery-saving mode to disable the
smart key system. ( P.147)
■Wheels and wheel ornaments
●Remove any dirt immediately by
using a neutral detergent.
●Wash detergent off with water
immediately after use.
●To protect the paint from damage,
make sure to obs erve the follow-
ing precautions.
• Do not use acidic, alkaline or abrasive detergent
• Do not use hard brushes
• Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, such
as after driving or parking in hot
weather
■Bumpers
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■Plated portions
If dirt cannot be re moved, clean the
parts as follows:
●Use a soft cloth dampened with an
approximately 5% solution of neu-
Cleaning and protect-
ing the vehicle exte-
rior
Perform cleaning in a man-
ner appropriate to each
component and its material.
Cleaning instructions
3956-1. Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_U
6
Maintenance and care
tral detergent and water to clean
the dirt off.
●Wipe the surface with a dry, soft
cloth to remove any remaining
moisture.
●To remove oily deposits, use alco-
hol wet wipes or a similar product.
WA R N I N G
■When washing the vehicle
Do not apply water to the inside of
the engine compartment. Doing
so may cause the electrical com-
ponents, etc. to catch fire.
■When cleaning the windshield
(vehicles with rain-sensing
windshield wipers)
Set the wiper switch to off.
If the switch is in “AUTO”, the wip-
ers may operate unexpectedly in
the following situations, and may
result in hands being caught or
other serious injuries and cause
damage to the wiper blades.
AUTO
●When the upper part of the
windshield where the raindrop
sensor is located is touched by
hand
●When a wet rag o r similar is
held close to the raindrop sen-
sor
●If something bumps against the
windshield
●If you directly touch the raindrop
sensor body or if something
bumps into the raindrop sensor
■Precautions regarding the
exhaust pipe
Exhaust gasses cause the
exhaust pipe to become quite hot.
When washing the vehicle, be
careful not to touch the pipe until it
has cooled sufficiently, as touch-
ing a hot exhaust pipe can cause
burns.
■Precaution regarding the rear
bumper with Blind Spot Moni-
tor
If the paint of th e rear bumper is
chipped or scratched, the system
may malfunction.If this occurs,
consult your Toyota dealer.
NOTICE
■To prevent paint deteriora-
tion and corrosion on the
body and components (alumi-
num wheels, etc.)
●Wash the vehicle immediately in
the following cases:
• After driving nea r the sea coast
• After driving on salted roads
• If coal tar or tree sap is present on the paint surface
• If dead insects, insect droppings or bird droppings are present on
the paint surface
• After driving in an area contami- nated with soot, oily smoke,
mine dust, iron powder or chem-
ical substances
• If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled with d ust or mud
• If liquids such as benzene and gasoline are spilled on the paint
surface
●If the paint is chipped or
scratched, have it repaired
immediately.
3966-1. Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_U
NOTICE
●To prevent the wheels from cor-
roding, remove any dirt and
store in a place with low humid-
ity when storing the wheels.
■Cleaning the exterior lights
●Wash carefully. Do not use
organic substances or scrub
with a hard brush.
This may damage the surfaces
of the lights.
●Do not apply wax to the sur-
faces of the lights.
Wax may cause damage to the
lenses.
■When using an automatic car
wash (vehicles with
rain-sensing windshield wip-
ers)
Set the wiper switch to the off
position.
If the wiper switch is in “AUTO”,
the wipers may operate and the
wiper blades may be damaged.
■When using a high pressure
car wash
●When washing the vehicle, do
not let water of the high pres-
sure washer hit directly or the
vicinity of the camera. Due to
the shock from the high pres-
sure water, it is possible the
device may not op erate as nor-
mal.
●Do not bring the nozzle tip close
to boots (rubber or resin manu-
factured cover), connectors or
the following parts. The parts
may be damaged if they come
into contact with high-pressure
water.
• Traction related parts
• Steering parts
• Suspension parts
• Brake parts
●Keep the cleaning nozzle at
least 11.9 in. (30 cm) away from
the vehicle body. Otherwise
resin section, s uch as moldings
and bumpers, may be deformed
and damaged.
Also, do not continuously hold the
nozzle in the same place.
●Do not spray the lower part of
the windshield continuously.
If water enters the air conditioning
system intake located near the
lower part of the windshield, the
air conditioning system may not
operate correctly.
4036-2. Maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_U
6
Maintenance and care
Brake pedal
• Does the brake pedal move
smoothly?
• Does the brake pedal have
appropriate
clearance from
the floor?
( P.511)
• Does the brake pedal have the
correct amount
of free play?
( P.511)
Brakes
• The vehicle
should not pull to
one side when
the brakes are
applied.
• The brakes should work
effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel
spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get
too close to the
floor when the
brakes are
applied.
Head
restraints
• Do the head restraints move
smoothly and
lock securely?
Horn• Works properly?
Indica-
tors/buzzers
• Do the indica-tors and buzzers
function prop-
erly?
ItemsCheck points
Lights
• Do all the lights come on?
• Are the head- lights aimed cor-
rectly? (P.442)
Parking brake
• Does the park-ing brake switch
operate nor-
mally?
• When parked on a slope and the
parking brake is
on, is the vehicle
securely
stopped?
Seat belts
• Do the seat belts operate
smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be
damaged.
Seats
• Do the seat con-trols operate
properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steer-ing wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steer- ing wheel have
the correct
amount of free
play?
• There should not be any strange
sounds coming
from the steer-
ing wheel.
ItemsCheck points
4046-2. Maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_U
The OBD system determines
that a problem exists some-
where in the emission control
system. Your vehicle may not
pass the I/M test and may need
to be repaired. Contact your
Toyota dealer to service the
vehicle.
When the 12-volt battery is
disconnected or discharged
Readiness codes that are set
during ordinary driving are erased.
Also, depending on your driving
habits, the readiness codes may
not be completely set.
When the fuel tank cap is
loose
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors
• Do the doors
operate
smoothly?
Engine hood
• Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks
• There should not be any signs of
fluid leakage
after the vehicle
has been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire infla-tion pressure
correct?
• The tires should not be damaged
or excessively
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, split-
ting, wear, con-
tamination or
deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield/rear
window without
streaking or skip-
ping.
Emission inspection
and maintenance (I/M)
programs
Some states have vehicle
emission inspection pro-
grams which include OBD
(On Board Diagnostics)
checks. The OBD system
monitors the operation of
the emission control sys-
tem.
If the malfunction indica-
tor lamp comes on
Your vehicle may not pass
the I/M test in the follow-
ing situations:
4196-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_U
6
Maintenance and care
etc., molded into the sidewall of
each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear
indicators are showing on a tire.
■When to replace your vehicle’s
tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●The treadwear indicators are
showing on a tire.
●You have tire damage such as
cuts, splits, cracks deep enough
to expose the fabric, and bulges
indicating internal damage.
●A tire goes flat r epeatedly or can-
not be properly repaired due to the
size or location of a cut or other
damage.
If you are not sure, consult with your
Toyota dealer.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be
checked by a qualified technician
even if it has seldom or never been
used or damage i s not obvious.
■Proper storage of the spare tire
As an improperly stored spare tire
may cause damage to the wire
cable that holds it, check that the
spare tire is stored properly on a
daily basis.
●If the stored spare tire appears to
be slanted or rattl es while driving,
the spare tire may not be properly
stored. Store the spare tire again
by performing the following tire
change procedure correctly: 1
If the spare tire is slanted, the
hoist assembly may be stuck in
the wheel opening. If the spare
tire rattles while driving, it may
not be fully raised. Lower the
spare tire to the ground and
make sure that the hoist assem-
bly is perpendicular to the wheel
opening.
2 Raise the tire slowly and steadily
until a click is heard and the jack
handle skips.
If the spare tire cannot be lowered,
the wire cable may be severed.
Have the vehicle inspected at your
Toyota dealer.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the n umber given by
dividing the maximum load by 1.10
of the replacement tire is greater
than 1/2 of the Gross Axle Weight
Ratings (GAWR) of either the front
axle or the rear axle, whichever is
greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification
Label.
For the maximum load of the tire,
see the load limit at maximum cold
tire inflation pressure mentioned on
the sidewall of the tire. ( P.516)
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed perfor-
mance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Since
summer tires do not have the same
traction performance as snow tires,
summer tires are inadequate for