
2104-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
requires practice. Grip the
bottom of the steering wheel
and move your hand to the
left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the
right to move the trailer to
right. (This is generally oppo-
site to reversing without a
trailer attached.) Avoid sharp
or prolonged turning. Have
someone guide you when
reversing to reduce the risk of
an accident.
As stopping distance is
increased when towing a
trailer, vehicle-to vehicle dis-
tance should be increased.
For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of
speed, allow at least one
vehicle and trailer length.
Avoid sudden braking as you
may skid, resulting in the
trailer jackknifing and a loss of
vehicle control. This is espe-
cially true on wet or slippery
surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden
acceleration.
Avoid jerky steering and
sharp turns, and slow down
before making turn.
Note that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be
closer than the vehicle wheels
to the inside of the turn. Com-
pensate by making a wider
than normal turning radius.
Slow down before making a turn, in cross winds, on wet or
slippery surfaces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can
destabilize the trailer.
Take care when passing other
vehicles. Passing requires
considerable distance. After
passing a vehicle, do not for-
get the length of your trailer,
and be sure you have plenty
of room before changing
lanes.
To maintain engine braking
efficiency and charging sys-
tem performance when using
engine braking, do not put the
transmission in D. If in the S
mode, the hybrid transmission
shift range position must be in
5 or lower. ( P.220)
Instability happens more fre-
quently when descending
steep or long downhill grades.
Before descending, slow
down and downshift. Do not
make sudden downshifts
while descending steep or
long downhill 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.
Due to the added load of the
trailer, your vehicle’s engine
may overheat on hot days (at
temperatures over 85°F
[30°C]) when driving up a long

2114-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
or steep grade. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge
indicates overheating, imme-
diately turn off the air condi-
tioning (if in use), pull your
vehicle off the road and stop
in a safe spot. ( P.497)
Always place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle’s and
the trailer’s wheels when
parking. Put the transmission
in P and apply the parking
brake. Avoid parking on a
slope, but if unavoidable, do
so only after performing the
following:
1 Apply the brakes and keep
them applied.
2 Have someone place wheel
blocks under both the vehi-
cle’s and trailer’s wheels.
3 When the wheel blocks are in
place, release the brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb
the load.
4 Shift into P and apply the
parking brake.
5 Turn off the hybrid system.
When restarting after parking
on a slope:
1 With the transmission in P,
start the hybrid system. Be
sure to keep the brake pedal
depressed.
2 Shift into a forward gear. If
reversing, shift into R. 3
If the parking brake is in man-
ual mode, release the park-
ing brake. ( P.224)
4 Release the brake pedal, and
slowly pull or back away from
the wheel blocks. Stop and
apply the brakes.
5 Have someone retrieve the
blocks.

2184-2. Driving procedures
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Turns EV drive mode on/off
When EV drive mode is turned on,
the EV drive mode indicator will
come on. Pressing the switch when
in EV drive mode will return the
vehicle to normal driving (using the
gasoline engine and electric motor
[traction motor]).
■Situations in which EV drive
mode cannot be turned on
It may not be po ssible to turn EV
drive mode on in the following situa-
tions. If it cannot be turned on, a
buzzer will sound and a message
will be shown on the multi-informa-
tion display.
●The temperature of the hybrid sys-
tem is high.
The vehicle has been left in the
sun, driven on a hill, driven at high
speeds, etc.
●The temperature of the hybrid sys-
tem is low.
The vehicle has been left in tem-
peratures lower than about 32°F
(0 °C) for a long period of time,
etc.
●The gasoline engine is warming
up.
●The hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery) is low.
The remaining batt ery level indi-
cated in the energy monitor dis-
play is low. ( P. 1 1 7 )
●Vehicle speed is high.
●The accelerator pedal is
depressed firmly or the vehicle is
on a hill, etc.
●The windshield defogger is in use.
■Switching to EV drive mode
when the gasoline engine is
cold
If the hybrid system is started while
the gasoline engine is cold, the gas-
oline engine will st art automatically
after a short period of time in order
to warm up. In this case, you will
become unable to switch to EV drive
mode.
After the hybrid s ystem has started
and the “READY” indicator has illu-
minated, press the EV drive mode
switch before the gasoline engine
starts to switch to EV drive mode.
EV drive mode
In EV drive mode, electric
power is supplied by the
hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery), and only the electric
motor (traction motor) is
used to drive the vehicle.
This mode allows you to
drive in residential areas
early in the morning and
late at night, or in indoor
parking lots, etc., without
concern for noises and gas
emissions.
However, when the acous-
tic vehicle alerting system is
active, the vehicle may pro-
duce sound.
Operating instructions

2194-2. Driving procedures
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
■Automatic cancelation of EV
drive mode
When driving in EV drive mode, the
gasoline engine may automatically
restart in the following situations.
When EV drive mode is canceled, a
buzzer will sound, the EV drive
mode indicator will go off after flash-
ing, and a message is displayed on
the multi-information display.
●The hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery) becomes low.
The remaining batt ery level indi-
cated in the energy monitor dis-
play is low. ( P. 1 1 7 )
●Vehicle speed is high.
●The accelerator pedal is
depressed firmly or the vehicle is
on a hill, etc.
■Possible driving distance when
driving in EV drive mode
EV drive mode’s possible driving
distance ranges from a few hundred
meters to approximately 0.6 mile (1
km). However, depending on vehicle
conditions, there are situations
when EV drive mode cannot be
used.
(The distance that is possible
depends on the hybrid battery [trac-
tion battery] level and driving condi-
tions.)
■Fuel economy
The hybrid system is designed to
achieve the best possible fuel econ-
omy during normal driving (using
the gasoline engi ne and electric
motor [traction motor]). Driving in
EV drive mode more than neces-
sary may lower fuel economy.
■If “EV Mode Unavailable” is
shown on the multi-information
display
The EV drive mode is not available.
The reason the EV drive mode is
not available (the v ehicle is idling,
battery charge is low, vehicle speed
is higher than the EV drive mode
operating speed range or accelera-
tor pedal is depressed too much) may be displayed. Use the EV drive
mode when it becomes available.
■If “EV Mode Deactivated” is
shown on the multi-information
display
The EV drive mode has been auto-
matically canceled. The reason the
EV drive mode is not available (the
battery charge is low, vehicle speed
is higher than the EV drive mode
operating speed r ange or accelera-
tor pedal is depressed too much)
may be displayed. Drive the vehicle
for a while before attempting to turn
on the EV drive mode again.
WA R N I N G
■Caution while driving
When driving in EV drive mode,
pay special attention to the area
around the vehicle. Because
there is no engine noise, pedestri-
ans, people riding bicycles or
other people and vehicles in the
area may not be aware of the
vehicle starting off or approaching
them, so take extra care while
driving. Therefore, take extra care
while driving even if the acoustic
vehicle alerting system is active.

2204-2. Driving procedures
HIGHLANDER HV_U
*1: To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noise, shift the shift lever
to D for normal driving.
*2: By selecting shift ranges using S mode, you can control accelerat-
ing force and engine braking
force.
■When driving with dynamic
radar cruise control with
full-speed range activated
Even when switching the driving
mode to sport mode with the intent
of enabling engine braking, engine
braking will not act ivate because
dynamic radar cruise control with
full-speed rang e will not be can-
celed.
■Restraining sudden start
(Drive-Start Control)
P. 1 9 1
: While the power switch is in
ON and the brake pedal
depressed
*, shift the shift lever
while pushing the shift release
button on the shift knob.
: Shift the shift lever while
Hybrid transmission
Select the shift position
depending on your purpose
and situation.
Shift position purpose
and functions
Shift posi- tionObjective or function
P
Parking the vehi-
cle/starting the hybrid system
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2
( P.222)
WA R N I N G
■When driving on slippery
road surfaces
Be careful of downshifting and
sudden acceleration, as this could
result in the vehicle skidding to
the side or spinning.
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery) charge
If the shift lever is in N, the hybrid
battery (traction battery) will not
be charged even when the engine
is running. Therefore, if the vehi-
cle is left with the shift lever in N
for a long period of time, the
hybrid battery (traction battery)
will discharge, and this may result
in the vehicle not being able to
start.
Shifting the shift lever

2224-2. Driving procedures
HIGHLANDER HV_U
When the shift lever is in the S
position, the shift lever can be
operated as follows:
1Upshifting
2 Downshifting
The selected shift range, from S1 to
S6, will be displayed on the
multi-information display.
The initial shift r ange in S mode is
set automatically to S4 or S5
according to vehicle speed.
■S mode
●You can choose from 6 levels of
accelerating force and engine
braking force.
●A lower shift ra nge will provide
greater accelerating force and
engine braking force than a higher
shift range, and t he engine revolu-
tions will also increase.
●To prevent the engine from
over-revving, upshifting may auto-
matically occur when the shift
range is 4 or lower.
●When the shift range is 4 or lower,
holding the shift lever toward “+” sets the shift range to 6.
■Downshifting restrictions warn-
ing buzzer
To help ensure sa fety and driving
performance, dow nshifting opera-
tion may sometimes be restricted. In
some circumstances, downshifting
may not be possible even when the
shift lever is operated. (A buzzer
willsound twice.)
■If the S indicator does not come
on or the D indicator is dis-
played even after shifting the
shift lever to S
This may indicate a malfunction in
the hybrid transmission system.
Have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer imme diately. (In this
situation, the hybrid transmission
will operate in the same manner as
when the shift lever is in D.)
Changing shift ranges in
S mode

2904-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_Uplay may be displayed abnormally,
or objects, such as a wall, may not
be detected.
●A sensor is covered in any way.
●When a sensor or the area around
a sensor is extremely hot or cold.
●On an extremely bumpy road, on
an incline, on gravel, or on grass.
●The vicinity of the vehicle is noisy
due to vehicle horns, motorcycle
engines, air brakes of large vehi-
cles, or other l
oud noises produc-
ing ultrasonic waves.
●There is another vehicle equipped
with parking assist sensors in the
vicinity.
●A sensor is coated with a sheet of
spray or heavy rain.
●If a sensor is hit by a large amount
of water, such as when driving on
a flooded road.
●If the vehicle is sig nificantly tilted.
●The vehicle is approaching a tall
or curved curb.
●If objects draw too close to the
sensor.
■Objects which may not be prop-
erly detected
The shape of the object may pre-
vent the sensor from detecting it.
Pay particular attention to the follow-
ing objects:
●Wires, fences, ropes, etc.
●Cotton, snow and other materials
that absorb sound waves
●Sharply-angled objects
●Low objects
●Tall objects with upper sections
projecting outwards in the direc-
tion of your vehicle
People may not be detected if they
are wearing certain types of cloth-
ing.
■Adjusting the buzzer vol-
ume
The buzzer volume can be
adjusted on the multi-informa-
tion display.
Use the meter control switches
to change settings. ( P.107)
1 Press or to select .
2 Press or to select and
then press and hold .
3 Select the volume and then
press .
Each time the switch is pressed,
the volume level will change
between 1, 2, and 3.
■Muting a buzzer temporarily
A mute button will be displayed
on the multi-information display
when an object is detected. To
mute the buzzer, press .
Mute will be canceled automati-
cally in the following situations:
When the shift lever is
changed.
When the vehicle speed
exceeds a certain speed.
When there is malfunction in
a sensor or the system is tem-
porarily unavailable.
When the operating function
is disabled manually.
When the power switch is
turned off.
Setting the buzzer volume

3104-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Situation in which the Parking
Support Brake function (static
objects) may not operate
When driving with th e shift lever in
N.
■Intuitive parking assist buzzer
Regardless of whether the intuitive
parking assist syste m is enabled or
not ( P.287), if the Parking Support
Brake function (static objects) is
enabled ( P.300), the fr ont or rear
sensors detect an object and brake
control is perform ed, the intuitive
parking assist buzze r will sound to
notify the driver of the approximate
distance to the object.
■Situations in which the Parking
Support Brake function (static
objects) may op erate even if
there is no possibility of a colli-
sion
In some situations, such as the fol-
lowing, the Parking Support Brake
function (static objects) may operate
even though there is no possibility of
a collision.
●Vehicle surroundings
• When driving on a narrow road
• When driving on a gravel road or in an area with tall grass
• When driving toward a banner, flag, low-hanging branch or boom barrier (such as those used at rail-
road crossings, toll gates and
parking lots)
• When driving on a narrow path surrounded by a structure, such
as in a tunnel or on an iron bridge
• When parallel parking
• When there is a rut or hole in the surface of the road
• When driving on a metal cover (grating), such as those used for
drainage ditches
• When driving on a steep slope
• If a sensor is hit by a large amount of water, such as when driving on
a flooded road
●Weather
• If a sensor is covered with ice, snow, dirt, etc. (when cleared, the
system will return to normal)
• If heavy rain or water strikes a sensor
• When driving in inclement weather
such as fog, snow or a sandstorm
• When strong winds are blowing
●Other ultrasonic wave sources
• When vehicle horns, vehicle detectors, motorcycle engines, air
brakes of large vehicles, the clear-
ance sonar of ot her vehicles or
other devices which produce ultra-
sonic waves are near the vehicle
• If a sticker or an electronic compo- nent, such as a backlit license
plate (especially fluorescent type),
fog lights, fender pole or wireless
antenna is installed near a sensor
●Changes in the v ehicle posture
• If the vehicle is significantly tilted
• If the front of the v ehicle is raised
or lowered due to the carried load
• If the orientation of a sensor has
been changed due to a collision or
other impact
• If a sensor has been painted or covered with a sticker, etc.
■Situations in wh ich the Parking
Support Brake function (static
objects) may not operate prop-
erly
In some situations, such as the fol-
lowing, this functi on may not oper-