2020 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID steering

1964-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
NOTICE
■When parking the vehicle
Always set the parking brake and
shift the shift lever to P. Failure to
do so may cause the vehicle to
move or the vehi cle may acceler-
ate suddenly if the accelerator
pedal is accidentally depressed.
■Avoiding damage to vehicle
parts
●Do not turn the steering wheel
fully in either direction and hold
it there for an extended period
of time.
Doing so may damage the
power steering motor.
●When driving over bumps on
the road, drive as slowly as pos-
sible to avoid damaging the
wheels, underside of the vehi-
cle, etc.
■If you get a flat tire while driv-
ing
A flat or damaged tire may cause
the following situations. Hold the
steering wheel firmly and gradu-
ally depress the brake pedal to
slow down the vehicle.
●It may be difficult to control your
vehicle.
●The vehicle will make abnormal
sounds or vibrations.
●The vehicle will lean abnor-
mally.
Information on what to do in case
of a flat tire (
P.474)
■When encountering flooded
roads
Do not drive on a road that has
flooded after heavy rain etc.
Doing so may cause the following
serious damage to the vehicle:
●Engine stalling
●Short in electrical components
●Engine damage caused by
water immersion
In the event that you drive on a
flooded road and the vehicle is
flooded, be sure to have your Toy-
ota dealer check the following:
●Brake function
●Changes in quantity and quality
of oil and fluid used for the
engine, hybrid transaxle (front
and rear [AWD models]), etc.
●Lubricant condition for bearings
and suspension joints (where
possible), and the function of all
joints, bearings, etc.

1994-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
WA R N I N G
●Even if the tota l load of occu-
pant’s weight and the cargo
load is less than the total load
capacity, do not apply the load
unevenly. Improper loading may
cause deteriorat ion of steering
or braking control which may
cause death or serious injury.
■When using a roof luggage
carrier (vehicles with roof
rails)
Observe the following precau-
tions:
●Place the cargo so that its
weight is distributed evenly
between the front and rear
axles.
●If loading long or wide cargo,
never exceed the vehicle overall
length or width. (
P.504)
●Before driving, make sure the
cargo is securel y fastened on
the roof luggage carrier.
●Loading cargo on the roof lug-
gage carrier will make the cen-
ter of gravity of the vehicle
higher. Avoid high speeds, sud-
den starts, sharp turns, sudden
braking or abrupt maneuvers,
otherwise it may result in loss of
control or vehicle rollover due to
failure to operate this vehicle
correctly and resu lt in death or
serious injury.
●If driving for a long distance, on
rough roads, or at high speeds,
stop the vehicle now and then
during the trip to make sure the
cargo remains in its place.
●Do not exceed 165 lb. (75 kg)
cargo weight on the roof lug-
gage carrier.
NOTICE
■When loading cargo
Be careful not to scratch the sur-
face of the moon roof or pan-
oramic moon roof.

2024-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
●All trailer lights work as required
by law.
●All lights work each time you con-
nect them.
●The trailer ball is set at the proper
height for the coupler on the
trailer.
●The trailer is level when it is
hitched.
Do not drive if the trailer is not
level, and check for improper
tongue weight, overloading, worn
suspension, or other possible
causes.
●The trailer cargo is securely
loaded.
●The rear view mirrors conform to
all applicable federal, state/provin-
cial or local regu lations. If they do
not, install rear view mirrors
appropriate for towing purposes.
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped
with any new power train compo-
nents (such as an engine, hybrid
transmission, rear differential or
wheel bearing), Toyota recommends
that you do not tow a trailer until the
vehicle has been 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 vehi-
cle 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 f requent mainte-
nance due to the additional load.
(See “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Sup-
plement”.)
●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 contr ol trailer sway-
ing by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator pedal immediately but very gradu-
ally 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 occu- pants 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 over-
loaded 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 combina-
tion. Drive at a lower speed to pre-
vent instability. Remember that
swaying of the towing vehicle-trailer
increases as speed increases.

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

2144-2. Driving procedures
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Conditions affecting operation
 P. 1 4 7
■Note for the entry function
 P. 1 4 8
■Steering lock function
●After turning the power switch off
and opening and closing the
doors, the steer ing wheel will be
locked due to the steering lock
function. Operating the power
switch again automatically can-
cels the steering lock.
●When the steering lock cannot be
released, “Push Power Switch
while Turning Steering Wheel in
Either Direction” will be displayed
on the multi-information display.
Check that the shift lever is in P.
Press the power switch shortly
and firmly while turning the steer-
ing wheel left and right.
●To prevent the steering lock motor
from overheating, operation of the
motor may be suspended if the
hybrid system is turned on and off
repeatedly in a short period of
time. In this case, refrain from
operating the hybrid system. After
about 10 seconds, the steering
lock motor will resume functioning.
■If the “READY” indicator does
not come on
In the event that the “READY” indi-
cator does not come on even after
performing the proper procedures
for starting the vehicle, contact your
Toyota dealer immediately.
■If the hybrid system is malfunc-
tioning
 P. 7 8
■Electronic key battery
 P.438
■Operation of the power switch
●If the switch is not pressed shortly
and firmly, the power switch mode
may not change o r the hybrid sys-
tem may not start.
●If attempting to res tart the hybrid
system immediately after turning
the power switch off, the hybrid
system may not start in some
cases. After turning the power
switch off, please wait a few sec-
onds before restarting the hybrid
system.
■Customization
If the smart key system has been
deactivated in a customized setting,
refer to P.489.
WA R N I N G
■When starting the hybrid sys-
tem
Always start the hybrid system
while sitting in the driver’s seat.
Do not depress t he accelerator
pedal while starting the hybrid
system under any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident
resulting in death o r serious injury.
■Caution while driving
If hybrid system failure occurs
while the vehicle is moving, do not
lock or open the doors until the
vehicle reaches a safe and com-
plete stop. Activation of the steer-
ing lock in this c ircumstance may
lead to an accident, resulting in
death or serious injury.

2154-2. Driving procedures
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
1 Stop the vehicle completely.
2 Set the parking brake
( P.224), and shift the shift
lever to P.
Check the parking brake indicator
is illuminated.
3 Press the power switch.
The hybrid system will stop, and the
meter display will be extinguished.
4Release the brake pedal and
check that “ACCESSORY” or
“IGNITION ON” is not shown
on the multi-information dis-
play.
■Automatic hybrid system shut
off feature
●The vehicle is equipped with a
feature that automatically shuts off
the hybrid system when the shift
lever is in P with the hybrid system
operating for an extended period.
●The hybrid system will automati- cally shut off after approximately 1
hour if it has been left running
while the shift lever is in P.
●The timer for the automatic hybrid
system shut off feature will reset if
the brake pedal is depressed or if
the shift lever is in a position other
than P.
●After the vehicle
is parked, if the
door is locked with the door lock
switch ( P.134) from the inside or
the mechanical k ey from the out-
side, the automatic hybrid system
shut off feature will be disabled.
The timer for the automatic hybrid
system shut off feature will be
re-enabled if the driver’s door is
opened.
NOTICE
■When starting the hybrid sys-
tem
If the hybrid system becomes diffi-
cult to start, have your vehicle
checked by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
■Symptoms indicating a mal-
function with the power
switch
If the power switch seems to be
operating somewh at differently
than usual, such as the switch
sticking slightly, there may be a
malfunction. Contact your Toyota
dealer immediately.
Stopping the hybrid sys-
temWA R N I N G
■Stopping the hybrid system
in an emergency
●If you want to stop the hybrid
system in an emergency while
driving the vehicle, press and
hold the power s witch for more
than 2 seconds, or press it
briefly 3 times or more in suc-
cession. (
P.452)
However, do not touch the
power switch while driving
except in an emergency. Turn-
ing the hybrid s ystem off while
driving will not cause loss of
steering or braking control, how-
ever, power assist to the steer-
ing will be lost. This will make it
more difficult to steer smoothly,
so you should pull over and stop
the vehicle as soon as it is safe
to do so.
●If the power switch is operated
while the vehicle is running, a
warning message will be shown
on the multi-information display
and a buzzer sounds.

2314-3. Operating the lights and wipers
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
1 With the headlights on, push
the lever away from you to
turn on the high beams.
Pull the lever to ward you to the
center position to turn the high
beams off.
2 Pull the lever toward you and
release it to flash the high
beams once.
You can flash the high beams with
the headlights on or off.
AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting
System) secures excellent visi-
bility at intersections and on
curves by automatically adjust-
ing the direction of the light axis
of the headlights according to
vehicle speed and the degree of the tire’s angle as controlled by
steering input.
AFS operates at speeds of 6 mph
(10 km/h) or higher.
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.526)
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-vo lt battery dis-
charge
Do not leave the lights on longer
than necessary when the hybrid
system is off.
Turning on the high beam
headlights
AFS (Adaptive Front-light-
ing System) (if equipped)

2504-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WA R N I N G
■Limitations of the pre-colli-
sion system
●The driver is solely responsible
for safe driving. Always drive
safely, taking care to observe
your surroundings.
Do not use the pre-collision sys-
tem instead of normal braking
operations under any circum-
stances. This system will not
prevent collisions or lessen col-
lision damage or injury in every
situation. Do not overly rely on
this system. Failure to do so
may lead to an accident, result-
ing in death or serious injury.
●Although this system is
designed to help avoid a colli-
sion or help reduce the impact
of the collision, its effectiveness
may change according to vari-
ous conditions, therefore the
system may not always be able
to achieve the same level of
performance.
Read the following conditions
carefully. Do not overly rely on
this system and always drive
carefully.
• Conditions under which the sys- tem may operate even if there is
no possibility of a collision:
P. 2 5 3
• Conditions under which the sys- tem may not operate properly:
P. 2 5 4
●Do not attempt to test the oper-
ation of the pre-collision system
yourself.
Depending on the objects used
for testing (dummies, card-
board objects imitating detect-
able objects, etc.), the system
may not operate properly, possi-
bly leading to an accident.
■Pre-collision braking
●When the pre-collision braking
function is operating, a large
amount of braking force will be
applied.
●If the vehicle is stopped by the
operation of the pre-collision
braking function, the pre-colli-
sion braking function operation
will be canceled after approxi-
mately 2 seconds. Depress the
brake pedal as necessary.
●The pre-collision braking func-
tion may not operate if certain
operations are performed by the
driver. If the accelerator pedal is
being depressed strongly or the
steering wheel is being turned,
the system may d etermine that
the driver is taking evasive
action and possibly prevent the
pre-collision braking function
from operating.
●In some situations, while the
pre-collision brak ing function is
operating, operation of the func-
tion may be canceled if the
accelerator pedal is depressed
strongly or the steering wheel is
turned and the system deter-
mines that the driver is taking
evasive action.
●If the brake pedal is being
depressed, the system may
determine that t he driver is tak-
ing evasive action and possibly
delay the operation timing of the
pre-collision braking function.
■When to disable the pre-colli-
sion system
In the following situations, disable
the system, as it m ay not operate
properly, possibly leading to an
accident resulting in death or seri-
ous injury:
●When the vehicle is being towed