
3254-6. Driving tips
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
4-6.Driving tips
When using Eco drive mode, the 
torque corresponding to the 
accelerator pedal depression 
amount can be generated more 
smoothly than it is in normal 
conditions. In addition, the oper-
ation of the air conditioning sys-
tem (heating/cooling) will be 
minimized, improving the fuel 
economy. ( P.316)
Eco-friendly driving is possible 
by keeping the Hybrid System 
Indicator within the Eco area. 
( P. 9 0 )
Shift the shift lever to D when 
stopped at a traffic light, or driv-
ing in heavy traffic, etc. Shift the 
shift lever to P when parking. 
When using N, there is no posi-
tive effect on fuel consumption. 
In N, the gasoline engine oper-
ates but electricity cannot be 
generated. Also, when using the 
air conditioning system, etc., the  hybrid battery (traction battery) 
power is consumed.
Drive your vehicle smoothly. 
Avoid abrupt acceleration and 
deceleration. Gradual accel-
eration and deceleration will 
make more effective use of 
the electric motor (traction 
motor) without having to use 
gasoline engine power.
 Avoid repeated acceleration. 
Repeated acceleration con-
sumes hybrid battery (trac-
tion battery) power, resulting 
in poor fuel consumption. Bat-
tery power can be restored by 
driving with the accelerator 
pedal slightly released.
Make sure to operate the brakes 
gently and in a timely manner. A 
greater amount of electrical 
energy can be regenerated 
when slowing down.
Repeated acceleration and 
deceleration, as well as long 
waits at traffic lights, will lead to 
bad fuel economy. Check traffic 
reports before leaving and avoid 
delays as much as possible. 
When driving in a traffic jam, 
Hybrid vehicle driving 
tips
For economical and ecolog-
ical driving, pay attention to 
the following points:
Using Eco drive mode
Use of Hybrid System 
Indicator
Shift lever operation
Accelerator pedal/brake 
pedal operation
When braking
Delays 

3274-6. Driving tips
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
 Use fluids that are appropriate 
to the prevailing outside tem-
peratures.
• Engine oil
• Engine/power control unit coolant
• Washer fluid
Have a service technician 
inspect the condition of the 
12-volt battery.
 Have the vehicle fitted with 
four snow tires or purchase a 
set of tire chains for the front 
tires.
Ensure that all tires are the same 
size and brand,  and that chains 
match the size of the tires.
Perform the following according 
to the driving conditions:
Winter driving tips
Carry out the necessary 
preparations and inspec-
tions before driving the 
vehicle in winter. Always 
drive the vehicle in a man-
ner appropriate to the pre-
vailing weather conditions.
Pre-winter preparations
WA R N I N G
■Driving with snow tires
Observe the following precautions 
to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so m ay result in a 
loss of vehicle control and cause 
death or serious injury.
●Use tires of the specified size.
●Maintain the recommended 
level of air pressure.
●Do not drive in excess of 75 
mph (120 km/h), regardless of 
the type of snow tires being 
used.
●Use snow tires on all, not just 
some wheels.
■Driving with tire chains
Observe the following precautions 
to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so may result in the 
vehicle being unable to be driven 
safely, and may cause death or 
serious injury.
●Do not drive in excess of the 
speed limit specifi ed for the tire 
chains being used, or 30 mph 
(50 km/h), whichever is lower.
●Avoid driving  on bumpy road 
surfaces or over potholes.
●Avoid sudden acceleration, 
abrupt steering, sudden brak-
ing and shifting operations that 
cause sudden engine braking.
●Slow down sufficiently before 
entering a curve to ensure that 
vehicle control is maintained.
●Do not use the LTA (Lane Trac-
ing Assist) system.
NOTICE
■Repairing or replacing snow 
tires
Request repairs or replacement of 
snow tires from Toyota dealers or 
legitimate tire retailers.
This is because the removal and 
attachment of snow tires affects 
the operation of the tire pressure 
warning valves and transmitters.
Before driving the vehicle 

3324-6. Driving tips
HIGHLANDER HV_U
NOTICE
■To prevent water damage
Take all necessary safety mea-
sures to ensure that water dam-
age to the hybrid battery (traction 
battery), hybrid s ystem or other 
components does not occur.
●Water entering the engine com-
partment may cause severe 
damage to the hybrid system. 
Water entering the interior may 
cause the hybrid battery (trac-
tion battery) stowed under the 
rear seats to short circuit.
●Water entering the hybrid trans-
mission will cause deterioration 
in transmission quality. The mal-
function indicator may come on, 
and the vehicle may not be driv-
able.
●Water can wash the grease 
from wheel bearings, causing 
rusting and premature failure, 
and may also enter the hybrid 
transmission 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 
firmness. Drive slowly and avoid 
deep water.
■Inspection after off-road driv-
ing
●Sand and mud that has accu-
mulated in bra ke drums and 
around brake di scs may affect 
braking efficiency and may 
damage brake system compo-
nents.
●Always perform a maintenance 
inspection aft er each day of 
off-road driving  that has taken 
you through rough terrain, sand, 
mud, or water. For scheduled 
maintenance information, refer 
to the “Scheduled Maintenance 
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual 
Supplement”. 

3405-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Customization
Some functions can be customized. 
(  P.526)
Air conditioning sys-
tem lubricant type
Requires registered 
technician to service 
air conditioning sys-
tem
Flammable refrigerant
WA R N I N G
■To prevent the windshield 
from fogging up
Do not use the windshield defog-
ger switch during cool air opera-
tion in extremely humid weather. 
The difference between the tem-
perature of the outside air and 
that of the windshield can cause 
the outer surface of the wind-
shield to fog up, blocking your 
vision.
■When the outside rear view 
mirror defoggers are operat-
ing
Do not touch the rear view mirror 
surfaces when the outside rear 
view mirror defoggers are on.
■When the windshield wiper 
de-icer is operating
Do not touch the glass at lower 
part of the windshield or to the 
side of the front pillars when the 
windshield wiper de-icer is on.
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis-
charge
Do not leave the air conditioning 
system on longer than necessary 
when the hybrid system is off.
■When repairing/replacing 
parts of the air conditioning 
system
Have repair/replacement per-
formed by your Toyota dealer.
When a part of the air conditioning 
system, such as the evaporator, is 
to be replaced, it must be 
replaced with a new one. 

3425-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_UWhen the windshield defogger 
switch is on, the indicator illumi-
nates on the windshield defogger 
switch.
■Defogging the rear window 
and outside rear view mir-
rors
Defoggers are used to defog the 
rear window and to remove rain-
drops, dew and frost from the 
outside rear view mirrors.
Press the rear window defogger 
and outside rear view mirror 
defoggers switch.
When the rear window defogger 
and outside rear view mirror defog-
gers switch is on, t he indicator illu-
minates on the rear window 
defogger and outside rear view mir-
ror defoggers switch.
The defoggers will  automatically 
turn off after a while.
■Air conditioning filter
 P. 4 3 3
■Air conditioning system refrig-
erant
●A label regarding the refrigerant of 
the air conditioning system is 
attached to the ho od at the loca-
tion shown in the f ollowing illustra-
tion.
●The meaning of each symbol on 
the label are as follows:
■Customization
Some functions can be customized. 
(  P.526)
Caution
Air conditioning sys-
tem
Air conditioning sys-
tem lubricant type
Requires registered 
technician to service 
air conditioning sys-
tem
Flammable refrigerant
WA R N I N G
■To prevent the windshield 
from fogging up
Do not use the windshield defog-
ger switch during cool air opera-
tion in extremely humid weather. 
The difference between the tem-
perature of the outside air and 
that of the windshield can cause 
the outer surface of the wind-
shield to fog up, blocking your 
vision.
■When the outside rear view 
mirror defoggers are operat-
ing
Do not touch the rear view mirror 
surfaces when the  outside rear 
view mirror def oggers are on.
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis-
charge
Do not leave the air conditioning 
system on longer than necessary 
when the hybrid system is off. 

3525-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_U
*: If equipped
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis-
charge
Do not leave the air conditioning 
system on longer than necessary 
when the hybrid system is off.
Heated steering 
wheel*/seat heat-
ers*/seat ventilators*
 Heated steering wheel
Warms up the grip of the 
steering wheel
 Seat heaters
Warm up the seat upholstery
 Seat ventilators
Maintain good ventilation 
using a fan built into the seat
WA R N I N G
■To prevent minor burn inju-
ries
Care should be taken if anyone in 
the following categories comes in 
contact with the steering wheel or 
seats when the  heater is on:
●Babies, small children, the 
elderly, the sick and the physi-
cally challenged
●Persons with sensitive skin
●Persons who are fatigued
●Persons who have taken alco-
hol or drugs that induce sleep 
(sleeping drugs, cold remedies, 
etc.)
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the 
seat heaters
Do not put heavy objects that 
have an uneven surface on the 
seat and do not stick sharp 
objects (needles, nails, etc.) into 
the seat. 

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 

3585-3. Using the interior lights
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■To prevent the 12-volt battery 
from being discharged
If the interior light s remain on when 
the power switch is turned off, the 
lights will go off aut omatically after 
20 minutes.
■The interior lights may turn on 
automatically when
If any of the SRS airbags deploy 
(inflate) or in the event of a strong 
rear impact, the interior lights will 
turn on automatically.
The interior lights  will turn off auto-
matically after app roximately 20min-
utes.
The interior lights can be turned off 
manually. However, in order to help 
prevent further collisions, it is rec-
ommended that they be left on until 
safety can be ensured.
(The interior light s may not turn on 
automatically depending on the 
force of the impact and conditions of 
the collision.)
■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.