
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. 

2044-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■GCWR (Gross Combination 
Weight Rating)
The maximum allowable gross 
combination weight. The gross 
combination weight is the sum 
of the total vehicle weight 
(including the occupants, cargo 
and any optional equipment 
installed on the vehicle) and the 
weight of the trailer being towed 
(including the cargo in the 
trailer).
■GVWR (Gross Vehicle 
Weight Rating)
The maximum allowable gross 
vehicle weight. The gross vehi-
cle weight is the total weight of 
the vehicle. When towing a 
trailer, it is the sum of the vehicle 
weight (including the occu-
pants, cargo and any optional 
equipment installed on the vehi-
cle) and the tongue weight.
■GAWR (Gross Axle Weight 
Rating)
The maximum allowable gross 
axle weight. The gross axle 
weight is the load placed on 
each axle (front and rear).
Front GAWR
WA R N I N G
●If the gross trailer weight 
exceeds unbraked TWR, trailer 
brakes are required. Toyota rec-
ommends trailers with brakes 
that conform to all applicable 
federal and state/provincial reg-
ulations.
●Never tap into y our vehicle’s 
hydraulic system, as this will 
lower the vehicle’s braking 
effectiveness.
●Never tow a trailer without using 
a safety chain securely attached 
to both the traile r and the vehi-
cle. If damage occurs to the 
coupling unit or hitch ball, there 
is danger of the trailer wander-
ing into another lane.
Towing related terms 

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) 

2354-3. Operating the lights and wipers
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
*: If equipped
1  (U.S.A.) or   (Canada) 
Turns the fog lights off
2  Turns the fog lights on
■Fog lights can be used when
The headlights are on in low beam.
Operate the   lever oper-
ates the wipers or washer as fol-
lows.
Intermittent windshield wip-
ers with interval adjuster
1  (U.S.A.) or   (Canada) 
Off
2  (U.S.A.) or   (Canada) 
Intermittent operation
Fog light switch*
The fog lights secure excel-
lent visibility in difficult driv-
ing conditions, such as in 
rain and fog.
Operating instructions
Windshield wipers and 
washer
Operating the lever can 
switch between automatic 
operation and manual oper-
ation, or can use the 
washer.
NOTICE
■When the windshield is dry
Do not use the wipers, as they 
may damage the windshield.
Operating the wiper lever 

2404-4. Refueling
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4-4.Refueling
Close all the doors and win-
dows, and turn the power 
switch off.
 Confirm the type of fuel.
■Fuel types
 P. 5 1 4
■Fuel tank opening for unleaded 
gasoline
To help prevent incorrect fueling, 
your vehicle has a fuel tank opening 
that only acco mmodates the spe-
cial nozzle on unleaded fuel pumps.
Opening the fuel tank 
cap
The fuel tank of your vehicle 
has a special structure, 
which requires a reduction 
in fuel tank pressure before 
refueling. After the opener 
switch has been pressed, it 
will take several seconds 
until the vehicle is ready for 
refueling.
Before refueling the vehi-
cle
WA R N I N G
■When refueling the vehicle
Observe the following precautions 
while refueling the vehicle. Failure 
to do so may result in death or 
serious injury.
●After exiting the vehicle and 
before opening the fuel door, 
touch an unpainted metal sur-
face to discharge any static 
electricity. It is important to dis-
charge static electricity before 
refueling because sparks result-
ing from static electricity can 
cause fuel vapors to ignite while 
refueling.
●Always hold the grips on the 
fuel tank cap and turn it slowly 
to remove it.
A whooshing sound may be 
heard when the f uel tank cap is 
loosened. Wait until the sound 
cannot be heard before fully 
removing the cap. In hot 
weather, pressurized fuel may 
spray out of the  filler neck and 
cause injury.
●Do not allow anyone that has 
not discharged static electricity 
from their body to come close to 
an open fuel tank.
●Do not inhale vaporized fuel.
Fuel contains substances that 
are harmful if inhaled.
●Do not smoke while refueling 
the vehicle.
Doing so may cause the fuel to 
ignite and cause a fire.
●Do not return to the vehicle or 
touch any person or object that 
is statically charged.
This may cause static electricity 
to build up, resulting in a possi-
ble ignition hazard.
■When refueling
Observe the following precautions 
to prevent fuel overflowing from 
the fuel tank:
●Securely insert the fuel nozzle 
into the fuel filler neck.
●Stop filling the tank after the fuel 
nozzle automatically clicks off. 

2854-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
tional when all of the following con-
ditions are met:
●The Blind Spot Monitor is on.
●The shift lever is in a position 
other than R.
●The vehicle speed is greater than 
approximately 10  mph (16 km/h).
■The Blind Spot Monitor will 
detect a vehicle when
The Blind Spot Mon itor will detect a 
vehicle present in the detection area 
in the followin g situations:
●A vehicle in an adjacent lane over-
takes your vehicle.
●You overtake a vehicle in an adja-
cent lane slowly.
●Another vehicle enters the detec-
tion area when it changes lanes.
■Conditions under which the 
Blind Spot Monitor will not 
detect a vehicle
The Blind Spot Monitor is not 
designed to detect the following 
types of vehicles and/or objects:
●Small motorcycles, bicycles, 
pedestrians, etc.*
●Vehicles traveling in the opposite 
direction
●Guardrails, walls, signs, parked 
vehicles and similar stationary 
objects
*
●Following vehicles that are in the 
same lane*
●Vehicles traveling 2 lanes away 
from your vehicle*
●Vehicles which are being over-
taken rapidly by your vehicle*
*
: Depending on the conditions,  detection of a vehicle and/or 
object may occur.
■Conditions under which the 
Blind Spot Monitor may not 
function correctly
●The Blind Spot Monitor may not  detect vehicles corr
ectly in the fol-
lowing situations:
• When the sensor is misaligned 
due to a strong impact to the sen-
sor or its surrounding area
• When mud, snow, ice, a sticker, 
etc. is covering the sensor or sur-
rounding area on the rear bumper
• When driving on a road surface 
that is wet with standing water 
during bad weather, such as 
heavy rain, snow, or fog
• When multiple vehicles are  approaching with only a small gap 
between each vehicle
• When the distance between your  vehicle and a following vehicle is 
short
• When there is a significant differ- ence in speed between your vehi-
cle and the vehicle that enters the 
detection area
• When the difference in speed  between your vehicle and another 
vehicle is changing
• When a vehicle enters a detection  area traveling at about the same 
speed as your vehicle
• As your vehicle starts from a stop,  a vehicle remains in the detection 
area
• When driving up and down con- secutive steep inclines, such as 
hills, dips in the road, etc.
• When driving on r oads with sharp 
bends, consecutive curves, or 
uneven surfaces
• When vehicle lanes are wide, or  when driving on the edge of a 
lane, and the vehicle in an adja-
cent lane is far away from your 
vehicle
• When towing a trailer
• When an accessory (such as a  bicycle carrier) is installed to the 
rear of the vehicle
• When there is a significant differ- ence in height between your vehi-
cle and the vehicle that enters the 
detection area
• Immediately after the Blind Spot  Monitor is turned on●Instances of the Blind Spot Moni-
tor unnecessarily d etecting a vehi- 

2864-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_Ucle and/or object may increase in 
the following situations:
• When the sensor  is misaligned 
due to a strong impact to the sen-
sor or its surrounding area
• When the distanc e between your 
vehicle and a guar drail, wall, etc. 
that enters the detection area is 
short
• When driving up and down con- secutive steep inclines, such as 
hills, dips in the road, etc.
• When vehicle lanes are narrow, or  when driving on the edge of a 
lane, and a vehicle traveling in a 
lane other than the adjacent lanes 
enters the detection area
• When driving on roads with sharp 
bends, consecutive curves, or 
uneven surfaces
• When the tires are slipping or 
spinning
• When the distanc e between your 
vehicle and a following vehicle is 
short
• When an accessory (such as a  bicycle carrier) is installed to the 
rear of the vehicle
*: If equipped
■Types of sensors
Front corner sensors
Front center sensors
Rear corner sensors
Rear center sensors
■Display
When the sensors detect an 
object, such as a wall, a graphic 
is shown on the multi-informa-
tion display, head-up display (if 
Intuitive parking 
assist*
The distance from your 
vehicle to objects, such as a 
wall, when parallel parking 
or maneuvering into a 
garage is measured by the 
sensors and communicated 
via the multi-information 
display, head-up display (if 
equipped), audio system 
screen and a buzzer. Always 
check the surrounding area 
when using this system.
System components 

3645-4. Using the storage features
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Pull down the hook to use.
The cargo hooks are provided for 
securing loose items.
To hang the cargo net, use the 
cargo net hooks and cargo 
hooks.
■Removing the luggage 
cover unit (vehicles with-
out side deck board)
1 Fold down the third seats. 
( P.158)
Luggage compart-
ment features
Cargo hooks
WA R N I N G
■When cargo hooks are not in 
use
To avoid injury, always return the 
hooks to their stowed positions 
when not in use.
Cargo net hooks
WA R N I N G
■When the cargo net is not in 
use
To   a v o i d   i n j u r y , always return the 
hooks to their stowed positions 
when not in use.
Grocery bag hooks
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the gro-
cery bag hooks
Do not hang any object heavier 
than 6.6 lb. (3 kg) on the grocery 
bag hooks.
Luggage cover (if 
equipped)