
3144-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Conditions under which the 
Parking Support Brake func-
tion (rear-crossing vehicles) 
will not detect a vehicle
The Parking Support Brake function 
(rear-crossing vehicles) is not 
designed to detect the following 
types of vehicles and/or objects:
●Vehicles approaching from directly 
behind
●Vehicles backing up in a parking 
space next to your vehicle
●Vehicles that the sensors cannot 
detect due to obstructions
●Vehicles which suddenly acceler-
ate or decelerate near your vehi-
cle
●Guardrails, walls, signs, parked 
vehicles and similar stationary 
objects
●Small motorcycles, bicycles, 
pedestrians, etc.*
●Vehicles moving away from your 
vehicle
●Vehicles approaching from the 
parking spaces next to your vehi-
cle
*
●Objects which are extremely close 
to a radar sensor*
●Vehicles which are approaching 
from the right or left at the rear of 
the vehicle at a traveling speed of 
less than approxi mately 5 mph (8 
km/h)
●Vehicles which are approaching 
from the right or left at the rear of 
the vehicle at a traveling speed of 
more than approximately 15 mph 
(24 km/h)
*: Depending on the conditions, 
detection of a v ehicle and/or 
object may occur.
■PKSB buzzer
If the Parking Support Brake is 
enabled and brake control is per-
formed, a buzzer will sound to notify 
the driver.
■Situations in which the system 
may operate even though there 
is no possibility  of a collision
In some situations such as the fol-
lowing, the Parking Support Brake 
function (rear-cro ssing vehicles) 
may operate even t hough there is 
no possibility of a collision.
●When the parking space faces a 
street and vehicles are being 
driven on the street
●When a detected vehicle turns 
while approaching the vehicle
●When a vehicle passes by the 
side of your vehicle 

3154-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4
Driving
●When the distanc e between your 
vehicle and metal objects, such as 
a guardrail, wall, sign, or parked 
vehicle, which may reflect electri-
cal waves toward the rear of the 
vehicle, is short
●When there are spinning objects 
near your vehicle such as the fan 
of an air conditioning unit
●When water is splashed or 
sprayed toward t he rear bumper, 
such as from a sprinkler
■Situations in which the Parking 
Support Brake function 
(rear-crossing vehicles) may 
not operate properly
In some situations, such as the fol-
lowing, the radar sensors may not 
detect an object and this function 
may not operate properly
●Stationary objects
●When a sensor or the area around 
a sensor is extremely hot or cold
●If the rear bumper is covered with 
ice, snow, dirt, etc.
●If a sensor has been painted or 
covered with a sticker, etc.
●When it is raining heavily or water 
strikes the vehicle
●If the vehicle is s ignificantly tilted
●When equipment that may 
obstruct a sensor is installed, such 
as a towing eyelet, bumper pro-
tector (an additional trim strip, 
etc.), bicycle carrier, or snow plow
●If the suspension has been modi-
fied or tires of a size other than 
specified are installed
●If the front of the vehicle is raised  or lowered due to the carried load
●If an electronic component, such 
as a backlit license plate (espe-
cially fluorescent t
ype), fog lights, 
fender pole or wireless antenna is 
installed near a radar sensor
●If the orientation of a radar sensor 
has been changed
●When multiple vehicles are 
approaching with only a small gap 
between each vehicle
●If a vehicle is approaching the rear 
of your vehicle rapidly
●Situations in which the radar sen-
sor may not detect a vehicle
• When a vehicle  approaches from 
the right or left at the rear of the 
vehicle while you are turning while 
backing up
• When turning while backing up
• When backing out of a shallow  angle parking spot
• When backing up on a slope with  a sharp change in grade 

3204-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
starting on an uphill
■EPS (Electric Power Steer-
ing)
Employs an electric motor to 
reduce the amount of effort 
needed to turn the steering 
wheel
■E-Four
Electronic On-Demand AWD 
system. Automatically switches 
from front-wheel drive to 
all-wheel drive (AWD) according 
to the driving conditions, helping 
to ensure reliable handling and 
stability. Examples of conditions 
where the system will switch to 
AWD are when cornering, going 
uphill, starting off or accelerat-
ing, and when the road surface 
is slippery due to snow, rain, etc.
■VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics 
Integrated Management)
Provides integrated control of 
the ABS, brake assist, TRAC, 
VSC, hill-start assist control and 
EPS systems
Helps to maintain vehicle stabil-
ity when swerving on slippery 
road surfaces by controlling the 
brakes, hybrid system output 
and steering assist.
■The Secondary Collision 
Brake
When the SRS airbag sensor 
detects a collision and the sys-
tem operates, the brakes and 
brake lights are automatically 
controlled to reduce the vehicle  speed and help reduce the pos-
sibility of further damage due to 
a secondary collision.
■When the 
TRAC/VSC/ABS/Trailer Sway 
Control systems
 are operating
The slip indicator light will flash 
while the TRAC/VSC/ABS/Trailer 
Sway Control systems are operat-
ing.
■Disabling the TRAC system
If the vehicle gets stuck in mud, dirt 
or snow, the TRAC system may 
reduce power from the hybrid sys-
tem to the wheels. Pressing the   
switch to turn th e system off may 
make it easier for you to rock the 
vehicle in order to free it.
To turn the TRAC system off, quickly 
press and release the   switch.
The “Traction Cont rol Turned OFF” 
will be shown on the multi-informa-
tion display.
Press the   switch again to turn 
the system back on. 

3224-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Active Cornering Assist opera-
tion sounds and vibrations
When the Active Cornering Assist is 
operated, operation sounds and 
vibrations may b e generated from 
the brake system, but this is not a 
malfunction.
■EPS operation sound
When the steering wheel is oper-
ated, a motor sou nd (whirring 
sound) may be heard. This does not 
indicate a malfunction.
■Reduced effectiveness of the 
EPS system
The effectiveness of the EPS sys-
tem is reduced to prevent the sys-
tem from overheating when there is 
frequent steering input over an 
extended period of time. The steer-
ing wheel may feel heavy as a 
result. Should this occur, refrain 
from excessive steering input or 
stop the vehicle and turn the hybrid 
system off. The E PS system should 
return to normal within 10 minutes.
■Automatic reactivation of 
TRAC, Trailer Sway Control and 
VSC systems
After turning the TRAC, Trailer 
Sway Control and VSC systems off, 
the systems will be  automatically 
re-enabled in the following situa-
tions:
●When the power switch is turned 
OFF
●If only the TRAC system is turned 
off, the TRAC will  turn on when 
vehicle speed increases
If both the TRAC and VSC sys-
tems are turned off, automatic 
re-enabling will not occur when 
vehicle speed increases.
■Operating conditions of Active 
Cornering Assist
The system operates when the fol-
lowing occurs.
●TRAC/VSC can operate
●The driver is at tempting to accel- erate while turning
●The system detects that the vehi-
cle is drifting to the outer side
●The brake pedal is released
■Secondary Collision Brake 
operating conditions
The system operates when the SRS 
airbag sensor de tects a collision 
while the vehicle is in motion.
However, the system does not oper-
ate in any of the following situations.
●The vehicle speed is below 6 mph 
(10 km/h)
●Components are damaged
■Secondary Collision Brake 
automatic cancellation
The system is automatically can-
celed in any of th e following situa-
tions.
●The vehicle speed drops below 
approximately 6 mph (10 km/h)
●A certain amount of time elapses 
during operation
●The accelerator pedal is 
depressed a large amount
WA R N I N G
■The ABS does not operate 
effectively when
●The limits of tire gripping perfor-
mance have been exceeded 
(such as excessively worn tires 
on a snow covered road).
●The vehicle hydroplanes while 
driving at high speed on wet or 
slick roads.
■Stopping distance when the 
ABS is operating may exceed 
that of normal conditions
The ABS is not designed to 
shorten the vehicle’s stopping dis-
tance. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from the veh icle in front of 
you, especially in  the following sit-
uations: 

3455-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_U
5
Interior features
• It is recommended that the air  conditioning system be set to out-
side air mode prior to turning the 
vehicle off.
• The start timing  of the blower may 
be delayed for a short period of 
time immediately after the air con-
ditioning system is started in auto-
matic mode.
●When parking, the system auto-
matically switches to outside air 
mode to encourage better air cir-
culation throughout the vehicle, 
helping to reduce odors that occur 
when starting the vehicle.
1 Press the automatic mode 
switch.
The dehumidification function 
begins to operate. Air outlets and 
fan speed are  automatically 
adjusted according to the tempera-
ture setting and humidity.
2 Adjust the temperature set-
ting.
3 To stop the operation, press 
the “OFF” switch.
If the fan speed setting or air 
flow modes are operated, the 
automatic mode indicator goes 
off. However, automatic mode 
for functions other than that 
operated is maintained.
■Using automatic mode
Fan speed is adjusted automati-
cally according to the temperature 
setting and the ambient conditions.
Therefore, the fan may stop for a 
while until warm or  cool air is ready 
to flow immediately after the auto-
matic mode switch is pressed.
This function automatically con-
trols the air conditioning airflow 
so that priority is given to the 
front seats. When the front pas-
senger seat is not occupied, air-
flow may switch to only the 
driver’s seat. Unnecessary air 
conditioning is suppressed, con-
tributing to increased fuel effi-
ciency.
Front seat concentrated airflow 
mode operates in the following 
situations.
Using automatic mode
NOTICE
■Humidity sensor
In order to detect fog on the wind-
shield, a sensor which monitors 
the temperature of the windshield, 
the surround humidity, etc. is 
installed.
Follow these points to avoid dam-
aging the sensor:
●Do not disassemble the sensor
●Do not spray glass cleaner on 
the sensor or subject it to strong 
impacts
●Do not stick anything on the 
sensor
Front seat concentrated 
airflow mode (S-FLOW) 

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. 

4657-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
7
When trouble arises
■Intuitive parking assist OFF indicator (warning buzzer)
■RCTA OFF indicator* (warning buzzer)
*: This light illuminat es on the multi-information display.
■PKSB OFF indicator (warning buzzer)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(flashes)
(if equipped)
Indicates a malfunction in the  intuitive parking assist func-
tion
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer 
immediately.
Indicates that the system is te mporarily unavailable, possi-
bly due to a sensor  being dirty or covered with ice, etc.
 Follow the instructions di splayed on the multi-infor-
mation display. ( P.289)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(flashes)
When a buzzer sounds:
Indicates a malfunction in the RCTA (Rear Cross Traffic 
Alert) function
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer 
immediately.
When a buzzer does not sound:
Indicates that the re ar bumper around the radar sensor is 
covered with dirt, etc. ( P.282)
 Follow the instructions di splayed on the multi-infor-
mation display. ( P.295)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(flashes)
(if equipped)
When a buzzer sounds:
Indicates a malfunction in the PKSB (Parking Support 
Brake) system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer 
immediately.
When a buzzer does not sound:
Indicates that the system is te mporarily unavailable, possi-
bly due to a sensor  being dirty or covered with ice, etc.
 Follow the instructions di splayed on the multi-infor-
mation display. ( P.304, 470) 

4677-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
7
When trouble arises
■Parking brake indicator (warning buzzer)*
*: A buzzer will sound if  the vehicle is driven at a speed of app roximately 3 
mph (5 km/h) or more.
■Brake hold operated indicator
■Warning buzzer
In some cases, the buzzer may not 
be heard due to being in a noisy 
location or audio sound.
■Front passenger detection sen-
sor, seat belt reminder and 
warning buzzer
●If luggage is placed on the front 
passenger seat, the front passen-
ger detection sensor may cause 
the warning light to flash and the 
warning buzzer to sound even if a 
passenger is not sitting in the 
seat.
●If a cushion is placed on the seat, 
the sensor may n ot detect a pas-
senger, and the warning light may 
not operate properly.
■SRS warning light
This warning light system monitors 
the airbag sensor assembly, front 
impact sensors, side impact sensors 
(front door), side  impact sensors  (rear), driver’s seat position sensor, 
driver’s seat belt buckle switch, front 
passenger occupan
t classification 
system (ECU and s ensors), “PASS 
AIR BAG ON” indicator light, “PASS 
AIR BAG OFF” indicator light, front 
passenger’s seat belt buckle switch, 
driver’s seat belt pretensioner, front 
passenger’s seat b elt pretensioner 
and force limiter, airbags, intercon-
necting wiring and power sources. 
(  P. 3 4 )
■If the malfunction indicator 
lamp comes on while driving
First check the following:
●Is the fuel tank empty?
If it is, fill the fuel tank immediately.
●Is the fuel ta nk cap loose?
If it is, tighten it securely.
The light will go off after several 
driving trips.
If the light does not go off even after 
several trips, con tact your Toyota 
dealer as soon as possible.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(flashes)
(U.S.A.)
or
(flashes)
(Canada)
It is possible that the parking  brake is not fully engaged or 
released
 Operate the parking brake switch once again.
This light comes on when the parking brake is not released. 
If the light turns of f after the parking brake is fully release d, 
the system is operating normally.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(flashes)
Indicates a malfunction in the brake hold system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer 
immediately.