Page 456 of 572

4567-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
The following may indicate a
problem with your transmission.
Contact your Toyota dealer or
commercial towing service
before towing.
The hybrid system warning
message is shown on the
multi-information display and
the vehicle does not move.
The vehicle makes an abnor-
mal sound.
WA R N I N G
■While towing
●When towing using cables or
chains, avoid sudden starts, etc.
which place excessive stress on
the towing eyelets, cables or
chains. The towing eyelets,
cables or chains may become
damaged, broken debris may hit
people, and cause serious dam-
age.
●Do not turn the power switch off.
There is a possibility that the
steering wheel is locked and
cannot be operated.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
vehicle when towing using a
wheel-lift type truck
●Do not tow the vehicle from the
rear when the power switch is
off. The steering lock mecha-
nism is not strong enough to
hold the front wheels straight.
●When raising the vehicle,
ensure adequate ground clear-
ance for towing at the opposite
end of the raised vehicle. With-
out adequate clearance, the
vehicle could be damaged while
being towed.
■To prevent damage to the
vehicle when towing with a
sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck,
either from the front or rear.
■To prevent damage to the
vehicle during emergency
towing
Do not secure cables or chains to
the suspension components.
■Recreational towing (behind
motor home, etc.)
Never dinghy tow your vehicle to
prevent causing serious damage
to the Hybrid AWD system (AWD
models) and transmission.
( P.212)
Situations when it is nec-
essary to contact dealers
before towing
Page 457 of 572
4577-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
7
When trouble arises
From the front (2WD models)
Release the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. ( P.225)
From the front (AWD models)
Use a towing dolly under the
rear wheels.
From the rear
Use a towing dolly under the
front wheels. If your vehicle is transported by
a flatbed truck, it should be tied
down at the locations shown in
the illustration.
If you use chains or cables to tie
down your vehicle, the angles
shaded in black must be 45°.
Towing with a wheel-lift
type truckNOTICE
■Towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck
to prevent body damage.
2WD models
AWD models
Using a flatbed truck
Page 458 of 572

4587-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
A driver must be in the vehicle to
steer and operate the brakes.
The vehicle’s wheels, drive train,
axles, steering and brakes must
be in good condition.
Fluid leaks under the vehicle
(Water dripping from the air
conditioning after use is nor-
mal.)
Flat-looking tires or uneven
tire wear
Engine coolant temperature
gauge needle continually
points higher than normal
Changes in exhaust sound
Excessive tire squeal when
cornering
Strange noises related to the
suspension system
Pinging or other noises
related to the hybrid system
Engine missing, stumbling or
running roughly
Appreciable loss of power
Vehicle pulls heavily to one
NOTICE
■Using a flatbed truck
Do not overly tighten the tie
downs or the vehicle may be
damaged.
Emergency towing
If you think something
is wrong
If you notice any of the fol-
lowing symptoms, your
vehicle probably needs
adjustment or repair. Con-
tact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.
Visible symptoms
Audible symptoms
Operational symptoms
Page 480 of 572

4807-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
3Turn the tire jack portion
by hand until the notch of the
jack is in contact with the jack
point.
The jack point guides are located
under the rocker panel. They indi-
cate the jack po int positions.
4Raise the vehicle until the tire
is slightly raised off the
ground.
5 Remove all the wheel nuts
and the tire.
When resting the tire on the
ground, place the tire so that the
wheel design faces up to avoid scratching the wheel surface.
■If the spare tire cannot be low-
ered
If the spare tire cannot be lowered, it
may not have been stowed properly.
Perform the following procedure:
1 Fully tighten the spare tire clamp
bolt by turning the jack handle
clockwise until two clicks are
heard and the jack handle skips.
2 Turn the jack handle counter-
clockwise to lower the spare tire.
If the spare tire still cannot be low-
ered, attempt to fully tighten the
spare tire clamp bolt again by turn-
ing the jack handle clockwise. Then
turn it counterclockwise at least 2
turns to lower the spare tire.
If the spare tire still cannot be low-
ered, the wire cable may be sev-
ered. Have the vehicle inspected by
Page 482 of 572

4827-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_Umotion, causing the tire to come off.
2
Install the spare tire and
loosely tighten each wheel
nut by hand by approximately
the same amount.
Turn the wheel nuts until the wash-
ers come into contact with the disc
wheel.
Disc wheel
Washer
3 Lower the vehicle.
4 Firmly tighten each wheel nut
two or three times in the order shown in the illustra-
tion.
Vehicles with wheel locks: Tighten
the wheel lock using the wheel lock
key after tightening the other wheel
nuts.
Tightening torque:
76 ft•lbf (103 N•m, 10.5 kgf•m)
1
Remove the center wheel
ornament by pushing from
the reverse side.
Be careful not to lose the wheel
ornament.
2Stand the tire against the
bumper with the inner sur-
face facing toward you. Pass
the hoist assembly and
WA R N I N G
■Stowing the flat tire
Failure to follow steps listed under
stowing the tire may result in
damage to the spare tire carrier
and loss of the tire, which could
result in serious injury or death.
Stowing the flat tire, jack
and all tools
Page 484 of 572

4847-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
7Confirm it is not loose after
tightening:
1 Push and pull the tire
2 Try rotating
Visually check to ensure tire is not
hung on surrounding parts.
If looseness or misassembly exists,
repeat steps 2 to 7.
8 Repeat step 7, any time the
tire is lowered or disturbed.
9 Stow the jack and all tools.
■The compact spare tire
●The compact spare tire is identi-
fied by the label “TEMPORARY
USE ONLY” on the tire sidewall.
Use the compact spare tire tempo-
rarily, and only in an emergency.
●Make sure to check the tire infla-
tion pressure of the compact
spare tire. ( P.511)
■When using the compact spare
tire
As the compact sp are tire is not
equipped with a tire pressure warn-
ing valve and transmitter, low infla-
tion pressur e of the spar e tire will
not be indicated by the tire pressure
warning system. Also, if you replace
the compact spare tire after the tire
pressure warning light comes on,
the light remains on.
■When the compact spare tire is
equipped
When driving wit h the compact spare tire installed, the vehicle
height will be diffe
rent than when
driving with standard tires.
■If you have a flat front tire on a
road covered with snow or ice
Install the compact spare tire on one
of the rear wheels of the vehicle.
Perform the following steps and fit
tire chains to the front tires:
1 Replace a rear tire with the com-
pact spare tire.
2 Replace the flat front tire with the
tire removed from the rear of the
vehicle.
3 Fit tire chains to the front tires.
WA R N I N G
■When using the compact
spare tire
●Remember that the compact
spare tire provided is specifi-
cally designed for use with your
vehicle. Do not use your com-
pact spare tire on another vehi-
cle.
●Do not use more than one com-
pact spare tire simultaneously.
●Replace the comp act spare tire
with a standard tire as soon as
possible.
●Avoid sudden acceleration,
abrupt steering, sudden brak-
ing and shifting operations that
cause sudden engine braking.
■When the compact spare tire
is attached
The vehicle speed may not be
correctly detected, and the follow-
ing systems may not operate cor-
rectly:
• ABS & Brake assist
• VSC
•TRAC
• EPS
Page 486 of 572

4867-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
One of the following may be the
cause of the problem:
The electronic key may not be
functioning properly.
( P.489)
There may not be sufficient
fuel in the vehicle’s tank.
Refuel the vehicle.
There may be a malfunction
in the immobilizer system.
( P.79)
There may be a malfunction
in the steering lock system.
The hybrid system may be
malfunctioning due to an elec-
trical problem such as elec-
tronic key battery depletion or
a blown fuse. However,
depending on the type of mal-
function, an interim measure
is available to start the hybrid
system. ( P.487)
NOTICE
●Securely tighten the spare tire
clamp bolt to hold the spare
wheel carrier by the hook.
●Stow the flat tire in the spare tire
location. Failure to do so may
cause damage to the spare tire
carrier. Proper storage reduces
the possibility of i njury in a colli-
sion or during sudden braking.
●Have the flat tire repaired and
the spare tire replaced with it as
soon as possible.
■Proper storage of the spare
tire
●If the hoist assembly is slanted
when stowing a tire, the hoist
assembly may become stuck in
the wheel opening and the tire
may not be raised properly,
causing damage to the wheel or
the wire cable.
●Do not attempt to turn the spare
tire clamp bolt without a tire on
the hoist assembly, as doing so
may cause the wire cable to slip
off of the shaft inside the unit
and the wire cable may not be
able to be raised or lowered. If
the spare tire c lamp bolt has
been turned without a tire on the
hoist assembly and the wire
cable cannot be raised or low-
ered, contact your Toyota
dealer.
If the hybrid system
will not star t
Reasons for the hybrid sys-
tem not starting vary
depending on the situation.
Check the following and
perform the appropriate
procedure:
The hybrid system will not
start even though the cor-
rect starting procedure is
being followed. ( P.213)
Page 501 of 572
5017-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
7
When trouble arises
WA R N I N G
■When attempting to free a
stuck vehicle
If you choose to push the vehicle
back and forth to free it, make
sure the surrounding area is clear
to avoid striking other vehicles,
objects or people. The vehicle
may also lunge forward or lunge
back suddenly as it becomes free.
Use extreme caution.
■When shifting the shift lever
Be careful not to shift the shift
lever with the ac celerator pedal
depressed.
This may lead to unexpected
rapid acceleration of the vehicle
that may cause an accident
resulting in death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■To avoid damage to the
hybrid transmission and
other components
●Avoid spinning the front wheels
and depressing the accelerator
pedal more than necessary.
●If the vehicle remains stuck
even after these procedures are
performed, the vehicle may
require towing to be freed.