
3385-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_Umode switch.
■Set cooling and dehumidifi-
cation function
Press the “A/C” switch.
When the function i s on, the indica-
tor illuminates on th e “A/C” switch.
■Defogging the windshield
Defoggers are used to defog the 
windshield and front side win-
dows.
Press the windshield defogger 
switch.
Set the outside/recirculated air 
mode switch to outside air mode if 
t h e  r e c i r c u l a t e d  a i r  m o d e  i s  u s e d .  ( I t  
may switch automatically.)
To defog the windshield and the 
side windows quickly, turn the air 
flow and temperature up.
To return to the previous mode, 
press the windshield defogger 
switch again when the windshield is 
defogged.
When 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, the indicator illu-
minates on the rear window 
defogger and outside rear view mir-
ror defoggers switch.
The defoggers will automatically 
turn off afte
r a while.
■Windshield wiper de-icer
This feature is used to prevent 
ice from building up on the wind-
shield and wiper blades.
Press the windshield wiper 
de-icer switch.
When the windshield wiper de-icer 
switch is on, the  indicator illumi-
nates on the windshield wiper 
de-icer switch.
The windshield wiper de-icer will 
automatically turn off after a period 
of time.
■When the outside temperature 
exceeds 75°F (24°C) and the air 
conditioning system is on
●In order to reduce the air condi-
tioning power consumption, the air 
conditioning system may switch to 
recirculated air mode automati-
cally. This may also reduce fuel 
consumption.
●Recirculated air mode is selected 
as a default mode when the power 
switch is turned to ON.
●It is possible to switch to outside 
air mode at any time by pressing 
the outside air mode switch.
■Fogging up of the windows
●The windows will  easily fog up 
when the humidity in the vehicle is 
high. Turning “A/C” on will dehu-
midify the air from  the outlets and 
defog the windshield effectively.
●If you turn “A/C” off, the windows 
may fog up more easily. 

3465-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_U
No passengers are detected 
in the rear seats
 The windshield defogger is 
not operating
While operating, the indicator illumi-
nates on the S-FLOW mode switch.
■Manually turning front seat 
concentrated airflow mode 
on/off
In front seat concentrated air-
flow mode, directing airflow to 
the front seats only and to all 
seats can be switched via switch 
operation. When the mode has 
been switched manually, auto-
matic airflow control stops oper-
ating.
Select   on the option control 
screen or press the S-FLOW 
mode switch on the air condi-
tioning operation panel and 
switch the airflow.
 Indicator illuminated: Airflow 
to the front seats only
 Indicator off: Airflow to all the 
seats
■Operation of automatic airflow 
control
●In order to maintain a comfortable 
interior, airflow ma y be directed to 
seats without pa ssengers immedi-
ately after the hybrid system is 
started and at other times depend-
ing on the outside temperature.
●After the hybrid system is started, 
if passengers move around inside 
or enter/exit the vehicle, the sys-
tem cannot accurately detect the 
presence of passengers and auto-
matic airflow cont rol will not oper- ate.
■Operation of manual airflow 
control
Even if the funct ion is manually 
switched to directing airflow to only 
the front seats, w hen a rear seat is 
occupied, it may automatically direct 
airflow to all seats.
■To return to automatic airflow 
control
1 With the indicator off, turn the 
power switch off.
2 After 60 minutes or more elapse, 
turn the power switch to ON.
This feature is used to prevent 
ice from building up on the wind-
shield and wiper blades.
Press the switch to turn the sys-
tem on/off.
The indicator comes on when 
the system is on.
The windshield wiper de-icer will 
automatically turn off after a period 
of time.
Windshield wiper de-icer 
(vehicle with a 12.3-inch 
display) 

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. 

3966-1. Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_U
NOTICE
●To prevent the wheels from cor-
roding, remove any dirt and 
store in a place with low humid-
ity when storing the wheels.
■Cleaning the exterior lights
●Wash carefully. Do not use 
organic substances or scrub 
with a hard brush.
This may damage the surfaces 
of the lights.
●Do not apply wax to the sur-
faces of the lights.
Wax may cause damage to the 
lenses.
■When using an automatic car 
wash (vehicles with 
rain-sensing windshield wip-
ers)
Set the wiper switch to the off 
position.
If the wiper switch is in “AUTO”, 
the wipers may operate and the 
wiper blades may be damaged.
■When using a high pressure 
car wash
●When washing the vehicle, do 
not let water of the high pres-
sure washer hit directly or the 
vicinity of the camera. Due to 
the shock from the high pres-
sure water, it is possible the 
device may not op erate as nor-
mal.
●Do not bring the nozzle tip close 
to boots (rubber or resin manu-
factured cover), connectors or 
the following parts. The parts 
may be damaged if they come 
into contact with high-pressure 
water.
• Traction related parts
• Steering parts
• Suspension parts
• Brake parts
●Keep the cleaning nozzle at 
least 11.9 in. (30 cm) away from 
the vehicle body. Otherwise 
resin section, s uch as moldings 
and bumpers, may be deformed 
and damaged.
Also, do not continuously hold the 
nozzle in the same place.
●Do not spray the lower part of 
the windshield continuously.
If water enters the air conditioning 
system intake located near the 
lower part of the windshield, the 
air conditioning system may not 
operate correctly. 

4046-2. Maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_U
The OBD system determines 
that a problem exists some-
where in the emission control 
system. Your vehicle may not 
pass the I/M test and may need 
to be repaired. Contact your 
Toyota dealer to service the 
vehicle.
When the 12-volt battery is 
disconnected or discharged
Readiness codes that are set 
during ordinary driving are erased.
Also, depending on your driving 
habits, the readiness codes may 
not be completely set.
When the fuel tank cap is 
loose
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors
• Do the doors 
operate 
smoothly?
Engine hood
• Does the engine hood lock system 
work properly?
Fluid leaks
• There should not be any signs of 
fluid leakage 
after the vehicle 
has been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire infla-tion pressure 
correct?
• The tires should  not be damaged 
or excessively 
worn.
• Have the tires  been rotated 
according to the 
maintenance 
schedule?
• The wheel nuts  should not be 
loose.
Windshield 
wipers/rear 
window wiper
• The wiper blades should not show 
any signs of 
cracking, split-
ting, wear, con-
tamination or 
deformation.
• The wiper blades  should clear the 
windshield/rear 
window without 
streaking or skip-
ping.
Emission inspection 
and maintenance (I/M) 
programs
Some states have vehicle 
emission inspection pro-
grams which include OBD 
(On Board Diagnostics) 
checks. The OBD system 
monitors the operation of 
the emission control sys-
tem.
If the malfunction indica-
tor lamp comes on
Your vehicle may not pass 
the I/M test in the follow-
ing situations: