2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID cooling

731-4. Hybrid system
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_Uand you are unable to start the
hybrid system, contact your Toyota
dealer.
■Charging the 1
2-volt battery
 P. 4 9 8
■After the 12-volt battery has dis-
charged or when the terminal
has been removed and installed
during exchange, etc.
The gasoline engine may not stop
even if the vehicle is being driven by
the hybrid battery (traction battery).
If this continues for a few days, con-
tact your Toyota dealer.
■Sounds and vibrations specific
to a hybrid vehicle
There may be no engine sound or
vibration even though the vehicle is
able to move with the “READY” indi-
cator is illuminated. For safety, apply
the parking brake and make sure to
shift the shift lever to P when
parked.
The following sounds or vibrations
may occur when the hybrid system
is operating and are not a malfunc-
tion:
●Motor sounds may be heard from
the engine compartment.
●Sounds may be heard from the
hybrid battery (traction battery)
under the rear seats when the
hybrid system starts or stops.
●Relay operating sounds such as a
snap or soft clank will be emitted
from the hybrid battery (traction
battery), under the rear seats,
when the hybrid system is started
or stopped.
●Sounds from the hybrid system
may be heard when the back door
is open.
●Sounds may be heard from the
transmission when the gasoline
engine starts or stops, when driv-
ing at low speeds, or during idling.
●Engine sounds may be heard
when accelerating sharply.
●Sounds may be heard due to
regenerative braking when the
brake pedal is depressed or as
the accelerator pedal is released.
●Vibration may be felt when the
gasoline engine starts or stops.
●Cooling fan sounds may be heard
from the air intake vents under the
rear seats.
■Maintenance, repair, recycling,
and disposal
Contact your Toyota dealer regard-
ing maintenance, repair, recycling
and disposal. Do n ot dispose of the
vehicle yourself.
When driving with the gasoline
engine stopped, a sound, which
changes in accordance with the
driving speed, will be played in
order to warn people nearby of
the vehicle’s approach. The
sound will stop when the vehicle
speed exceeds approximately
22 mph (35 km/h).
■Acoustic vehicle alerting sys-
tem
In the following cases, the acoustic
vehicle alerting system may be diffi-
cult for surrounding people to hear.
●In very noisy areas
●In the wind or the rain
Also, as the acoustic vehicle alerting
system is installed on the front of the
vehicle, it may be more difficult to
hear from the rear of the vehicle
compared to the front.
Acoustic vehicle alerting
system

771-4. Hybrid system
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_U
There are air intake vents under
each side of the rear seatback
for the purpose of cooling the
hybrid battery (traction battery).
If the vent is blocked,
charging/discharging of the
hybrid battery (traction battery)
may become limited.
WARNING
●If your vehicle needs to be
towed, do so with all four
wheels raised. If the wheels
connected to the electric motor
(traction motor) are on the
ground when towing, the motor
may continue to generate elec-
tricity. This may cause a fire.
(  P.461)
●Carefully inspect the ground
under the vehicle. If you find
that liquid has leaked onto the
ground, the fuel system may
have been damaged. Leave the
vehicle as soon as possible.
■Hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery)
●Never resell, hand over or mod-
ify the hybrid battery. To prevent
accidents, hybrid batteries that
have been removed from a dis-
posed vehicle are collected
through your Toyota dealer. Do
not dispose of the battery your-
self.
Unless the battery is properly col-
lected, the following may occur,
resulting in dea th or serious
injury:
• The hybrid battery may be ille- gally disposed of or dumped,
and it is hazardous to the envi-
ronment or someone may touch
a high voltage part, resulting in
an electric shock.
• The hybrid battery is intended to be used exclusively with your
hybrid vehicle. If the hybrid bat-
tery is used outside of your
vehicle or modified in any way,
accidents such as electric
shock, heat generation, smoke
generation, an explosion and
electrolyte leakage may occur.
When reselling or handing over
your vehicle, the possibility of an
accident is extremely high
because the person receiving the
vehicle may not be aware of these
dangers.
●If your vehicle is disposed of
without the hybrid battery hav-
ing been removed, there is a
danger of serious electric shock
if high voltage parts, cables and
their connectors are touched. In
the event that your vehicle must
be disposed of, the hybrid bat-
tery must be disposed of by
your Toyota dealer or a qualified
service shop. If the hybrid bat-
tery is not disposed of properly,
it may cause electric shock that
can result in dea th or serious
injury.
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery) air intake vents
Do not carry large amounts of
water such as water cooler bottles
in the vehicle. If water spills onto
the hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery), the battery may be dam-
aged. Have the vehicle inspected
by your Toyota dealer.
Hybrid battery (traction
battery) air intake vent

3234-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER HV_Umany curves.
When Sport mode is selected,
Sport mode indicator comes on.
3
Eco drive mode
Helps the driver a ccelerate in an
eco-friendly manner and improve
fuel economy through moderate
throttle characteri stics and by con-
trolling the operation of the air con-
ditioning system (heating/cooling).
When Eco drive mode is selected,
Eco drive mode indicator comes
on.
■Air conditioning system opera-
tion in Eco drive mode
In Eco drive mode, heating/cooling
operations and the fan speed is con-
trolled to improve fuel efficiency.
Perform the following procedures to
increase the air conditioning perfor-
mance.
●Vehicle with a 12.3-inch display:
Turn eco air conditioning mode off
(  P.350)
●Adjust the fan speed ( P.343)
●Cancel Eco drive mode
■Canceling a driving mode
●Sport mode is automatically can-
celed and the driving mode
returns to normal mode when the
power switch is off.
●Normal mode and Eco drive mode
are not canceled until another
driving mode is sel ected. (Even if
the power switch is off, normal
mode and Eco drive mode will not
be automatically canceled.)
Press the Trail Mode switch
When the switch is pressed, Trail
Mode turns on and the Trail Mode
indicator illuminates on the
multi-information display.
When the switch is pressed again,
the Trail Mode indicator turns off.
Trail Mode (AWD vehi-
cles)
Trail Mode is a system that
performs integrated control
for the AWD, brake and
drive force control systems
to assist the drive power on
bumpy roads, etc.
WARNING
■Before using Trail Mode
Make sure to observe the follow-
ing precautions. Failure to
observe these precautions may
result in an unexp ected accident.
●Check that the Trail Mode indi-
cator is illuminated before driv-
ing. Trail Mode will not operate
when the indicator is off.
●Trail Mode is not intended to
expand the limits of the vehicle.
Thoroughly check the road con-
ditions and drive with caution.
●Thoroughly check the road con-
ditions before driving. As Trail
Mode is suitable for driving on
bumpy roads, there is a chance
that Trail Mode may not be the
most appropriate in terms of
other road conditions.
Turning Trail Mode on

3314-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
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.322)
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

3445-2. 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.

3455-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
HIGHLANDER HV_U
●The windows may fog up if the
recirculated air mode is used.
■When driving on dusty roads
Close all windows. If dust thrown up
by the vehicle is still drawn into the
vehicle after closing the windows, it
is recommended that the air intake
mode be set to outside air mode and
the fan speed to any setting except
off.
■Outside/recirculated air mode
●Setting to the r ecirculated air
mode temporarily is recom-
mended in preventing dirty air
from entering the vehicle interior
and helping to c ool the vehicle
when the outside air temperature
is high.
●Outside/recirculated air mode may
automatically switch depending on
the temperature setting or the
inside temperature.
■Operation of the air condition-
ing system in Eco drive mode
●In Eco drive mode, the air condi-
tioning system is controlled as fol-
lows to prioritize fuel efficiency:
• Engine speed and compressor operation controlled to restrict
heating/cooling capacity
• Fan speed restr icted when auto-
matic mode is selected
●To improve air co nditioning perfor-
mance, perform the following
operations:
• Adjust the fan speed
• Turn off Eco drive mode ( P.322)
■When the outside temperature
is low
The dehumidification function may
not operate even when the “A/C”
switch is pressed.
■Ventilation and air conditioning
odors
●To let fresh air in, set the air condi-
tioning system to the outside air
mode.
●During use, various odors from inside and outside the vehicle may
enter into and accumulate in the
air conditioning system. This may
then cause odor
to be emitted
from the vents.
●To reduce potential odors from
occurring:
• 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.
■Air conditioning filter
 P.439
■Air conditioning system refrig-
erant
●A label regarding the refrigerant of
the air conditioning system is
attached to the h ood at the loca-
tion shown in the following illustra-
tion.
●The meaning of each symbol on
the label are as follows:
Caution
Air conditioning sys-
tem

3495-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Main control screenAdjust the left side seat tem-
perature setting
Select the air flow mode
: Air flows to the upper body
: Air flows to the upper body and
feet
: Air flows to the feet
: Air flows to the feet and the
windshield defogger operates
Display the option control
screen.
Adjust the fan speed setting
Adjust the right side seat
temperature setting “SYNC” switch
If the indicator
on the “SYNC”
switch is off, the temperature for the
driver, passenger and rear seats
can be adjusted separately.
Display the rear air condition-
ing control screen ( P.356)
Select the outside air and
recirculated air modes
Set eco air conditioning
mode
The air conditioning is controlled
with low fuel con sumption priori-
tized such as reducing fan speed,
etc.
Set cooling and dehumidifi-
cation function
If “A/C” switch is not pressed, the
system will blow ambient tempera-
ture air or heated air.
■Option control screen
Select “Option” to display the
option control screen.
The functions can be switched on
and off.
When the function is on, the indica-
tor illuminates on the screen.
Select to display the previous
screen.
NOTICE
■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.
Front air conditioning
control screen (vehicle
with a 12.3-inch display)

3505-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Select front seat concen-
trated airflow mode
(S-FLOW) (P.351)
■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” o ff, the windows
may fog up more easily.
●The windows may fog up if the
recirculated air mode is used.
■When driving on dusty roads
Close all windows. If dust thrown up
by the vehicle is still drawn into the
vehicle after closing the windows, it
is recommended that the air intake
mode be set to outside air mode and
the fan speed to any setting except
off.
■Outside/recirculated air mode
●Setting to the r ecirculated air
mode temporarily is recom-
mended in preventing dirty air
from entering the vehicle interior
and helping to c ool the vehicle
when the outside air temperature
is high.
●Outside/recirculated air mode may
automatically switch depending on the temperature setting or the
inside temperature.
■Eco air conditioning mode
When Eco drive mode is selected
using the driving mode select
switch, eco air conditioning mode
turns on.
When a drive mode other than Eco
drive mode is sele cted, eco air con-
ditioning mode may turn off.
■Operation of the air condition-
ing system in Eco drive mode
●In Eco drive mode, the air condi-
tioning system is controlled as fol-
lows to prioritize fuel efficiency:
• Engine speed and compressor operation controlled to restrict
heating/cooling capacity
• Fan speed restri cted when auto-
matic mode is selected
●To improve air conditioning perfor-
mance, perform the following
operations:
• Adjust the fan speed
• Turn off Eco drive mode ( P.322)
• Turn off Eco air conditioning mode
●When the driving mode is set to
Eco driving mode, the air condi-
tioning eco mode will be turned on
automatically. Even in this case,
the air conditioning eco mode can
be turned off by pressing the Eco
air conditioning mode switch.
■When the outside temperature
is low
The dehumidification function may
not operate even when “A/C” is
pressed.
■Ventilation and air conditioning
odors
●To let fresh air in, set the air condi-
tioning system to the outside air
mode.
●During use, various odors from
inside and outside the vehicle may
enter into and accumulate in the
air conditioning system. This may
then cause odor to be emitted
from the vents.