2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID steering

4096-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Brake pedal
• Does the brake pedal move
smoothly?
• Does the brake pedal have
appropriate
clearance from
the floor?
( P.515)
• Does the brake pedal have the
correct amount
of free play?
( P.515)
Brakes
• The vehicle
should not pull to
one side when
the brakes are
applied.
• The brakes should work
effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel
spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get
too close to the
floor when the
brakes are
applied.
Head
restraints
• Do the head restraints move
smoothly and
lock securely?
Horn• Works properly?
Indica-
tors/buzzers
• Do the indica-tors and buzzers
function prop-
erly?
ItemsCheck points
Lights
• Do all the lights come on?
• Are the head- lights aimed cor-
rectly? (P.448)
Parking brake
• Does the park-ing brake switch
operate nor-
mally?
• When parked on a slope and the
parking brake is
on, is the vehicle
securely
stopped?
Seat belts
• Do the seat belts operate
smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be
damaged.
Seats
• Do the seat con-trols operate
properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steer-ing wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steer- ing wheel have
the correct
amount of free
play?
• There should not be any strange
sounds coming
from the steer-
ing wheel.
ItemsCheck points

4597-1. Essential information
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_U
briefly 3 times or more in suc-
cession.
5 Stop the vehicle in a safe
place by the road. 
Remove the seat belt first.
 If the door can be opened,
open the door and exit the
vehicle.
 If the door can not be opened,
open the window using the
power window switch and exit
the vehicle through the win-
dow.
 If the window can not be
opened using the power win-
dow switch, remain calm, wait
until the water level inside the
vehicle rises to the point that
the water pressure inside of
the vehicle equals the water
pressure outside of the vehi-
cle, and then open the door
and exit the vehicle.
WARNING
■If the hybrid system has to be
turned off while driving
Power assist for the steering
wheel will be lost, making the
steering wheel heavier to turn.
Decelerate as much as possible
before turning off the hybrid sys-
tem.
If the vehicle is
trapped in rising water
In the event the vehicle is
submerged in water, remain
calm and perform the fol-
lowing.

4627-2. 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.
WARNING
■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

4637-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_U
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. When using a flat-bed truck to
transport the vehicle, use tire
strapping belts. Refer to the
owner's manual of the flat-bed
truck for the tire strapping
method.
In order to suppress vehicle
movement during transporta-
tion, set the parking brake and
turn the power switch off.
A driver must be in the vehicle to
steer and operate the brakes.
The vehicle’s wheels, drive train,
axles, steering and brakes must
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
Emergency towing

4697-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Electric power steering system warning light (warning
buzzer)
■Low fuel level warning light
■Driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt reminder light (warn-
ing buzzer)*
*: Driver’s seat belt warning buzzer:
The driver’s seat belt warning buzzer sounds to alert the driver that his or
her seat belt is not fastened. O nce the power switch is turned to ON, the
buzzer sounds. If the seat belt is still un fastened, the buzzer sounds inter-
mittently for a certain period of time after the vehicle reache s a certain
speed.
Front passenger’s seat belt warning buzzer:
The front passenger’s seat belt w arning buzzer sounds to alert the front
passenger that his or her seat belt is not fastened. If the seat belt is unfas-
tened, the buzzer sounds intermittently for a certain period of time after the
vehicle reaches a certain speed.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(red/yellow)
Indicates a malfunction in th e EPS (Electric Power Steer-
ing) system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates that remaining fuel is approximately 2.6 gal. (9.7
L, 2.1 Imp. gal.) or less
 Refuel the vehicle.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Warns the driver and/or front passenger to fasten their seat
belts
Fasten the seat belt.
If the front passenger’s se at is occupied, the front
passenger’s seat belt also needs to be fastened to
make the warning light (w arning buzzer) turn off.

4747-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_Udealer as soon as possible.
■Electric power steering system
warning light (warning buzzer)
When the 12-volt battery charge
becomes insufficien t or the voltage
temporarily drops, the electric power
steering system warning light may
come on and the warning buzzer
may sound.
■When the tire pressure warning
light comes on
Inspect the tires to check if a tire is
punctured.
If a tire is punctured: P.481
If none of the tires are punctured:
Turn the power switch off then turn it
to ON. Check if the tire pressure
warning light comes on or blinks.
If the tire pressure warning light
blinks for 1 minute then stays on
There may be a malfunction in the
tire pressure warning system. Have
the vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer immediately.
If the tire pressure warning light
comes on
1 After the temperature of the tires
has lowered sufficiently, check
the inflation pressure of each tire
and adjust them to the specified
level.
2 If the warning light does not turn
off even after several minutes
have elapsed, check that the
inflation pressure of each tire is
at the specified level and perform
initialization. ( P.431)
If the warning light does not turn off
several minutes afte r the initializa-
tion has been performed, have the
vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer immediately.
■The tire pressure warning light
may come on due to natural
causes
The tire pressure warning light may
come on due to natural causes such
as natural air leaks and tire inflation pressure changes caused by tem-
perature. In this ca
se, adjusting the
tire inflation pressure will turn off the
warning ligh t (after a few minutes).
■When a tire is replaced with a
spare tire
The compact spare tire is not
equipped with a tire pressure warn-
ing valve and tran smitter. If a tire
goes flat, the tire pressure warning
light will not turn off even though the
flat tire has been replaced with the
spare tire. Replace the spare tire
with the repaired tire and adjust the
tire inflation pressure. The tire pres-
sure warning light will go off after a
few minutes.
■Conditions that the tire pres-
sure warning system may not
function properly
 P.427
WARNING
■If both the ABS and the brake
system warning lights remain
on
Stop your vehicle in a safe place
immediately and contact your Toy-
ota dealer.
The vehicle will become
extremely unstable during brak-
ing, and the ABS system may fail,
which could cause an accident
resulting in death o r serious injury.

4757-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
■When the electric power
steering system warning light
comes on
When the light comes on yellow,
the assist to the power steering is
restricted. When the light comes
on red, the assist to the power
steering is lost and handling oper-
ations of the steering wheel
become extremely heavy.
When steering wheel operations
are heavier than usual, grip the
steering wheel firmly and operate
it using more force than usual.
■If the tire pressure warning
light comes on
Be sure to observe the following
precautions.
Failure to do so could cause a
loss of vehicle control and result
in death or serious injury.
●Stop your vehicle in a safe place
as soon as possible. Adjust the
tire inflation pressure immedi-
ately.
●If the tire pressure warning light
comes on even after tire infla-
tion pressure adjustment, it is
probable that y ou have a flat
tire. Check the tires. If a tire is
flat, change it with the spare tire
and have the flat tire repaired by
the nearest Toy ota dealer.
●Avoid abrupt maneuvering and
braking.
If the vehicle tires deteriorate,
you could lose control of the
steering wheel or the brakes.
■If a blowout or sudden air
leakage should occur
The tire pressure warning system
may not activate immediately.
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, includi ng the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inflated to
the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire
inflation pressure label (tire and
load information label). (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size
than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label [tire and load infor-
mation label], you should deter-
mine the proper tire inflation
pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a
tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS-tire pressure warning sys-
tem) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale (tire pressure
warning light) w hen one or more
of your tires is significantly
under-inflated. Accordingly, when
the low tire pressure telltale (tire
pressure warning light) illumi-
nates, you should stop and check
your tires as soon as possible,
and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire causes
the tire to overhea t and can lead
to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire
tread life, and may affect the vehi-
cle’s handling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS (tire
pressure warning system) is not a
substitute for proper tire mainte-
nance, and it is the driver’s
responsibility to m aintain correct
tire pressure, even if under-infla-
tion has not reached the level to
trigger illumination of the TPMS
low tire pressure te lltale (tire pres-
sure warning light).

4787-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■If “Hybrid System Stopped
Steering Power Low” is dis-
played
This message is displayed if the
hybrid system is stopped while driv-
ing.
When steering wheel operations are
heavier than usual, grip the steering
wheel firmly and operate it using
more force th an usual.
■If “Hybrid System Overheated
Output Power Reduced” is dis-
played
This message may be displayed
when driving under severe operat-
ing conditions. (For example, when
driving up a long steep hill.)
Handling method: P. 5 0 4
■If “Traction Battery Needs to be
Protected Refrain from the Use
of N Position” is displayed
This message may be displayed
when the shift lever is in N.
As the hybrid batte ry (traction bat-
tery) cannot be charged when the
shift lever is in N, shift the shift lever
to P when the vehicle is stopped.
■If “Traction Battery Needs to be
Protected Shift into P to
Restart” is displayed
This message is displayed when the
hybrid battery (traction battery)
charge has become extremely low
because the shift lever has been left
in N for a certain amount of time.
When operating the vehicle, shift to
P and restart the hybrid system.
■If “Shift to P Before Exiting
Vehicle” or “Shift to P when
Parked” is displayed
This message is displayed when the
driver’s door is opened without turn-
ing the power swit ch off with the
shift lever in any position other than
P. Change the shift lever to P.
■If “Shift is in N Release Acceler-
ator Before Shifting” is dis-
played
The accelerator pedal has been
depressed when the shift lever is in
N.
Release the accelerator pedal and
shift the shift le ver to D, S or R.
■If “Press Brake when Vehicle is
Stopped Hybrid System may
Overheat” is displayed
The message may be displayed
when the accelerator pedal is
depressed to hold the vehicle while
the vehicle is stopped on an incline,
etc. The hybrid system may over-
heat. Release the accelerator pedal
and depress the brake pedal.
■If “Auto Power OFF to Conserve
Battery” is displayed
Power was cut off due to the auto-
matic power off function. Next time
when starting the hybrid system,
operate the hybrid system for
approximately 5 minutes to
recharge the 12-volt battery.
■If “Headlight System Malfunc-
tion Visit Your Dealer” is dis-
played
The following systems may be mal-
functioning. Hav e the vehicle
inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
●The LED headlight system (if AFS
[Adaptive Front-lighting System]
equipped)
●AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting Sys-
tem) (if equipped)
●The automatic headlight leveling
system (if equipped)
●Automatic High Beam
■If “Radar Cruise Control
Unavailable” is displayed
The dynamic radar cruise control
with full-speed range system cannot
be used temporarily. Use the system
when it becomes available again.