
251-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Adjust the angle of the seat-
back so that you are sitting 
straight up and so that you do 
not have to lean forward to 
steer. (P.153)
Adjust the seat so that you 
can depress the pedals fully 
and so that your arms bend 
slightly at the elbow when 
gripping the steering wheel. 
( P.153)
Lock the head restraint in 
place with the center of the 
head restraint closest to the 
top of your ears. ( P.162)
Wear the seat belt correctly. 
( P.27)
WARNING
■Before driving
●Check that the floor mat is 
securely fixed in the correct 
place with all the provided 
retaining hooks (clips). Be espe-
cially careful to perform this 
check after cleaning the floor.
●With the hybrid system stopped 
and the shift lever in P, fully 
depress each pedal to the floor 
to make sure it does not inter-
fere with the floor mat.
For safe driving
For safe driving, adjust the 
seat and mirror to an appro-
priate position before driv-
ing.
Correct driving posture 

261-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Make sure that all occupants are 
wearing their seat belts before 
driving the vehicle. (P.27)
Use a child restraint system 
appropriate for the child until the 
child becomes large enough to  properly wear the vehicle’s seat 
belt. (
P.50)
Make sure that you can see 
backward clearly by adjusting 
the inside and outside rear view 
mirrors properly. ( P.166, 167, 
177)
WARNING
■For safe driving
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may result 
in death or serious injury.
●Do not adjust the position of the 
driver’s seat while driving. 
Doing so could cause the driver 
to lose control of the vehicle.
●Do not place a cushion between 
the driver or passenger and the 
seatback. A cushion may pre-
vent correct pos ture from being 
achieved, and reduce the effec-
tiveness of the seat belt and 
head restraint.
●Do not place anything under the 
front seats. Objects placed 
under the front seats may 
become jammed in the seat 
tracks and stop the seat from 
locking in place . This may lead 
to an accident and the adjust-
ment mechanism may also be 
damaged.
●Always observe the legal speed 
limit when driving on public 
roads.
●When driving over long dis-
tances, take regular breaks 
before you start to feel tired. 
Also, if you feel tired or sleepy 
while driving, do not force your-
self to continue driving and take 
a break immediately.
Correct use of the seat 
belts
Adjusting the mirrors 

271-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Seat belts
Make sure that all occu-
pants are wearing their seat 
belts before driving the 
vehicle.
WARNING
Observe the following precautions 
to reduce the risk of injury in the 
event of sudden braking, sudden 
swerving or an accident. Failure 
to do so may cause death or seri-
ous injury.
■Wearing a seat belt
●Ensure that all passengers wear 
a seat belt.
●Always wear a seat belt prop-
erly.
●Each seat belt should be used 
by one person only. Do not use 
a seat belt for more than one 
person at once, including chil-
dren.
●Toyota recommends that chil-
dren be seated in the rear seat 
and always use a seat belt 
and/or an appropriate child 
restraint system.
●To achieve a proper seating 
position, do not recline the seat 
more than necessary. The seat 
belt is most effective when the 
occupants are sitting up straight 
and well back in the seats.
●Do not wear the shoulder belt 
under your arm.
●Always wear your seat belt low 
and snug across your hips.
■Pregnant women
Obtain medical advice and wear 
the seat belt in the proper way. 
(
P. 2 8 )
Women who are pregnant should 
position the lap  belt as low as 
possible over the hips in the same 
manner as other occupants, 
extending the shoulder belt com-
pletely over the shoulder and 
avoiding belt contact with the 
rounding of the abdominal area.
If the seat belt is not worn prop-
erly, not only the pregnant 
woman, but also the fetus could 
suffer death or serious injury as a 
result of sudden braking or a colli-
sion.
■People suffering illness
Obtain medical advice and wear 
the seat belt in the proper way. 
(
P. 2 8 )
■When children are in the vehi-
cle
P. 5 9
■Seat belt damage and wear
●Do not damage the seat belts 
by allowing the belt, plate, or 
buckle to be jammed in the 
door. 

281-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Extend the shoulder belt so 
that it comes fully over the 
shoulder, but does not come 
into contact with the neck or 
slide off the shoulder.
 Position the lap belt as low as  possible over the hips.
 Adjust the position of the 
seatback. Sit up straight and 
well back in the seat.
 Do not twist the seat belt.
■Emergency locking retractor 
(ELR)
The retractor will lock the belt during 
a sudden stop or on impact. It may 
also lock if you  lean forward too 
quickly. A slow, easy motion will 
allow the belt to extend so that you 
can move around fully.
■Automatic locking retractor 
(ALR)
When a passenger’s shoulder belt is 
completely extended and then 
retracted even slightly, the belt is 
locked in that position and cannot 
be extended. This feature is used to 
hold the child restraint system 
(CRS) firmly. To free the belt again, 
fully retract the belt and then pull the 
belt out once more. ( P. 5 0 )
■Child seat belt usage
The seat belts of your vehicle were 
principally designed for persons of 
adult size.
●Use a child restraint system 
appropriate for the child, until the 
child becomes large enough to 
properly wear the vehicle’s seat 
belt. ( P. 5 0 )
●When the child becomes large 
enough to properl y wear the vehi-
cle’s seat belt, follow the instruc-
tions regarding seat belt usage. 
(  P. 2 7 )
■Seat belt extender
If your seat belts cannot be fastened 
securely because they are not long 
enough, a personalized seat belt 
extender is available from your Toy-
ota dealer free of charge.
WARNING
●Inspect the seat belt system 
periodically. Check for cuts, 
fraying, and loose parts. Do not 
use a damaged sea t belt until it 
is replaced. Damaged seat belts 
cannot protect an occupant 
from death or serious injury.
●Ensure that the belt and plate 
are locked and the belt is not 
twisted. If the seat belt does not 
function correctly, immediately 
contact your Toyota dealer.
●Replace the seat assembly, 
including the belts, if your vehi-
cle has been involved in a seri-
ous accident, even if there is no 
obvious damage.
●Do not attempt to install, 
remove, modify, disassemble or 
dispose of the seat belts. Have 
any necessary repairs carried 
out by your Toyota dealer. Inap-
propriate handling may lead to 
incorrect operation.
Correct use of the seat 
belts 

291-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_U
1To fasten the seat belt, push 
the plate into the buckle until 
a click sound is heard.
2 To release the seat belt, 
press the release button  .
■When not using the rear seat 
belts
Pass the outer seat belts through 
the seat belt hangers and secure 
the seat belt plat es to prevent the 
shoulder belts from being damaged.
Second seat belts
Third seat belts
WARNING
■Using a seat belt extender
Observe the following precautions 
to reduce the risk of injury in the 
event of sudden braking, sudden 
swerving or an accident. Failure 
to do so may cause death or seri-
ous injury.
●Do not wear the seat belt 
extender if you can fasten the 
seat belt without the extender.
●Do not use the seat belt 
extender when installing a child 
restraint system because the 
belt will not securely hold the 
child restraint system, increas-
ing the risk of  death or serious 
injury in the event of an acci-
dent.
●The personalized extender may 
not be safe on another vehicle, 
when used by another person, 
or at a different seating position 
other than the one originally 
intended.
NOTICE
■When using a seat belt 
extender
When releasing the seat belt, 
press on the buckle release but-
ton on the extender, not on the 
seat belt. This helps prevent dam-
age to the vehicle  interior and the 
extender itself.
Fastening and releasing 
the seat belt (except for 
the third center seat) 

301-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_U
1Take the plate out of the 
holder, and then pull down 
the seat belt.
2 Push plate   into buckle   
until a click sound is heard.
3 Push plate   into buckle   
until a click sound is heard. 1
To release plate  , press the 
release button   on buckle 
.
2 To release plate  , insert the 
mechanical key ( P.128) or 
plate   into the hole on 
buckle  .
Retract the belt slowly when releas-
Fastening the seat belt 
(for the third center seat)WARNING
■When using the third center 
seat belt
Do not use the third center seat 
belt with either buckle released. 
Fastening only one of the buckles 
may result in death or serious 
injury in case of sudden braking, 
sudden swerving or a collision.
Fastening the seat belt 
(for the third center seat) 

311-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_Uing and stowing the seat belt.
3
Stow the plate   and   in 
the holder on the roof.
In order to securely stow them, 
firmly insert them as far as possi-
ble.
1Push the seat belt shoulder 
anchor down while pressing 
the release button  .
2 Push the seat belt shoulder  anchor up while pressing the 
release button  .
Move the height adjuster up and 
down as needed until you hear a 
click.
If the shoulder belt sits close to 
a person’s neck, use the seat 
belt comfort guide.
1
Pull the comfort guide from 
the pocket.
2 Slide the belt past the slot of 
the guide.
The elastic cord must be behind the 
Adjusting the seat belt 
shoulder anchor height 
(front seats)
WARNING
■Adjustable shoulder anchor
Always make sure the shoulder 
belt is positioned across the cen-
ter of your shoulder. The belt 
should be kept away from your 
neck, but not falling off your shoul-
der. Failure to do so could reduce 
the amount of protection in an 
accident and cause death or seri-
ous injuries in the event of a sud-
den stop, sudden swerve or 
accident.
Seat belt comfort guide 
(for the third center seat) 

321-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_Useat belt.
3
Buckle the seat belt and posi-
tion it comfortably.
The pretensioners help the seat 
belts to quickly restrain the 
occupants by retracting the seat 
belts when the vehicle is sub-
jected to certain types of severe 
frontal or side collision or a vehi-
cle rollover.
The pretensioners do not activate 
in the event of a minor frontal 
impact, a minor side impact or a 
rear impact.
■Replacing the belt after the pre-
tensioner has been activated
If the vehicle is involved in multiple 
collisions, the pretensioner will acti-
vate for the first collision, but will not 
activate for the  second or subse-
quent collisions.
■PCS-linked seat belt preten-
sioner control
If the PCS (Pre-Collision System) 
determines that the possibility of a 
collision with a vehi cle is high, the 
seat belt pretensioners will be pre-
WARNING
■Using a seat belt comfort 
guide
Failure to obser ve the following 
precautions could reduce the 
effectiveness of the seat belt in an 
accident, causing death or seri-
ous injury.
●Make sure the belt is not twisted 
and that it lies flat. The elastic 
cord must be behind the belt 
and the guide must be on the 
front.
●To reduce the chance of injury 
in case of a sudden stop, sud-
den swerve or accident while 
driving, remove and store the 
comfort guide in its pocket when 
it is not in use.
●Always make sure the shoulder 
belt is positioned across the 
center of the shoulder. The belt 
should be kept away from the 
neck, and should not fall off the 
shoulder.
Seat belt pretensioners 
(front seats)