
2024-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
●All trailer lights work as required
by law.
●All lights work each time you con-
nect them.
●The trailer ball is set at the proper
height for the coupler on the
trailer.
●The trailer is level when it is
hitched.
Do not drive if the trailer is not
level, and check for improper
tongue weight, overloading, worn
suspension, or other possible
causes.
●The trailer cargo is securely
loaded.
●The rear view mirrors conform to
all applicable federal, state/provin-
cial or local regu lations. If they do
not, install rear view mirrors
appropriate for towing purposes.
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped
with any new power train compo-
nents (such as an engine, hybrid
transmission, rear differential or
wheel bearing), Toyota recommends
that you do not tow a trailer until the
vehicle has been driven for over 500
miles (800 km).
After the vehicle has been driven for
over 500 miles (800 km), you can
start towing. However, for the next
500 miles (800 km), drive the vehi-
cle at a speed of less than 50 mph
(80 km/h) when towing a trailer, and
avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle
will require more f requent mainte-
nance due to the additional load.
(See “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Sup-
plement”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the
towing ball and bracket after
approximately 600 miles (1000
km) of trailer towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds,
passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.)
can adversely affect handling of
your vehicle and trailer, causing
instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to contr ol trailer sway-
ing by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator pedal immediately but very gradu-
ally to reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not
apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction
with the steering or brakes, your
vehicle and trailer should stabilize.
(if enabled, Trailer Sway Control can
also help to stabilize the vehicle and
trailer.)
●After the trailer swaying has
stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occu- pants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer.
Make sure the load has not
shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is
appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle. Make sure the vehicle is not over-
loaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the
speed at which trailer swaying
occurred is beyond the limit of your
particular vehicle-trailer combina-
tion. Drive at a lower speed to pre-
vent instability. Remember that
swaying of the towing vehicle-trailer
increases as speed increases.

2394-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
4 Washer/wiper dual
operation
Pushing the lever operates the
wiper and washer.
The wiper will automatically operate
a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
The washer will automatically oper-
ate and clean the camera for the
Digital Rearview Mirror
*1 ( P.172)
and rear camera
*2.
*1: If equipped
*2: Refer to “NAVIGATION AND MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM
OWNER’S MANUAL”.
■The rear window wiper and
washer can be operated when
The power swit ch is in ON.
■If no washer fluid sprays
Check that the washer nozzle is not
blocked if there is washer fluid in the
washer fluid tank.
■Reverse-linked rear window
wiper function
When the shift lever is shifted to R
when the front wipers are operating,
the rear window wiper will operate
once.
■Customization
Setting of the reverse-linked func-
tion can be changed. ( P.530)
NOTICE
■When the washer fluid tank is
empty
Do not operate the switch continu-
ally as the washer fluid pump may
overheat.

2454-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
●Do not attach objects, such as
stickers, transparent stickers,
etc., to the outer side of the
windshield in fr ont of the front
camera (shaded area in the
illustration).
From the top of the windshield
to approximately 0.4 in. (1 cm)
below the bottom of the front
camera
Approximately 7.9 in. (20 cm)
(Approximately 4.0 in. [10 cm]
to the right and left from the
center of the front camera)
●If the part of the windshield in
front of the front camera is
fogged up or covered with con-
densation or ice, use the wind-
shield defogger to remove the
fog, condensation or ice.
(
P.344)
●If water droplets cannot be
properly removed from the area
of the windshield in front of the
front camera by the windshield
wipers, replace the wiper insert
or wiper blade.
●Do not attach win dow tint to the
windshield.
●Replace the windshield if it is
damaged or cracked.
After replacing the windshield,
the front camera must be recali-
brated. Contact your Toyota
dealer for details.
●Do not allow liquids to contact
the front camera.
●Do not allow bright lights to
shine into the front camera.
●Do not dirty or damage the front
camera.
When cleaning the inside of the
windshield, do not allow glass
cleaner to contact the lens of
the front camera. Also, do not
touch the lens.
If the lens is dirty or damaged,
contact your Toyota dealer.
●Do not subject the front camera
to a strong impact.
●Do not change the installation
position or direction of the front
camera or remove it.
●Do not disassemble the front
camera.
●Do not modify any components
of the vehicle around the front
camera (inside rear view mirror,
etc.) or ceiling.
●Do not attach any accessories
to the hood, front grille or front
bumper that may obstruct the
front camera. Contact your Toy-
ota dealer for details.
●If a surfboard or other long
object is to be mounted on the
roof, make sure that it will not
obstruct the front camera.
●Do not modify the headlights or
other lights.

2864-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Meter control switches
Turning the Blind Spot Monitor
on/off.
When the BSM function is disabled,
the BSM OFF indicator illuminates.
Outside rear view mirror indi-
cators
When a vehicle is detected in a
blind spot of the outside rear view
mirrors or approaching rapidly from
behind into a blind spot, the outside
rear view mirror indicator on the
detected side will illuminate. If the
turn signal lever is operated toward
the detected side, the outside rear
view mirror indicator flashes.
■Outside rear view mirror indica-
tor visibility
In strong sunlight, the outside rear
view mirror indicator may be difficult
to see.
■When “Blind Spot Monitor
Unavailable” is shown on the
multi-information display
Ice, snow, mud, etc., may be
attached to the rear bumper around
the sensors. ( P.288) The system
should return to normal operation
after removing the ice, snow, mud,
etc. from the rear bumper. Addition-
ally, the sensors may not operate
normally when drivin g in extremely
BSM (Blind Spot Moni-
tor)
The Blind Spot Monitor is a
system that uses rear side
radar sensors installed on
the inner side of the rear
bumper on the left and right
side to assist the driver in
confirming safety when
changing lanes.
WARNING
■Cautions regarding the use of
the system
The driver is solely responsible for
safe driving. Always drive safely,
taking care to o bserve your sur-
roundings.
The Blind Spot Monitor is a sup-
plementary function which alerts
the driver that a v ehicle is in a
blind spot of the outside rear view
mirrors or is approaching rapidly
from behind into a blind spot. Do
not overly rely on the Blind Spot
Monitor. As the function cannot
judge if it is safe to change lanes,
over reliance could lead to an
accident resulting in death or seri-
ous injury.
As the system may not function
correctly under certain condi-
tions, the driver’s own visual con-
firmation of safety is necessary.
System components

2894-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Use the meter control switches
to turn on/off the function.
4.2-inch display
1 Press or of the meter
control switches and select
.
2 Press or of the meter
control switches to select
and then press .
7-inch display
1 Press or of the meter
control switches and select
.
2 Press or of the meter
control switches to select
and then press .
■Vehicles that can be detected by the Blind Spot Monitor
The Blind Spot Monitor uses rear side radar sensors to detect the fol-
lowing vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes and advises the driver of
the presence of such vehicles via the indicators on the outside rear
view mirrors.
WARNING
●Do not subject a sensor or its
surrounding area on the rear
bumper to a strong impact.
If a sensor is moved even
slightly off position, the system
may malfunction and vehicles
may not be detected correctly.
In the following si tuations, have
your vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer.
• A sensor or its surrounding area is subject to a strong impact.
• If the surrounding area of a sen- sor is scratched or dented, or
part of them has become dis-
connected.
●Do not disassemble the sensor.
●Do not modify the sensor or sur-
rounding area on the rear
bumper.
●If a sensor or th e rear bumper
needs to be removed/installed
or replaced, contact your Toyota
dealer.
●Do not paint the rear bumper
any color other than an official
Toyota color.
Turning the Blind Spot
Monitor on/off
Blind Spot Monitor operation

2904-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Vehicles that are traveling in areas that are not visible using the
outside rear view mirrors (the blind spots)
Vehicles that are approaching r apidly from behind in areas that
are not visible using the outside rear view mirrors (the blind spots)
■The Blind Spot Monitor detection areas
The areas that vehicles can be detected in are outlined below.
The range of each detection area is:
Approximately 1.6 ft. (0.5 m) to 11.5 ft. (3.5 m) from either s ide of
the vehicle
*1
Approximately 3.3 ft. (1 m) forward of the rear bumper
Approximately 9.8 ft. (3 m) from the rear bumper
Approximately 9.8 ft. (3 m) to 197 ft. (60 m) from the rear
bumper
*2
*1: The area between the side of the vehicle and 1.6 ft. (0.5 m) f rom the side
of the vehicle cannot be detected.
*2: The greater the difference in speed between your vehicle and t he
detected vehicle is, the farthe r away the vehicle will be detec ted, causing
the outside r ear view mirror indicato r to illuminate or flash.
■The Blind Spot Monitor is oper- ational when
The Blind Spot Monitor is opera-

3004-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Meter control switches
Turning the RCTA function on/off.
When the RCTA function is dis-
abled, the RCTA OFF indicator illu-
minates.
Outside rear view mirror indi-
cators
When a vehicle approaching from
the right or left at the rear of the vehicle is detected, both outside
rear view mirror indicators will flash.
Audio system screen
If a vehicle approaching from the
right or left at the rear of the vehicle
is detected, the RCTA icon
(
P.302) for the detected side will
be displayed on the audio system
screen. This illust ration shows an
example of a vehicle approaching
from both sides of the vehicle.
RCTA buzzer
If a vehicle approaching from the
right or left at the rear of the vehicle
is detected, a buzzer will sound.
4.2-inch display
Use the meter control switches
to enable/disable the RCTA
function. ( P.97)
1 Press or to select .
2 Press or to select
“RCTA” and then press .
7-inch display
Use the meter control switches
to enable/disable the RCTA
function. ( P.107)
1 Press or to select .
2 Press or to select
“RCTA” and then press .
When the RCTA function is dis-
abled, the RCTA OFF indicator
( P.86) illuminates on the
multi-information display. (Each
RCTA (Rear Cross Traf-
fic Aler t) function
The RCTA function uses the
BSM rear side radar sensors
installed behind the rear
bumper. This function is
intended to assist the driver
in checking areas that are
not easily visible when
backing up.
System components
Turning the RCTA func-
tion on/off

3014-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER HV_Utime the power switch is turned off
then changed to ON, the RCTA
function will be enabled automati-
cally.)
■Outside rear view mirror indica-
tor visibility
In strong sunlight, the outside rear
view mirror indicato r may be difficult
to see.
■Hearing the RCTA buzzer
The RCTA buzzer may be difficult to
hear over loud noises, such as if the
audio system volume is high.
■When “Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Unavailable” is shown on the
multi-information display
Water, ice, snow, mud, etc., may be
attached to the rear bumper around
the sensors. ( P.288) Removing the water, ice, snow, mud, etc., from
the attached to the rear bumper
around the sensors to return the
function to normal.
Additionally, the function may not
operate normally when driving in
extremely hot or cold environments.
■Rear side radar sensors
P.288
■Adjusting the buzzer vol-
ume
The buzzer volume can be
adjusted on the multi-informa-
tion display.
4.2-inch display
Use the meter control switches
to change settings. ( P.97)
1 Press or to select .
2 Press or to select
“RCTA” and then press and
hold .
3 Select the volume and then
press .
Each time the switch is pressed,
the volume level will change
between 1, 2, and 3.
7-inch display
Use the meter control switches
to change settings. ( P.107)
1 Press or to select .
2 Press or to select and
“RCTA” then press and hold
.
WARNING
■Cautions regarding the use of
the function
The driver is solely responsible for
safe driving. Always drive safely,
taking care to o bserve your sur-
roundings.
The RCTA functi on is only a sup-
plementary function which alerts
the driver tha t a vehicle is
approaching from the right or left
at the rear of the vehicle. As the
RCTA function may not function
correctly under certain condi-
tions, the driver’s own visual con-
firmation of safety is necessary.
Over reliance on this function may
lead to an accident resulting
death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■Before using the RCTA func-
tion
Do not place objects near the sen-
sors.
Setting the buzzer volume
(vehicles with a Intuitive
parking assist)