2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Owners Manual (in English)

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

3465-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.530)
Air conditioning sys-
tem lubricant type
Requires registered
technician to service
air conditioning sys-
tem
Flammable refrigerant
WARNING
■To prevent the windshield
from fogging up
Do not use the windshield defog-
ger switch during cool air opera-
tion in extremely humid weather.
The difference between the tem-
perature of the outside air and
that of the windshield can cause
the outer surface of the wind-
shield to fog up, blocking your
vision.
■When the outside rear view
mirror defoggers are operat-
ing
Do not touch the rear view mirror
surfaces when the outside rear
view mirror defoggers are on.
■When the windshield wiper
de-icer is operating
Do not touch the glass at lower
part of the windshield or to the
side of the fron t pillars when the
windshield wiper de-icer is on.
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis-
charge
Do not leave the air conditioning
system on longer than necessary
when the hybrid system is off.
■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.

3475-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Left-hand side temperature control switch
Automatic mode switch (P.351)
Fan speed increase switch
Windshield defogger switch
Right-hand side temperature control switch
Rear window defogger and outside rear view mirror defoggers
switch
Fan speed decrease switch
“OFF” switch
■Adjusting the temperature
setting
Press to increase the
temperature and to
decrease the temperature.
If “A/C” switch is not pressed, the
system will blow a mbient tempera-
ture air or heated air.
■Setting the fan speed
Operate the switch to
increase the fan speed and the switch to decrease the
fan speed.
Pressing the “OFF” switch to turns
off the fan.
■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
the recirculated air mode is used. (It
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.
Air conditioning controls (vehicle with a 12.3-inch dis-
play)

3485-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_UWhen 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 after a while.
■Air conditioning filter
 P. 4 3 9
■Air conditioning system refrig-
erant
●A label regarding the refrigerant of
the air conditioning system is
attached to the ho od at the loca-
tion shown in the f ollowing illustra-
tion.
●The meaning of each symbol on
the label are as follows:
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.530)
Caution
Air conditioning sys-
tem
Air conditioning sys-
tem lubricant type
Requires registered
technician to service
air conditioning sys-
tem
Flammable refrigerant
WARNING
■To prevent the windshield
from fogging up
Do not use the windshield defog-
ger switch during cool air opera-
tion in extremely humid weather.
The difference between the tem-
perature of the outside air and
that of the windshield can cause
the outer surface of the wind-
shield to fog up, blocking your
vision.
■When the outside rear view
mirror defoggers are operat-
ing
Do not touch the rear view mirror
surfaces when the outside rear
view mirror def oggers are on.
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis-
charge
Do not leave the air conditioning
system on longer than necessary
when the hybrid system is off.

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.

3515-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
HIGHLANDER HV_U
●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.
1 Press the automatic mode
switch.
The dehumidification function
begins to operate. Air outlets and
fan speed are automatically
adjusted according to the tempera-
ture setting and humidity.
2 Adjust the temperature set-
ting.
3 To stop the operation, press
the “OFF” switch.
If the fan speed setting or air
flow modes are operated, the
automatic mode indicator goes
off. However, automatic mode
for functions other than that
operated is maintained.
■Using automatic mode
Fan speed is adjusted automati-
cally according to the temperature
setting and the ambient conditions.
Therefore, the fan may stop for a
while until warm or cool air is ready
to flow immediately after the auto-
matic mode switch is pressed.
This function automatically con-
trols the air conditioning airflow
so that priority is given to the
front seats. When the front pas-
senger seat is not occupied, air-
flow may switch to only the
driver’s seat. Unnecessary air
conditioning is suppressed, con-
tributing to increased fuel effi-
ciency.
Front seat concentrated airflow
mode operates in the following
situations.
 No passengers are detected
Using automatic mode
NOTICE
■Humidity sensor
In order to detect fog on the wind-
shield, a sensor which monitors
the temperature of the windshield,
the surround humidity, etc. is
installed.
Follow these points to avoid dam-
aging the sensor:
●Do not disassemble the sensor
●Do not spray glass cleaner on
the sensor or subject it to strong
impacts
●Do not stick anything on the
sensor
Front seat concentrated
airflow mode (S-FLOW)

3525-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER HV_U
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)