2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Owners Manual (in English)

331-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_Upared to operate.
WARNING
■Seat belt pretensioners
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 place anything, such as
a cushion, on the front passen-
ger’s seat. Doing so will
disperse the passenger’s
weight, which prevents the sen-
sor from detecting the passen-
ger’s weight properly. As a
result, the seat belt pretensioner
for the front passenger’s seat
may not activate in the event of
a collision.
●If the pretensioner has acti-
vated, the SRS warning light will
come on. In that case, the seat
belt cannot be used again and
must be replaced at your Toyota
dealer.

341-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Location of the SRS airbags
SRS front airbagsSRS driver airbag/front passenger airbag
Can help protect the head and chest of the driver and front passenger from
impact with interior components
SRS knee airbag
Can help provide dr iver protection
SRS seat cushion airbag
Can help restrain the front passenger
SRS side and curtain shield airbags
SRS front side airbags
Can help protect the torso of the front seat occupants
SRS airbags
The SRS airbags inflate when the vehicle is subjected to cer-
tain types of severe impacts that may cause significant injury
to the occupants. They work together with the seat belts to
help reduce the risk of death or serious injury.
SRS airbag system

351-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_U
SRS curtain shield airbags
• Can help protect primarily the head of occupants in the outer seats
• Can help prevent the occupants from being thrown from the vehi cle in the
event of vehicle rollover
■SRS airbag system components
Front passenger airbag
“PASS AIR BAG ON” and “PASS AIR BAG OFF” indicator lights
Front side airbags
Curtain shield airbags
Side impact sensors (rear)
SRS warning light
Front passenger occupant classification system (ECU and sen-
sors)
Driver airbag
Side impact sensors (front door)
Side impact sensors (front)
Seat belt pretensioners and force limiters
Seat cushion airbag
Driver’s seat position sensor
Driver’s knee airbag
Driver’s seat bel t buckle switch
Front impact sensors

361-1. For safe use
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Airbag sensor assembly
Your vehicle is equipped with ADVANCED AIRBAGS designed
based on the US motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The
airbag sensor assembly (ECU) cont rols airbag deployment based on
information obtained from the sensors etc. shown in the system
components diagram above. This in formation includes crash sever-
ity and occupant information. As the airbags deploy, a chemical
reaction in the inflators quickly fills the airbags with non-toxic gas to
help restrain the motion of the occupants.
■If the SRS airbags deploy
(inflate)
●Slight abrasions, burns, bruising
etc., may be sustained from SRS
airbags, due to the extremely high
speed deployment (inflation) by
hot gases.
●A loud noise and white powder will
be emitted.
●Parts of the airbag module (steer-
ing wheel hub, airbag cover and
inflator) as well as the front seats,
parts of the front and rear pillars,
and roof side rails, may be hot for
several minutes. T he airbag itself
may also be hot.
●The windshield may crack.
●The hybrid system will be stopped
and fuel supply to the engine will
be stopped. ( P. 7 8 )
●All of the doors will be unlocked.
( P.132)
●The brakes and st op lights will be
controlled automatically. ( P.326)
●The interior lights will turn on auto-
matically. ( P.364)
●The emergency flashers will turn
on automatically. ( P.458)
●For Safety Connect subscribers, if
any of the following situations
occur, the system is designed to
send an emergency call to the
response center, notifying them of
the vehicle’s location (without
needing to push the “SOS” button)
and an agent will attempt to speak with the occupants to ascertain
the level of emergency and assis-
tance required. If the occupants
are unable to communicate, the
agent automatically treats the call
as an emergency and helps to dis-
patch the necessary emergency
services. (
P. 6 5 )
• An SRS airbag is deployed.
• A seat belt pretensioner is acti- vated.
• The vehicle is involved in a severe rear-end collision.
■SRS airbag deployment condi-
tions (SRS front airbags)
●The SRS front airbags will deploy
in the event of an impact that
exceeds the set threshold level
(the level of forc e corresponding
to an approximately 12 - 18 mph
[20 - 30 km/h] frontal collision with
a fixed wall that does not move or
deform).
However, this threshold velocity will
be considerably higher in the follow-
ing situations:
• If the vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign
pole, which can move or deform
on impact
• If the vehicle is involved in an underride collision, such as a colli-
sion in which the front of the vehi-
cle “underrides”, or goes under,
the bed of a truck
●Depending on the type of collision,
it is possible that only the seat belt
pretensioners and SRS seat cush-

371-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_Uion airbag will activate.
●The SRS front airbags for the front
passenger will not activate if there
is no passenger sitting in the front
passenger seat. However, the
SRS front airbags
for the front
passenger may de ploy if luggage
is put in the seat, even if the seat
is unoccupied.
●The SRS seat cushion airbag on
the front passen ger seat will not
operate if the occupant is not
wearing a seat belt.
■SRS airbag deployment condi-
tions (SRS side and curtain
shield airbags)
●The SRS side and curtain shield
airbags will deploy i n the event of
an impact that exceeds the set
threshold level (the level of force
corresponding to the impact force
produced by an approximately
3300 lb. [1500 kg] vehicle colliding
with the vehicle cabin from a
direction perpendicular to the
vehicle orientation at an approxi-
mate speed of 12 - 18 mph [20 -
30 km/h]).
●Both SRS curtain shield airbags
may deploy in the event of a
severe side collision.
●Both SRS curtain shield airbags
will deploy in the event of vehicle
rollover.
●Both SRS curtain shield airbags
may also deploy in the event of a
severe frontal collision.
■Conditions under which the
SRS airbags may deploy
(inflate), other t han a collision
The SRS front airbags and SRS cur-
tain shield airbags may also deploy
if a serious impact occurs to the
underside of your vehicle. Some
examples are shown in the illustra-
tion.
●Hitting a curb, edge of pavement
or hard surface
●Falling into or jumping over a deep hole
●Landing hard or falling
The SRS curtain shield airbags may
also deploy under the situations
shown in the illustration.
●The angle of vehicle tip-up is mar-
ginal.
●The vehicle skids and hits a curb
stone.
■Types of collisions that may not
deploy the SRS airbags (SRS
front airbags)
The SRS front airbags do not gener-
ally inflate if the vehicle is involved
in a side or r ear collision, if it rolls
over, or if it is involved in a
low-speed frontal collision. But,
whenever a collis ion of any type
causes sufficient forward decelera-
tion of the vehicle, deployment of
the SRS front airbags may occur.
●Collision from the side
●Collision from the rear
●Vehicle rollover

381-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Types of collisions that may not
deploy the SRS airbags (SRS
side and curtain shield airbags)
The SRS side and curtain shield air-
bags may not activate if the vehicle
is subjected to a c ollision from the
side at certain angl es, or a collision
to the side of the vehicle body other
than the passenger compartment.
●Collision from the s ide to the vehi-
cle body other than the passenger
compartment
●Collision from the s ide at an angle
The SRS side airbags do not gener-
ally inflate if the vehicle is involved
in a frontal or rear c ollision, if it rolls
over, or if it i s involved in a
low-speed side collision.
●Collision from the front
●Collision from the rear
●Vehicle rollover
The SRS curtain shield airbags do
not generally inflate if the vehicle is involved in a rear collision, if it
pitches end over en
d, or if it is
involved in a lo w-speed side or
low-speed front al collision.
●Collision from the rear
●Pitching end over end
■When to contact your Toyota
dealer
In the following ca ses, the vehicle
will require inspecti on and/or repair.
Contact your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible.
●Any of the SRS airbags have
been inflated.
●The front of the vehicle is dam-
aged or deformed, or was
involved in an accident that was
not severe enough to cause the
SRS front airbags to inflate.
●A portion of a door or its surround-
ing area is damaged, deformed or
has had a hole made in it, or the
vehicle was involved in an acci-
dent that was not severe enough
to cause the SRS side and curtain
shield airbags to inflate.

391-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_U
●The pad section of the steering
wheel, dashboard near the front
passenger airbag or lower portion
of the instrument panel is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise
damaged.
●The front passenger’s seat cush-
ion surface is scratched, cracked,
or otherwise damaged.
●The surface of the seats with the
SRS side airbag is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
●The portion of the front pillars, rear
pillars or roof side rail garnishes
(padding) containing the SRS cur-
tain shield airbags inside is scratched, cracked, or otherwise
damaged.
WARNING
■SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions
regarding the SRS airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death
or serious injury.
●The driver and all passengers in
the vehicle must wear their seat
belts properly.
The SRS airbags are supple-
mental devices to be used with
the seat belts.
●The SRS driver airbag deploys
with considerable force, and
can cause death or serious
injury especially if the driver is
very close to the airbag. The
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA)
advises:
Since the risk zone for the
driver’s airbag is the first 2 - 3
in. (50 - 75 mm) of inflation,
placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm)
from your driver airbag provides
you with a clear margin of
safety. This distance is mea-
sured from the c enter of the
steering wheel to your breast-
bone. If you sit less than 10 in.
(250 mm) away now, you can
change your driv ing position in
several ways:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reach-
ing the pedals comfortably.

401-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
• Slightly recline the back of the seat.
Although vehicle designs vary,
many drivers can achieve the
10 in. (250 mm) distance, even
with the driver seat all the way
forward, simply by reclining the
back of the seat somewhat. If
reclining the back of your seat
makes it hard to see the road,
raise yourself by using a firm,
non-slippery cushion, or raise
the seat if your vehicle has that
feature.
• If your steering wheel is adjust- able, tilt it downward. This
points the airbag toward your
chest instead of your head and
neck.
The seat should be adjusted as
recommended by NHTSA above,
while still maintaining control of
the foot pedals, steering wheel,
and your view of the instrument
panel controls.
●If the seat belt extender has
been connected to the front
seat belt buckles but the seat
belt extender has not also been
fastened to the latch plate of the
seat belt, the SRS front airbags
will judge that the driver and
front passenger are wearing the
seat belt even though the seat
belt has not been connected. In
this case, the SRS front airbags
may not activate correctly in a
collision, resulting in death or
serious injury in the event of a
collision. Be su re to wear the
seat belt with the seat belt
extender.
●The SRS front passenger air-
bag also deploys with consider-
able force, and can cause death
or serious injury especially if the
front passenger is very close to
the airbag. The front passenger
seat should be as far from the
airbag as possible with the seat-
back adjusted, so the front pas-
senger sits upright.