2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Owners Manual (in English)

457
7
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_U
When trouble arises
.7-1. Essential informationEmergency flashers .... 458
If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency.................................. 458
If the vehicle is trapped in rising water ................ 459
7-2. Steps to take in an emer- gency
If your vehicle needs to be towed......................... 461
If you think something is wrong ........................ 464
If a warning light turns on or a warning buzzer sounds.................................. 466
If a warning message is dis- played........................ 476
If you have a flat tire.... 481
If the hybrid system will not start ........................... 493
If you lose your keys ... 495
If the fuel filler door cannot be opened ................. 495
If the electronic key does not operate properly .. 496
If the 12-volt battery is dis- charged ..................... 498
If your vehicle overheats .................................. 504
If the vehicle becomes stuck .................................. 507

4587-1. Essential information
HIGHLANDER HV_U
7-1.Essential information
Press the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash.
To turn them off, press the switch
once again.
■Emergency flashers
●If the emergency flashers are
used for a long time while the
hybrid system is not operating
(while the “READY” indicator is
not illuminated), the 12-volt bat-
tery may discharge.
●If any of the SRS airbags deploy
(inflate) or in the event of a strong
rear impact, the emergency flash-
ers will turn on automatically.
The emergency flashers will turn
off automatically after operating
for approximately 20 minutes. To
manually turn t he emergency
flashers off, press the switch
twice.
(The emergency flashers may not
turn on automatically depending
on the force of the impact and
conditions of the collision.)
1 Steadily step on the brake
pedal with both feet and
firmly depress it.
Do not pump the brake pedal
repeatedly as this will increase the
effort required to slow the vehicle.
2Shift the shift lever to N.
If the shift lever is shifted to N
3 After slowing down, stop the
vehicle in a safe place by the
road.
4 Stop the hybrid system.
If the shift lever cannot be
shifted to N
3 Keep depressing the brake
pedal with both feet to reduce
vehicle speed as much as
possible.
4 To stop the hybrid system,
press and hold the power
switch for 2 consecutive sec-
onds or more, or press it
Emergency flashers
The emergency flashers are
used to warn other drivers
when the vehicle has to be
stopped on the road due to
a breakdown, etc.
Operating instructions
If your vehicle has to
be stopped in an emer-
gency
Only in an emergency, such
as if it becomes impossible
to stop the vehicle in the
normal way, stop the vehicle
using the following proce-
dure:
Stopping the vehicle

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.

4607-1. Essential information
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■How to distinguish laminated
glass
When looking from the cross-sec-
tional view point, laminated glass is
two sheets of glass pasted together.
Laminated glass
Tempered glass
WARNING
■Using an emergency ham-
mer*1 for emergency escape
The rear side windows and rear
window of this vehicle can be
shattered by an emergency ham-
mer
*1 used for emergency
escape, however, since the wind-
shield and front side windows
*2
are laminated glass they can not
be shattered by an emergency
hammer
*1.*1: Contact your Toyota dealer or
aftermarket accessory manu-
facturer for further information
about an emergency hammer.
*2: Vehicles with laminated glass
■Escaping the vehicle from the
window
There are cases where escaping
the vehicle from the window is not
possible due to seating position,
passenger body type, etc.
When using an emergency ham-
mer, consider your seat location
and the size of the window open-
ing to ensure that the opening is
accessible and large enough to
escape.

4617-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_U
7-2.Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs
to be towed
If towing is necessary, we
recommend having your
vehicle towed by your Toy-
ota dealer or commercial
towing service, using a
wheel-lift type truck or flat-
bed truck.
Use a safety chain system
for all towing, and abide by
all state/provincial and local
laws.
If towing your vehicle with a
wheel-lift type truck from
the front, the vehicle’s rear
wheels and axles must be in
good conditions. ( P.463)
If they are damaged, use a
towing dolly or flatbed
truck.
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so m ay result in
death or serious injury.
■When towing the vehicle
2WD models
Be sure to transp ort the vehicle
with the front wheels raised or
with all four wheels raised off the
ground. If the vehicle is towed
with the front wheels contacting
the ground, the drivetrain and
related parts may be damaged or
electricity generated by the opera-
tion of the motor may cause a fire
to occur depending on the nature
of the damage or malfunction.
AWD models
Be sure to transp ort the vehicle
with all four wheels raised off the
ground. If the vehicle is towed
with the tires co ntacting the
ground, the drivetrain or related
parts may be damaged, the vehi-
cle may fly off the truck, or elec-
tricity generated by the operation
of the motor may cause a fire to
occur depending o n the nature of
the damage or malfunction.

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

4647-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
be in good condition.
Fluid leaks under the vehicle
(Water dripping from the air
conditioning after use is nor-
mal.)
 Flat-looking tires or uneven
tire wear
 Engine coolant temperature
gauge needle continually
points higher than normal
 Changes in exhaust sound
 Excessive tire squeal when
cornering
 Strange noises related to the
suspension system
 Pinging or other noises
related to the hybrid system
 Engine missing, stumbling or
running roughly
 Appreciable loss of power
 Vehicle pulls heavily to one If you think something
is wrong
If you notice any of the fol-
lowing symptoms, your
vehicle probably needs
adjustment or repair. Con-
tact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.
Visible symptoms
Audible symptoms
Operational symptoms