
3825-5. Using the other interior features
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Second seats (8-seat models)
Pull the armrest down for use.
Second seats (7-seat models)
Pull the armrest down for use.
An assist grip installed on the 
ceiling can be used to support 
your body while sitting on the 
seat.NOTICE
If in situations other than above 
the wireless charger does not 
operate properly or the operation 
indicator light is  blinking, the wire-
less charger may be malfunction-
ing. Contact your Toyota dealer.
■To prevent failu re or damage 
to data
●Do not bring magnetic cards, 
such as a credit card, or mag-
netic recording media, close to 
the wireless charger while 
charging. Otherwise, data may 
be erased due to the influence 
of magnetism. Additionally, do 
not bring precision instruments 
such as wrist watches, close to 
the wireless charger, as such 
objects may malfunction.
●Do not leave portable devices in 
the cabin. The temperature 
inside the cabin may become 
high when parked  in the sun, 
and cause damage to the 
device.
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis-
charge
Do not use the wireless charger 
for a long period of time with the 
hybrid system is stopped.
Armrest
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the 
armrest
Do not apply too much load on the 
armrest.
Assist grips
WARNING
■Assist grip
Do not use the assist grip when 
getting in or out of the vehicle or 
rising from your seat. 

4006-1. Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_U
6-1.Maintenance and care
Working from top to bottom, 
liberally apply water to the 
vehicle body, wheel wells and 
underside of the vehicle to 
remove any dirt and dust.
 Wash the vehicle body using 
a sponge or soft cloth, such 
as a chamois.
 For hard-to-remove marks, 
use car wash soap and rinse 
thoroughly with water.
 Wipe away any water.
 Wax the vehicle when the 
waterproof coating deterio-
rates.
If water does not bead on a clean 
surface, apply wax when the vehi-
cle body is cool.
■Automatic car washes
●Before washing the vehicle:
• Fold the mirrors
• Turn off the power back door
Start washing from the front of the 
vehicle. Extend the mirrors before 
driving.
●Brushes used in automatic car 
washes may scratch the vehicle 
surface, parts (wheel, etc.) and 
harm your vehicle’s paint.
●Rear spoiler may not be washable 
in some automatic car washes. 
There may also be an increased 
risk of damage to vehicle.
■High pressure car washes
As water may enter the cabin, do 
not bring the nozzle tip near the 
gaps around the doors or perimeter 
of the windows, or spray these 
areas continuously.
■When using a car wash
If the door handle becomes wet 
while the electronic key is within the 
effective range, the door may lock 
and unlock repeatedly. In that case, 
follow the following correction pro-
cedures to wash the vehicle:
●Place the key in a position 6 ft. (2 
m) or more separate from the 
vehicle while the vehicle is being 
washed. (Take care to ensure that 
the key is not stolen.)
●Set the electronic key to bat-
tery-saving mode to disable the 
smart key system. ( P.147)
■Wheels and wheel ornaments
●Remove any dirt immediately by 
using a neutral detergent.
●Wash detergent off with water 
immediately after use.
●To protect the paint from damage, 
make sure to obs erve the follow-
ing precautions.
• Do not use acidic, alkaline or  abrasive detergent
• Do not use hard brushes
• Do not use detergent on the  wheels when they  are hot, such 
as after driving or parking in hot 
weather
■Bumpers
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■Plated portions
If dirt cannot be re moved, clean the 
parts as follows:
●Use a soft cloth dampened with an 
approximately 5% solution of neu-
Cleaning and protect-
ing the vehicle exte-
rior
Perform cleaning in a man-
ner appropriate to each 
component and its material.
Cleaning instructions 

4226-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Make sure that the 12-volt bat-
tery terminals are not corroded 
and that there are no loose con-
nections, cracks, or loose 
clamps.
Terminals
Hold-down clamp
■Before recharging
When recharging, the 12-volt bat-
tery produces hydrogen gas which 
is flammable and explosive. There-
fore, observe the following precau-
tions before recharging:
●If recharging with the 12-volt bat-
tery installed on the vehicle, be 
sure to disconnect the ground 
cable.
●Make sure the power switch on 
the charger is off when connecting 
and disconnecting the charger 
cables to the 12-volt battery.
■After recharging/reconnecting 
the 12-volt battery
The hybrid system may not start. 
Follow the procedure below to ini-
tialize the system.
1 Shift the shift lever to P.
2 Open and close any of the doors.
3 Restart the hybrid system.
●Unlocking the doors using the 
smart key system may not be pos-
sible immediately  after reconnect-
ing the 12-volt battery. If this 
happens, use the wireless remote 
control or the mechanical key to 
lock/unlock the doors.
●Start the hybrid system with the 
power switch in  ACC. The hybrid 
system may not start with the 
power switch turned off. However, 
the hybrid system will operate nor-
mally from the second attempt.
●The power switch mode is 
recorded by the vehicle. If the 
12-volt battery is reconnected, the 
vehicle will return the power 
switch mode to the status it was in 
before the 1 2-volt battery was dis-
connected. Make sure to turn off 
the power before  disconnect the 
12-volt battery. Take extra care 
when connecting the 12-volt bat-
tery if the power switch mode prior 
to discharge is unknown.
If the system will not start even after 
multiple attempts  at all the methods 
above, contact you r Toyota dealer.
Exterior
WARNING
■Chemicals in the 12-volt bat-
tery
The 12-volt battery contains poi-
sonous and corrosive sulfuric acid 
and may produce hydrogen gas 
which is flammable and explosive. 
To reduce the risk of death or seri-
ous injury, take the following pre-
cautions while working on or near 
the 12-volt battery: 

4266-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Rotate the tires in the order 
shown.
Front
To equalize tire w ear and extend 
tire life, Toyota recommends that 
tire rotation is carried out at the 
same interval as tire inspection.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pres-
sure warning system after tire rota-
tion.
Your vehicle is equipped with a 
tire pressure warning system 
that uses tire pressure warning 
valves and transmitters to detect 
low tire inflation pressure before 
serious problems arise.
 The tire pressure detected by 
the tire pressure warning sys-
tem can be displayed on the 
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing 
tires
Observe the following precautions 
to prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause dam-
age to parts of t he drive train as 
well as dangerous handling char-
acteristics, which may lead to an 
accident resulting in death or seri-
ous injury.
●Do not mix tires of different 
makes, models or tread pat-
terns.
Also, do not mix tires of remark-
ably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than 
those recommended by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently con-
structed tires (radial, bias-belted 
or bias-ply tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season 
and snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have been 
used on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not 
know how they were used previ-
ously.
●Do not tow if your vehicle has a 
compact spare tire installed.
NOTICE
■Driving on rough roads
Take particular care when driving 
on roads with loose surfaces or 
potholes.
These conditions may cause 
losses in tire inf lation pressure, 
reducing the cushio ning ability of 
the tires. In addit ion, driving on 
rough roads may cause damage 
to the tires themselves, as well as 
the vehicle’s wheels and body.
■If tire inflation pressure of 
each tire becomes low while 
driving
Do not continue driving, or your 
tires and/or wheels may be 
ruined.
Tire rotation
Tire pressure warning 
system 

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 

4927-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
• VDIM
• Dynamic radar cruise control 
with full-speed range
• PCS (Pre-Collision System)
• LTA (Lane Tracing Assist)
• RSA (Road Sign Assist) (if  equipped)
• Automatic High Beam
• AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting  System) (if equipped)
• Tire pressure warning system
• Intuitive parking assist (if  equipped)
• PKSB (Parking Support Brake)  (if equipped)
• Toyota parking assist monitor (if  equipped)
• Panoramic view monitor (if  equipped)
• BSM (Blind Spot Monitor)
• Navigation system (if equipped)
Also, not only can the following 
system not be utilized fully, but it 
may even negatively affect the 
drive-train components:
• E-Four (AWD models)
■Speed limit when using the 
compact spare tire
Do not drive at speeds in excess 
of 50 mph (80 km/h) when a com-
pact spare tire is installed on the 
vehicle.
The compact spare tire is not 
designed for driving at high 
speeds. Failure to observe this 
precaution may lead to an acci-
dent causing death or serious 
injury.
■After using the tools and jack
Before driving, ma ke sure all the 
tools and jack are securely in 
place in their storage location to 
reduce the possibility of personal 
injury during a collision or sudden 
braking.
NOTICE
■Be careful when driving over 
bumps with the compact 
spare tire installed on the 
vehicle
The vehicle becomes lower when 
driving with the compact spare tire 
compared to when driving with 
standard tires. Be careful when 
driving over uneven road sur-
faces.
■Driving with tire chains and 
the compact spare tire
Do not fit tire chains to the com-
pact spare tire. Tire chains may 
damage the vehicle body and 
adversely affect d riving perfor-
mance.
■When replacing the tires
When removing or fitting the 
wheels, tires or th e tire pressure 
warning valve and transmitter, 
contact your Toyota dealer as the 
tire pressure warning valve and 
transmitter may be damaged if not 
handled correctly.
■When stowing the flat tire
●Ensure that there  is no object 
caught between the tire and the 
vehicle underbody. 

4987-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_U
shown on the multi-informa-
tion display.
4 Press the power switch 
shortly and firmly.
In the event that the hybrid sys-
tem still cannot be started, con-
tact your Toyota dealer.
■Stopping the hybrid system
Shift the shift lever to P, set the park-
ing brake, and press the power 
switch as you no rmally do when 
stopping the hybrid system.
■Replacing the key battery
As the above proc edure is a tempo-
rary measure, it is recommended 
that the electronic key battery be 
replaced immediate ly when the bat-
tery is depleted. ( P.444)
■Changing power switch modes
Release the brake pedal and press 
the power switch in step  3 above. 
The hybrid system does not start 
and modes will be changed each 
time the switch is pressed. ( P.216)
If  the 12-volt batter y is 
discharged
The following procedures 
may be used to start the 
hybrid system if the vehi-
cle’s 12-volt battery is dis-
charged.
You can also call your Toy-
ota dealer or a qualified 
repair shop.