2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID tow

4126-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_U
6-3.Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself ser vice
precautions
If you perform maintenance
by yourself, be sure to fol-
low the correct procedure
as given in these sections.
Maintenance
ItemsParts and tools
12-volt battery
condition
( P.421)
•Grease
• Conventional
wrench (for ter-
minal clamp
bolts)
Brake fluid
level ( P.420)
• FMVSS No.116
DOT 3 or SAE
J1703 brake fluid
• Rag or paper towel
• Funnel (used only for adding
brake fluid)
Engine/power
control unit
coolant level
( P.418)
• “Toyota Super
Long Life Cool-
ant” or a similar
high quality eth-
ylene gly-
col-based
non-silicate,
non-amine,
non-nitrite and
non-borate cool-
ant with long-life
hybrid organic
acid technology
For the U.S.A.:
“Toyota Super
Long Life Cool-
ant” is pre-mixed
with 50% cool-
ant and 50%
deionized water.
For Canada:
“Toyota Super
Long Life Cool-
ant” is pre-mixed
with 55% cool-
ant and 45%
deionized water.
• Funnel (used only for adding
coolant)
Engine oil level
( P.416)
• “Toyota Genuine
Motor Oil” or
equivalent
• Rag or paper towel
• Funnel (used only for adding
engine oil)
Fuses
( P.446)• Fuse with same
amperage rating
as original
ItemsParts and tools

4186-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_Ube consumed while driving. In the
following situatio
ns, oil consump-
tion may increase, and engine oil
may need to be ref illed in between
oil maintenance intervals.
●When the engine is new, for
example directly after purchasing
the vehicle or after replacing the
engine
●If low quality oil or oil of an inap-
propriate viscosity is used
●When driving at high engine
speeds or with a heavy load,
when towing, or when driving
while accelerating o r decelerating
frequently
●When leaving the engine idling for
a long time, or wh en driving fre-
quently through heavy traffic
■Engine coolant reservoir
The coolant level is satisfactory
if it is between the “FULL” and
“LOW” lines on the reservoir
when the engine is cold.
WARNING
■Used engine oil
●Used engine oil contains poten-
tially harmful contaminants
which may cause skin disorders
such as inflammation and skin
cancer, so care should be taken
to avoid prolonged and
repeated contact. To remove
used engine oil from your skin,
wash thoroughly with soap and
water.
●Dispose of used oil and filters
only in a safe an d acceptable
manner. Do not dispose of used
oil and filters in household trash,
in sewers or onto the ground.
Call your Toyota dealer, service
station or auto parts store for
information concerning recy-
cling or disposal.
●Do not leave used engine oil
within the rea ch of children.
NOTICE
■To prevent serious engine
damage
Check the oil le vel on a regular
basis.
■When replacing the engine oil
●Be careful not to spill engine oil
on the vehicle components.
●Avoid overfilling, or the engine
could be damaged.
●Check the oil level on the dip-
stick every time you refill the
vehicle.
●Be sure the engine oil filler cap
is properly tightened.
■If oil is spilled on the engine
cover
To prevent the engine cover from
being damaged, remove any
engine oil from the engine cover
as soon as possible using a neu-
tral detergent. Do not use an
organic solvent such as brake
cleaner.
Checking the coolant

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

4286-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
HIGHLANDER HV_Uthe vehicle, particularly around the
wheels or wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is
extremely higher than the speci-
fied level.
• If wheel without the tire pressure
warning valve and transmitter is
used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure
warning valves and transmitters is
not registered in the tire pressure
warning computer.
●Performance may be affected in
the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio station,
large display, airpo rt or other facil-
ity that generates strong radio
waves or electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio,
cellular phone, cordless phone or
other wireless communication
device
●If tire position information is not
correctly displayed due to the
radio wave conditions, the display
may be corrected by driving and
changing the radio wave condi-
tions.
●When the vehicle is parked, the
time taken for the warning to start
or go off could be extended.
●When tire inflation pressure
declines rapidly for example when
a tire has burst, the warning may
not function.
■Warning performance of the tire
pressure warning system
The warning of the tire pressure
warning system will change in
accordance with th e conditions
under which it was initialized. For
this reason, the system may give a
warning even if the tire pressure
does not reach a low enough level,
or if the pressure is higher than the
pressure that was adjusted to when
the system was initialized.

4416-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Remove the dust from the air
intake vent with a vacuum
cleaner, etc.
Make sure to only use a vacuum to
suck out dust and clogs. Attempting
to blow out dust and clogs using an
airgun, etc. may push it into the air
intake vent. (P.443)
If dust and clogs cannot be com-
pletely removed with the air
intake vent cover installed,
remove the cover and clean the
filter.
1 Turn the power switch off.
2 Remove the air intake vent
cover.
Pull the cover as shown in the illus-
tration to disengage the 6 claws,
starting from the claw in the upper
right corner and pull the cover
toward the front of the vehicle to
remove it.
3 Remove the air intake vent
filter.
Disengage the claw to remove the
filter from the rear scuff plate.
Cleaning the hybrid
batter y (traction bat-
ter y) air intake vents
and filter
To prevent the fuel economy
from being affected, visually
inspect the hybrid battery
(traction battery) air intake
vents periodically for dust
and clogs. If it is dusty or
clogged or if “Maintenance
Required for Traction Bat-
tery Cooling Parts See
Owner’s Manual” is shown
on the multi-information
display, clean the air intake
vent using the following
procedures:
Cleaning the air intake
vents
If dust and clogs cannot
be completely removed

4456-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_Uminal facing up.
WARNING
■Battery precautions
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may result
in death or serious injury.
●Do not swallow the battery.
Doing so may cause chemical
burns.
●A coin battery o r button battery
is used in the electronic key. If a
battery is swallowed, it may
cause severe chemical burns in
as little as 2 hours and may
result in death or serious injury.
●Keep away new and removed
batteries from children.
●If the cover cannot be firmly
closed, stop using the electronic
key and stow the key in the
place where children cannot
reach, and then contact your
Toyota dealer.
●If you accidentally swallow a
battery or put a b attery into a
part of your body, get emer-
gency medical attention imme-
diately.
■To prevent battery explosion
or leakage of flammable liq-
uid or gas
●Replace the battery with a new
battery of the same type. If a
wrong type of battery is used, it
may explode.
●Do not expose batteries to
extremely low pr essure due to
high altitude or extremely high
temperatures.
●Do not burn, bre ak or cut a bat-
tery.
NOTICE
■For normal operation after
replacing the battery
Observe the following precautions
to prevent accidents:
●Always work with dry hands.
Moisture may cause the battery
to rust.
●Do not touch or move any other
component inside the remote
control.
●Do not bend either of the battery
terminals.

4536-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
HIGHLANDER HV_Uunit.
7
Install the light unit.
Align the 2 guides and push the
light unit toward the front of the
vehicle to install it.
8Install the 2 screws. 9
Install the cover.
■Back-up lights
1 Open the back door and
remove the cover.
Using a flathead screwdriver,
remove the cover.
To prevent damage to the vehicle,
wrap the tip of th e flathead screw-
driver with tape, etc.
2 Turn the bulb base counter-
clockwise and remove it.

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