
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

4877-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_U
3Turn the tire jack portion
by hand until the notch of the
jack is in contact with the jack
point.
The jack point guides are located
under the rocker panel. They indi-
cate the jack po int positions.
4Raise the vehicle until the tire
is slightly raised off the
ground.
5 Remove all the wheel nuts
and the tire.
When resting the tire on the
ground, place the tire so that the
wheel design faces up to avoid scratching the wheel surface.
■If the spare tire cannot be low-
ered
If the spare tire cannot be lowered, it
may not have been stowed properly.
Perform the following procedure:
1 Fully tighten the spare tire clamp
bolt by turning the jack handle
clockwise until two clicks are
heard and the jack handle skips.
2 Turn the jack handle counter-
clockwise to lower the spare tire.
If the spare tire still cannot be low-
ered, attempt to fully tighten the
spare tire clamp bolt again by turn-
ing the jack handle clockwise. Then
turn it counterclockwise at least 2
turns to lower the spare tire.
If the spare tire still cannot be low-
ered, the wire cable may be sev-
ered. Have the vehicle inspected by

4897-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_Umotion, causing the tire to come off.
2
Install the spare tire and
loosely tighten each wheel
nut by hand by approximately
the same amount.
When replacing an aluminum wheel
with an aluminum wheel, turn the
wheel nuts until the washers
come into contact with the disc
wheel .
When replacing an aluminum wheel
with a steel wheel, tighten the
wheel nuts until the tapered portion
comes into loose contact with
the disc wheel seat .
3 Lower the vehicle.
4 Firmly tighten each wheel nut
two or three times in the
order shown in the illustra-
tion.
Vehicles with wheel locks: Tighten
the wheel lock using the wheel lock
key after tightening the other wheel
nuts.
Tightening torque:
76 ft•lbf (103 N•m, 10.5 kgf•m)
1Remove the center wheel
ornament by pushing from
the reverse side.
WARNING
■Stowing the flat tire
Failure to follow steps listed under
stowing the tire may result in
damage to the spare tire carrier
and loss of the tire, which could
result in serious injury or death.
Stowing the flat tire, jack
and all tools

4907-2. Steps to take in an emergency
HIGHLANDER HV_UBe careful not to lose the wheel
ornament.
2
Stand the tire against the
bumper with the inner sur-
face facing toward you. Pass
the hoist assembly and
holding bracket through
the wheel opening.
3 Fully depress the secondary
latch and install the
bracket to the hoist
assembly . 4
Lay the tire on the ground
with the outer surface (valve
stem) facing up.
5 Before raising the tire, make
sure that the hoist assembly
is perpendicular to the wheel
opening. (Try to place the tire
directly beneath the vehicle,
near where the wire cable is
hanging from.)
Valve stem
6 Using the jack handle and
adapter socket, tighten the
tire clamp bolt by turning it
clockwise until the tire is in
the correct position and two
clicks are heard as the jack
handle skips.

4917-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
HIGHLANDER HV_U
7Confirm it is not loose after
tightening:
1 Push and pull the tire
2 Try rotating
Visually check to ensure tire is not
hung on surrounding parts.
If looseness or misassembly exists,
repeat steps 2 to 7.
8 Repeat step 7, any time the
tire is lowered or disturbed.
9 Stow the jack and all tools.
■The compact spare tire
●The compact spare tire is identi-
fied by the label “TEMPORARY
USE ONLY” on the tire sidewall.
Use the compact spare tire tempo-
rarily, and only in an emergency.
●Make sure to check the tire infla-
tion pressure of the compact
spare tire. ( P.515)
■When using the compact spare
tire
As the compact sp are tire is not
equipped with a tire pressure warn-
ing valve and transmitter, low infla-
tion pressure of the spar e tire will
not be indicated by the tire pressure
warning system. Also, if you replace
the compact spare tire after the tire
pressure warning light comes on,
the light remains on.
■When the compact spare tire is
equipped
When driving with the compact spare tire installed, the vehicle
height will be diffe
rent than when
driving with standard tires.
■If you have a flat front tire on a
road covered with snow or ice
Install the compact spare tire on one
of the rear wheels of the vehicle.
Perform the following steps and fit
tire chains to the front tires:
1 Replace a rear tire with the com-
pact spare tire.
2 Replace the flat front tire with the
tire removed from the rear of the
vehicle.
3 Fit tire chains to the front tires.
WARNING
■When using the compact
spare tire
●Remember that the compact
spare tire provided is specifi-
cally designed for use with your
vehicle. Do not use your com-
pact spare tire on another vehi-
cle.
●Do not use more than one com-
pact spare tire simultaneously.
●Replace the comp act spare tire
with a standard tire as soon as
possible.
●Avoid sudden acceleration,
abrupt steering, sudden brak-
ing and shifting operations that
cause sudden engine braking.
■When the compact spare tire
is attached
The vehicle speed may not be
correctly detected, and the follow-
ing systems may not operate cor-
rectly:
• ABS & Brake assist
• VSC
• TRAC
• EPS

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.