
361-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_U
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- 

391-1. For safe use
1
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. 

421-1. For safe use
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
●Do not attach anything to areas 
such as a door, windshield, side 
windows, front or rear pillar, roof 
side rail and assist grip.
●Do not hang coat hangers or 
other hard objects on the coat 
hooks. All of these items could 
become projectiles and may 
cause death or serious injury, 
should the SRS curtain shield 
airbags deploy.
●If a vinyl cover is put on the area 
where the SRS knee airbag will 
deploy, be sure to remove it.
●Do not use seat accessories 
which cover the parts where the 
SRS side airbags and SRS seat 
cushion airbag inflate as they 
may interfere with inflation of 
the SRS airbags. Such acces-
sories may prevent the side air-
bags and seat cushion airbag 
from activating correctly, disable 
the system or cause the side 
airbags and seat cushion airbag 
to inflate accidentally, resulting 
in death or serious injury.
●Do not strike or apply significant 
levels of force to the area of the 
SRS airbag components or the 
front doors. Doing so can cause 
the SRS airbags to malfunction.
●Do not touch any of the compo-
nent parts immediately after the 
SRS airbags have deployed 
(inflated) as they may be hot.
●If breathing becomes difficult 
after the SRS airbags have 
deployed, open a door or win-
dow to allow fresh air in, or 
leave the vehicle if it is safe to 
do so. Wash off any residue as 
soon as possible to prevent skin 
irritation.
●If the areas where the SRS air-
bags are stored, such as the 
steering wheel pad and front 
and rear pillar garnishes, are 
damaged or cracked, have 
them replaced by your Toyota 
dealer.
●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 SRS front airbags for 
the front passenger may not 
deploy in the event of a colli-
sion.
■Modification and disposal of 
SRS airbag system compo-
nents
Do not dispose of your vehicle or 
perform any of the following modi-
fications without consulting your 
Toyota dealer. The SRS airbags 
may malfunction or deploy 
(inflate) accidentally, causing 
death or serious injury.
●Installation, re moval, disassem-
bly and repair of the SRS air-
bags
●Repairs, modific ations, removal 
or replacement of the steering 
wheel, instrument panel, dash-
board, seats or seat upholstery, 
front, side and rear pillars, roof 
side rails, front door panels, 
front door trims or front door 
speakers 

2454-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
●Do not attach objects, such as 
stickers, transparent stickers, 
etc., to the outer side of the 
windshield in fr ont of the front 
camera (shaded  area in the 
illustration).
From the top of the windshield 
to approximately 0.4 in. (1 cm) 
below the bottom of the front 
camera
Approximately 7.9 in. (20 cm) 
(Approximately 4.0 in. [10 cm] 
to the right and left from the 
center of the front camera)
●If the part of the windshield in 
front of the front camera is 
fogged up or covered with con-
densation or ice, use the wind-
shield defogger to remove the 
fog, condensation or ice. 
(
P.344)
●If water droplets cannot be 
properly removed from the area 
of the windshield in front of the 
front camera by the windshield 
wipers, replace the wiper insert 
or wiper blade.
●Do not attach win dow tint to the 
windshield.
●Replace the windshield if it is 
damaged or cracked. 
After replacing the windshield, 
the front camera must be recali-
brated. Contact your Toyota 
dealer for details.
●Do not allow liquids to contact 
the front camera.
●Do not allow bright lights to 
shine into the front camera.
●Do not dirty or damage the front 
camera. 
When cleaning the inside of the 
windshield, do not allow glass 
cleaner to contact the lens of 
the front camera. Also, do not 
touch the lens.
If the lens is dirty or damaged, 
contact your Toyota dealer.
●Do not subject the front camera 
to a strong impact.
●Do not change the installation 
position or direction of the front 
camera or remove it.
●Do not disassemble the front 
camera.
●Do not modify any components 
of the vehicle around the front 
camera (inside rear view mirror, 
etc.) or ceiling.
●Do not attach any accessories 
to the hood, front grille or front 
bumper that may obstruct the 
front camera. Contact your Toy-
ota dealer for details.
●If a surfboard or other long 
object is to be mounted on the 
roof, make sure  that it will not 
obstruct the front camera.
●Do not modify the headlights or 
other lights. 

3324-6. Driving tips
HIGHLANDER HV_U
gently release the brake pedal 
to allow the vehicle to move for-
ward slightly while avoiding 
overuse of the accelerator 
pedal. Doing so can help control 
excessive gasoline consump-
tion.
Control and maintain the vehicle 
at a constant speed. Before 
stopping at a toll booth or simi-
lar, allow plenty of time to 
release the accelerator and gen-
tly apply the brakes. A greater 
amount of electrical energy can 
be regenerated when slowing 
down.
Use the air conditioning only 
when necessary. Doing so can 
help reduce excessive gasoline 
consumption.
In summer: When the ambient 
temperature is high, use the 
recirculated air mode. Doing so 
will help to reduce the burden on 
the air conditioning system and 
reduce fuel consumption as 
well.
In winter: Because the gasoline 
engine will not automatically cut 
out until it and the interior of the 
vehicle are warm, it will con-
sume fuel. Also, fuel consump-
tion can be improved by 
avoiding overuse of the heater.Make sure to check the tire infla-
tion pressure frequently. 
Improper tire inflation pressure 
can cause poor fuel economy.
Also, as snow tires can cause 
large amounts of friction, their 
use on dry roads can lead to 
poor fuel economy. Use tires 
that are appropriate for the sea-
son.
Carrying heavy luggage will lead 
to poor fuel economy. Avoid car-
rying unnecessary luggage. 
Installing a large roof rack will 
also cause poor fuel economy.
Since the gasoline engine starts 
up and cuts out automatically 
when cold, warming up the 
engine is unnecessary. More-
over, frequently driving short 
distances will cause the engine 
to repeatedly warm up, which 
can lead to excess fuel con-
sumption.
Highway driving
Air conditioning
Checking tire inflation 
pressure
Luggage
Warming up before driv-
ing 

5258-1. Specifications
8
Vehicle specifications
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Maximum loaded vehicle 
weight
The sum of:
(a) Curb weight
(b) Accessory weight
(c) Vehicle capacity weight
(d) Production options weight
Normal occupant weight
150 lb. (68 kg) times the number of occu-
pants specified in the second column of 
Table 1
* that follows
Occupant distribution
Distribution of occupants in a vehicle as 
specified in the thi rd column of Table 1
* 
below
Production options weight
The combined weight o f installed regular 
production options weighing over 5 lb. (2.3 
kg) in excess of the s tandard items which 
they replace, not previously considered in 
curb weight or accessory weight, including 
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack, 
heavy duty 12-volt battery, and special trim
Rim
A metal support for a tire or a tire and tube 
assembly upon which the tire beads are 
seated
Rim diameter (Wheel diame-
ter)Nominal diameter of the bead seat
Rim size designationRim diameter and width
Rim type designationThe industry manufacturer’s designation 
for a rim by style or code
Rim widthNominal distance be tween rim flanges
Vehicle capacity weight (Total 
load capacity)The rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 
lb. (68 kg) times the vehicle’s designated 
seating capacity
Vehicle maximum load on the 
tire
The load on an individual tire that is deter-
mined by distributing to each axle its share 
of the maximum loaded vehicle weight, 
and dividing by two
Tire related termMeaning 

560Alphabetical Index
HIGHLANDER HV_UBack-up lights
Replacing light bulbs ............ 449
Battery (12-volt battery) Battery checking................... 421
If the 12-volt battery is dis-charged .............................. 498
Preparing and c hecking before 
winter.................................. 333
Replacing ............................. 501
Warning light ........................ 467
Battery (traction battery) ......... 75
Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) ...... 286
Brake Brake hold ............................ 227
Fluid ............................. 420, 515
Parking brake ....................... 224
Regenerative braking ............. 72
Warning light ........................ 466
Brake assist ............................ 325
Break-in tips ........ ................... 191
Brightness control Instrument panel light control . 92
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) ...... 286
Buzzer Hands off steering wheel warn-ing (LTA) ............................. 269
C
Care Exterior ................................. 400
Interior .................................. 403
Seat belts ............................. 403
Wheels and wheel ornaments........................................... 400
Cargo capacity ....................... 200
Cargo net hooks .. ................... 370
Chains ..................................... 334
Child restraint system Fixed with a LATCH system ... 60
Fixed with a seat belt ............. 55
Front passenger occupant clas-sification system ................... 43 Points to remember ................50
Riding with children ................49
Types of child restraint system 
installation method ...............52
Using an anchor bracket ........62
Child safety 12-volt battery precautions .422, 502
Airbag precautions .................39
Back door precautions..........135
Child restraint system .............52
Heated steering wheel and seat  heater precautio ns..............358
How your child should wear the  seat belt ................................28
Moon roof precautions..........183
Panoramic moon roof precau- tions ....................................187
Power window lock switch ....181
Power window precautions...180
Rear door child-protectors ....134
Seat belt extender precautions .............................................29
Seat belt precautions..............49
Child-protectors......................134
Cleaning Exterior .................................400
Interior ..................................403
Radar sensor ........................244
Seat belts .............................403
Wheels and wheel ornaments...........................................400
Clock ....................................89, 92
Coat hooks ..............................383
Condenser ............. ..................419
Console box ............................366
Conversation mirror ...............389
Cooling system .......................418 Engine overheating ..............504
Hybrid system overheating ...505