2023 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Owners Manual

3054-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
*: If equipped
Press the downhill assist control
switch.
The downhill assist control system
indicator will comes on and the sys-
tem will operate.
When the system is in operation,
the slip indicator will flash, and the
stop lights/high mounted stop lights
will be lit. A sound may also occur
during the operation. This does not
indicated a malfunction.
Press the downhill assist control
switch while the system is in
operation.
The downhill assist control system
indicator will flash as the system
gradually ceases operation, and will
turn off when the system is fully off.
Press the downhill assist control
switch while the downhill assist
control system indicator is flashing
to start the system again.
■Operating tips
The system will o perate when the
shift lever is in a position other than
P, however to make effective use of
the system it is recommended to
select a lower shift range.
■If the downhill assist control
system indicator flashes
●In the following situ ations, the indi-
cator flashes and the system will
not operate:
• The shift lever is in a position P.
• The vehicle speed exceeds approximately 18 mph (30 km/h).
• The brake system overheats.
●In the following situation, the indi-
cator flashes to alert the driver,
but the system will operate:
• The downhill assist control switch is turned off while the system is
operating.
The system will gradually ceases
Downhill assist con-
trol system*
The downhill assist control
system helps to prevent
excessive speed on steep
downhill slopes.
The system will operate
when the vehicle is traveling
under 18 mph (30 km/h).
WARNING
■When using downhill assist
control system
Do not rely overmuch on the
downhill assist control system.
This function does not extend the
vehicle’s performance limitations.
Always thoroughly check the road
conditions, and drive safely.
System operation
Turning off the system

3064-5. Using the driving support systems
operation. The indicator will flash
during operation, and then go off
when the system is fully off.
■When the downhill assist con-
trol system is operated continu-
ously
This may cause the brake actuator
to overheat. In this case, the down-
hill assist control system will stop
operating, a buzzer will sound and
the downhill assist control system
indicator will start flashing, and
“Traction Control Turned OFF” will
be shown on the multi-information
display. Refrain from using the sys-
tem until the downhill assist control
system indicator stays on and the
message goes off. (The vehicle can
be driven normally during this time.)
■Sounds and vibrations caused
by the downhill assist control
system
●A sound may be heard from the
engine compartment when the
engine is started or just after the
vehicle begins to move. This
sound does not indicate that a
malfunction has occurred in down-
hill assist control system.
●Either of the following conditions
may occur when the downhill
assist control system is operating.
None of these are indicators that a
malfunction has occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the
vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard after the vehicle comes to a stop.
■System malfunction
In the following ca ses, have your
vehicle checked by your Toyota
dealer.
●The downhill assist control system
indicator does not come on when
the engine switch is turned to ON.
●The downhill assist control system
indicator does not come on when
the downhill assist control switch
is pressed.
●The slip indicator comes on.
WARNING
■The system may not operate
on the following surfaces,
which may lead to an acci-
dent causing death or serious
injury
●Slippery surfaces such as wet
or muddy roads
●Icy surface
●Unpaved roads

3074-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving■ABS (Anti-lock Brake Sys-
tem)
Helps to prevent wheel lock
when the brakes are applied
suddenly, or if the brakes are
applied while driving on a slip-
pery road surface
■Brake assist
Generates an increased level of
braking force after the brake
pedal is depressed when the
system detects a panic stop sit-
uation
■VSC (Vehicle Stability Con-
trol)
Helps the driver to control skid-
ding when swerving suddenly or
turning on slippery road sur-
faces
■Enhanced VSC (Enhanced
Vehicle Stability Control)
Provides cooperative control of
the ABS, TRAC, VSC and EPS.
Helps to maintain directional
stability when swerving on slip-
pery road surfaces by con-
trolling steering performance.
■Trailer Sway Control
Helps the driver to control trailer
sway by selectively applying
brake pressure for individual
wheels and reducing driving
torque when trailer sway is
detected.
■TRAC (Traction Control)
Helps to maintain drive power
and prevent the drive wheels
from spinning when starting the
vehicle or accelerating on slip-
pery roads
■Active Cornering Assist
(ACA)
Helps to prevent the vehicle
from drifting to the outer side by
performing inner wheel brake
control when attempting to
accelerate while turning
■Hill-start assist control
Helps to reduce the backward
movement of the vehicle when
starting on an uphill
■EPS (Electric Power Steer-
ing)
Employs an electric motor to
reduce the amount of effort
needed to turn the steering
Driving assist systems
To keep driving safety and
performance, the following
systems operate automati-
cally in response to various
driving situations. Be
aware, however, that these
systems are supplementary
and should not be relied
upon too heavily when oper-
ating the vehicle.
Summary of the driving
assist systems

3084-5. Using the driving support systems
wheel
■Dynamic Torque Control
AWD system (AWD models)
Automatically controls the drive
system such as to front-wheel
drive or AWD (all wheel drive)
according to various running
conditions including normal driv-
ing, during cornering, on a
uphill, when starting off, during
acceleration, on a slippery roads
due to snow or rain, thus con-
tributing to stable operability and
driving stability.
■Dynamic Torque Vectoring
AWD system (AWD models)
Automatically controls the drive
system such as to front-wheel
drive or AWD (all wheel drive)
according to various running
conditions including normal driv-
ing, during cornering, on a
uphill, when starting off, during
acceleration, on a slippery roads
due to snow or rain, thus con-
tributing to stable operability and
driving stability.
Also, drive torque distribution is
precisely controlled during cor-
nering, contributing to improve-
ments in operability and stability.
■The Secondary Collision
Brake
When the SRS airbag sensor
detects a collision and the sys-
tem operates, the brakes and
brake lights are automatically
controlled to reduce the vehicle speed and help reduce the pos-
sibility of further damage due to
a secondary collision.
■When the TRAC/VSC/Trailer
Sway Control systems are oper-
ating
The slip indicator light will flash
while the TRAC/VSC/Trailer Sway
Control systems are operating.
■Disabling the TRAC system
If the vehicle gets stuck in mud, dirt
or snow, the TRAC system may
reduce power from the engine to the
wheels. Pressing the switch to
turn the system off may make it eas-
ier for you to rock the vehicle in
order to free it.
To turn the TRAC system off, quickly
press and release the switch.
The “Traction Cont rol Turned OFF”
will be shown on the multi-informa-
tion display.
Press the switch again to turn
the system back on.

3094-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
■Turning off both TRAC, VSC
and Trailer Sway Control sys-
tems
To turn the TRAC, VSC and Trailer
Sway Control systems off, press
and hold the switch for more
than 3 seconds while the vehicle is
stopped.
The VSC OFF indicator light will
come on and the “Traction Control
Turned OFF” will be shown on the
multi-information display.
*
Press the switch again to turn
the system back on.
*: On vehicles with PCS (Pre-Colli- sion System), PCS will also be
disabled (only Pre-Collision warn-
ing is available). The PCS warning
light will come on and a message
will be display ed on the
multi-informat ion display.
(  P.228)
■When the message is dis-
played on the multi-information
display showing that TRAC has
been disabled even if the
switch has not been pressed
TRAC is temporary deactivated. If
the information continues to show,
contact your Toyota dealer.
■Operating conditions of
hill-start assist control
When the following four conditions
are met, the hill-start assist control
will operate:
●The shift lever is in a position
other than P or N (when starting
off forward/backward on an
upward incline)
●The vehicle is stopped
●The accelerator pedal is not
depressed
●The parking brake is not engaged
●The engine switch is in ON
■Automatic system cancelation
of hill-start assist control
The hill-start assist control will turn
off in any of the fo llowing situations:
●The shift lever is shifted to P or N
●The accelerator pedal is
depressed
●The brake pedal is depressed and
the parking brake is engaged
●2 seconds at maximum elapsed
after the brake pedal is released
●The engine switch is turned OFF
■Sounds and vibrations caused
by the ABS, brake assist, VSC,
Trailer Sway Control, TRAC and
hill-start assist control systems
●A sound may be heard from the
engine compartment when the
brake pedal is depressed repeat-
edly, when the engine is started or
just after the vehicle begins to
move. This sound does not indi-
cate that a malfunction has
occurred in any of these systems.
●Any of the following conditions
may occur when the above sys-
tems are operating. None of these
indicates that a malfunction has
occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the
vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard also
after the vehicle comes to a stop.
• The brake pedal may pulsate
slightly after the ABS is activated.
• The brake pedal may move down slightly after the ABS is activated.
■Active Cornering Assist opera-
tion sounds and vibrations
When the Active Cornering Assist is
operated, operation sounds and
vibrations may be generated from
the brake system, but this is not a
malfunction.

3104-5. Using the driving support systems
■AWD system operation sounds
and vibrations when switching
between AWD and front wheel
drive (if equipped)
When the vehicle switches from
AWD to front wheel drive and vice
versa, operation sounds and vibra-
tions may be generated, but this is
not a malfunction.
■Reduced effectiveness of the
EPS system
The effectiveness of the EPS sys-
tem is reduced to prevent the sys-
tem from overheating when there is
frequent steering input over an
extended period of time. The steer-
ing wheel may feel heavy as a
result. Should this occur, refrain
from excessive steering input or
stop the vehicle and turn the engine
off. The EPS syst em should return
to normal within 10 minutes.
■Automatic reactivation of
TRAC, Trailer Sway Control and
VSC systems
After turning the TRAC, Trailer
Sway Control and VSC systems off,
the systems will be automatically
re-enabled in the following situa-
tions:
●When the engine switch is turned
OFF
●If only the TRAC system is turned
off, the TRAC will turn on when
vehicle speed increases
If both the TRAC and VSC sys-
tems are turned off, automatic
re-enabling will not occur when
vehicle speed increases.
■Operating conditions of Active
Cornering Assist
The system operates when the fol-
lowing occurs.
●TRAC/VSC can operate
●The driver is at tempting to accel-
erate while turning
●The system detects that the vehi-
cle is drifting to the outer side
●The brake pedal is released
■If a message about AWD is
shown on the multi-information
display (AWD models)
Perform the following actions.
●“AWD System Over-heated
Switching to 2WD Mode.” AWD
system is overheated. Stop the
vehicle in a safe place with the
engine running.
*
If the message disappears after a
while, there is no problem. If the
message remains, have the vehi-
cle inspected by your Toyota
dealer immediately.
●“AWD System Over-heated 2WD
Mode Engaged.” AWD system
has been temporarily released
and switched to front-wheel drive
due to overheating. Stop the vehi-
cle in a safe place with the engine
running.
*
If the message disappears after a
while, AWD system will automati-
cally recover. If the message
remains, have the vehicle
inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
●“AWD system Malfunction 2WD
Mode Engaged Visit Your Dealer.”
A malfunction occurs in the AWD
system. Have the vehicle
inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
*: When stopping the vehicle, do not stop the engine until the display
message has turned off.
■Secondary Collision Brake
operating conditions
The system operates when the SRS
airbag sensor de tects a collision
while the vehicle is in motion.
However, the system does not oper-
ate when the components are dam-
aged.

3114-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
■Secondary Collision Brake
automatic cancellation
The system is automatically can-
celed in any of th e following situa-
tions.
●The vehicle speed drops to
approximately 0 mph (0 km/h)
●A certain amount o f time elapses
during operation
●The accelerator pedal is
depressed a large amount
WARNING
■The ABS does not operate
effectively when
●The limits of tire gripping perfor-
mance have been exceeded
(such as excessively worn tires
on a snow covered road).
●The vehicle hydroplanes while
driving at high speed on wet or
slick roads.
■Stopping distance when the
ABS is operating may exceed
that of normal conditions
The ABS is not designed to
shorten the vehicle’s stopping dis-
tance. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from the vehicle in front of
you, especially in the following sit-
uations:
●When driving on d irt, gravel or
snow-covered roads
●When driving with tire chains
●When driving over bumps in the
road
●When driving over roads with
potholes or uneven surfaces
■TRAC/VSC may not operate
effectively when
Directional control and power may
not be achievable while driving on
slippery road surfaces, even if the
TRAC/VSC system is operating.
Drive the vehicle carefully in con-
ditions where stability and power
may be lost.
■Active Cornering Assist does
not operate effectively when
●Do not overly rely on Active
Cornering Assist. Active Corner-
ing Assist may not operate
effectively when accelerating
down slopes or driving on slip-
pery road surfaces.
●When Active Corn ering Assist
frequently operates, Active Cor-
nering Assist may temporarily
stop operating to ensure proper
operation of the brakes, TRAC
and VSC.
■Hill-start assist control does
not operate effectively when
●Do not overly rely on hill-start
assist control. Hill-start assist
control may not operate effec-
tively on steep inclines and
roads covered with ice.
●Unlike the parking brake,
hill-start assist control is not
intended to hold the vehicle sta-
tionary for an extended period
of time. Do not attempt to use
hill-start assist control to hold
the vehicle on an incline, as
doing so may lead to an acci-
dent.

3124-5. Using the driving support systems
WARNING
■When the TRAC/VSC/Trailer
Sway Control is activated
The slip indicator light flashes.
Always drive carefully. Reckless
driving may cause an accident.
Exercise particular care when the
indicator light flashes.
■When the TRAC/VSC/Trailer
Sway Control systems are
turned off
●Be especially careful and drive
at a speed appropriate to the
road conditions. As these are
the systems to help ensure
vehicle stability and driving
force, do not turn the
TRAC/VSC/Trailer Sway Con-
trol systems off unless neces-
sary.
●Trailer Sway Control is part of
the VSC system and will not
operate if VSC is turned off or
experiences a malfunction.
■Dynamic Torque Vectoring
AWD system
The cornering performance of the
AWD system has been improved.
However, do not overly rely on the
system and drive with caution.
■Replacing tires
Make sure that all tires are of the
specified size, brand, tread pat-
tern and total load capacity. In
addition, make sure that the tires
are inflated to the recommended
tire inflation pressure level.
The ABS, TRAC, Trailer Sway
Control and VSC systems will not
function correctly if different tires
are installed on the vehicle.
Contact your Toyota dealer for fur-
ther information when replacing
tires or wheels.
■Handling of tires and the sus-
pension
Using tires with any kind of prob-
lem or modifying the suspension
will affect the driving assist sys-
tems, and may cause a system to
malfunction.
■Trailer Sway Control precau-
tion
The Trailer Sway Control system
is not able to red uce trailer sway
in all situations. Depending on
many factors such as the condi-
tions of the vehicle, trailer, road
surface and driving environment,
the Trailer Sway Control system
may not be effective. Refer to
your trailer owner’s manual for
information on how to tow your
trailer properly.
■If trailer sway occurs
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failing to do so may cause death
or serious injury.
●Firmly grip the steering wheel.
Steer straight ahead. Do not try
to control trailer sway by turning
the steering wheel.
●Begin releasing the accelerator
pedal immediately but very
gradually to reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not
apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction
with the steering or brakes, your
vehicle and traile r should stabi-
lize. ( P.186)