ECO mode TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2004 XU20 / 1.G Owner's Manual
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When the “A/C” button is not pressed in,
pressing another air flow button turns off
the air conditioning.
For details about air flow selector settings,
see “—Air flow selector settings” de-
scribed below.
Air intake selector
Press the button to select the air source.
1. Recirculate— Recirculates the air inside
the vehicle.
2. Fresh— Draws outside air into the sys-
tem.
If the engine coolant  temperature becomes
extremely high, RECIRCULATE mode will
automatically be selected. This is not a
malfunction. When the engine coolant tem-
perature is lowered, the previous mode
will resume.
To prevent fogging up of the windshield,
the air intake mode may  change automati-
cally to FRESH depending on the condi-
tion of the air conditioning system. “A/C” button
To turn on the air conditioning, press the
“A/C” button. The “A/C” button indicator
will come on. To turn the air conditioning
off, press  the button again.
If the “A/C” button indicator flashes, there
is a problem in the air conditioning system
and the air conditioning automatically
shuts off. If this happens, take your ve-
hicle to a Toyota dealer for service. 
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Zone number
After calibration, leaving the system for
several seconds returns it to the compass
mode.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the display while the
vehicle is moving. Be sure to adjust
the display only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Hawaii: 6 Samoa: 5 Guam: 7
Saipan: 7 Puerto Rico: 10 
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CAUTION
When programming the HomeLink\b
Universal Transceiver, you may be
operating a garage door or other
device. Make sure people and ob-
jects are out  of the way of  the ga-
rage door or other device to pre-
vent potential harm or damage.
Do not use this HomeLink\b Univer-
sal Transceiver with any garage
door opener that lacks the safety
stop and reverse feature as re-
quired by federal safety standards.
(This includes any garage door
opener model manufactured before
April 1, 1982.) A garage door open-
er which cannot detect an object
(signaling the door to stop and re-
verse), does not meet current feder-
al safety standards. Using a garage
door opener without these features
increases risk of serious injury or
death.
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules and with RSS −210 of the
Industry Canada. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and (2)  this device must accept
any interference received, including in-
terference that may cause undesired op-
eration.
WARNING: This transmitter has been
tested and complies with FCC and
Industry Canada DOC/MPAC rules.
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party respon-
sible for compliance could void the
use’s authority to operate the device.To use the auxiliary bo xes, open the
lids as shown in the following illustra-
tions.
CAUTION
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop,
always keep the auxiliary box
closed while driving.
Type A—It is designed for holding
a light objects, do not place any
heavy objects in it. Heavy objects
may cause the holder to open and
contents to fly out resulting in inju-
ries.
NOTICE
Type A—During hot weather,  the inte-
rior of  the vehicle becomes very hot.
Do not leave anything flammable or
deformable such as a lighter, glasses,
etc. inside.
Auxiliary boxes 
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CAUTION
Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your  reserved vacu-
um.
Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push the
pedal hard, much harder than nor-
mal. And your braking distance will
increase.
ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
(with “ABS” warning light)
The anti lock brake system is designed
to help prevent lock up of the wheels
during a sudden braking or braking on
slippery road surfaces. This assists in
providing directional stability and steer-
ing performance of the vehicle under
these circumstances.
Effective way to press the ABS brake
pedal: When the anti −lock brake system
function is in action, you may feel the
brake pedal pulsating and hear a noise.
In this situation, to let the anti −lock
brake system work for you, just hold the
brake pedal down more firmly. Do not
pump the brake in a panic  stop. This
will result in reduced braking performan-
ce.
The anti −lock brake system becomes op-
erative after the vehicle has accelerated
to a speed in excess of approximately 10
km/h (6 mph). It stops operating when the
vehicle decelerates to a speed below
approximately 5 km/h (3 mph).
Depressing the brake pedal  on slippery
road surfaces such as on a manhole cov-
er, a steel plate at a construction site,
joints in a bridge, etc. on a rainy day
tends to activate the anti −lock brake sys-
tem.
You may hear a click or motor sound in
the engine compartment for a few seconds
when the engine is started or just after
the vehicle begins to move. This means
that the anti −lock brake system is  in the
self −check mode, and does not indicate a
malfunction. When the anti lock brake system  is ac-
tivated, the following conditions may
occur. They do not indicate a malfunc-
tion of the system:
You may hear the anti
−lock brake sys-
tem operating and feel the brake pedal
pulsating and the vibrations of the ve-
hicle body and steering wheel. You
may also hear the motor sound in the
engine compartment even after the ve-
hicle is stopped.
At the end of the anti −lock brake sys-
tem activation, the brake pedal may
move a little forward. 
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BRAKES AND SAFETY CHAINS
Toyota recommends trailers with
brakes that conform to any applica-
ble federal and state/provincial regu-
lations.
A safety chain must always be used
between the towing vehicle and the
trailer. Leave sufficient slack in the
chain for turns. The chain should
cross under the trailer tongue to
prevent the tongue from dropping to
the ground in case it  becomes dam-
aged or separated. For correct safety
chain procedures, follow the hitch or
trailer manufacturer ’s recommenda-
tions.
CAUTION
If the total trailer weight exceeds
453 kg (1000 lb.), trailer brakes are
required.
Never tap into your vehicle’s hy-
draulic system as it would lower its
braking effectiveness.
Never tow a trailer without using a
safety chain securely attached to
both the trailer and the vehicle. If
damage occurs to the coupling unit
or hitch ball, there is danger of the
trailer wandering over into another
lane.
TIRES
Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are
properly inflated. See page 377 in Sec-
tion 7−2 and page 402 in Section 8 for
instructions.
The trailer tires should be inflated to
the pressure recommended by the trail-
er manufacturer in respect to the total
trailer weight.TRAILER LIGHTS
Your  vehicle is equipped with a wire
harness stored in the rear end under
body. Some models are fitted with a
socket for trailer lights under the rear
bumper. Use either of them to connect
and operate the trailer lights. However,
the trailer lights must comply with fed-
eral, state/provincial and local regula-
tions. See your local recreational ve-
hicle dealer or  rental agency  for the
correct type of  wiring and  relays  for
your trailer. Check for correct operation
of the turn signals and stop lights each
time you hitch up. Direct  splicing may
damage your vehicle’s electrical system
and cause a malfunction of your lights. 
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CAUTION
Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle 
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.
Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
Improving fuel economy is easy—just take
it easy. It will help make your  vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at  the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See page
377 in Section 7 −2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle.  Excess weight puts a
heavier  load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warm up idling.  Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
driving—but gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Keep the automatic transmission
overdrive turned on when engine
braking is not required.  Driving with
the overdrive off will reduce the fuel
economy. (For details, see “Automatic
transmission” on page 141 in Section
1 −7.)
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
Avoid long engine idling.  If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic,
it is better to turn off the engine and
start again later.
Avoid engine lugging or over rev-
ving.  Use a gear position suitable for
the road on which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down.  Stop−and− go driving
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking.  Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as  little as  possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your  foot on the brake
pedal.  This causes premature wear,
overheating and poor fuel economy.
Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways.  The faster you drive, the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer 
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CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools, jack and flat tire are se-
curely in place in their storage
location to reduce the possibility
of personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden braking.
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt
to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward.
Two wheel drive models—
Turn off the traction control system to
become unstuck to allow the tires to
spin enough to remove the vehicle from
the obstruction. (For details, see “Trac-
tion control system (two wheel drive
models)” on page 150 in Section 1 7.)
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and back-
ward if people or objects are any-
where near  the vehicle.  During the
rocking operation the vehicle may
suddenly move forward or backward
as it becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or ob-
jects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the
following precautions to prevent dam-
age to the transmission and other
parts.
Do not depress the accelerator ped-
al while shifting the selector lever
or before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reverse
gear.
 Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
 If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as tow-
ing.
If your vehicle becomes stuck