dashboard TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2021 Owners Manual (in English)
Page 39 of 578
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 center of the 
steering wheel to your breast-
bone. If you sit less than 10 in. 
(250 mm) away now, you can 
change your driving position in 
several ways:
• Move your seat to the rear as  far as you can while still reach-
ing the pedals comfortably. 
Page 41 of 578
411-1. For safe use
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
●Improperly seated and/or 
restrained infants and children 
can be killed or seriously injured 
by a deploying airbag. An infant 
or child who is too small to use 
a seat belt should be properly 
secured using a child restraint 
system. Toyota strongly recom-
mends that all infants and chil-
dren be placed in the rear seats 
of the vehicle and properly 
restrained. The rear seats are 
safer for infants and children 
than the front passenger seat. 
(
P. 5 0 )
●Do not sit on the edge of the 
seat or lean against the dash-
board.
●Do not allow a child to stand in 
front of the SRS front passenger 
airbag unit or sit on the knees of 
a front passenger.
●Do not allow the front seat occu-
pants to hold items on their 
knees.
●Do not lean against the door, 
the roof side rail or the front, 
side and rear pillars.
●Do not allow anyone to kneel on 
the passenger seat toward the 
door or put their head or hands 
outside the vehicle.
●Do not attach anything to or 
lean anything against areas 
such as the dashboard, steering 
wheel pad and lower portion of 
the instrument panel.
These items can become pro-
jectiles when the SRS driver, 
front passenger and knee air-
bags deploy. 
Page 194 of 578
1944-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
■If you hear a squealing or 
scraping noise (brake pad 
wear limit indicators)
Have the brake pads checked and 
replaced by your Toyota dealer as 
soon as possible.
Rotor damage may result if the 
pads are not replaced when 
needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle 
when the wear limits of the brake 
pads and/or those of the brake 
discs are exceeded.
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not depress the accelerator 
pedal unnecessarily.
If the shift lever is in any posi-
tion other than P or N, the vehi-
cle may accelerate suddenly 
and unexpectedly, causing an 
accident.
●In order to prevent accidents 
due to the vehicle rolling away, 
always keep depressing the 
brake pedal while stopped with 
the “READY” indicator is illumi-
nated, and apply the parking 
brake as necessary.
●If the vehicle is stopped on an 
incline, in order to prevent acci-
dents caused by the vehicle roll-
ing forward or backward, always 
depress the brake pedal and 
securely apply the parking 
brake as needed.
●Avoid revving or racing the 
engine.
Running the engine at high 
speed while the vehicle is 
stopped may cause the exhaust 
system to overheat, which could 
result in a fire if combustible 
material is nearby.
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette 
lighters, spray cans, or soft 
drink cans in the vehicle when it 
is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the fol-
lowing:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette  lighter or spray can, and may 
lead to a fire.
• The temperature inside the  vehicle may cause the plastic 
lenses and plastic material of 
glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture,  causing the contents to spray 
over the interior of the vehicle, 
and may also cause a short cir-
cuit in the vehicle’s electrical 
components.
●Do not leave cigarette lighters in 
the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter 
is in a place such as the glove 
box or on the floor, it may be lit 
accidentally when luggage is 
loaded or the seat is adjusted, 
causing a fire.
●Do not attach adhesive discs to 
the windshield or windows. Do 
not place containers such as air 
fresheners on the instrument 
panel or dashboard. Adhesive 
discs or containers may act as 
lenses, causing a fire in the 
vehicle.
●Do not leave a door or window 
open if the curved glass is 
coated with a metallized film 
such as a silver-colored one. 
Reflected sunlight may cause 
the glass to act as a lens, caus-
ing a fire. 
Page 198 of 578
1984-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
be C lb. (kg) as follows:
B
*2 lb. (kg) - A*1 lb. (kg) = C*3 lb. 
(kg)
*1: A =Weight of people
*2: B =Total load capacity
*3: C =Available cargo and luggage  load
In this condition,  if 3 more passen-
gers with the combined weight of D 
lb. (kg) get on, the available cargo 
and luggage load  will be reduced E 
lb. (kg) as follows:
C lb. (kg) - D*4 lb. (kg) = E*5 lb. 
(kg)
*4: D =Additional weight of people
*5: E =Available cargo and luggage  load
As shown in the example above, 
if the number of occupants 
increases, the cargo and lug-
gage load will be reduced by an 
amount that equals the 
increased weight due to the 
additional occupants. In other 
words, if an increase in the num-
ber of occupants causes an 
excess of the total load capacity 
(combined weight of occupants 
plus cargo and luggage load), 
you must reduce the cargo and 
luggage on your vehicle.
WARNING
■Things that must not be car-
ried in the luggage compart-
ment
The following things may cause a 
fire if loaded in the luggage com-
partment:
●Receptacles containing gaso-
line
●Aerosol cans
■Storage precautions
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so may prevent the 
pedals from being depressed 
properly, may block the driver’s 
vision, or may result in items hit-
ting the driver or passengers, pos-
sibly causing an accident.
●Stow cargo and luggage in the 
luggage compartment when-
ever possible.
●Do not stack cargo and luggage 
in the luggage compartment 
higher than the seatbacks.
●When you fold down the rear 
seats, long items should not be 
placed directly behind the front 
seats.
●Never allow anyone to ride in 
the luggage compartment. It is 
not designed for passengers. 
They should ride in their seats 
with their seat belts properly 
fastened.
●Do not place cargo or luggage 
in or on the following locations.
• At the feet of the driver
• On the front passenger or rear  seats (when stacking items)
• On the luggage cover
• On the instrument panel
• On the dashboard
●Secure all items  in the occupant 
compartment.
■Capacity and distribution
●Do not exceed the maximum 
axle weight rati ng or the total 
vehicle weight rating.