traction control TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2020 Owners Manual (in English)

8
HIGHLANDER_Ufor research purposes without
disclosing information about the
specific vehicle or vehicle owner
The SRS airbag and seat belt
pretensioner devices in your
Toyota contain explosive chemi-
cals. If the vehicle is scrapped
with the airbags and seat belt
pretensioners left as they are,
this may cause an accident such
as fire. Be sure to have the sys-
tems of the SRS airbag and seat
belt pretensioner removed and
disposed of by a qualified ser-
vice shop or by your Toyota
dealer before you scrap your
vehicle.
Special handling may apply, See
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazard-
ouswaste/perchlorate.
Your vehicle has components
that may contain perchlorate.
These components may include
airbag, seat belt pretensioners,
and wireless remote control bat-
teries.
Scrapping of your Toyota
Perchlorate Material
WARNING
■General precautions while
driving
Driving under the influence: Never
drive your vehicle when under the
influence of alcohol or drugs that
have impaired your ability to oper-
ate your vehicle. Alcohol and cer-
tain drugs delay reaction time,
impair judgment and reduce coor-
dination, which could lead to an
accident that could result in death
or serious injury.
Defensive driving: Always drive
defensively. Anticipate mistakes
that other drivers or pedestrians
might make and be ready to avoid
accidents.
Driver distraction: Always give
your full attention to driving. Any-
thing that distracts the driver, such
as adjusting controls, talking on a
cellular phone or reading can
result in a collisio n with resulting
death or serious injury to you,
your occupants or others.
■General precaution regarding
children’s safety
Never leave children unattended
in the vehicle, and never allow
children to have or use the key.
Children may be able to start the
vehicle or shift the vehicle into
neutral. There is also a danger
that children ma y injure them-
selves by playing with the win-
dows, the moon roof or panoramic
moon roof, or other features of the
vehicle. In addition, heat build-up
or extremely cold temperatures
inside the vehicle can be fatal to
children.

3094-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_U
4
Driving
■Dynamic Torque Vectoring
AWD vehicles
1 Mud & Sand mode
When the switch is turned to the left
while not in Mud & Sand mode, the
system switches to Mud & Sand
mode and the Mud & Sand mode
indicator, VSC OFF indicator and
PCS warning light illuminate on the
multi-information display.
2Normal mode
Mode that performs AWD, brake
and drive force control suitable for
driving on general roads. Use nor-
mal mode when not driving
off-road.
The driving mode returns to normal
mode if the switch is pressed while
in Mud & Sand mode or Rock & Dirt
mode.
3 Rock & Dirt mode
When the switch is turned to the
right while not in Rock & Dirt mode,
the system switches to Rock & Dirt
mode and the Rock & Dirt mode
indicator illuminates on the
multi-information display.
■Multi-terrain Select
●Multi-terrain Select is intended for
use when driving on rough roads.
Drive in normal mode during nor-
mal driving.
●The Mud & Sand and Rock & Dirt modes control the vehicle so that
it can maximize the drive force
and improve drivability on rough
roads. As a result, fuel efficiency
may diminish when compared to
driving in normal mode.
■If Mud & Sand or Rock & Dirt
mode is selected
●The background of the multi-infor-
mation display will change follow-
ing the Multi-terrain Select mode.
●The AWD operation status display
will automatically switch on the
multi-information display.
■AWD control for Mud & Sand
and Rock & Dirt modes
If the vehicle speed exceeds the
speeds listed below, AWD control is
performed similar to that performed
in Normal mode, even if Mud &
Sand or Rock & Dirt mode is
selected.
●Mud & Sand mode: Vehicle speed
is approximately 25 mph (40
km/h) or more
●Rock & Dirt mode: Vehicle speed
is approximately 16 mph (25
km/h) or more
If the vehicle speed drops below the
above speeds, the system automati-
cally switches to the AWD control
suitable for each mode.
■When Multi-terrain Select brake
control temporarily stops oper-
ating
If Mud & Sand or Rock & Dirt mode
is continuously used for a long
period of time, the brakes may over-
heat, and Multi-terrain Select brake
control may temporarily stop operat-
ing.
●At this time, the buzzer sounds
intermittently and “Traction Con-
trol Turned OFF” is displayed on
the multi-information display.
●If Multi-terrain Select brake control
stops operating, stop the vehicle
in a safe location as soon as pos-
sible
* and wait until the system

3124-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_Uwhen 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 th is 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 downh ill 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 cases, 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 “DAC” 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

3134-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_U
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

3144-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_U
wheel
■Dynamic Torque Control
AWD system (AWD models)
Automatically switches from
front-wheel drive to all-wheel
drive (AWD) according to the
driving conditions, helping to
ensure reliable handling and
stability. Examples of conditions
where the system will switch to
AWD are when cornering, going
uphill, starting off or accelerat-
ing, and when the road surface
is slippery due to snow, rain, etc.
■Dynamic Torque Vectoring
AWD system (AWD models)
Automatically switches from
front-wheel drive to all-wheel
drive (AWD) according to the
driving conditions, helping to
ensure reliable handling and
stability. Examples of conditions
where the system will switch to
AWD are when cornering, going
uphill, starting off or accelerat-
ing, and when the road surface
is slippery due to snow, rain, etc.
Also, when the vehicle is corner-
ing, the drive torque distribution
between the front and rear
wheels and between the rear left
and right wheels is precisely
controlled to improve drivability
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 Control Turned OFF”
will be shown on the multi-informa-
tion display.
Press the switch again to turn
the system back on.

3154-5. Using the driving support systems
HIGHLANDER_U
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 displayed on the
multi-information display.
( P.233)
■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-star t 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
■Automatic system cancelation
of hill-start assist control
The hill-start assist control will turn
off in any of the following situations:
●The shift lever is shifted to P or N
●The accelerator pedal is
depressed
●The parking brake is engaged
●2 seconds at maximum elapsed
after the brake pedal is released
■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 th e ABS is activated.
• The brake pedal may move down slightly after th e 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.
■AWD system operation sounds
and vibrations when switching
between AWD and front wheel
drive
When the vehicle switches from
AWD to front wheel drive and vice
versa, operation sounds and vibra-

5088-1. Specifications
HIGHLANDER_U
Chafer
This information has been pre-
pared in accordance with regu-
lations issued by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-
tration of the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
It provides the purchasers
and/or prospective purchasers
of Toyota vehicles with informa-
tion on uniform tire quality grad-
ing.
Your Toyota dealer will help answer
any questions you may have as you
read this information.
■DOT quality grades
All passenger vehicle tires must
conform to Federal Safety
Requirements in addition to
these grades. Quality grades
can be found where applicable
on the tire sidewall between
tread shoulder and maximum
section width.
For example: Treadwear 200 Trac-
tion AA Temperature A
■Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a com-
parative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (1 - 1/2)
times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the ac
tual conditions
of their use. Performance may differ
significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
■Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from high-
est to lowest, are AA, A, B and
C, and they represent the tire’s
ability to stop on wet pavement
as measured under controlled
conditions on specified govern-
ment test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
braking (straight ahead) traction
tests and does not include corner-
ing (turning) traction.
■Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A
(the highest), B, and C, repre-
senting the tire’s resistance to
the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor labo-
ratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading

556Alphabetical Index
HIGHLANDER_U
The Secondary Collision Brake ............................................... 314
Theft deterrent system Alarm ...................................... 71
Engine immobilizer system .... 69
Tire inflation pressure Maintenance data................. 499
Tire inflation pr essure display
function............................... 414
Warning light ........................ 454
Tire information ...................... 505 Glossary ............................... 509
Size ...................................... 507
Tire identification number ..... 506
Uniform Tire Quality Grading 508
Tire pressure display ............. 414
Tire pressure warning system Function ............................... 414
Initializing ............................. 417
Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters ...... 416
Registering ID codes ............ 420
Warning light ........................ 454
Tires Chains .................................. 320
Checking .............................. 411
If you have a flat tire ............. 464
Inflation pressure.................. 423
Information ........................... 505
Replacing ............................. 464
Rotating tires ........................ 413
Size ...................................... 499
Snow tires ............................ 319
Spare tire.............................. 464
Tire inflation pr essure display
function............................... 414
Tire pressure warning system ........................................... 414
Warning light ........................ 454
Tools ........................................ 465
Top tether strap ........................ 60
Total load capacity ................. 492 To w i n g
Dinghy towing .......................199
Emergency towing ................445
Trailer towing ........................188
Toyota Multi-operation touch 326
Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 Automatic High Be am ...........217
Dynamic radar cruise control with full-speed range ..........254
LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) .....241
PCS (Pre-Collisio n System) .233
RSA (Road Sign Assist) ........251
TRAC (Traction Control) ........313
Traction Control (TRAC) ........313
Trailer Sway Control ...............313
Trailer towing ..........................188
Transmission Automatic transm ission ........204
Driving mode select switch ...306
If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P .................................206
M mode ................................206
Trip meters ................................81
Trunk ........................................ 119 Trunk features ......................363
Turn signal lights Replacing light bulbs ............432
Turn signal lever ...................208
U
USB charging ports ................367
V
Vanity lights ............................377
Vanity mirrors .........................377
Vehicle data reco rding ...............6
Vehicle identification number492
Vehicle information display86, 95
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) ...............................................313
Ventilators (seat ventilators) .352