TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2021 Owners Manual (in English)

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Pictorial indexSearch by illustration
For safety
and securityMake sure to read through them
(Main topics: Child seat, theft deterrent system)
Vehicle status
information and
indicatorsReading driving-related information
(Main topics: Meters, multi-information display)
Before driving
Opening and closing the doors and windows,
adjustment before driving
(Main topics: Keys, doors, seats)
Driving
Operations and advice which are necessary for
driving
(Main topics: Starting engine, refueling)
Interior featuresUsage of the interior features
(Main topics: Air conditioner, storage features)
Maintenance
and careCaring for your vehicle and maintenance
procedures
(Main topics: Interior and exterior, light bulbs)
When trouble
arisesWhat to do in case of malfunction and emergency
(Main topics: Battery discharge, flat tire)
Vehicle
specificationsVehicle specifications, customizable features
(Main topics: Fuel, oil, tire inflation pressure)
For ownersReporting safety defects for U.S. owners, and seat
belt, SRS airbag and headlight aim instructions for
Canadian owners
IndexSearch by symptom
Search alphabetically

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HIGHLANDER_UTABLE OF CONTENTS
For your information ........................
6
Reading this manual ...................... 11
How to search ................................ 12
Pictorial index ................................ 13
1-1. For safe use Before driving ........................ 24
For safe driving ..................... 25
Seat belts .............................. 27
SRS airbags .......................... 34
Front passenger occupant clas- sification system.................. 43
Exhaust gas precautions....... 48
1-2. Child safety Riding with children ............... 49
Child restraint systems .......... 50
1-3. Emergency assistance Safety Connect ..................... 65
1-4. Theft deterrent system Engine immobilizer system ... 71
Alarm ..................................... 73
2-1. Instrument cluster Warning lights and indicators............................................ 76
Gauges and meters .............. 81
Multi-information display (4.2-inch display)................. 84
Multi-information display (7-inch display)................................ 93
Head-up display ................. 103
Fuel consumption information ......................................... 1083-1. Key information
Keys ................................... 114
3-2.
Opening, closing and locking
th

e doors
Side doors .......................... 117
Back door ........................... 121
Smart key system .............. 133
3-3. Adjusting the seats Front seats ......................... 141
Rear seats.......................... 142
Driving position memory .... 147
Head restraints................... 150
3-4. Adjust
ing the steering wheel
and mirrors
Ste

ering wheel ...................153
Inside rear view mirror ....... 154
Digital Rearview Mirror....... 155
Outside rear view mirrors ... 165
3-5. Opening, closing the win- dows and moon roof
Power windows .................. 167
Moon roof ........................... 170
Panoramic moon roof......... 173
4-1. Before driving Driving the vehicle.............. 179
Cargo and luggage ............ 186
Vehicle load limits .............. 189
Trailer towing...................... 190
Dinghy towing .................... 201
4-2. Driving procedures Engi

ne (ignition) switch ...... 202
Automatic transmission ...... 206
Turn signal lever................. 210
Parking brake ..................... 211
1For safety and security
2Vehicle status information
and indicators
3Before driving
4Driving

3TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Brake Hold ......................... 214
4-3. Operating the lights and wip- ers
Headlight switch ................. 216
Automatic High Beam ........ 219
Fog light switch .................. 222
Windshield wipers and washer ......................................... 222
Rear windshield wiper and washer ............................. 225
4-4. Refueling Opening the fuel tank cap .. 227
4-5. Using the driving support sys- tems
Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 +......................................... 229
PCS (Pre-Collision System) ......................................... 235
LTA (Lane Tracing Assist)... 246
Dynamic radar cruise control with full-speed range ........ 257
RSA (Road Sign Assist) ..... 269
Stop & Start system ........... 272
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor)... 278
Intuitive parking assist ........ 284
RCTA (Rear Cross Traffic Alert) function ............................ 292
PKSB (Parking Support Brake) ......................................... 297
Parking Support Brake function (static objects) .................. 304
Parking Support Brake function (rear-crossing vehicles).... 310
Driving mode select switch ......................................... 314
Multi-terrain Select ............. 315
Snow mode switch ............. 318
Downhill assist control system ......................................... 319
Driving assist systems........ 321
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips............... 327Utility vehicle precautions ..
330
5-1. Toyota multi-operation touch Toyota multi-operation touch......................................... 334
5-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
Front manual air conditioning system ............................. 336
Front automatic air conditioning system ............................. 341
Rear manual air conditioning system ............................. 354
Rear automatic air conditioning system ............................. 356
Heated steering wheel/seat heaters/seat ventilators.... 360
5-3. Using the interior lights Interior lights list ................. 363
5-4. Using the storage features List of storage features ...... 366
Luggage compartment features ......................................... 371
5-5. Using the other interior fea- tures
Other interior features ........ 37
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Garage door opener........... 387
6-1. Maintenance and care Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior................. 396
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior.................. 399
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements......................................... 402
General maintenance......... 404
5Interior features
6Maintenance and care

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Emission inspection and mainte-nance (I/M) programs....... 406
6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance Do-it-yourself service precau-tions ................................. 408
Hood .................................. 410
Positioning a floor jack ....... 411
Engine compartment .......... 412
Tires ................................... 419
Tire inflation pressure......... 431
Wheels ............................... 433
Air conditioning filter ........... 434
Electronic key battery ......... 436
Checking and replacing fuses ......................................... 438
Headlight aim ..................... 440
Light bulbs .......................... 441
7-1. Essential information Emergency flashers ........... 450
If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency .............. 450
If the vehicle is trapped in rising water ................................ 451
7-2. Steps to take in an emergency If your vehicle needs to be towed......................................... 453
If you think something is wrong ......................................... 456
Fuel pump shut off system ......................................... 457
If a warning light turns on or a warning buzzer sounds .... 458
If a warning message is dis- played .............................. 468
If you have a flat tire ........... 472
If the engine will not start ... 486
If you lose your keys .......... 487If the fuel filler door cannot be
opened ............................. 488
If the electronic key does not operate properly............... 489
If the vehicle battery is dis- charged ............................ 491
If your vehicle overheats .... 495
If the vehicle becomes stuck ......................................... 497
8-1. Specifications Maintenance data (fuel, oil level, etc.) .................................. 500
Fuel information ................. 509
Tire information .................. 511
8-2. Customization Customizable features ....... 521
8-3. Initialization Items to initialize ................ 533
9-1. For owners Reporting safety defects for U.S. owners ............................. 536
Seat belt instructions for Cana- dian owners (in French) ... 536
SRS airbag instructions for Canadian owners (in French)......................................... 538
Headlight aim instructions for Canadian owners (in French)
........
................................. 545
What to do if... (Troubleshooting) ......................................... 548
Alphabetical Index.............. 551
7When trouble arises
8Vehicle specifications
9For owners
Index

5TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Please note that this manual
applies to explains all models
and all equipment, including
options. Therefore, you may find
some explanations for equip-
ment not installed on your vehi-
cle.
All specifications provided in this
manual are current at the time of
printing. However, because of
the Toyota policy of continual
product improvement, we
reserve the right to make
changes at any time without
notice.
Depending on specifications,
the vehicle shown in the illustra-
tions may differ from your vehi-
cle in terms of color and
equipment.
Approximately five hours after
the engine is turned off, you
may hear sound coming from
under the vehicle for several
minutes. This is the sound of a
fuel evaporation leakage check
and, it does not indicate a mal-
function.A wide variety of non-genuine
spare parts and accessories for
Toyota vehicles are currently
available in the market. You
should know that Toyota does
not warrant these products and
is not responsible for their per-
formance, repair, or replace-
ment, or for any damage they
may cause to, or adverse effect
they may have on, your Toyota
vehicle.
This vehicle should not be modi-
fied with non-genuine Toyota
products. Modification with
non-genuine Toyota products
could affect its performance,
safety or durability, and may
even violate governmental regu-
lations. In addition, damage or
performance problems resulting
from the modification may not
be covered under warranty.
Also, remodeling like this will
have an effect on advanced
safety equipment such as Toy-
ota Safety Sense 2.5 + and
there is a danger that it will not
work properly or the danger that
it may work in situations where it
should not be working.
For your information
Main Owner’s Manual
Noise from under vehicle
after turning off the engine
Accessories, spare parts
and modification of your
To y o t a

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The installation of a mobile
two-way radio system in your
vehicle could affect electronic
systems such as:
Multiport fuel injection sys-
tem/sequential multiport fuel
injection system
 Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 +
 Anti-lock brake system
 SRS airbag system
 Seat belt pretensioner system
Be sure to check with your Toy-
ota dealer for precautionary
measures or special instructions
regarding installation of a mobile
two-way radio system.
The vehicle is equipped with
sophisticated computers that will
record certain data, such as:
• Engine speed/Electric motor speed (traction motor speed)
• Accelerator status
• Brake status
• Vehicle speed
• Operation status of the driving assist systems
• Images from the cameras
Your vehicle is equipped with cam-
eras. Contact your Toyota dealer for
the location of recording cameras.
The recorded data varies
according to the vehicle grade level and options with which it is
equipped.
These computers do not record
conversations or sounds, and
only record images outside of
the vehicle in certain situations.

Data Transmission
Your vehicle may transmit the data
recorded in these computers to
Toyota without notification to you.
Data usage
Toyota may use the data recorded
in this computer to diagnose mal-
functions, conduct research and
development, and improve quality.
Toyota will not disclose the
recorded data to a third party
except:
• With the consent of the vehicle
owner or with the consent of the
lessee if the vehicle is leased
• In response to an official request by the police, a court of law or a
government agency
• For use by Toyota in a lawsuit
• For research purposes where the data is not tied to a specific vehi-
cle or vehicle owner
 Recorded image information
can be erased by your Toyota
dealer.
The image recording function can
be disabled. However, if the func-
tion is disabled, data from when the
system operates will not be avail-
able.
To learn more about the vehi-
cle data collected, used and
shared by Toyota, please visit
Installation of a mobile
two-way radio system
Vehicle data recording

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www.toyota.com/privacyvts/.
If your Toyota has Safety Con-
nect and if you have subscribed
to those services, please refer to
the Safety Connect Telematics
Subscription Service Agreement
for information on data collected
and its usage.
To learn more about the vehicle
data collected, used and shared
by Toyota, please visit
www.toyota.com/privacyvts/
.
This vehicle is equipped with an
event data recorder (EDR). The
main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near
crash-like situations, such as an
air bag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a
vehicle’s systems performed.
The EDR is designed to record
data related to vehicle dynamics
and safety systems for a short
period of time, typically 30 sec-
onds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data
as:
• How various systems in your vehicle were operating; • Whether or not the driver and
passenger safety belts were
buckled/fastened;
• How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelera-
tor and/or brake pedal; and,
• How fast the vehicle was trav- eling.
These data can help provide a
better understanding of the cir-
cumstances in which crashes
and injuries occur.
NOTE: EDR data are recorded
by your vehicle only if a non-triv-
ial crash situation occurs; no
data are recorded by the EDR
under normal driving conditions
and no personal data (e.g.,
name, gender, age, and crash
location) are recorded. How-
ever, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the
EDR data with the type of per-
sonally identifying data rou-
tinely acquired during a crash
investigation.
To read data recorded by an
EDR, special equipment is
required, and access to the
vehicle or the EDR is needed. In
addition to the vehicle manufac-
turer, other parties, such as law
enforcement, that have the spe-
cial equipment, can read the
information if they have access
to the vehicle or the EDR.
 Disclosure of the EDR data
Usage of data collected
through Safety Connect
(U.S. mainland only)
Event data recorder

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recorded in an EDR to a third party
except when:
• An agreement from the vehicle’s
owner (or the lessee for a leased
vehicle) is obtained
• In response to an official request by the police, a court of law or a
government agency
• For use by Toyota in a lawsuit
However, if necessary, Toyota may:
• Use the data fo r research on
vehicle safety performance
• Disclose the data to a third party for 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.

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WARNING
■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 may 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.