fuel cap TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2021 Owners Manual (in English)

3TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
HIGHLANDER_U
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
5
Garage do or 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

14Pictorial index
HIGHLANDER_UPrecautions for winter seas
on.............................................. P.327
To prevent freezing (windshiel d wiper de-icer) ............. P.338, 343
Precautions for car wash
*.................................................... P.397
Fuel filler door ............................................... ..................... P.227
Refueling method ............................................... .................. P.227
Fuel type/fuel tan k capacity ................................... .............. P.501
Tires.......................................................... ........................... P.419
Tire size/inflation pressure ................................... ........ P.419, 505
Winter tires/tire chains ....................................... .................. P.327
Checking/rotation/tire pressur e warning system ..................P.419
Coping with flat tires......................................... .................... P.472
Hood ........................................................... ......................... P.410
Opening ............................................................................... P.410
Engine oil ..................................................... ........................ P.502
Coping with overheating ...................................................... P.495
Warning messages ............................................... ............... P.468
Front turn signal lights/parking lights
*................... P.210P.216
Parking lights
*............................................................... ..... P.216
Headlights/daytime running lights
*.................................. P.216
Headlights..................................................... ...................... P.216
Daytime running lights .. .................................................... P.216
Front side marker lights ....................................... ............. P.216
Parking lights
*/daytime running lights*........................... P.216
Front fog lights
*............................................................... ... P.222
Stop/tail lights ............................................... ..................... P.216
Tail lights.................................................... ......................... P.216
Back-up lights
Shifting the shift lever to R ................................................... P.206
Light bulbs of the exterior lights for driving
(Replacing method: P.441, Watts: P.507)

177
4
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
Driving
.4-1. Before drivingDriving the vehicle....... 179
Cargo and luggage ..... 186
Vehicle load limits ....... 189
Trailer towing............... 190
Dinghy towing ............. 201
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch.................................. 202
Automatic transmission .................................. 206
Turn signal lever.......... 210
Parking brake .............. 211
Brake Hold .................. 214
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
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
systems
Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 + .................................. 229PCS (Pre-Collision System)
.................................. 235
LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) .................................. 246
Dynamic radar cruise con- trol 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 func- tion (static objects) .... 304
Parking Support Brake func- tion (rear-crossing vehi-
cles) ........................... 310
Driving mode select switch .................................. 314
Multi-terrain Select ...... 315
Snow mode switch ...... 318
Downhill assist control sys- tem ............................ 319
Driving assist systems .................................. 321
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips........ 327

1804-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_Urain, because the road surface will
be especially slippery.
●Refrain from high speeds when
driving on an expressway in the
rain, because there may be a
layer of water between the tires
and the road surface, preventing
the steering and brakes from
operating properly.
■Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, the
engine speed may become high
while driving. This is due to auto-
matic up-shifting control or
down-shifting implementation to
meet driving conditions. It does not
indicate sudden acceleration.
●The vehicle is judged to be driving
uphill or downhill
●When the accelerator pedal is
released
●When the brake pedal is
depressed while sport mode is
selected
■Restraining the engine output
(Brake Override System)
●When the accelerator and brake
pedals are depressed at the same
time, the engine output may be
restrained.
●A warning messag e is displayed
on the multi-information display
and head-up display (if equipped)
while the system is operating.
■Restraining sudden start
(Drive-Start Control)
●When the following unusual oper-
ation is performed, the engine out-
put may be restrained.
• When the shift lever is shifted from
R to D, D to R, N to R, P to D, or P
to R (D includes M) with the accel-
erator pedal depressed, a warning
message appears on the
multi-informatio n display and
head-up display (if equipped). If a
warning message is shown on the
multi-informatio n display and
head-up display (if equipped), read the message and follow the
instructions.
• When the accelerator pedal is
depressed too much while the
vehicle is in reverse.
●While Drive-Start Control is being
activated, your v ehicle may have
trouble escaping from the mud or
fresh snow. In such case, deacti-
vate TRAC ( P.322) to cancel
Drive-Start Cont rol so that the
vehicle may become able to
escape from the mud or fresh
snow.
●AWD models: Drive-Start Control
does not work w hen Mud & Sand
or Rock & Dirt mode is selected
for Multi-terrain Select.
■Breaking in your new Toyota
To extend the life of the vehicle,
observing the following precautions
is recommended:
●For the first 200 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
●For the first 500 miles (800 km):
Do not tow a trailer.
●For the first 600 miles (1000 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high
speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
■Operating your v ehicle in a for-
eign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle
registration laws and confirm the
availability of the correct fuel.
(  P.501)
■Eco-friendly driving
 P.86, 95

2274-4. Refueling
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
4-4.Refueling
Close all the doors and win-
dows, and turn the engine
switch off.
 Confirm the type of fuel.
■Fuel types
 P. 5 0 9
■Fuel tank opening for unleaded
gasoline
To help prevent incorrect fueling,
your vehicle has a fuel tank opening
that only accommodates the spe-
cial nozzle on unle aded fuel pumps.
■If the malfunction indicator
lamp illuminates
The malfunction indicator lamp may
illuminate erroneous ly if refueling is
performed repeatedly when the fuel
tank is nearly full.
Opening the fuel tank
cap
Perform the following steps
to open the fuel tank cap:
Before refueling the vehi-
cle
WARNING
■When refueling the vehicle
Observe the following precautions
while refueling the vehicle. Failure
to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
●After exiting the vehicle and
before opening the fuel door,
touch an unpainted metal sur-
face to discharge any static
electricity. It is important to dis-
charge static electricity before
refueling because sparks result-
ing from static electricity can
cause fuel vapors to ignite while
refueling.
●Always hold the grips on the
fuel tank cap and turn it slowly
to remove it.
A whooshing sound may be
heard when the f uel tank cap is
loosened. Wait until the sound
cannot be heard before fully
removing the cap. In hot
weather, pressurized fuel may
spray out of the filler neck and
cause injury.
●Do not allow anyone that has
not discharged static electricity
from their body to come close to
an open fuel tank.
●Do not inhale vaporized fuel.
Fuel contains substances that
are harmful if inhaled.
●Do not smoke while refueling
the vehicle.
Doing so may cause the fuel to
ignite and cause a fire.
●Do not return to the vehicle or
touch any person or object that
is statically charged.
This may cause static electricity
to build up, resulting in a possi-
ble ignition hazard.
■When refueling
Observe the following precautions
to prevent fuel overflowing from
the fuel tank:
●Securely insert the fuel nozzle
into the fuel filler neck.
●Stop filling the tank after the fuel
nozzle automatically clicks off.

2284-4. Refueling
HIGHLANDER_U
1Press the switch to open the
fuel filler door.
2 Turn the fuel tank cap slowly
to remove it and hang it on
the back of the fuel filler door.
■If the fuel filler door cannot be
opened
 P. 4 8 8
After refueling, turn the fuel tank
cap until you hear a click. Once
the cap is released, it will turn
slightly in the opposite direction.
WARNING
●Do not top off the fuel tank.
NOTICE
■Refueling
Do not spill fuel during refueling.
Doing so may damage the vehi-
cle, such as causing the emission
control system to operate abnor-
mally or damaging fuel system
components or the vehicle’s
painted surface.
Opening the fuel tank cap
Closing the fuel tank cap
WARNING
■When replacing the fuel tank
cap
Do not use anything but a genu-
ine Toyota fuel tank cap designed
for your vehicle. Doing so may
cause a fire or other incident
which may result i n death or seri-
ous injury.

3385-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER_Uminates on the rear window
defogger and outside rear view mir-
ror defoggers switch.
The defoggers will
automatically
turn off after a while.
■Windshield wiper de-icer
This feature is used to prevent
ice from building up on the wind-
shield and wiper blades.
Press the windshield wiper
de-icer switch.
When the windshield wiper de-icer
switch is on, the indicator illumi-
nates on the windshield wiper
de-icer switch.
The windshield wip er de-icer will
automatically turn of f after a period
of time.
■For quick cooling
Press the “MAX A/C” switch.
The air conditioning will automati-
cally turn on.
At this time, the fo llowing will occur:
●The recirculated air mode will be
set
●The windshield defogger will turn
off
●The air flow mode will change to
the upper body mode
●The fan speed will be set to high.
■Fogging up of the windows
●The windows will easily fog up
when the humidity in the vehicle is
high. Turning the “A/C” switch on
will dehumidify the air from the
outlets and defog the windshield
effectively.
●If you turn the “A/C” switch off, the
windows may fog up more easily.
●The windows may fog up if the
recirculated air mode is used.
■When driving on dusty roads
Close all windows. If dust thrown up
by the vehicle is still drawn into the
vehicle after closing the windows, it
is recommended that the air intake
mode be set to outside air mode and
the fan speed to a ny setting except
off.
■Outside/recirculated air mode
Setting to the recir culated air mode
temporarily is recommended in pre-
venting dirty air from entering the
vehicle interior and helping to cool
the vehicle when the outside air
temperature is high.
■Operation of the air condition-
ing system in Eco drive mode
In Eco drive mode, the air condition-
ing system is controlled to prioritize
fuel efficiency by regulating the
engine speed and compressor oper-
ation to restrict the heating/cooling
capacity.
To improve air conditioning perfor-
mance, perform the following opera-
tions:
●Adjust the fan speed
●Adjust the temperature setting
●Turn off Eco drive mode ( P.314)
■When the outside temperature
is low
The dehumidification function may
not operate even when the “A/C”
switch is pressed.
■Ventilation and air conditioning
odors
●To let fresh air in, set the air condi-
tioning system to the outside air
mode.
●During use, various odors from
inside and outside the vehicle may
enter into and accumulate in the
air conditioning system. This may
then cause odor to be emitted
from the vents.
●To reduce potential odors from
occurring: It is recommended that
the air conditioning system be set

3445-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER_Udefog the windshield effectively.
●If you turn “A/C” o
ff, the windows
may fog up more easily.
●The windows may fog up if the
recirculated air mode is used.
■When driving on dusty roads
Close all windows. If dust thrown up
by the vehicle is still drawn into the
vehicle after closing the windows, it
is recommended that the air intake
mode be set to outside air mode and
the fan speed to any setting except
off.
■Outside/recirculated air mode
●Setting to the r ecirculated air
mode temporarily is recom-
mended in preventing dirty air
from entering the vehicle interior
and helping to c ool the vehicle
when the outside air temperature
is high.
●Outside/recirculated air mode may
automatically switch depending on
the temperature setting or the
inside temperature.
■Operation of the air condition-
ing system in Eco drive mode
●In Eco drive mode, the air condi-
tioning system is controlled as fol-
lows to prioritize fuel efficiency:
• Engine speed and compressor operation controlled to restrict
heating/cooling capacity
• Fan speed restr icted when auto-
matic mode is selected
●To improve air co nditioning perfor-
mance, perform the following
operations:
• Adjust the fan speed
• Turn off Eco drive mode ( P.314)
■When the outside temperature
is low
The dehumidification function may
not operate even when the “A/C”
switch is pressed.
■Ventilation and air conditioning
odors
●To let fresh air in, set the air condi- tioning system to the outside air
mode.
●During use, various odors from
inside and outside the vehicle may
enter into and accumulate in the
air conditioning system. This may
then cause odor
to be emitted
from the vents.
●To reduce potential odors from
occurring:
• It is recommended that the air conditioning system be set to out-
side air mode prior to turning the
vehicle off.
• The start timing of the blower may be delayed for a short period of
time immediately after the air con-
ditioning system is started in auto-
matic mode.
●When parking, the system auto-
matically switches to outside air
mode to encourage better air cir-
culation throughout the vehicle,
helping to reduce odors that occur
when starting the vehicle.
■Air conditioning system opera-
tions when the engine is
stopped due to the Stop & Start
system (vehicles with Stop &
Start system)
When the engine is stopped due to
Stop & Start system operations, the
automatic air conditioning cooling,
heating and dehumidification func-
tions turn off and the fan speed is
decreased according to the outside
temperature etc. or air blowing
stops. To stop the air conditioning
system from turning off, press the
Stop & Start cancel switch and
refrain from using the Stop & Start
system.
■When the windshield is fogged
up and the engine is stopped
due to the Stop & Start system
(vehicles with Stop & Start sys-
tem)
Press the windshield defogger
switch to restart the engine and
defog the windshield.
If the windshield continuously fogs

3505-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
HIGHLANDER_U
■Operation of the air condition-
ing system in Eco drive mode
●In Eco drive mode, the air condi-
tioning system is controlled as fol-
lows to prioritize fuel efficiency:
• Engine speed and compressor operation controlled to restrict
heating/cooling capacity
• Fan speed restr icted when auto-
matic mode is selected
●To improve air co nditioning perfor-
mance, perform the following
operations:
• Adjust the fan speed
• Turn off Eco drive mode ( P.314)
• Turn off Eco air conditioning mode
●When the driving mode is set to
Eco driving mode, the air condi-
tioning eco mode will be turned on
automatically. Even in this case,
the air conditioning eco mode can
be turned off by pressing the Eco
air conditioning mode switch.
■When the outside temperature
is low
The dehumidification function may
not operate even when “A/C” is
pressed.
■Ventilation and air conditioning
odors
●To let fresh air in, set the air condi-
tioning system to the outside air
mode.
●During use, various odors from
inside and outside the vehicle may
enter into and a ccumulate in the
air conditioning system. This may
then cause odor to be emitted
from the vents.
●To reduce potential odors from
occurring:
• It is recommended that the air conditioning system be set to out-
side air mode prior to turning the
vehicle off.
• The start timing of the blower may
be delayed for a short period of
time immediately after the air con-
ditioning system is started in auto-
matic mode.
●When parking, the system auto-
matically switches to outside air
mode to encourage better air cir-
culation throughout the vehicle,
helping to reduce odors that occur
when starting the vehicle.
1 Press the automatic mode
switch.
The dehumidification function
begins to operate. Air outlets and
fan speed are automatically
adjusted according to the tempera-
ture setting and humidity.
2Adjust the temperature set-
ting.
3 To stop the operation, press
the “OFF” switch.
If the fan speed setting or air
flow modes are operated, the
automatic mode indicator goes
off. However, automatic mode
for functions other than that
operated is maintained.
■Using automatic mode
Fan speed is adjusted automati-
cally according to the temperature
setting and the am bient conditions.
Therefore, the fan may stop for a
while until warm or cool air is ready
to flow immediately after the auto-
matic mode switch is pressed.
This function automatically con-
trols the air conditioning airflow
so that priority is given to the
front seats. When the front pas-
Using automatic mode
Front seat concentrated
airflow mode (S-FLOW)

4066-2. Maintenance
HIGHLANDER_U
The OBD system determines
that a problem exists some-
where in the emission control
system. Your vehicle may not
pass the I/M test and may need
to be repaired. Contact your
Toyota dealer to service the
vehicle.
When the battery is discon-
nected or discharged
Readiness codes that are set
during ordinary driving are erased.
Also, depending on your driving
habits, the readiness codes may
not be completely set.
When the fuel tank cap is
loose
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors
• Do the doors
operate
smoothly?
Engine hood
• Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks
• There should not be any signs of
fluid leakage
after the vehicle
has been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire infla-tion pressure
correct?
• The tires should not be damaged
or excessively
worn.
• Have the tires been rotated
according to the
maintenance
schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be
loose.
Windshield
wipers/rear
window wiper
• The wiper blades should not show
any signs of
cracking, split-
ting, wear, con-
tamination or
deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield/rear
window without
streaking or skip-
ping.
Emission inspection
and maintenance (I/M)
programs
Some states have vehicle
emission inspection pro-
grams which include OBD
(On Board Diagnostics)
checks. The OBD system
monitors the operation of
the emission control sys-
tem.
If the malfunction indica-
tor lamp comes on
Your vehicle may not pass
the I/M test in the follow-
ing situations: