TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2021 Owners Manual (in English)

1213-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
FunctionOperation
Speed linked
door locking
function
All doors are auto-
matically locked
when vehicle
speed is approxi-
mately 12 mph (20
km/h) or higher.
Shift position
linked door
locking func-
tionAll doors are auto-
matically locked
when shifting the
shift lever out of P.
Shift position
linked door
unlocking
functionAll doors are auto-
matically unlocked
when shifting the
shift lever to P.
Driver’s door
linked door
unlocking
functionAll doors are auto-
matically unlocked
when driver’s door
is opened.
Back door
The back door can be
locked/unlocked and
opened/closed by the fol-
lowing procedures.
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may result
in death or serious injury.
■Before driving the vehicle
Before driving the vehicle, make
sure that the back door is fully
closed. If the back door is not fully
closed, it may open unexpectedly
while driving, causing an acci-
dent.
■Caution while driving
●Keep the back door closed
while driving.
If the back door is left open, it may
hit near-by objects while driving or
luggage may be unexpectedly
thrown out, causing an accident.
In addition, exhaust gases may
enter the vehicle, causing death
or a serious health hazard. Make
sure to close the back door before
driving.
●Never let anyone sit in the lug-
gage compartment. In the event
of sudden braking, sudden
swerving or a co llision, they are
susceptible to death or serious
injury.
■When children are in the vehi-
cle
●Do not allow children to play in
the luggage compartment.
If a child is accidentally locked in
the luggage compartment, they
could have heat exhaustion or
other injuries.

1223-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
●Do not allow a child to open or
close the back door.
Doing so may cause the back
door to move unexpectedly, or
cause the child’s hands, arms,
head, or neck to be caught by the
closing back door.
■Operating the back door
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may cause
parts of the body to be caught,
resulting in death or serious injury.
●Remove any heavy loads, such
as snow and ice, from the back
door before opening it. Failure
to do so may cause the back
door to suddenly shut again
after it is opened.
●When opening or closing the
back door, thoroughly check to
make sure the surrounding area
is safe.
●If anyone is in the vicinity, make
sure they are safe and let them
know that the back door is
about to open or close.
●Use caution when opening or
closing the back door in windy
weather as it may move
abruptly in strong wind.
●Vehicles without a power back
door: The back door may sud-
denly shut if it is not opened
fully. It is more difficult to open
or close the back door on an
incline than on a level surface,
so beware of the back door
unexpectedly opening or closing
by itself. Make sure that the
back door is fully open and
secure before using the luggage
compartment.
●Vehicles with a power back
door: The back door may sud-
denly shut if it is not opened
fully while on a steep incline.
Make sure that the back door is
secured before using the lug-
gage compartment.
●When closing the back door,
take extra care to prevent your
fingers, etc., from being caught.
●When closing the back door,
make sure to press it lightly on
its outer surface. If the back
door handle is used to fully
close the back door, it may
result in hands or arms being
caught.

1233-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
■Smart key system
Carry the electronic key to
enable this function.
1 Unlocks all the doors
The doors cannot be unlocked for 3
seconds after the doors are locked.
2Locks all the doors
Check that the do or is securely
locked.
■Wireless remote control
 P.117
■Operation signals
 P. 1 1 8
■Door lock switches
 P.120
■Opening the back door
Raise the back door while push-
ing up the back door opener
switch.
■Closing the back door
Lower the back door using a
back door handle, and then
push the back door from the out-
side to close it.
WARNING
●Do not pull on the back door
damper stay (vehicles without a
power back door) ( P.124) or
back door spindle (vehicles with
a power back door) ( P.131) to
close the back door, and do not
hang on the back door damper
stay (vehicles without a power
back door) or back door spindle
(vehicles with a power back
door).
Doing so may cause hands to be
caught or the back door damper
stay (vehicles without a power
back door) or back door spindle
(vehicles with a power back door)
to break, causing an accident.
●If a heavy object is attached to
the back door, it may suddenly
shut again after being opened,
causing someone’s hands,
arms, head or neck to be caught
and injured. Do not attach any
accessories other than genuine
Toyota parts to the back door.
Unlocking and locking the
back door from the out-
side
Unlocking and locking the
back door from the inside
Opening/closing the back
door (vehicles without a
power back door)

1243-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER_U
Be careful not to pull the back
door sideways when using a
handle.
■Open door warning buzzer
 P. 1 2 0
■Opening/closing the back
door using the wireless
remote control
Press and hold the switch.
Pressing the switch while the back
door is opening/closing will stop the
operation. Pressing and holding the
switch again will operate the back
door in the opposite direction.
■Opening/closing the back
door using the power back
door switch on the instru-
ment panel
Press and hold the switch.
Unlock the back door before oper-
ating.
Pressing the switch while the back
door is opening/closing will stop the
operation. Pressing and holding the
switch again will operate the back
door in the opposite direction.
NOTICE
■Back door damper stays
The back door is equipped with
damper stays that hold the back
door in place.
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may cause
damage to the back door damper
stay, resulting in malfunction.
●Do not attach any foreign
objects, such as stickers, plastic
sheets, or adhesives to the
damper stay rod.
●Do not touch the damper stay
rod with gloves or other fabric
items.
●Do not attach any accessories
other than genuine Toyota parts
to the back door.
●Do not place your hand on the
damper stay or apply lateral
forces to it.
Opening/closing the back
door (vehicles with a
power back door)

1253-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
■Opening the back door
using the back door opener
switch
When the back door is
unlocked: Press the back door
opener switch.
When the back door is locked:
While carrying the electronic key
on your person, press the back
door opener switch.
Pressing the switch while the back
door is opening/clos ing will stop the
operation. Pressing the switch
again will open the back door.
■Opening/closing the back
door using the power back
door switch on the back
door
Press the switch.
Pressing the switch while the back
door is opening/clos ing will stop the
operation. Pressing the switch again will operate the back door in
the opposite direction.
■Closing the back door
using the back door handle
Lower the back door using the
back door handle, then a buzzer
sounds and the back door auto-
matically closes.
■Opening/closing the back
door using the kick sensor
(vehicles with a Hands Free
Power Back Door)
Vehicles without tow hitch
The Hands Free Power Back
Door enables automatic opening
and closing of the power back
door by putting your foot near
the lower center part of the rear
bumper and moving it away
from the rear bumper.

1263-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER_U
Vehicles with tow hitch
The Hands Free Power Back
Door enables automatic opening
and closing of the power back
door by putting your foot near
the lower left side of the rear
bumper and moving it away
from the rear bumper.
The center of the Hands Free
Power Back Door sensor is indi-
cated by the mark.
1 While carrying an electronic
key, stand within the smart
key system operation range,
approximately 13.8 to 21.7 in.
(35 to 55 cm) from the rear
bumper.
Vehicles without tow hitch
Kick sensor
Hands Free Power Back
Door operation detection
area
Smart key system operation
detection area ( P.134)
Vehicles with tow hitch
Kick sensor
Hands Free Power Back
Door operation detection
area
Smart key system operation
detection area ( P.134)
2 Perform a kick operation by
moving your foot to within
approximately 3.9 in. (10 cm)
of the rear bumper and then
pulling it back.
• Perform the entire kick opera- tion within 1 second.
• The back door will not start operating while a foot is
detected under the rear
bumper.
• Operate the Hands Free Power Back Door without
contacting the rear bumper
with your foot.
• If another electronic key is in the cabin or luggage compart-
ment, it may take slightly lon-
ger than normal for the

1273-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
operation to occur.Kick sensor
Hands Free Power Back
Door operation detection
area
3 When the kick sensor detects
that your foot is pulled back,
a buzzer will sound and the
back door will automatically
fully open/close.
If kick operation is performed while
the back door is opening/closing,
the back door will stop the opera-
tion. Perform a kick operation again
will operate the ba ck door in the
opposite direction.
■Back door closer
In the event that the back door is left
slightly open, the back door closer
will automatically close it to the fully
closed position.
●The back door closer can function
when the engine switch is in any
mode.
●The back door can be opened
using the back door opener switch
even if the back door closer is
operating.
■Power back door operating con-
ditions
If the following conditions are met,
the power back door can be opened
and closed automatically.
●When the power back door sys- tem is enabled. (
P.521)
●When the engine switch is in ON,
one of the following conditions
must be met in addition to the
above conditions:
• The parking brake is engaged.
• The brake pedal is depressed.
• The shift lever is in P.
■Operation of the power back
door
●When the power back door begins
to operate, the emergency flash-
ers will flash twice and a buzzer
will sound.
●When the power back door is dis-
abled, the powe r back door will
not operate but can be opened
and closed manually.
●When the power back door is
opening/closing, if the power back
door becomes obstructed, opera-
tion will stop.
■Jam protection function
Sensors are installed on the right
and left sides of the power back
door. When the door is automati-
cally closing and the sensors are
pushed due to an object being
clamped, etc., the jam protection
function operates.
From that position the door auto-
matically moves a little in the oppo-
site direction and then the function
stops.
■Back door reserve lock function
This function reserves the locking of
the power back door when the
power back door is open. If the fol-
lowing operations are performed, all
of the doors except the power back
door will lock and then the power

1283-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER_Uback door will lock when it is com-
pletely closed.
1
Close all of the doors, except the
back door.
2 Perform an automatic closing
operation of the power back door
and lock the doors using the
wireless remote control ( P. 1 1 7 )
or smart key system ( P.117)
while the power back door is
closing.
A buzzer sounds and the emer-
gency flashers flash to indicate that
all the doors have been closed and
locked.
●If the electronic key is placed
inside the vehicle after starting a
close operation via the door
reserve lock function, the elec-
tronic key may become locked
inside the vehicle.
●If the back door does not fully
close due to the operation of the
jam protection function, etc., while
the back door is automatically
closing after a door reserve lock
operation is performed, the door
reserve lock function is canceled
and all the doors will unlock.
●Before leaving the vehicle, make
sure that all the doors are closed
and locked.
■Kick sensor operating condi-
tions (vehicles with a Hands
Free Power Back Door)
●When the kick sensor operation
setting is turned on ( P.521) and
the engine switch is turned off.
●When an electronic key is carried
within the operation detection
area.
■Situations in which the Hands
Free Power Back Door may not
operate properly (if equipped)
In the following situations, the
Hands Free Power Back Door may
not operate properly:
●When a foot remains under the
rear bumper.
●If the rear bumper is strongly hit
with a foot or is touched for a
while.
If the rear bumper has been touched
for a while, wait for a short time
before attempting to operate the
Hands Free Power Back Door
again.
●When standing excessively close
to the rear bumper.
●When an external radio wave
source interferes with the commu-
nication between the electronic
key and the vehicle. ( P.135)
●When the vehicle is parked near
an electrical noise source which
affects the sensitivity of the Hands
Free Power Back Door, such as a
pay parking spot, gas station,
electrically heated road, or fluo-
rescent light.
●When the vehicle is near a TV
tower, electric power plant, radio
station, large display, airport or
other facility that generates strong
radio waves or electrical noise.
●When a large amount of water is
applied to the rear bumper, such
as when the vehicle is being
washed or in heavy rain.
●When mud, snow, ice, etc. is
attached to the rear bumper.
●When the vehicle has been
parked for a while near objects
that may move and contact the
rear bumper, such as plants.
●When an accessory is installed to
the rear bumper.
If an accessory has been installed,
turn the kick sensor operation set-
ting off. ( P.521)
■Preventing unintentional opera-
tion of the Hands Free Power
Back Door (if equipped)
When an electronic key is in the
operation detection area, the Hands
Free Power Back Door may operate
unintentionally, so be careful in the
following situations:

1293-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
●When a large amount of water is
applied to the rear bumper, such
as when the vehicle is being
washed or in heavy rain.
●When dirt is wiped off the rear
bumper.
●When a small animal or small
object, such as a ball, moves
under the rear bumper.
●When an object is moved from
under the rear bumper.
●If someone is swinging their legs
while sitting on the rear bumper.
●If the legs or another part of some-
one’s body contacts the rear
bumper while passing by the vehi-
cle.
●When the vehicle is parked near
an electrical noise source which
affects the sensitivity of the Hands
Free Power Back Door, such as a
pay parking spot, gas station,
electrically heated road, or fluo-
rescent light.
●When the vehicle is near a TV
tower, electric power plant, radio
station, large display, airport or
other facility that generates strong
radio waves or electrical noise.
●When the vehicle is parked in a
place where objects such as
plants are near the rear bumper.
●When luggage, etc. is set in or
removed from the luggage com-
partment from outside of the vehi-
cle.
●If accessories or a vehicle cover is
installed/removed near the rear
bumper.
●When snow attached to the inner
side of the rear bumper melts.
To prevent unintentional operation,
turn the kick sensor operation set-
ting off. ( P.521)
■When reconnecting the battery
To enable the power back door to
operate properly, close the back
door manually.
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.521)
WARNING
■Back door closer
●In the event that the back door
is left slightly open, the back
door closer will automatically
close it to the fully closed posi-
tion. It takes several seconds
before the back door closer
begins to operate. Be careful
not to get fingers caught or any-
thing else in the back door, as
this may cause bone fractures
or other serious injuries.
●Use caution when using the
back door closer as it still oper-
ates when the power back door
system is disabled.
■Power back door
Observe the following precautions
when operating the power back
door. Failure to do so may cause
death or serious injury.
●Check the safety of the sur-
rounding area to make sure
there are no obstacles or any-
thing that could cause any of
your belongings to get caught.
●If anyone is in the vicinity, make
sure they are safe and let them
know that the back door is
about to open or close.

1303-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER_U
WARNING
●If the power back door system is
disabled while the power back
door is operating, the back door
will stop operating. The back
door must then be operated
manually. Take extra care in this
situation, as the back door may
open or close suddenly.
●If the operating conditions of the
power back door (
P.127) are
no longer met, a buzzer may
sound and the back door may
stop opening or closing. The
back door must then be oper-
ated manually. Take extra care
on an incline in this situation, as
the back door may move sud-
denly.
●On an incline, the back door
may suddenly shut after it
opens. Make sure the back door
is fully open and secure.
●In the following situations, the
power back door may detect an
abnormality and automatic
operation may be stopped. In
this case, the back door must
then be operated manually.
Take extra care in this situation,
as the stopped back door may
suddenly open or close, causing
an accident.
• When the back door contacts an obstacle
• When the battery voltage sud- denly drops, such as when the
engine switch is turned to ON or
the engine is started during
automatic operation
●If a heavy object is attached to
the back door, the back door
may not operate, causing a mal-
function, or the back door may
suddenly shut again after being
opened, causing someone’s
hands, arms, head or neck to be
caught and injured. Do not
attach any acce ssories other
than genuine Toyota parts to the
back door.
■Jam protection function
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may cause
death or serious injury.
●Never use any part of your body
to intentionally activate the jam
protection function.
●The jam protection function may
not work if something gets
caught just before the back door
fully closes. Be careful not to
get fingers caught or anything
else.
●The jam protection function may
not work depending on the
shape of the object that is
caught. Be careful not to catch
fingers or anything else.
■Hands Free Power Back Door
(if equipped)
Observe the following precautions
when operating the Hands Free
Power Back Door. Failure to do so
may cause death or serious injury.
●Check the safety of the sur-
rounding area to make sure
there are no obstacles or any-
thing that could cause any of
your belongings to get caught.
●Exhaust gasses cause the
exhaust pipes to become quite
hot. When operating the Hands
Free Power Back Door, be care-
ful not to touch the exhaust
pipe.