flat tire TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2021 Owners Manual (in English)

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HIGHLANDER_U
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

4TABLE OF CONTENTS
HIGHLANDER_U
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

14Pictorial index
HIGHLANDER_UPrecautions for winter season....
.......................................... P.327
To prevent freezing (windshield wiper de-icer) ............. P.338, 343
Precautions for car wash
*.................................................... P.397
Fuel filler door .................................................................... P.227
Refueling method ................................................................. P.227
Fuel type/fuel tank capacity ................................................. P.501
Tires..................................................................................... P.419
Tire size/inflation pressure ........................................... P.419, 505
Winter tires/tire chains ......................................................... P.327
Checking/rotation/tire pressure 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)

691-3. Emergency assistance
1
For safety and security
HIGHLANDER_U
■Emergency Assistance But-
ton (“SOS”)
In the event of an emergency on
the road, push the “SOS” button
to reach the Safety Connect
response center. The answer-
ing agent will determine your
vehicle’s location, assess the
emergency, and dispatch the
necessary assistance required.
If you accidentally press the “SOS”
button, tell the response-center
agent that you are not experiencing
an emergency.
■Enhanced Roadside Assis-
tance
Enhanced Roadside Assistance
adds GPS data to the already
included warranty-based Toyota
roadside service.
Subscribers can press the
“SOS” button to reach a Safety
Connect response-center agent,
who can help with a wide range
of needs, such as: towing, flat
tire, fuel delivery, etc. For a
description of the Enhanced
Roadside Assistance services
and their limitations, please see
the Safety Connect Terms and
Conditions, which are available
at Toyota.com in the United
States, Toyotapr.com in Puerto
Rico and Toyota.ca in Canada.
Important! Read this informa- tion before using Safety Con-
nect.
■Exposure to radio fre-
quency signals
The Safety Connect system
installed in your vehicle is a
low-power radio transmitter and
receiver. It receives and also
sends out radio frequency (RF)
signals.
In August 1996, the Federal
Communications Commission
(FCC) adopted RF exposure
guidelines with sa fety levels for
mobile wireless phones. Those
guidelines are consistent with
the safety standards previously
set by the following U.S. and
international standards bodies.
 ANSI (American National
Standards Institute) C95.1
[1992]
 NCRP (National Council on
Radiation Protection and
Measurement) Report 86
[1986]
 ICNIRP (International Com-
mission on Non-Ionizing Radi-
ation Protection) [1996]
Those standards were based on
comprehensive and periodic
evaluations of the relevant sci-
entific literature. Over 120 scien-
tists, engineers, and physicians
from universities, and govern-
ment health agencies and
industries reviewed the avail-
able body of research to
Safety information for
Safety Connect

892-1. Instrument cluster
2
Vehicle status information and indicators
HIGHLANDER_UThis item is linke
d with the G-force
display and the course of the past
movement of the ba ll is displayed.
Press and hold to reset the
record.
Wheel spin display
When a tire is spinning, its icon on
the display changes its color and
blinks.
*: This item is displayed only when driving mode is set to sport mode.
■Tire pressure
• It may take a few minutes to dis- play the tire inflation pressure
after the engine switch is turned to
ON. It may also take a few min-
utes to display the tire inflation
pressure after inflation pressure
has been adjusted.
• “---” may be displayed if the tire position information cannot be
determined due to unfavorable
radio wave conditions.
• Tire inflation pressure changes with temperature. The displayed
values may also be different from
the values measured using a tire
pressure gauge.
■Changing settings
Use the meter control switches
on the steering wheel to change
settings.
1 Press or of the meter
control switch to select .
2 Press or of the meter
control switch to select the
desired item to be custom-
ized. 3
Press or press and hold .
The available settings will differ
depending on if is pressed or
pressed and held. Follow the
instructions on the display.
■Setting items
 LTA (Lane Tracing Assist)
( P.246)
Press and hold to change the
settings of the following items:
• “Lane Center”
Select to enable/disable the lane
centering function.
• “Sensitivity”
Select to set the warning sensitivity.
•“Sway Warning”
Select to enable/disable the vehicle
sway warning.
• “Sway Sensitivity”
Select to set the vehicle sway warn-
ing sensitivity.
 PCS (Pre-Collision Sys-
tem) ( P.235)
Press to enable/disable the
pre-collision system.
• PCS (Pre-Collision System)
on/off
Select to enable/disable the
pre-collision system.
Press and hold to change the
settings of the following item:
• “Sensitivity”
Select to change the pre-collision
warning timing.
 DRCC (Dynamic Radar
Settings display ( )

982-1. Instrument cluster
HIGHLANDER_Uvia changes to the position of the
ball on the display.
Maximum G-force course*
This item is linke
d with the G-force
display and the course of the past
movement of the ba ll is displayed.
Press and hold to reset the
record.
Wheel spin display
When a tire is spinning, its icon on
the display changes its color and
blinks.
*: This item is displayed only when driving mode is set to sport mode.
■Safety system status
Enable/Disable the following
systems:
 PCS (Pre-Collision system)
( P.235)
 Intuitive parking assist (if
equipped) ( P.284)
 BSM (Blind Spot Monitor)
( P.278)
 RCTA (Rear Cross Traffic
Alert) ( P.292)
■Tire pressure
• It may take a few minutes to dis- play the tire inflation pressure
after the engine switch is turned to
ON. It may also take a few min-
utes to display the tire inflation
pressure after inflation pressure
has been adjusted.
• “---” may be displayed if the tire position information cannot be
determined due to unfavorable
radio wave conditions.
• Tire inflation pressure changes with temperature. The displayed
values may also be different from the values measured using a tire
pressure gauge.
■Changing settings
Use the meter control switches
on the steering wheel to change
settings.
1 Press or of the meter
control switch to select .
2 Press or of the meter
control switch to select the
desired item to be custom-
ized.
3 Press or press and hold .
The available settings will differ
depending on if is pressed or
pressed and held. Follow the
instructions on the display.
■Setting items
 LTA (Lane Tracing Assist)
( P.246)
Press and hold to change the
settings of the following items:
• “Lane Center”
Select to enable/disable the lane
centering function.
• “Sensitivity”
Select to set the warning sensitivity.
•“Sway Warning”
Select to enable/disable the vehicle
sway warning.
• “Sway Sensitivity”
Select to set the vehicle sway warn-
ing sensitivity.
Settings display ( )

1854-1. Before driving
4
Driving
HIGHLANDER_U
NOTICE
●When driving over bumps on
the road, drive as slowly as pos-
sible to avoid damaging the
wheels, underside of the vehi-
cle, etc.
■If you get a flat tire while driv-
ing
A flat or damaged tire may cause
the following situations. Hold the
steering wheel firmly and gradu-
ally depress the brake pedal to
slow down the vehicle.
●It may be difficult to control your
vehicle.
●The vehicle will make abnormal
sounds or vibrations.
●The vehicle will lean abnor-
mally.
Information on what to do in case
of a flat tire (
P.472)
■When encountering flooded
roads
Do not drive on a road that has
flooded after heavy rain etc.
Doing so may cause the following
serious damage to the vehicle:
●Engine stalling
●Short in electrical components
●Engine damage caused by
water immersion
In the event that you drive on a
flooded road and the vehicle is
flooded, be sure to have your Toy-
ota dealer check the following:
●Brake function
●Changes in quantity and quality
of oil and fluid used for the
engine, transaxle, transfer
(AWD models), rear differential
(AWD models), etc.
●Lubricant condition for the pro-
peller shaft (AWD models),
bearings and suspension joints
(where possible), and the func-
tion of all joints, bearings, etc.

1904-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_U
■Matching trailer ball height to
trailer coupler height
No matter which cl ass of tow hitch
applies, for a more safe trailer
hookup, the trailer ball setup must
be the proper height for the coupler
on the trailer.
Coupler
Trailer ball
■Before towing
Check that the following conditions
are met:
●Ensure that your vehicle’s tires
are properly inflated. ( P.505)
●Trailer tires are inflated according
to the trailer manufacturer’s rec-
ommendation.
Trailer towing
Your vehicle is designed pri-
marily as a passen-
ger-and-load-carrying
vehicle. Towing a trailer can
have an adverse impact on
handling, performance,
braking, durability, and fuel
consumption. For your
safety and the safety of oth-
ers, you must not overload
your vehicle or trailer. You
must also ensure that you
are using appropriate tow-
ing equipment, that the tow-
ing equipment has been
installed correctly and used
properly, and that you
employ the requisite driv-
ing habits.
Vehicle-trailer stability and
braking performance are
affected by trailer stability,
brake performance and set-
ting, trailer brakes, the hitch
and hitch systems (if
equipped).
To tow a trailer safely, use
extreme care and drive the
vehicle in accordance with
your trailer’s characteris-
tics and operating condi-
tions.
Toyota warranties do not
apply to damage or mal-
function caused by towing a
trailer for commercial pur-
poses.
Contact your Toyota dealer
for further information
about additional require-
ments such as a towing kit,
etc.

1984-1. Before driving
HIGHLANDER_UThis function is activated when the
rated current of any of the following
trailer light circuit components is
exceeded:
●Tail lights: maximum 4.5 A
●Stop/turn signal light (right): maxi-
mum 7.8 A
●Stop/turn signal light (left): maxi-
mum 4.5 A
■When the auto current cut func-
tion is activated
If a trailer light does not come on
due to the activation of the auto cur-
rent cut function, the light system
will need to be reset.
Follow the reset procedure shown
below.
●If a tail light does not come on,
turn off the headlight switch.
●If the right-side stop/turn signal
light does not come on, put the
turn signal in the off position or
remove foot from the brake pedal.
●If the left-side stop/turn signal light
does not come on, put the turn
signal in the off position or remove
foot from the brake pedal.
If the emergency flashers do not
operate, press the emergency
flasher switch to turn them off.
After the light system is reset, oper-
ate the light switches again to see if
the lights operate normally.
If the lights do not operate normally,
have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer.
Your vehicle will handle differ-
ently when towing a trailer. Help
to avoid an accident, death or
serious injury, keep the following
in mind when towing:
 Speed limits for towing a
trailer vary by state or prov-
ince. Do not exceed the
posted towing speed limit.
 Toyota recommends that the
vehicle-trailer speed limit is 65
mph (104 km/h) on a flat,
straight, dry road. Do not
exceed this limit, the posted
towing speed limit or the
speed limit for your trailer as
set forth in your trailer owner’s
manual, whichever is lowest.
Instability of the towing vehi-
cle-trailer combination (trailer
sway) increases as speed
increases. Exceeding speed
limits may cause loss of con-
trol.
 Before starting out, check the
trailer lights, tires and the
vehicle-trailer connections.
Recheck after driving a short
distance.
 Practice turning, stopping and
reversing with the trailer
attached in an area away
from traffic until you become
accustomed to the feel of the
vehicle-trailer combination.
 Reversing with a trailer
attached is difficult and
NOTICE
■Do not directly splice trailer
lights
Do not directly splice trailer lights.
Directly splicing trailer lights may
damage your vehicle’s electrical
system and cause a malfunction.
Trailer towing tips

2204-3. Operating the lights and wipers
HIGHLANDER_Ufrom around a curve
• When the vehicle is cut in front of by another vehicle
• When vehicles ahead cannot be detected due to repeated curves,
road dividers or roadside trees
• When vehicles ahead appear in a faraway lane on a wide road
• When the lights of vehicles ahead
are not on
●The high beams may be turned off
if a vehicle ahead that is using fog
lights without its headlights turned
on is detected.
●House lights, street lights, traffic
signals, and illumi nated billboards
or signs and other reflective
objects may cause the high
beams to change to the low
beams, or the low beams to
remain on.
●The following factors may affect
the amount of time taken for the
high beams to turn on or off:
• The brightness of the headlights, fog lights, and tail lights of vehi-
cles ahead
• The movement and direction of vehicles ahead
• When a vehicle ahead only has
operational lights on one side
• When a vehicle ahead is a two-wheeled vehicle
• The condition of the road (gradi- ent, curve, condition of the road
surface, etc.)
• The number of passengers and amount of luggage in the vehicle
●The high beams may turn on or off
unexpectedly.
●Bicycles or similar vehicles may
not be detected.
●In the following situations the sys-
tem may not be able to correctly
detect the surrounding brightness
level. This may cause the low
beams to remain on or the high
beams to flash or dazzle pedestri-
ans or vehicles ahead. In such a
case, it is necess ary to manually
switch between the high and low
beams. • When driving in inclement weather
(heavy rain, snow, fog, sand-
storms, etc.)
• When the windshield is obscured by fog, mist, ice, dirt, etc.
• When the windshield is cracked or
damaged
• When the camera sensor is deformed or dirty
• When the temperature of the cam- era sensor is extremely high
• When the surrounding brightness
level is equal to that of headlights,
tail lights or fog lights
• When headlights or tail lights of
vehicles ahead are turned off,
dirty, changing color, or not aimed
properly
• When the vehicle is hit by water, snow, dust, etc. from a preceding
vehicle
• When driving through an area of intermittently changing brightness
and darkness
• When frequently and repeatedly driving ascending/descending
roads, or roads with rough, bumpy
or uneven surfaces (such as
stone-paved roads, gravel roads,
etc.)
• When frequently and repeatedly taking curves or driving on a wind-
ing road
• When there is a highly reflective object ahead of the vehicle, such
as a sign or mirror
• When the back of a preceding vehicle is highly reflective, such as
a container on a truck
• When the vehicle’s headlights are damaged or dirty, or are not aimed
properly
• When the vehicle is listing or titling due to a flat tire, a trailer being
towed, etc.
• When the headlights are changed between the high beams and low
beams repeatedly in an abnormal
manner
• When the driver believes that the high beams may be flashing or
dazzling pedestrians or other driv-
ers