key TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2021 (in English) Owner's Manual

1383-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER HV_UPressing 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.
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.

1393-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
Vehicles without tow hitchKick sensor
Hands Free Power Back
Door operation detection
area
Smart key system operation
detection area ( P.146)
Vehicles with tow hitch
Kick sensor
Hands Free Power Back
Door operation detection
area
Smart key system operation
detection area ( P.146)
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
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 back door in the
opposite direction.
■Back door closer
In the event that the back door is left
slightly open, the back door closer

1403-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER HV_Uwill automatically close it to the fully
closed position.
●The back door closer can function
when the power 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.530)
●When the power 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
back 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.131) or smart key system
(  P.131) 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.

1413-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Kick sensor operating condi-
tions (vehicles with a Hands
Free Power Back Door)
●When the kick sensor operation
setting is turned on (P.530) and
the power 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.147)
●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.530)
■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:
●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.

1463-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Antenna locationAntennas outside the cabin
Antennas inside the cabin
Antenna outside the luggage
compartment
■Effective range (areas within
which the electronic key is
detected)When locking or unlocking the
doors
The system can be operated when
the electronic key is within about 2.3
ft. (0.7 m) of an outside front door
handle and back door. (Only the
doors detecting the key can be
operated.)
When starting the hybrid system
or changing power switch
modes
The system can be operated when
the electronic key is inside the vehi-
cle.
■Alarms and warning messages
A combination of exterior and inte-
rior alarms as well as warning mes-
sages shown on the
multi-information di splay are used to
prevent theft of the vehicle and acci-
dents resulting from erroneous
operation. Take appropriate mea-
sures in response to any warning
message on the multi-information
display. ( P.476)
When only an alarm sounds, cir-
cumstances and correction proce-
dures are as follows.
●When an exterior alarm sounds
once for 5 seconds
Smar t key system
The following operations
can be performed simply by
carrying the electronic key
on your person, for example
in your pocket. The driver
should always carry the
electronic key.
 Locks and unlocks the
doors ( P.131)
 Locks and unlocks the back
door ( P.136)
 Starts and stops the hybrid
system ( P.213)

1473-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_U
●When an interior alarm sounds
continuously
■Battery-saving function
The battery-saving function will be
activated in order to prevent the
electronic key battery and the
12-volt battery from being dis-
charged while the vehicle is not
operated for a long time.
●In the following situations, the
smart key system may take some
time to unlock the doors.
• The electronic key has been left in
an area of approximately 6 ft. (2
m) of the outside of the vehicle for
10 minutes or longer.
• The smart key system has not been used for 5 days or longer.
●If the smart key system has not
been used for 14 days or longer,
the doors cannot be unlocked at
any doors except the driver’s door.
In this case, take hold of the
driver’s door handle, or use the wireless remote control or the
mechanical key, to unlock the
doors.
■Turning an electronic key to
battery-saving mode
When battery-saving mode is set,
battery depletion is minimized by
stopping the electronic key from
receiving radio waves.
Press twice while pressing and
holding . Confirm that the elec-
tronic key indicator flashes 4 times.
While the battery-saving mode is
set, the smart key system cannot be
used. To cancel the function, press
any of the electronic key buttons.
■Conditions affecting operation
The smart key system uses weak
radio waves. In the following situa-
tions, the communication between
the electronic key and the vehicle
may be affected, preventing the
smart key system, wireless remote
control and immobilizer system from
operating properly. (Ways of cop-
ing: P.496)
●When the electronic key battery is
depleted
●Near a TV tower, electric power
plant, gas station, radio station,
large display, airport or other facil-
ity that generates strong radio
waves or electrical noise
●When the electronic key is in con-
tact with, or is covered by the fol-
lowing metallic objects
• Cards to which aluminum foil is attached
• Cigarette boxes that have alumi- num foil inside
SituationCorrection
procedure
An attempt was
made to lock the
vehicle while a door
was open.Close all of
the doors
and lock the
doors again.
SituationCorrection procedure
The power switch
was turned to ACC
while the driver’s
door was open (or
the driver’s door was
opened while the
power switch was in
ACC).
Turn the
power
switch off
and close
the driver’s
door.
The power switch
was turned off while
the driver’s door was
open.Close the
driver’s
door.

1483-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER HV_U• Metallic wallets or bags
• Coins
• Hand warmers made of metal
• Media such as CDs and DVDs
●When other wireless keys (that
emit radio waves) are being used
nearby
●When carrying the electronic key
together with the following devices
that emit radio waves
• Portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or other wireless
communication devices
• Another electronic key or a wire- less key that emits radio waves
• Personal computers or personal
digital assistants (PDAs)
• Digital audio players
• Portable game systems
●If window tint with a metallic con-
tent or metallic objects are
attached to the rear window
●When the electronic key is placed
near a battery charger or elec-
tronic devices
●When the vehicle is parked in a
pay parking spot where radio
waves are emitted
■Note for the entry function
●Even when the electronic key is
within the effective range (detec-
tion areas), the system may not
operate properly in the following
cases:
• The electronic key is too close to the window or outside door han-
dle, near the ground, or in a high
place when the doors are locked
or unlocked.
• The electronic key is on the instru-
ment panel, luggage compart-
ment, floor, or in the door pockets
or glove box when the hybrid sys-
tem is started or power switch
modes are changed.
●Do not leave the electronic key on
top of the instrument panel or near
the door pockets when exiting the
vehicle. Depending on the radio
wave reception co nditions, it may
be detected by the antenna out- side the cabin and the door will
become lockable from the outside,
possibly trapping the electronic
key inside the vehicle.
●As long as the electronic key is
within the effective range, the
doors may be locked or unlocked
by anyone. However, only the
doors detecting the electronic key
can be used to unlock the vehicle.
●Even if the electronic key is not
inside the vehicle, it may be possi-
ble to start the hybrid system if the
electronic key is near the window.
●The doors may unlock or lock if a
large amount of water splashes on
the door handle, such as in the
rain or in a car wash when the
electronic key is within the effec-
tive range. (The
doors will auto-
matically be locked after
approximately 60 seconds if the
doors are not opened and closed.)
●If the wireless remote control is
used to lock the doors when the
electronic key is near the vehicle,
there is a possibilit y that the door
may not be unlocked by the entry
function. (Use the wireless remote
control to unlock the doors.)
●Touching the door lock or unlock
sensor while wearing gloves may
prevent lock or unlock operation.
●When the lock operation is per-
formed using the lock sensor, rec-
ognition signals will be shown up
to two consecutive times. After
this, no recognition signals will be
given.
●If the door handle becomes wet
while the electronic key is within
the effective range, the door may
lock and unlock repeatedly. In that
case, follow the following correc-
tion procedures to wash the vehi-
cle:
• Place the electron ic key in a loca-
tion 6 ft. (2 m) or more away from
the vehicle. (Take care to ensure
that the key is not stolen.)
• Set the electronic key to bat-

1493-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
HIGHLANDER HV_Utery-saving mode to disable the
smart key system. (
P.147)
●If the electronic key is inside the
vehicle and a door handle
becomes wet during a car wash, a
message may be shown on the
multi-information display and a
buzzer will sound outside the vehi-
cle. To turn off the alarm, lock all
the doors.
●The lock sensor may not work
properly if it comes into contact
with ice, snow, mud, etc. Clean
the lock sensor and attempt to
operate it again, or use the lock
sensor on the lower part of the
door handle.
●A sudden handle operation or a
handle operation immediately
after entering the effective range
may prevent the doors from being
unlocked. Touch the door unlock
sensor and check that the doors
are unlocked be fore pulling the
door handle again.
●If there is another electronic key in
the detection area, it may take
slightly longer to unlock the doors
after the door handle is gripped.
■When the vehicle is not driven
for extended periods
●To prevent theft of the vehicle, do
not leave the electronic key within
6 ft. (2 m) of the vehicle.
●The smart key system can be
deactivated in advance. ( P.530)
●Setting the electronic key to bat-
tery-saving mode helps to reduce
key battery depletion. ( P.147)
■To operate the system properly
Make sure to carry the electronic
key when operating the system. Do
not get the electronic key too close
to the vehicle when operating the
system from the outside of the vehi-
cle.
Depending on the position and hold-
ing condition of the electronic key,
the key may not be detected cor- rectly and the system may not oper-
ate properly. (The alarm may go off
accidentally, or the door lock pre-
vention may not operate.)
■If the smart key system does
not operate properly
If the doors cannot be
locked/unlocked using the smart key
system, lock/unlock the doors by
performing any of the following:
●Bring the electronic key close to
either front door handle and oper-
ate the entry function.
●Operate the wireless remote con-
trol.
If the doors cannot be
locked/unlocked using the above
methods, use the mechanical key.
(  P.496)
If the hybrid system cannot be
started using the smart key system,
refer to P.497.
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
(  P.530)
■If the smart key system has
been deactivated in a custom-
ized setting
●Locking and unlocking the doors:
Use the wireless remote control or
mechanical key. ( P.131, 496)
●Starting the hybrid system and
changing power switch modes:
P. 4 9 7
●Stopping the hybrid system:
P. 2 1 5

1503-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER HV_U
■Certification for the smart key system
For vehicles sold in the U.S.A.

1523-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
HIGHLANDER HV_U
WARNING
■Caution regarding interfer-
ence with electronic devices
●People with implantable car-
diac pacemakers, cardiac
resynchronization ther-
apy-pacemakers or implantable
cardioverter defibrillators should
keep away from the smart key
system antennas. ( P.146) The
radio waves may affect the
operation of such devices. If
necessary, the entry function
can be disabled. Ask your Toy-
ota dealer for details, such as
the frequency of radio waves
and timing of the emitted radio
waves. Then, consult your doc-
tor to see if you should disable
the entry function.
●Users of any electrical medical
device other than implantable
cardiac pacemakers, cardiac
resynchronization ther-
apy-pacemakers or implantable
cardioverter defib rillators should
consult the manufacturer of the
device for information about its
operation under the influence of
radio waves. Radio waves could
have unexpected effects on the
operation of such medical
devices.
Ask your Toyota dealer for details
on disabling the entry function.