2022 Toyota Highlander Owners Manual - For safe use

Observe the following precautions.

Failure to do so may cause the driver's floor mat to slip, possibly interfering with the pedals while driving. An unexpectedly high speed may result or it may become difficult to stop the vehicle, leading to an accident, or leading to death or a serious injury.

• When installing the driver's floor mat

   

• Do not use floor mats designed for other models or different model year vehicles, even if they are toyota genuine floor mats.
• Only use floor mats designed for the driver's seat.
• Always install the floor mat securely using the retaining hooks (clips) provided.
• Do not use two or more floor mats on top of each other.
• Do not place the floor mat bottom-side up or upside-down.

• Before driving

• Check that the floor mat is securely fixed in the correct place with all the provided retaining hooks (clips). Be especially careful to perform this check after cleaning the floor.
• With the engine stopped and the shift lever in p, fully depress each pedal to the floor to make sure it does not interfere with the floor mat.

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Observe the following precautions.

Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.

• Do not adjust the position of the driver's seat while driving.

  Doing so could cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

• Do not place a cushion between the driver or passenger and the seatback.

  A cushion may prevent correct posture from being achieved, and reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt and head restraint.

• Do not place anything under the front seats.

  Objects placed under the front seats may become jammed in the seat tracks and stop the seat from locking in place. This may lead to an accident and the adjustment mechanism may also be damaged.

• When driving over long distances, take regular breaks before you start to feel tired.

  Also, if you feel tired or sleepy while driving, do not force yourself to continue driving and take a break immediately.

Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of injury in the event of sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.

Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.

Wearing a seat belt

• ensure that all passengers wear a seat belt.
• Always wear a seat belt properly.
• Each seat belt should be used by one person only. Do not use a seat belt for more than one person at once, including children.
• Toyota recommends that children be seated in the rear seat and always use a seat belt and/or an appropriate child restraint system.
• To achieve a proper seating position, do not recline the seat more than necessary. The seat belt is most effective when the occupants are sitting up straight and well back in the seats.
• Do not wear the shoulder belt under your arm.
• Always wear your seat belt low and snug across your hips.

Pregnant women

Obtain medical advice and wear the seat belt in the proper way. Women who are pregnant should position the lap belt as low as possible over the hips in the same manner as other occupants, extending the shoulder belt completely over the shoulder and avoiding belt contact with the rounding of the abdominal area.

If the seat belt is not worn properly, not only the pregnant woman, but also the fetus could suffer death or serious injury as a result of sudden braking or a collision.

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People suffering illness

Obtain medical advice and wear the seat belt in the proper way.

When children are in the vehicle

Do not allow children to play with the seat belt. If the seat belt becomes twisted around a child"¦s neck, it may lead to choking or other serious injuries that could result in death.

If this occurs and the buckle cannot be unfastened, scissors should be used to cut the belt.

Seat belt pretensioners (front seats)

If the pretensioner has activated, the srs warning light will come on. In that case, the seat belt cannot be used again and must be replaced at your toyota dealer.

Adjustable shoulder anchor (front seats)

Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the center of your shoulder. The belt should be kept away from your neck, but not falling off your shoulder. Failure to do so could reduce the amount of protection in an accident and cause death or serious injuries in the event of a sudden stop, sudden swerve or accident.

Seat belt damage and wear

• do not damage the seat belts by allowing the belt, plate, or buckle to be jammed in the door.
• Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose parts. Do not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat belts cannot protect an occupant from death or serious injury.
• Ensure that the belt and plate are locked and the belt is not twisted.

  If the seat belt does not function correctly, immediately contact your toyota dealer.

• Replace the seat assembly, including the belts, if your vehicle has been involved in a serious accident, even if there is no obvious damage.
• Do not attempt to install, remove, modify, disassemble or dispose of the seat belts. Have any necessary repairs carried out by your toyota dealer.

  Inappropriate handling may lead to incorrect operation.

Using a seat belt comfort guide (third center seat)

Failure to observe the following precautions could reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt in an accident, causing death or serious injury.

• Make sure the belt is not twisted and that it lies flat. The elastic cord must be behind the belt and the guide must be on the front.
• To reduce the chance of injury in case of a sudden stop, sudden swerve or accident while driving, remove and store the comfort guide in its pocket when it is not in use.
• Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the center of the shoulder. The belt should be kept away from the neck, and should not fall off the shoulder.

Using a seat belt extender

• do not wear the seat belt extender if you can fasten the seat belt without the extender.
• Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a child restraint system because the belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, increasing the risk of death or serious injury in the event of an accident.
• The personalized extender may not be safe on another vehicle, when used by another person, or at a different seating position other than the one originally intended.

When using the third center seat belt

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Do not use the third center seat belt with either buckle released. Fastening only one of the buckles may result in death or serious injury in case of sudden braking, sudden swerving or a collision.

When using a seat belt extender

When releasing the seat belt, press on the buckle release button on the extender, not on the seat belt.

This helps prevent damage to the vehicle interior and the extender itself.

Srs airbag precautions

observe the following precautions regarding the srs airbags.

Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.

• The driver and all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts properly.

  The srs airbags are supplemental devices to be used with the seat belts.

• The srs driver airbag deploys with considerable force, and can cause death or serious injury especially if the driver is very close to the airbag.

  The national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) advises:

Since the risk zone for the driver's airbag is the first 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 Mm) of inflation, placing yourself 10 in. (250 Mm) from your driver airbag provides you with a clear margin of safety. This distance is measured from the center of the steering wheel to your breastbone. If you sit less than 10 in. (250 Mm) away now, you can change your driving position in several ways:

•  Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the pedals comfortably.
•  Slightly recline the back of the seat.

  Although vehicle designs vary, many drivers can achieve the 10 in. (250 Mm) distance, even with the driver seat all the way forward, simply by reclining the back of the seat somewhat. If reclining the back of your seat makes it hard to see the road, raise yourself by using a firm, nonslippery cushion, or raise the seat if your vehicle has that feature.

•  If your steering wheel is adjustable, tilt it downward. This points the airbag toward your chest instead of your head and neck.

The seat should be adjusted as recommended by nhtsa above, while still maintaining control of the foot pedals, steering wheel, and your view of the instrument panel controls.

srs airbag precautions

• If the seat belt extender has been connected to the front seat belt buckles but the seat belt extender has not also been fastened to the latch plate of the seat belt, the srs front airbags will judge that the driver and front passenger are wearing the seat belt even though the seat belt has not been connected. In this case, the srs front airbags may not activate correctly in a collision, resulting in death or serious injury in the event of a collision. Be sure to wear the seat belt with the seat belt extender.

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• The srs front passenger airbag also deploys with considerable force, and can cause death or serious injury especially if the front passenger is very close to the airbag. The front passenger seat should be as far from the airbag as possible with the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits upright.
• Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children can be killed or seriously injured by a deploying airbag. An infant or child who is too small to use a seat belt should be properly secured using a child restraint system.

  Toyota strongly recommends that all infants and children be placed in the rear seats of the vehicle and properly restrained. The rear seats are safer for infants and children than the front passenger seat.

• Do not sit on the edge of the seat or lean against the dashboard.

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Srs airbag precautions

• do not allow a child to stand in front of the srs front passenger airbag unit or sit on the knees of a front passenger.
• Do not allow the front seat occupants to hold items on their knees.

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• Do not lean against the door, the roof side rail or the front, side and rear pillars.

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• Do not allow anyone to kneel on the passenger seat toward the door or put their head or hands outside the vehicle.

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• Do not attach anything to or lean anything against areas such as the dashboard, steering wheel pad and lower portion of the instrument panel.

  These items can become projectiles when the srs driver, front passenger and driver’s knee airbags deploy.

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srs airbag precautions

• Do not attach anything to areas such as a door, windshield, side window, front or rear pillar, roof side rail and assist grip.

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• Vehicles without a smart key system: do not attach any heavy, sharp or hard objects such as keys and accessories to the key. The objects may restrict the srs driver’s knee airbag inflation or be thrust into the driver’s seat area by the force of the deploying airbag, thus causing a danger.

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• Do not hang coat hangers or other hard objects on the coat hooks. All of these items could become projectiles and may cause death or serious injury, should the srs curtain shield airbags deploy.

  If a vinyl cover is put on the area where the srs driver's knee airbag will deploy, be sure to remove it.

• Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the srs side airbags and srs seat cushion airbag inflate as they may interfere with inflation of the airbags. Such accessories may prevent the side airbags and seat cushion airbag from activating correctly, disable the system or cause the side airbags and seat cushion airbag to inflate accidentally, resulting in death or serious injury.
• Do not strike or apply significant levels of force to the area of the srs airbag components.

  Doing so can cause the srs airbags to malfunction.

• Do not touch any of the component parts immediately after the srs airbags have deployed (inflated) as they may be hot.
• If breathing becomes difficult after the srs airbags have deployed, open a door or window to allow fresh air in, or leave the vehicle if it is safe to do so. Wash off any residue as soon as possible to prevent skin irritation.

Srs airbag precautions

• If the areas where the srs airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel pad and front and rear pillar garnishes, are damaged or cracked, have them replaced by your toyota dealer.
• Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger's seat.

  Doing so will disperse the passenger's weight, which prevents the sensor from detecting the passenger's weight properly. As a result, the srs front airbags for the front passenger may not deploy in the event of a collision.

Modification and disposal of srs airbag system components

Do not dispose of your vehicle or perform any of the following modifications without consulting your toyota dealer. The srs airbags may malfunction or deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing death or serious injury.

• Installation, removal, disassembly and repair of the srs airbags
• repairs, modifications, removal or replacement of the steering wheel, instrument panel, dashboard, seats or seat upholstery, front, side and rear pillars or roof side rails
• repairs or modifications of the front fender, front bumper or side of the occupant compartment
• installation of a grille guard (bull bars, kangaroo bar, etc.), Snow plows, winches or roof luggage carrier
• modifications to the vehicle's suspension system
• installation of electronic devices such as mobile two-way radios and cd players
• modifications to your vehicle for a person with a physical disability

Front passenger occupant classification system precautions

Observe the following precautions regarding the front passenger occupant classification system.

Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.

• Wear the seat belt properly.
• Make sure the front passenger's seat belt plate has not been left inserted into the buckle before someone sits in the front passenger seat.
• Make sure the "air bag off" indicator light is not illuminated when using the seat belt extender for the front passenger seat. If the "air bag off" indicator light is illuminated, disconnect the extender tongue from the seat belt buckle, and reconnect the seat belt. Reconnect the seat belt extender after making sure the "air bag on" indicator light is illuminated. If you use the seat belt extender while the "air bag off" indicator light is illuminated, the srs airbags for the front passenger will not activate, which could cause death or serious injury in the event of a collision.
• Do not apply a heavy load to the front passenger seat or equipment (e.G.

  Seatback pockets).

• Do not put weight on the front passenger seat by putting your hands or feet on the front passenger seat seatback from the rear passenger seat.
• Do not let a rear passenger lift the front passenger seat with their feet or press on the seatback with their legs.
• Do not put objects under the front passenger seat.

Front passenger occupant classification system precautions

• do not recline the front passenger seatback so far that it touches a rear seat. This may cause the "air bag off"¸ indicator light to be illuminated, which indicates that the srs airbags for the front passenger will not activate in the event of a severe accident. If the seatback touches the rear seat, return the seatback to a position where it does not touch the rear seat. Keep the front passenger seatback as upright as possible when the vehicle is moving. Reclining the seatback excessively may lessen the effectiveness of the seat belt system.
• If an adult sits in the front passenger seat, the "air bag on"¸ indicator light is illuminated. If the "air bag off"¸ indicator is illuminated, ask the passenger to sit up straight, well back in the seat, feet on the floor, and with the seat belt worn correctly. If the "air bag off"¸ indicator still remains illuminated, either ask the passenger to move to the rear seat, or if that is not possible, move the front passenger seat fully rearward.
• When it is unavoidable to install a forward-facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat, install the child restraint system on the front passenger seat in the proper order.
• Do not modify or remove the front seats.
• Do not kick the front passenger seat or subject it to severe impact. Otherwise, the srs warning light may come on to indicate a malfunction of the front passenger occupant classification system. In this case, contact your toyota dealer immediately.
• Child restraint systems installed on the rear seat should not contact the front seatbacks.
• Do not use a seat accessory, such as a cushion and seat cover, that covers the seat cushion surface.
• Do not modify or replace the upholstery of the front seat.

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 themselves by playing with the windows or other features of the vehicle. In addition, heat build-up or extremely cold temperatures inside the vehicle can be fatal to children.

Child restraint precautions

• for effective protection in automobile accidents and sudden stops, a child must be properly restrained, using a seat belt or child restraint system depending on the age and size of the child. Holding a child in your arms is not a substitute for a child restraint system. In an accident, the child can be crushed against the windshield, or between you and the vehicle's interior.
• Toyota strongly urges the use of a proper child restraint system that conforms to the size of the child, installed on the rear seat. According to accident statistics, the child is safer when properly restrained in the rear seat than in the front seat.
• Never install a rear-facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat even if the "air bag off" indicator light is illuminated.

  In the event of an accident, the force of the rapid inflation of the front passenger airbag can cause death or serious injury to the child if the rear-facing child restraint system is installed on the front passenger seat.

• A forward-facing child restraint system may be installed on the front passenger seat only when it is unavoidable. A child restraint system that requires a top tether strap should not be used in the front passenger seat since there is no top tether strap anchor for the front passenger seat.

  Adjust the seatback as upright as possible and always move the seat as far back as possible even if the "air bag off" indicator light is illuminated, because the front passenger airbag could inflate with considerable speed and force. Otherwise, the child may be killed or seriously injured.

• Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a child restraint system on the front or rear passenger seat. If installing a child restraint system with the seat belt extender connected to the seat belt, the seat belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, which could cause death or serious injury to the child or other passengers in the event of an accident.

Child restraint precautions

• do not allow the child to lean his/her head or any part of his/her body against the door or the area of the seat, front and rear pillars or roof side rails from which the srs side airbags or srs curtain shield airbags deploy even if the child is seated in the child restraint system. It is dangerous if the srs side airbags and curtain shield airbags inflate, and the impact could cause death or serious injury to the child.
• Make sure you have complied with all installation instructions provided by the child restraint manufacturer and that the system is properly secured. If it is not secured properly, it may cause death or serious injury to the child in the event of a sudden stop or accident.

?When children are in the vehicle

Do not allow children to play with the seat belt. If the seat belt becomes twisted around a child's neck, it may lead to choking or other serious injuries that could result in death.

If this occurs and the buckle cannot be unfastened, scissors should be used to cut the belt.

When the child restraint system is not in use

• keep the child restraint system properly secured on the seat even if it is not in use. Do not store the child restraint system unsecured in the passenger compartment.
• If it is necessary to detach the child restraint system, remove it from the vehicle or store it securely in the luggage compartment. If a head restraint was removed when installing a child restraint system, always install the head restraint before driving. This will prevent it from injuring passengers in the event of a sudden stop or accident.

When installing a booster seat

To prevent the belt from going into alr lock mode, do not fully extend the shoulder belt. Alr mode causes the belt to tighten only. This could cause injury or discomfort to the child.

When installing a child restraint system

Follow the directions given in the child restraint system installation manual and fix the child restraint system securely in place.

If the child restraint system is not correctly fixed in place, the child or other passengers may be seriously injured or even killed in the event of a sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.

• If the driver"¦s seat interferes with the child restraint system and prevents it from being attached correctly, attach the child restraint system to the right-hand second seat.
• Adjust the front passenger seat so that it does not interfere with the child restraint system.

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• Only put a forward-facing child restraint system on the front seat when unavoidable.

  When installing a forward-facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat, move the seat as far back as possible even if the “air bag off” indicator light is illuminated. Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury if the airbags deploy (inflate).

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When installing a child restraint system

• when installing a child restraint system on the center second and third seat, adjust both seat cushions to the same position (second seat only) and align both seatbacks at the same angle. The seatbacks must be adjusted to the same angle. Otherwise, the child restraint system cannot be securely restrained and this may cause death or serious injury in the event of sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.
• When using the latch anchors for a child restraint system, move the seat as far back as possible (second seat only), with the seatback close to the child restraint system.
• When a booster seat is installed, always ensure that the shoulder belt is positioned across the center of the child's shoulder. The belt should be kept away from the child's neck, but not so that it could fall off the child's shoulder. Failing to do so may result in death or serious injury in the event of sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.
• Ensure that the belt and plate are securely locked and the seat belt is not twisted.
• Shake the child restraint system left and right, and forward and backward to ensure that it has been securely installed.
• After securing a child restraint system, never adjust the seat.
• Follow all installation instructions provided by the child restraint system manufacturer.
• When using the right-hand second and third seat for the child restraint system, do not sit in the center second and third seat. Seat belt function may be impaired, such as being positioned overly high or loose-fitting, which may result in death or serious injury in the event of sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.

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Do not use a seat belt extender

If a seat belt extender is used when installing a child restraint system, the seat belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, which could cause death or serious injury to the child or other passengers in the event of a sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.

To correctly attach a child restraint system to the anchors

When using the latch anchors, be sure that there are no foreign objects around the anchors and that the seat belt is not caught behind the child restraint system. Make sure the child restraint system is securely attached, or it may cause death or serious injury to the child or other passengers in the event of sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.

Exhaust gases include harmful carbon monoxide (co), which is colorless and odorless. Observe the following precautions.

Failure to do so may cause exhaust gases enter the vehicle and may lead to an accident caused by light-headedness, or may lead to death or a serious health hazard.

Important points while driving

• keep the back door and glass hatch closed.
• If you smell exhaust gases in the vehicle even when the back door and glass hatch are closed, open the windows and have the vehicle inspected at your toyota dealer as soon as possible.

When parking

• if the vehicle is in a poorly ventilated area or a closed area, such as a garage, stop the engine.
• Do not leave the vehicle with the engine on for a long time.

  If such a situation cannot be avoided, park the vehicle in an open space and ensure that exhaust fumes do not enter the vehicle interior.

• Do not leave the engine running in an area with snow build-up, or where it is snowing. If snowbanks build up around the vehicle while the engine is running, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle.

Exhaust pipe

The exhaust system needs to be checked periodically. If there is a hole or crack caused by corrosion, damage to a joint or abnormal exhaust noise, be sure to have the vehicle inspected and repaired by your toyota dealer.