2020 Toyota Highlander Owners Manual - Back door

Observe the following precautions.

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

Before driving

• make sure that the back door is fully closed. If the back door is not fully closed, it may open unexpectedly while driving and hit near-by objects or luggage in the luggage compartment may be thrown out, causing an accident.
• 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.

• 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, head, or neck to be caught by the closing back door.

Important points while driving

Never let anyone sit in the luggage compartment. In the event of sudden braking, sudden swerving or a collision, they are susceptible to death or serious injury.

Operating the back door

Observe the following precautions.

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 suddenly 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.

• When closing the back door, take extra care to prevent your fingers etc. From being caught.
• Vehicles without a power back door: 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.

• Do not pull on the back door damper stay (vehicles without a power back door) or back door spindle (vehicles with a power back door) 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.

• Vehicles without a power back door: if a bicycle carrier or similar heavy object is attached to the back door, it may suddenly shut again after being opened, causing someone's hands, head or neck to be caught and injured. When installing an accessory part to the back door, using a genuine toyota part is recommended.

?Back door closer (vehicles with a power back door)

• In the event that the back door is left slightly open, the back door closer will automatically close it to the fully closed position. It takes several seconds before the back door closer begins to operate. Be careful not to catch fingers or anything 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 operates when the power back door system is canceled.

Power back door (if equipped)

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 surrounding area to make sure there are no obstacles or anything 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.
• If the power back door system is turned off with the main switch while the back door is operating automatically, the automatic operation is stopped.

  The back door then has to be operated manually. Take extra care when on an incline, as the back door may open or close unexpectedly.

• If the operating conditions of the power back door are no longer met, a buzzer may sound and the back door may stop opening or closing. The back door then has to be operated manually. Take extra care when on an incline, as the back door may open or close abruptly.
• 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 has to be operated manually. Take extra care when on an incline, as the back door may open or close abruptly.

•  When the back door contacts an obstacle
•  When the battery voltage suddenly drops, such as when the engine switch is turned to the "on" position (vehicles without a smart key system) or ignition on mode (vehicles with a smart key system) or the engine is started during automatic operation

• if a bicycle carrier or similar object is attached to the back door, the power back door may not operate, causing itself to malfunction, or the back door may move in the closing direction after being opened, causing someone's hands, head or neck to be caught and injured. When installing an accessory part to the back door, ask your toyota dealer for details.

Jam protection function (vehicles with a power back door)

Observe the following precautions.

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 catch fingers 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.

Back door damper stays (vehicles without a power back door)

The back door is equipped with damper stays that hold the back door in place.

Observe the following precautions.

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.

Back door spindles (vehicles with a power back door)

The back door is equipped with spindles that hold the back door in place.

Observe the following precautions.

Failure to do so may cause damage to the back door spindle, resulting in malfunction.

• Do not attach any foreign objects, such as stickers, plastic sheets, or adhesives to the spindle rod.
• Do not touch the spindle rod with gloves or other fabric items
• Do not attach any accessories to the back door. When attaching, ask your toyota dealer for details.

• Do not place your hand on the spindle or apply lateral forces to it.

To prevent back door closer malfunction (vehicles with a power back door)

Do not apply excessive force to the back door while the back door closer is operating.

To prevent damage to the power back door (if equipped)

• make sure that there is no ice between the back door and frame that would prevent movement of the back door. Operating the power back door when excessive load is present on the back door may cause a malfunction.
• Do not apply excessive force to the back door while the power back door is operating.
• Take care not to damage the sensors (installed on the right and left edges of the power back door) with a knife or other sharp object. If the sensor is disconnected, the power back door will not close automatically.