On page 215 of your owners manual:

"The timer for the automatic hybrid system shut off feature will reset if the brake pedal is depressed or if the shift lever is in a position other than P."

Depress your brake every so often to keep it on. Not certain that this is a customizable feature though.

 

Thank Whoa for the answer, I wish they had a function to disable it, at least temporarily. But I can understand the automatic shutdown on a hybrid, since the engine is not always running, its easy to forget it running. It can be really dangerous if you are parked in a garage and the engine keep running for the night ! Its probably why they had this automatic shutdown timer. I will depress the brake once In a while to at least keep it running while im in the car.

 

The automatic shutoff in “Ready” mode kicks in after about a hour. If you don’t want it to shut off, there are two ways to inactivate it. First, you can use the button on the inside of the door to lock the doors. Second, you can use the physical key from your fob to lock the door from the outside.

This is useful if you are sleeping in the car and want the climate control to keep working. Be sure to keep the window open a crack for ventilation and just in case exhaust gasses somehow accumulate in the vehicle.

A Limited or Platinum Hybrid as a 1500W backup generator to power household appliances during a blackout. Run a heavy extension cord through an open window to power a refrigerator, space heater, or other appliances indefinitely.

Highlander Hybrid as a backup generator

Not that there is any reason to think about generators, these days, but is anyone considering how they could use their hybrid to serve as a backup electricity generator? I'm intrigued by the ability to leave a hybrid vehicle on, use the battery for electricity, and the engine will only run when...

www.toyotanation.com

 

The automatic shutoff in “Ready” mode kicks in after about a hour. If you don’t want it to shut off, there are two ways to inactivate it. First, you can use the button on the inside of the door to lock the doors. Second, you can use the physical key from your fob to lock the door from the outside.

This is useful if you are sleeping in the car and want the climate control to keep working. Be sure to keep the window open a crack for ventilation and just in case exhaust gasses somehow accumulate in the vehicle.

A Limited or Platinum Hybrid as a 1500W backup generator to power household appliances during a blackout. Run a heavy extension cord through an open window to power a refrigerator, space heater, or other appliances indefinitely.

Highlander Hybrid as a backup generator

Not that there is any reason to think about generators, these days, but is anyone considering how they could use their hybrid to serve as a backup electricity generator? I'm intrigued by the ability to leave a hybrid vehicle on, use the battery for electricity, and the engine will only run when...

www.toyotanation.com

I will try this next time I use it ! Its interesting to know that you ''can'' sleep in the car, but, I don't plan to sleep in the car since its -20C outside, maybe I will try it someday .

 

Are you in ECO mode? I mean, in ECO it tries to saves as much fuel as possible, which could (my litghtly educated guess) mean limiting running the engine only to generate heat. In Normal mode I'd also guess that the engine will be running if it's just to create heat (that's what I observe...)
jf

 

Please my hybrid highlander keep off every 20 or 30 minutes when it's on drive