tow TOYOTA RAV4 2022 Repair Manual
Page 581 of 748
5817-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
■If the tread on snow tires wears 
down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as 
snow tires is lost.
Rotate the tires in the order 
shown.
To equalize tire wear and extend 
tire life, Toyota recommends that 
tire rotation is carried out at the 
same interval as tire inspection.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pres-
sure warning system after tire rota-
tion. (if equipped)
Front
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing 
tires
Observe the following precautions 
to prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause dam-
age to parts of t he drive train as 
well as dangerous handling char-
acteristics, which may lead to an 
accident resulting in death or seri-
ous injury.
●Do not mix tires of different 
makes, models or tread pat-
terns.
Also, do not mix tires of remark-
ably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than 
those recommende d by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently con-
structed tires (radial, bias-belted 
or bias-ply tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season 
and snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have been 
used on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not 
know how they were used previ-
ously.
●Do not tow if your vehicle has a 
compact spare tire installed.
NOTICE
■Driving on rough roads
Take particular care when driving 
on roads with loose surfaces or 
potholes.
These conditions may cause 
losses in tire inflation pressure, 
reducing the cushioning ability of 
the tires. In addition, driving on 
rough roads may cause damage 
to the tires themselves, as well as 
the vehicle’s wheels and body.
■If tire inflation pressure of 
each tire becomes low while 
driving
Do not continue driving, or your 
tires and/or wheels may be 
ruined.
Tire rotation
A 
Page 583 of 748
5837-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehicle, particularly around the 
wheels or wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is  extremely higher than the speci-
fied level.
• If wheels without tire pressure  warning valves a nd transmitters 
are used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure  warning valves and transmitters is 
not registered in the tire pressure 
warning computer.
●Performance may be affected in 
the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power  plant, gas station, radio station, 
large display, airpo rt or other facil-
ity that generates strong radio 
waves or electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio,  cellular phone, cordless phone or 
other wireless communication 
device
If tire position information is not cor-
rectly displayed due to the radio 
wave conditions, the display may be 
corrected by driving and changing 
the radio wave conditions.
●When the vehicle is parked, the 
time taken for the warning to start 
or go off could be extended.
●When tire inflation pressure 
declines rapidly for example when 
a tire has burst, the warning may 
not function.
■Warning performance of the tire 
pressure warning system
The warning of the tire pressure 
warning system will change in 
accordance with th e conditions 
under which it was initialized. For 
this reason, the system may give a 
warning even if the tire pressure 
does not reach a low enough level, 
or if the pressure is higher than the 
pressure that was adjusted to when 
the system was initialized.
When replacing tires or wheels, 
tire pressure warning valves and 
transmitters must also be 
installed.
When new tire pressure warning 
valves and transmitters are 
installed, new ID codes must be 
registered in the tire pressure 
warning computer and the tire 
pressure warning system must 
be initialized. ( P.586)
■When replacing the tires and 
wheels
If the ID code of the tire pressure 
warning valve and tr ansmitter is not 
registered, the tire pressure warning 
system will not work properly. After 
driving for about 20 minutes, the tire 
pressure warning light blinks for 1 
minute and stays on to indicate a 
system malfunction.
Installing tire pressure 
warning valves and trans-
mitters (if equipped)
NOTICE
■Repairing or replacing tires, 
wheels, tire pressure warn-
ing valves, transmitters and 
tire valve caps
●When removing or fitting the 
wheels, tires or the tire pressure 
warning valves and transmit-
ters, contact your Toyota dealer 
as the tire pressure warning 
valves and transmitters may be 
damaged if not handled cor-
rectly. 
Page 592 of 748
5927-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
1Turn the engine switch to 
OFF.
2 Open the glove box and slide 
off the damper.
3 Push in each side of the 
glove box to disconnect the 
claws, and then slowly and 
fully open the glove box while 
supporting it. 4
With the glove box fully open, 
slightly lift up the glove box 
and pull toward the seat to 
detach the bottom of the 
glove box.
Do not use excessi ve force if the 
glove box does not detach when 
lightly pulled. Ins tead, pull toward 
the seat while slightly adjusting the 
height of the glove box.
5 Unlock the filter cover ( ), 
pull the filter cover out of the 
claws ( ), and remove the 
filter cover.
Air condition ing filter
The air conditioning filter 
must be changed regularly 
to maintain air conditioning 
efficiency.
Removal method
A
B 
Page 599 of 748
5997-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
the cover damaged.
To prevent damage to the key, 
cover the tip of the flathead screw-
driver with a rag.
3 Remove the depleted battery 
using a small flathead screw-
driver.
When removing the cover, the elec-
tronic key module may stick to the 
cover and the battery may not be 
visible. In this case, remove the 
electronic key module in order to 
remove the battery.
When removing the battery, use a 
screwdriver of an appropriate size.
Insert a new battery with the “+” ter-
minal facing up.
4When installing, reverse the 
steps listed.
WARNING
■Battery precautions
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to  do so may result 
in death or serious injury.
●Do not swallow the battery. 
Doing so may cause chemical 
burns.
●A coin battery or button battery 
is used in the electronic key. If a 
battery is swa llowed, it may 
cause severe chemical burns in 
as little as 2 hours and may 
result in death or serious injury.
●Keep away new and removed 
batteries from children.
●If the cover cannot be firmly 
closed, stop using the electronic 
key and stow the key in the 
place where children cannot 
reach, and then contact your 
Toyota dealer.
●If you accidentally swallow a 
battery or put a battery into a 
part of your b ody, get emer-
gency medical attention imme-
diately.
■To prevent battery explosion 
or leakage of flammable liq-
uid or gas
●Replace the battery with a new 
battery of the same type. If a 
wrong type of battery is used, it 
may explode.
●Do not expose batteries to 
extremely low pr essure due to 
high altitude or extremely high 
temperatures.
●Do not burn, bre ak or cut a bat-
tery. 
Page 611 of 748
611
8
8
When trouble arises
When trouble arises
8-1. Essential informationEmergency flashers .... 612
If your vehicle has to be  stopped in an emergency.................................. 612
If the vehicle is submerged  or water on the road is ris-
ing ............................. 613
8-2. Steps to take in an emer- gency
If your vehicle needs to be  towed......................... 615
If you think something is  wrong ........................ 620
Fuel pump shut off system .................................. 621
If a warning light turns on or  a warning buzzer sounds.................................. 622
If a warning message is dis- played........................ 633
If you have a flat tire.... 637
If the engine will not start .................................. 646
If you lose your keys ... 648
If the electronic key does  not operate properly (vehi-
cles with smart key sys-
tem) ........................... 648
If the vehicle battery is dis- charged ..................... 650
If your vehicle overheats .................................. 654If the vehicle becomes stuck
.................................. 656 
Page 615 of 748
6158-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
8-2.Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs 
to be towed
If towing is necessary, we 
recommend having your 
vehicle towed by your 
Toyota dealer or commer-
cial towing service, using a 
wheel-lift type truck or flat-
bed truck.
Use a safety chain system 
for all towing, and abide by 
all state/provincial and local 
laws.
2WD models: If towing your 
vehicle with a wheel-lift type 
truck from the front, the 
vehicle’s rear wheels and 
axles must be in good con-
ditions. (P.615, 617)
If they are damaged, use a 
towing dolly or flatbed 
truck.
AWD models: If towing your 
vehicle with a wheel-lift type 
truck, use a towing dolly. 
( P.615, 617)
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may result 
in death or serious injury.
■When towing the vehicle
2WD models
Be sure to transp ort the vehicle 
with the front wheels raised or 
with all four wheels raised off the 
ground. If the vehicle is towed 
with the front wheels contacting 
the ground, the drivetrain and 
related parts may be damaged.
AWD models
Be sure to transp ort the vehicle 
with all four wheels raised off the 
ground. If the vehicle is towed 
with the tires co ntacting the 
ground, the drivetrain or related 
parts may be damaged, the vehi-
cle may fly off the truck. 
Page 616 of 748
6168-2. Steps to take in an emergency
The following may indicate a 
problem with your transmission. 
Contact your Toyota dealer or 
commercial towing service 
WARNING
■While towing (vehicles with 
towing eyelet)
●When towing using cables or 
chains, avoid sudden starts, etc. 
which place excessive stress on 
the towing eyelets, cables or 
chains. The towing eyelets, 
cables or chains may become 
damaged, broken debris may hit 
people, and cause serious dam-
age.
●Do not turn the engine switch to 
OFF (vehicles without smart key 
system).
There is a possibility that the 
steering wheel is locked and 
cannot be operated.
■Installing towing eyelets to 
the vehicle (vehicles with 
towing eyelets)
Make sure that towing eyelets are 
installed securely. If not securely 
installed, towing eyelets may 
come loose during towing.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the 
vehicle when towing using a 
wheel-lift type truck
●Do not tow the vehicle from the 
rear when the engine switch is 
off. The steering lock mecha-
nism (if equipped) is not strong 
enough to hold the front wheels 
straight.
●When raising the vehicle, 
ensure adequate ground clear-
ance for towing at the opposite 
end of the raised vehicle. With-
out adequate clearance, the 
vehicle could be damaged while 
being towed.
■To prevent damage to the 
vehicle when towing with a 
sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck, 
either from the  front or rear.
■To prevent damage to the 
vehicle during emergency 
towing (vehicles with towing 
eyelet)
Do not secure cables or chains to 
the suspension components.
■When towing the vehicle 
(vehicles with Stop & Start 
system)
If it is necessary to tow the vehicle 
with all four wheels on the ground, 
perform the following procedure 
before towing the vehicle, in order 
to protect the system.
Turn the engine switch to OFF 
and then start the engine or turn 
the engine switch to ON.
■Recreational towing (behind 
motor home, etc.)
Never dinghy tow your vehicle to 
prevent causing serious damage 
to the AWD system (AWD mod-
els) and transmission. ( P.189)
Situations when it is nec-
essary to contact dealers 
before towing 
Page 617 of 748
6178-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
before towing.
The engine is running but the 
vehicle does not move.
 The vehicle makes an abnor-
mal sound.
From the front (2WD models)
Release the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. 
( P.202)
From the front (AWD models)
Use a towing dolly under the 
rear wheels.
From the rear
Use a towing dolly under the 
front wheels. When using a flat-bed truck to 
transport the vehicle, use tire 
strapping belts. Refer to the 
owner’s manual of the flat-bed 
truck for the tire strapping 
method.
In order to suppress vehicle 
movement during transporta-
Towing with a wheel-lift 
type truck
NOTICE
■Towing with a sling-type 
truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck 
to prevent body damage.
2WD models
AWD models
Using a flatbed truck 
Page 618 of 748
6188-2. Steps to take in an emergency
tion, set the parking brake and 
turn the engine switch to OFF.
If a tow truck is not available in 
an emergency, your vehicle may 
be temporarily towed using 
cables or chains secured to the 
emergency towing eyelets. This 
should only be attempted on 
hard surfaced roads for at most 
50 miles (80 km) at under 18 
mph (30 km/h).
A driver must be in the vehicle to 
steer and operate the brakes. 
The vehicle’s wheels, drive 
train, axles, steering and brakes 
must be in good condition.
To have your vehicle towed by 
another vehicle, the towing eye-
let must be installed to your 
vehicle. Install the towing eyelet 
using the following procedure.
1Take out the wheel nut 
wrench and towing eyelet. 
( P.638)
2 Using a flathead screw-
driver, remove eyelet cover 
( ), and then remove eyelet 
cover ( ).
To protect the bodywork, place a 
rag between the screwdriver and  the vehicle body
 as shown in the 
illustration.
Type A
Type B
3 Insert the towing eyelet into 
the hole and tighten partially 
by hand.
Type A
Emergency towing (vehi-
cles with towing eyelet)
Emergency towing proce-
dure (vehicles with towing 
eyelet)
A
B 
Page 619 of 748
6198-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
Type B
4 Tighten down the towing eye-
let securely using a wheel nut 
wrench or hard metal bar.
Type A
Type B
5 Securely attach cables or 
chains to the towing eyelet.
Take care not to damage the vehi-
cle body.
6Enter the vehicle being towed 
and start the engine.
Turn off the Parkin g Support Brake  function (if equipped): 
P.283
If the engine does not start, turn the 
engine switch to ON.
Vehicles with Stop & Start system: 
Before towing the ve hicle, turn the 
engine switch to  OFF once, and 
then start the engine.
7 Shift the shift lever to N and 
release the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. ( P.202)
When the shift lever cannot be 
shifted:  P.198
■While towing
If the engine is  not running, the 
power assist for the brakes and 
steering will not function, making 
steering and braking more difficult.
■Wheel nut wrench
Wheel nut wrench is  installed in the 
tool bag. ( P.638)