TOYOTA RAV4 EV 2014 1.G Owners Manual

191
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
Starting on a steep uphill
Firmly set the parking brake with the brake pedal depressed,
and then shift the shift position to D.
Slowly release the brake pedal and gently depress the accel-
erator pedal.
Release the parking brake.
■ Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is raining, because visibility will be reduced, the
windows may become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.
● Drive carefully when it starts to rain, because the road surface will be
especially slippery.
● Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain,
because there may be a layer of water between the tires and the road
surface, preventing the steering and brakes from operating properly.
■ Breaking in your new Toyota
To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is rec-
ommended:
●For the first 200 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
● For the first 1000 miles (1600 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
■ Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system.
This type of brake system needs bedding-down of the brake shoes periodi-
cally or whenever the parking brake shoes and/or drum are replaced.
Have your Toyota dealer perform the bedding down operation.
■ Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws.
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STEP 3

192 2-1. Driving procedures
■For efficient use
●Shift the shift position to D when driving.
In the N position, energy cannot be regenerated during deceleration.
● Drive your vehicle smoothly.
Avoid abrupt acceleration and deceleration.
● Avoid repeated acceleration.
Repeated acceleration consumes traction battery energy, resulting in
reduced vehicle performance, including driving range.

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■
When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the EV system
operating. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■ When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accel-
erator pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake
pedal will result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident
that could result in death or serious injury.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a diffi- culty in operating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle only slightly. This allows you to depress the brake and acceler-
ator pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, result-
ing in an accident.
● Because there is no engine noise when this vehicle is being driven, pedes-
trians in the vicinity may not notice the vehicle.
Even though the vehicle is equipped with the vehicle proximity notification
system, drive with care as pedestrians in the vicinity may still not notice
the vehicle if the surrounding area is noisy.
● Do not let the vehicle roll backward while the shift position is in a driving
position, or roll forward while the shift position is in R.
Doing so may result in an accident or damage to the vehicle.
● Do not shift the shift position to P while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle\
control.
● Do not shift the shift position to R while the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle\
control.

194 2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
●Do not shift the shift position to D while the vehicle is moving backward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle\
control.
● Shifting the shift position to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage
the EV system’s drive-train. Regenerative braking is not available with the
EV system disengaged and the transmission may be damaged.
● During normal driving, do not turn off the EV system. Turning the EV sys-
tem off while driving will not cause loss of steering or braking control, how-
ever, power assist to the steering will be lost. This will make it more difficult
to steer smoothly, so you should pull over and stop the vehicle as soon as
it is safe to do so.
In the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way: P. 479
● Use regenerative braking (shift position B instead of shift position D) to
maintain a safe speed when driving down a steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause the brakes to overheat and lose
effectiveness. ( P. 207)
● Do not adjust the position of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or
outside rear view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control that can cause accidents,
resulting in death or serious injury.
● Always check that all passengers' arms, heads or other parts of their body
are not outside the vehicle, as this may result in death or serious injury.
● Do not drive in excess of the speed limit. Even if the legal speed limit per-
mits it, do not drive over 85 mph (140 km/h) unless your vehicle has high-
speed capability tires. Driving over 85 mph (140 km/h) may result in tire
failure, loss of control and possible injury. Be sure to consult a tire dealer
to determine whether the tires on your vehicle are high-speed capability
tires or not before driving at such speeds.

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■
When driving on slippery road surfaces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and
reduce your ability to control the vehicle, resulting in an accident.
● Sudden shifting between D and B position may accelerate or slow the
vehicle and cause the vehicle to skid, resulting in an accident.
● After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pedal to make
sure that the brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent
the brakes from functioning properly. If the brakes on only one side are wet
and not functioning properly, steering control may be affected, resulting in
an accident.
■ When changing the shift position
Be careful not to change the shift position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Changing the shift position to any positions other than P or N may cause the
vehicle to accelerate abruptly, causing an accident and resulting in death or
serious injury.
After changing the shift position, make sure to confirm the current shift posi-
tion displayed on the shift position indicator inside the meter.
■ If you hear a squealing or scraping noise (brake pad wear limit indica-
tors)
Have the brake pads checked and replaced by your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible.
Rotor damage may result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads
and/or those of the brake discs are exceeded.

196 2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not depress the accelerator pedal unnecessarily.
If the vehicle is in any shift position other than P or N, the vehicle may
accelerate suddenly and unexpectedly, causing an accident.
● Do not leave the vehicle with the EV system on for a long time.
● In order to prevent accidents due to the vehicle rolling away, always keep
depressing the brake pedal while the “READY” indicator is on. Apply the
parking brake as necessary.
● If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, in order to prevent accidents caused
by the vehicle rolling forward or backward, always depress the brake pedal
and securely apply the parking brake as needed.
■ When the vehicle is parked
●Make sure to firmly apply the parking brake and select the P position.
Failure to do so may cause the vehicle to move, or the vehicle to acceler-
ate suddenly if the accelerator pedal is accidentally depressed. Also, when
leaving the vehicle, make sure to turn off the EV system and lock the vehi-
cle.
Sound or shuddering may not be noticed even when the electric vehicle is
ready to drive (when the “READY ” indicator is illuminated).
● Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft drink cans in
the vehicle when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a
fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plastic material of glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehi-
cle's electrical components.
● Do not leave cigarette lighters in the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a
place such as the glove box or on the floor, it may be lit accidentally when
luggage is loaded or the seat is adjusted, causing a fire.

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
●
Do not attach adhesive discs to the windshield or windows. Do not place
containers such as air fresheners on the instrument panel or dashboard.
Adhesive discs or containers may act as lenses, causing a fire in the vehi-
cle.
● Do not leave a door or window open if the curved glass is coated with a
metallized film such as a silver-colored one. Reflected sunlight may cause
the glass to act as a lens, causing a fire.
■ When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the EV system off. Otherwise, you may accidentally move the
shift position or depress the accelerator pedal.
■ When braking the vehicle
●When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and may cause one
side of the vehicle to brake differently than the other side. Also the parking
brake may not securely hold the vehicle.
● If the electronically controlled brake system does not operate, do not fol-
low other vehicles closely and avoid hills or sharp turns that require brak-
ing.
In this case, braking is still possible, but the brake pedal should be
depressed more firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance will increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
● The brake system consists of 2 or more individual hydraulic systems; if
one of the systems fails, the other(s) will still operate. In this case, the
brake pedal should be depressed more firmly than usual and the braking
distance will increase. Have your brakes fixed immediately.

198 2-1. Driving procedures
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time during
driving, as this may restrain driving torque.
● Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake
pedals together to hold the vehicle on a hill.
■ Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
●Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for
an extended period of time.
Doing so may damage the power steering motor.
● When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid
damaging the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.
■ If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering
wheel firmly and gradually press the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle.
●It may be difficult to control your vehicle
● The vehicle will make abnormal sounds
● The vehicle will behave abnormally
Information on what to do in case of a flat tire ( P. 447)

199
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
NOTICE
■
When encountering flooded roads
Do not drive on a road that has flooded after heavy rain etc. Doing so may
cause the following serious damage to the vehicle.
●Short in electrical components
● Traction battery damage caused by water immersion
In the event that you drive on a flooded road and the vehicle is flooded, be
sure to have your Toyota dealer check the following.
● Brake function
● Changes in quantity and quality of transmission fluid and so forth.
● Lubricant condition for the bearings and suspension joints (where possi-
ble), and the function of all joints, bearings, etc.
● If the P position control system is damaged by flooding, it may not be pos-
sible to shift the shift position to P, or from P to other positions. When the
shift position cannot be changed from P to any other position, the front
wheels will lock, and moving the vehicle with the front wheels on the
ground will not be possible. In this case, move the vehicle with both front
wheels or all four wheels lifted.

200
2-1. Driving procedures
Power switch
Performing the following operations when carrying the electronic
key on your person starts the EV system or changes “POWER”
switch modes.
■ Starting the EV system
Check that the charging cable is disconnected. (P. 73)
Check that the parking brake is set.
Sit in the driver’s seat and firmly depress the brake pedal.
The “POWER” switch indicator turns green.
When the shift position is in N, the EV system cannot start.
Push the P position switch when starting the EV system.
Press the “POWER” switch.
Continue depressing the brake
pedal until the EV system is
completely started.
The EV system can be started
from any “POWER” switch
mode.
After a few seconds, the
“READY” indicator comes on
with a beep sound.
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