TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID 2020 Owners Manual (in English)
Page 141 of 744
1413-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
1On
2 Off
■Back door closer
In the event that the back door is left 
slightly open, the back door closer 
will automatically close it to the fully 
closed position.
Whatever the state of the power 
switch, the back door closer oper-
ates.
■Power back door operating con-
ditions
The power back door can automati-
cally open and close under the fol-
lowing conditions:
●When the power back door sys-
tem is enabled. ( P.108)
●When the power switch is in ON, 
in addition to the above for the 
opening operations, the back door 
operates for any of the following 
conditions:
• Parking brake is engaged
• The brake pedal is depressed
• The shift lever is in P.
■Operation of the power back 
door
●A buzzer sounds and the emer-
gency flashers flash twice to indi-
cate that the back door is 
opening/closing.
●When the power back door sys-
tem is disabled, the power back 
door does not ope rate but it can 
be opened and closed by hand.
●When the power back door auto-
matically opens, if an abnormality 
due to people  or objects is 
detected, oper ation will stop.
■Jam protection function
Sensors are equipped on both sides 
of the power back door. If anything 
obstructs the power back door while 
it is closing, the b ack door will auto-
matically operate in the opposite 
direction or stop.
■Fall-down protection function
While the power back door is open-
ing automatically, applying exces-
sive force to it will  stop the opening 
operation to prevent the power back 
door from suddenly shutting.
■Back door closing assist
If the back door is lowered manually 
when the back door is stopped at an 
open position, the back door will 
fully close automatically.
■Back door reserve lock function
This function is  a function which 
reserves locking of all doors, before-
hand, when the power back door is 
open.
When the following procedure is 
performed, all the doors except the 
power back door are locked and 
then power back door will also be 
locked at the same time it is closed.
1 Close all doors,  except the back 
door.
2 During the power back door clos-
ing operation, lock the doors 
using the smart key system from 
the side doors ( P.128) or the 
wireless remote control. 
(  P.128)
A buzzer sounds and the emer-
gency flashers flash to indicate that 
all the doors have been closed and 
locked.
●If the electronic key is placed 
inside the vehicle after starting a 
close operation via the door 
reserve lock function, the elec-
tronic key may become locked 
inside the vehicle.
●If the power back door does not 
fully close due to the operation of  
Page 142 of 744
1423-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
the jam protection function, etc., 
while the back doo r is automati-
cally closing after  a door reserve 
lock operation is  performed, the 
door reserve lock function is can-
celed and all the doors  will unlock.
●Before leaving the vehicle, make 
sure that all the doors are closed 
and locked.
■Kick sensor operating condi-
tions (vehicles with Hands Free 
Power Back Door)
The Hands Free Power Back Door 
will open/close automatically when 
the following cond itions are met:
●The kick sensor operation is 
enabled ( P.108)
●The power switch is in OFF.
●The electronic key is within the 
operational range. ( P.148)
●A foot is put near  the lower center 
part of the rear bumper and 
moved away from the rear 
bumper.
The power back door may also be 
operated by putting a hand, an 
elbow, a knee, etc . near the lower 
center part of the rear bumper and 
moving it away from the rear 
bumper. Make sure to put it close 
enough to the center part of the 
rear bumper.
■Situations in which the Hands 
Free Power Back Door may not 
operate properly (vehicles with 
Hands Free Powe r Back Door)
In the following  situations, the 
Hands Free Power Back Door may 
not operate properly:
●When a foot remains under the 
rear bumper
●If the rear bumper is strongly hit 
with a foot or is touched for a while
If the rear bumper has been touched 
for a while, wait for a short time 
before attempting to operate the 
Hands Free Power Back Door 
again.
●When operated while a person is 
too close to the rear bumper
●When an external radio wave 
source interferes with the commu-
nication between the electronic 
key and the vehicle ( P.149)
●When the vehicle is parked near 
an electrical noise source which 
affects the sensitivity of the Hands 
Free Power Back Door, such as a 
pay parking spot, gas station, 
electrically heated road, or fluo-
rescent light
●When the vehicle is near a TV 
tower, electric pow er plant, radio 
station, large display, airport or 
other facility that generates strong 
radio waves or electrical noise
●When a large amount of water is 
applied to the rea r bumper, such 
as when the vehicle is being 
washed or in heavy rain
●When mud, snow, ice, etc. is 
attached to the rear bumper
●When the vehicle has been 
parked for a while near objects 
that may move and contact the 
rear bumper, such as plants
●When an accessory i s installed to 
the rear bumper
If an accessory has been installed, 
turn the Hands F ree Power Back 
Door (kick sensor) operation setting 
off.
■Preventing unintentional opera-
tion of the Hands Free Power 
Back Door (vehicles with Hands 
Free Power Back Door)
When an electronic key is in the 
operation range, the Hands Free 
Power Back Door may operate unin-
tentionally, so be careful in the fol-
lowing situations.
●When a large amount of water is 
applied to the rea r bumper, such 
as when the vehicle is being 
washed or in heavy rain
●When dirt is wip ed off the rear  
Page 143 of 744
1433-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
bumper
●When a small animal or small 
object, such as a ball, moves 
under the rear bumper
●When an object is moved from 
under the rear bumper
●If someone is swinging their legs 
while sitting on the rear bumper
●If the legs or another part of some-
one’s body contacts the rear 
bumper while passing by the vehi-
cle
●When the vehicle is parked near 
an electrical noise source which 
affects the sensitivity of the Hands 
Free Power Back Door, such as a 
pay parking spot , gas station, 
electrically heated road, or fluo-
rescent light
●When the vehicle is near a TV 
tower, electric po wer plant, radio 
station, large display, airport or 
other facility that  generates strong 
radio waves or electrical noise
●When the vehicle is parked in a 
place where objects such as 
plants are near  the rear bumper
●If luggage, etc. is s et near the rear 
bumper
●If accessories or a vehicle cover is 
installed/removed near the rear 
bumper
●When the vehicle is being towed
To prevent unintentional operation, 
turn the Hands Free Power Back 
Door (kick sensor) operation setting 
off. ( P.108)
■When reconnecting the 12-volt 
battery
To enable the power back door to 
operate properly, close the back 
door manually.
■If the back door opener is inop-
erative
The back door can be unlocked 
from the inside.
1 Remove the cover. To prevent damage, cover the tip of 
the screwdriver with a rag.
2
Loosen the screw.
3 Turn the cover.
4 Move the lever.
5 When installing, reverse the 
steps listed.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. power back door 
opening angle) can be changed. 
(Customizable features:  P.701) 
Page 144 of 744
1443-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
WA R N I N G
■Back door closer
●In the event that the back door 
is left slightly open, the back 
door closer will automatically 
close it to the fully closed posi-
tion. 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 oper-
ates when the power back door 
system is canceled.
■Power back door
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 sur-
rounding area to make sure 
there are no obstacles or any-
thing 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 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 si tuations, 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 12-volt battery volt- age suddenly drops, such as 
when the power switch is turned 
to ON or the hybrid system is 
started during automatic opera-
tion
●If a bicycle carr ier or similar 
heavy object is attached to the 
back door, it may suddenly shut 
again after being opened, caus-
ing 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 recom-
mended. 
Page 145 of 744
1453-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
WA R N I N G
■Jam protection function
Observe the following precau-
tions. 
Failure to do so may cause death 
or serious injury.
●Never use any part of your body 
to intentionally a ctivate 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.
■Hands Free Power Back Door 
(if equipped)
Observe the following precautions 
when operating the Hands Free 
Power Back Door.
Failure to do so may cause death 
or serious injury.
●Check the safety of the sur-
rounding area to make sure 
there are no obstacles or any-
thing that could cause any of 
your belongings to get caught.
●When putting your foot near the 
lower center par t of the rear 
bumper and moving it from the 
rear bumper, be  careful not to 
touch the exhaust pipes until 
they have cooled down suffi-
ciently, as touching hot exhaust 
pipes can cause burns.
●Do not leave the electronic key 
within the eff ective range 
(detection area) of the luggage 
compartment.
NOTICE
■Back door spindles
The back door is equipped with 
spindles that hold the back door in 
place.
Observe the following precau-
tions. 
Failure to do so may cause dam-
age 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 h eavy accesso-
ries 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
Do not apply excessive force to 
the back door while the back door 
closer is operating. Applying 
excessive force may cause the 
back door closer t o malfunction. 
Page 146 of 744
1463-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the 
power back door
●Make sure that there is no ice 
between the back door and 
frame that would prevent move-
ment of the back door. Operat-
ing the power back door when 
excessive load is present on the 
back door may cause a mal-
function.
●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.
■Hands Free Power Back Door 
precautions (if equipped)
The kick sensor is located behind 
lower center part of the rear 
bumper. Observe  the following to 
ensure that the Hands Free 
Power Back Door function oper-
ates properly:
●Keep the lower center part of 
the rear bumper clean at all 
times.
If the lower cen ter part of the 
rear bumper is dirty or covered 
with snow, the kick sensor may 
not operate. In this situation, 
clean off the dirt or snow, move 
the vehicle from the current 
position and then check if the 
kick sensor operates.
If it does not operate, have the 
vehicle inspected by your Toy-
ota dealer.
●Do not apply coatings that have 
a rain cleari ng (hydrophilic) 
effect, or other coatings, to the 
lower center par t of the rear 
bumper.
●Do not park the vehicle near 
objects that may move and con-
tact the lower center part of the 
rear bumper, such as grass or 
trees.
If the vehicle has been parked 
for a while near objects that 
may move and contact the 
lower center part of the rear 
bumper, such as  grass or trees, 
the kick sensor may not oper-
ate. In this situation, move the 
vehicle from the current position 
and then check if the kick sen-
sor operates. If it does not oper-
ate, have the vehicle inspected 
by your Toyota dealer.
●Do not subject the kick sensor 
or its surroundi ng area to a 
strong impact.
If the kick sensor or its sur-
rounding area has been sub-
jected to a strong impact, the 
kick sensor may not operate 
properly. If the kick sensor does 
not operate in the following situ-
ations, have the vehicle 
inspected by your Toyota 
dealer.
• The kick sensor or its surround- ing area has been subjected to 
a strong impact.
• The lower center part of the rear  bumper is scratched or dam-
aged.
●Do not disassemble the rear 
bumper.
●Do not attach stickers to the 
rear bumper.
●Do not paint the rear bumper.
●If a bicycle carr ier or similar 
heavy object is attached to the 
power back doo r, disable the 
kick sensor. ( P.108) 
Page 147 of 744
1473-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
The settings of the power back 
door system can be changed by 
displaying the “Vehicle Set-
tings” - “PBD” screen from the 
 screen of the multi-informa-
tion display. ( P.108)
The changed power back door set-
tings are not reset by turning the 
power switch to OFF. In order to 
restore the original settings, they 
need to be chan ged back on the 
 screen of the multi-information 
display.
The open position of the power 
back door can be adjusted.
1 Stop the back door in the 
desirable position. ( P.138)
2 Press and hold the power 
back door switch on the back 
door for approximately 2 sec-
onds.
When the settings are completed, 
the buzzer sounds 4 times.
When opening the back door the 
next time, the back door will stop at  that position.
■Canceling the adjusted open 
position of the back door
Press and hold the power back door 
switch on the back door for approxi-
mately 7 seconds.
After the buzzer sounds 4 times, it 
sounds twice more. When the 
power back door does the opening 
operation the next  time, the door will 
open to the initial settings position.
■Customization
The opening position can be set 
with the multi-info rmation display. 
(  P.108)
Priority for the stop  position is given 
to the last position  set by either the 
power back door switch on the back 
door or multi-information display.
Changing settings of the 
power back door system 
(vehicles with power back 
door)
Adjusting the open posi-
tion of the back door 
(vehicles with power back 
door) 
Page 148 of 744
1483-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
*: If equipped
■Antenna locationAntennas outside the cabin 
(front)
Antennas outside the cabin 
(rear) (if equipped)
Antenna outside the luggage 
compartment Antennas inside the cabin
■Effective range 
(areas within 
which the electronic key is 
detected)
When locking or unlocking the 
doors
The system can be operated when 
the electronic key is within about 2.3 
ft. (0.7 m) of the fro nt door handles, 
rear door handles (if equipped) and 
back door opener s witch. (Only the 
doors detecting the key can be 
operated.)
When starting the hybrid system 
or changing power switch modes
The system can be operated when 
the electronic key i s inside the vehi-
cle.
■If an alarm sounds or a warning 
message is displayed
An alarm sounds and warning mes-
sage displays shown on the multi-
information display are used to pro-
tect against unexpected accidents 
or theft of the vehicl e resulting from 
erroneous operation. When a warn-
ing message is displayed, take 
appropriate measures based on the 
displayed message.
When only an alarm sounds, cir-
cumstances and correction proce-
dures are as follows.
Smar t key system*
The following operations 
can be performed simply by 
carrying the electronic key 
on your person, for example 
in your pocket. The driver 
should always carry the 
electronic key.
 Locks and unlocks the side 
doors ( P.128)
 Locks and unlocks the back 
door ( P.135)
 Starts the hybrid system 
( P.212)
A
B
C
D
A
B 
Page 149 of 744
1493-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
●When an exterior alarm sounds 
once for 5 seconds
●When an interior alarm pings con-
tinuously
■Battery-saving function
The battery-saving function will be 
activated in order to prevent the 
electronic key battery and the 12-
volt battery from being discharged 
while the vehicle is  not in operation 
for a long time.
●In the following situations, the 
smart key system may take some 
time to unlock the doors.
• The electronic key has been left in 
an area of approximately 6 ft. (2 
m) of the outside of the vehicle for 
10 minutes or longer.
• The smart key system has not  been used for 5 days or longer.
●If the smart key system has not 
been used for 14 days or longer, 
the doors canno t be unlocked at 
any doors except the driver’s door. 
In this case, take hold of the 
driver’s door handle, or use the 
wireless remote control or the  mechanical key, to unlock the 
doors.
■Turning an electronic key to 
battery-saving mode
●When battery-saving mode is set, 
battery depletion is minimized by 
stopping the electronic key from 
receiving radio waves.
Press   twice while pressing 
and holding  .
Confirm that the ele ctronic key indi-
cator flashes 4 times. 
While the battery-saving mode is 
set, the smart key system cannot be 
used. To cancel the function, press 
any of the electronic key buttons.
●Electronic keys that will not be 
used for long periods of time can 
be set to the battery-saving mode 
in advance.
■Conditions affecting operation
The smart key system uses weak 
radio waves. In the following situa-
tions, the communication between 
the electronic key  and the vehicle 
may be affected, preventing the 
smart key system, wireless remote 
control and immobilizer system from 
operating properly.
(Ways of coping:  P.663)
●When the electronic key battery is 
depleted
●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 the electronic key is in con-
SituationCorrection pro-
cedure
An attempt was 
made to lock the 
vehicle while a 
door was open.Close all of the 
doors and lock 
the doors again.
SituationCorrection pro-cedure
The power 
switch was 
turned to ACC 
while the driver’s 
door was open 
(or the driver’s 
door was opened 
while the power 
switch was in 
ACC).
Turn the power 
switch to OFF 
and close the 
driver’s door. 
Page 150 of 744
1503-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
tact with, or is covered by the fol-
lowing metallic objects
• Cards to which al uminum foil is 
attached
• Cigarette boxes that have alumi- num foil inside
• Metallic wallets or bags
• Coins
• Hand warmers made of metal
• Media such as CDs and DVDs
●When other wireless key (that 
emits radio waves) is being used 
nearby
●When carrying the electronic key 
together with the following devices 
that emit radio waves
• Portable radio, cellular phone,  cordless phone or other wireless 
communication devices
• Another vehicle’s electronic key or  a wireless key that emits radio 
waves
• Personal computers or personal  digital assistants (PDAs)
• Digital audio players
• Portable game systems
●If window tint with a metallic con-
tent or metallic objects are 
attached to the rear window
●When the electronic key is placed 
near a battery charger or elec-
tronic devices
●When parking in a coin-operated 
parking lot (Radio waves used to 
detect vehicles may affect the 
smart key system.)
■Note for the entry function
●Even when the electronic key is 
within the effective range (detec-
tion areas), the system may not 
operate properly in the following 
cases:
• The electronic key is too close to  the window or outside door han-
dle, near the ground, or in a high 
place when the doors are locked 
or unlocked.
• The electronic key is on the instru- ment panel, luggage cover or 
floor, or in the door pockets or 
glove box when the hybrid system  is started or power switch modes 
are changed.
●Do not leave the electronic key on 
top of the instrument panel or near 
the door pockets when exiting the 
vehicle. Depending on the radio 
wave reception conditions, it may 
be detected by the antenna out-
side the cabin and the door will 
become lockable from the outside, 
possibly trapping the electronic 
key inside the vehicle.
●As long as the electronic key is 
within the effective range, the 
doors may be locked or unlocked 
by anyone. However, only the 
doors detecting the electronic key 
can be used to unlock the vehicle.
●Even if the electro
nic key is not 
inside the vehicle, it may be possi-
ble to start the hybrid system if the 
electronic key is near the window.
●The doors may unlock if a large 
amount of water splashes on the 
door handle, such as in the rain or 
in a car wash when the electronic 
key is within the effective range. 
(The doors will au tomatically be 
locked after approximately 60 sec-
onds if the doors are not opened 
and closed.)
●If the wireless remote control is 
used to lock the doors when the 
electronic key is near the vehicle, 
there is a possib ility that the door 
may not be unlocked by the entry 
function. (Use the wireless remote 
control to unlock the doors.)
●Touching the door lock sensor 
while wearing gloves may delay or 
prevent lock operation. Remove 
the gloves and touch the lock sen-
sor again.
●When the lock operation is per-
formed using the lock sensor, rec-
ognition signals will be shown up 
to two consecutive times. After 
this, no recognition signals will be 
given.
●If the door handle becomes wet 
while the electronic key is within