fold seats TOYOTA RAV4 1997 Owners Manual

Part 1Seats Front seatsÐ
ÐSeat adjustment precautions
21
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS ANDCONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-3 Seats, Seat belts, Steering wheel and Mirrors
Seats
Front seats
Rear seats
Flattening seatbacks
Head restraints
Seat belts
SRS airbags
Child restraint
Tilt steering wheel
Outside rear view mirrors
Anti-glare inside rear view mir- ror
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle
occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belt provided.
CAUTION!
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow sitting on top of a folded-
down seatback, or in the luggage
compartment. Persons not proper-
ly seated and not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be se-
verely injured in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow pas-
sengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Severe inju-
ries can occur in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision. Adjust the driver's seat so that the foot
pedals, steering wheel and instrument
panel
controls are within easy reach of the
driver.CAUTION!
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When adjusting the seat, be careful not to hit the seat against a passen- ger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position,try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is locked in posi- tion.
After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.
Do not put objects under the seats
as they may interfere with the seat-
lock mechanism or unexpectedly
push up the seat position adjusting
lever; the seat may suddenly move,
causing the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.

24
CAUTION!
Adjustments should not be made while the vehicle is moving.
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision,
avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts
provide maximum protection
when the passengers are sitting up straight and well back in the
seats. If you are reclined, the lap
belt may slide past your hips and
apply restraint forces directly to
the abdomen. Therefore, in the
event of a frontal collision, the risk
of personal injury may increase
with increasing recline of the seat-
back.
After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.
1. Remove the head restraint. Unlock
the seatback and fold it down.
Folding up the rear seats will enlarge the
luggage compartment. See Luggagestowage precautionsº in Part 2 for precau-
tions to observe in loading luggage.2. Unlock the seat cushion. Swing the
whole seat up and forward.
ÐFolding up rear seats (2-door models)

26
BEFORE FOLDING REAR SEAT
Stow the rear seat belts as shown in
the illustration.
This prevents the belts from falling out
when you fold the seatbacks.
NOTICE
The seat belts must be stowed before you fold the seatback.
FOLDING REAR SEAT
1. Remove the head restraint. Unlock the seatback and fold it down.
Folding up the rear seats will enlarge the
luggage compartment. See Luggage stowage precautionsº in Part 2 for precau-
tions to observe in loading luggage.2. Unlock the seat cushion. Swing the
whole seat up and forward.
ÐFolding up rear seats (4-door models)

35
To release the belt, press the buckle-
release button.The rear seat belts can be stowed
when not in use.
Seat belts must be stowed before you fold
the seatback. (See Rear seats-Folding
up rear seatsº in this chapter.) If your seat belt cannot be fastened se- curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer
so that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the heaviest
coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is avail-
able at your Toyota dealer.
ÐStowing the rear seat belts (4-door models)
ÐSeat belt extender

157
Tire surface and wheel nuts Check the tires carefully
for cuts, damage
or excessive wear. See Chapter 7-2 for
additional information. When checking the tires, make sure no nuts are missing,
and check the nuts for looseness. T ighten
them if necessary.
Tire rotation
Rotate the tires every 12000 km (7500
miles). See Chapter 7-2 for additional in-formation.
Fluid leaks Check underneath for leaking fuel, oil, wa-
ter or other fluid after the vehicle has been
parked for a while. If you smell fuel fumes
or notice any leak, have the cause found
and corrected immediately. Doors and engine hood Check that all doors and back door oper-
ate smoothly and all latches lock securely. Make sure the engine hood secondary latch secures the hood from opening
when the primary latch is released. INSIDE THE VEHICLE Items listed below should be checked
regularly, e.g. while performing peri-
odic services, cleaning the vehicle,etc. Lights Make sure the headlights, stop lights, tail lights, turn signal lights, and other lights are all working. Check headlight aim. Service reminder indicators and
warn-
ing buzzers Check that all service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers function properly. Steering wheel
Check that it has the specified freeplay.
Be alert for changes in steering condition,such as hard steering or strange noise. Seats Check that all seat controls such as seat
adjusters, seatback recliner, etc. operate
smoothly and that all latches lock securely
in any position. For folding-up rear
seat-backs, check that the latches lock
securely. Seat belts
Check that the seat belt system such as
buckles, retractors and anchors operate
properly
and smoothly. Make sure the belt
webbing is not cut, frayed, worn or dam-aged. Accelerator pedal Check the pedal for smooth operation and
uneven pedal effort or catching. Clutch pedal Check the pedal for smooth operation. Brake pedal Check the pedal for smooth operation and
that the pedal has the proper clearance. Check the brake booster function. Brakes
At a safe place, check that the brakes do not pull to one side when applied. Parking brake Check that the lever has the proper travel and that, on a safe incline, your vehicle is
held securely with only the parking brake applied.