Center TOYOTA RAV4 1998 Owners Manual

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Instrument panel overview
1. Side vents
2. Instrument cluster
3. Center vents
4. Electric moon roof switch and personallights
5. Glovebox
6. Power door lock switches
7. Power window switches
8. Parking brake lever
9. Automatic transmission selector lever or manual transmission gear shift lever
10. Ashtray 11. Hood lock release lever

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1. Instrument panel light control knob
2. Headlight and turn signal switch
3. Wiper and washer switches
4. Clock
5. Center differential lock button or driving
pattern selector button
6. Air conditioning controls
7. Emergency flasher switch
8. Rear window defogger switch
9. Car audio
10. Cigarette lighter 11. Ignition switch
12. Cruise control switch
13. Tilt steering lock release lever
14. Power rear view mirror control switch

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* 1
: For details, see ºService reminder indicators and warning
buzzersº in Chapter 1- 5.
* 2
: If this light flashes, see ºCruise controlº in Chapter 1- 6.
Cruise control indicator light *
2
Center differential lock indicator light
Driving pattern indicator light
Overdrive- off indicator light
Automatic transmission indicator light

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Head restraints
For your safety, adjust the head re-
straint before driving.
To raise: Pull it up.
To lower: Push it down while pressing the
lock release button.
The head restraint is most effective when
it is close to your head. Therefore, using
a cushion on the seatback is not recom-
mended.
CAUTION

Adjust the center of the head re-
straint so that it is closest to the
top of your ears.
After adjusting the head restraint,
make sure it is locked in position.
Do not drive with the head re-
straints removed.
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passengers in the vehicle be properly re-
strained at all times with the seat belts
provided. Failure to do so could increase
the chance of injury and/or the severity of
injury in accidents.
Child. Use a child restraint system ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle's seat belts. See ºChild restraintº
for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s hould sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle's seat belt. According to accident
statistics, the child is safer when properly
restrained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
If a child must sit in the front seat, the
seat belts should be worn properly. If an
accident occurs and seat belts are not
worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the airbag may cause death or
serious injury to the child. Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions

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CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt
is positioned across the center of
your shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from your neck, but not
falling off your shoulder. Failure to
do so could reduce the amount of
protection in an accident and cause
serious injuries in a collision.Take up slack
Too high
Keep as low on hips as possible
Adjust the position of the lap and
shoulder belts.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hipsÐnot on your waist, then ad-
just it to a snug fit by pulling the s houlder
portion upward through the latch plate.
CAUTION
High- positioned lap belts and
loose- fitting belts both could cause
serious injuries due to sliding un-
der the lap belt during a collision
or other unintended result. Keep
the lap belt positioned as low on
hips as possible.
For your safety, do not place the
shoulder belt under your arm.

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To release the belt, press the buckle- re-
lease button and allow the belt to re-
tract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull
it out and check for kinks or twists. Then
make sure it remains untwisted as it re-
tracts.
Lengthen
Sit up straight and well back in the
seat. To fasten your belt, insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
If the belt is not long enough for you, hold
the tab at a right angle to the belt and
pull on the tab.CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the belt is not twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in
the buckle as this may prevent you
from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, immediately contact your
Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat
until the seat belt is fixed. It cannot
protect an adult occupant or your
child from injury.
ÐRear center seat belt
(4- door hardtop)

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1. Run the center lap belt through or around the infant seat following the
instructions provided by its manufactur-
er and insert the tab into the buckle
taking care not to twist the lap belt.
CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap belt is not twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in
the buckle as this may prevent you
from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your
Toyota dealer immediately. Do not
use the seat until the seat belt is
fixed.
2. While pressing the infant seat firmly
against the seat cushion and seatback,
tighten the lap belt by pulling its free
end to hold the infant seat securely.

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CAUTION
Do not put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the rear seat if it
interferes with the lock mechanism of
the front seats. This can cause severe
injury to the child and front passen-
ger in case of sudden braking or a
collision.
1. Run the center lap belt through or around the convertible seat following
the instructions provided by its
manufacturer and insert the tab into
the buckle taking care not to twist the
lap belt.
CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap belt is not twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in
the buckle as this may prevent you
from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your
Toyota dealer immediately. Do not
use the seat until the seat belt is
fixed.

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1. Sit the child on a booster seat. Runthe lap and shoulder belt through or
around the booster seat and child fol-
lowing the instructions provided by its
manufacturer and insert the tab into
the buckle taking care not to twist the
belt.
Make sure the shoulder belt is correctly
across the child's shoulder and that the
lap belt is positioned as low as possible
on child's hips. See ºSeat beltsº for de-
tails.
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt
is positioned across the center of
child's shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from child's neck, but
not falling off child's s houlder. Fail-
ure to do so could reduce the
amount of protection in an accident
and cause serious injuries in a col-
lision.
High- positioned lap belts and
loose- fitting belts both could cause
serious injuries due to sliding un-
der the lap belt during a collision.
Keep the lap belt positioned as low
on hips as possible.
For child's safety, do not place the
shoulder belt under child's arm.
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap and shoulder portions
of the belt are not twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in
the buckle as this may prevent you
from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your
Toyota dealer immediately. Do not
use the seat until the seat belt is
fixed.

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The personal lights operate separately
with each outer switch.
To turn on the light, push the switch on
your side. To turn the light off, push the
switch once again.
The center switch has the following posi-
tions:
ºDOORºÐTurns both lights on when either
front door is opened. The light goes off
when both front doors are closed.
ºOFFºÐThe lights are off unless you oper-
ate either outer switch. Windshield wipers and washerTo turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the ºONº position.
Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you and release it.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts. For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see ºAdding washer fluidº in Chapter 7- 3.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch theglass.
Personal lights
(without moon roof)