transmission TOYOTA RAV4 2021 Owners Manual (in English)

3TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Trailer towing ................181
Dinghy towing ............... 193
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch (vehi-cles without smart key sys-
tem) ............................. 195
Engine (ignition) switch (vehi- cles with smart key system).................................... 196
Automatic transmission . 201
Turn signal lever ........... 204
Parking brake ................ 205
Brake Hold .................... 208
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch ............ 211
AHB (Automatic High Beam) .................................... 214
Fog light switch ............. 217
Windshield wipers and washer......................... 218
Rear window wiper and washer......................... 221
4-4. Refueling Opening the fuel tank cap.................................... 223
4-5. Using the driving support
systems
Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 226
PCS (Pre-Collision System) .................................... 232
LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) .................................... 240
RSA (Road Sign Assist) 250
Dynamic radar cruise control with full-speed range ... 253BSM (Blind Spot Monitor)
.................................... 264
Intuitive parking assist ... 273
PKSB (Parking Support Brake) .......................... 281
Parking Support Brake func- tion (static objects) ...... 286
Parking Support Brake func- tion (rear-crossing vehicles).................................... 292
Rear view monitor system .................................... 296
Toyota parking assist monitor .................................... 304
Panoramic view monitor 317
Stop & Start system....... 349
Driving mode s elect switch
.................................... 355
Multi-terrain Select (AWD vehicles) ...................... 357
Snow mode switch (AWD vehicles) ...................... 361
Downhill assist control sys- tem .............................. 362
Driving assist systems ... 364
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips .......... 371
Utility vehicle precautions ....

................................ 374
5-1. Basic function Buttons overview ........... 379
Menu screen.................. 381
Status icon..................... 382
“Setup” screen ............... 384
5Audio

9
Anti-lock brake system
 SRS airbag system
 Seat belt pretensioner system
Be sure to check with your
Toyota dealer for precautionary
measures or special instructions
regarding installation of a mobile
two-way radio system.
The vehicle is equipped with
sophisticated computers that will
record certain data, such as:
• Engine speed/ Electric motor speed (traction motor speed)
• Accelerator status
• Brake status
• Vehicle speed
• Operation status of the driving assist systems
• Images from the cameras Your vehicle is equipped with
cameras.
Contact your Toyota dealer
for the location of recording
cameras.
The recorded data varies
according to the vehicle grade
level and options with which it is
equipped.
These computers do not record
conversations or sounds, and
only record images outside of
the vehicle in certain situations.
 Data Transmission
Your vehicle may transmit the data
recorded in these computers to
Toyota without not ification to you.
Data usage
Toyota may use the data recorded
in this computer to diagnose mal-
functions, conduct research and
development, and improve quality.
Toyota will not disclose the
recorded data to a third party
except:
• With the consen t of the vehicle
owner or with the consent of the
lessee if the vehicle is leased
• In response to an official request by the police, a court of law or a
government agency
• For use by Toyota in a lawsuit
• For research purposes where the data is not tied to a specific vehi-
cle or vehicle owner
 Recorded image information
can be erased by your Toyota
dealer.
The image recording function can
be disabled. However, if the func-
tion is disabled, data from when the
system operates will not be avail-
able.
To learn more about the vehi-
cle data collected, used and
shared by Toyota, please visit
www.toyota.com/privacyvts/
.
If your Toyota has Safety Con-
nect and if you have subscribed
to those services, please refer to
the Safety Connect Telematics
Subscription Service Agreement
Vehicle data recording
Usage of data collected
through Safety Connect
(U.S.mainland only)

169
4
4
Driving
Driving
4-1. Before drivingDriving the vehicle....... 171
Cargo and luggage ..... 177
Vehicle load limits ....... 180
Trailer towing .............. 181
Dinghy towing ............. 193
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without smart key
system)...................... 195
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles with smart key
system)...................... 196
Automatic transmission 201
Turn signal lever ......... 204
Parking brake .............. 205
Brake Hold .................. 208
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch .......... 211
AHB (Automatic High Beam)........................ 214
Fog light switch ........... 217
Windshield wipers and washer....................... 218
Rear window wiper and washer....................... 221
4-4. Refueling Opening the fuel tank cap.................................. 2234-5. Using the dr
iving support
systems
Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 .................................. 226
PCS (Pre-Collision System) .................................. 232
LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) .................................. 240
RSA (Road Sign Assist) .................................. 250
Dynamic radar cruise con- trol with full-speed range.................................. 253
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) .................................. 264
Intuitive parking assist . 273
PKSB (Parking Support Brake) ........................ 281
Parking Support Brake func- tion (static objects) .... 286
Parking Support Brake func- tion (rear-crossing vehi-
cles) ........................... 292
Rear view monitor system .................................. 296
Toyota parking assist moni- tor .............................. 304
Panoramic view monitor .................................. 317
Stop & Start system .... 349
Driving mode select switch .................................. 355

1744-1. Before driving
WARNING
■When driving on slippery
road surfaces
●Sudden braking, acceleration
and steering may cause tire
slippage and reduce your ability
to control the vehicle.
●Sudden acceleration, engine
braking due to shifting, or
changes in engine speed could
cause the vehicle to skid.
●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 prop-
erly. If the brakes on only one
side are wet and not functioning
properly, steering control may
be affected.
■When shifting the shift lever
●Do not let the vehicle roll back-
ward while the shift lever is in a
driving position, or roll forward
while the shift lever is in R.
Doing so may cause the engine
t o st all or lea d to po o r br ak e a nd
steering performance, resulting
in an accident or damage to the
vehicle.
●Do not shift the shift lever to P
while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so can damage the trans-
mission and may result in a loss
of vehicle control.
●Do not shift the shift lever to R
while the vehicle is moving for-
ward.
Doing so can damage the trans-
mission and may result in a loss
of vehicle control.
●Do not shift the shift lever to a
driving position while the vehicle
is moving backward.
Doing so can damage the trans-
mission and may result in a loss
of vehicle control.
●Moving the shift lever to N while
the vehicle is moving will disen-
gage the engine from the trans-
mission. Engine braking is not
available when N is selected.
●Be careful not to shift the shift
lever with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Shifting the shift lever to a gear
other than P or N may lead to
unexpected rapid acceleration
of the vehicle that may cause an
accident and result in death or
serious injury. Doing so can
damage the transmission and
may result in a loss of vehicle
control.
■If you hear a squealing or
scraping noise (brake pad
wear limit indicators)
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.
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not race the engine.
If the vehicle is in any gear other
than P or N, the vehicle may
accelerate suddenly and unex-
pectedly, causin g an accident.
●In order to prevent accidents
due to the vehicle rolling away,
always keep depressing the
brake pedal while the engine is
running, and apply the parking
brake as necessary.

1914-1. Before driving
4
Driving
vehicle control. This is espe-
cially true on wet or slippery
surfaces.
 Avoid jerky starts or sudden
acceleration.
 Avoid jerky steering and
sharp turns, and slow down
before making turn.
 Note that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be
closer than the vehicle wheels
to the inside of the turn. Com-
pensate by making a wider
than normal turning radius.
 Slow down before making a
turn, in cross winds, on wet or
slippery surfaces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can
destabilize the trailer.
Take care when passing other
vehicles. Passing requires
considerable distance. After
passing a vehicle, do not for-
get the length of your trailer,
and be sure you have plenty
of room before changing
lanes.
 To maintain engine braking
efficiency and charging sys-
tem performance when using
engine braking, do not put the
transmission in D. If in the S
mode, the transmission shift
range position must be in 6 or
lower.
 Instability happens more fre-
quently when descending
steep or long downhill grades. Before descending, slow
down and downshift. Do not
make sudden downshifts
while descending steep or
long downhill grades.
 Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or applying the
brakes too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to
overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.
 Due to the added load of the
trailer, your vehicle’s engine
may overheat on hot days (at
temperatures over 85°F
[30°C]) when driving up a long
or steep grade. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge
indicates overheating, imme-
diately turn off the air condi-
tioning (if in use), pull your
vehicle off the road and stop
in a safe spot. ( P.670)
 Always place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle’s and
the trailer’s wheels when
parking. Apply the parking
brake firmly, and put the
transmission in P. Avoid park-
ing on a slope, but if unavoid-
able, do so only after
performing the following:
1 Apply the brakes and keep
them applied.
2 Have someone place wheel
blocks under both the vehi-
cle’s and trailer’s wheels.

1924-1. Before driving
3When the wheel blocks are in
place, release the brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb
the load.
4 Apply the parking brake
firmly.
5 Shift into P and turn off the
engine.
 When restarting after parking
on a slope:
1 With the transmission in P,
start the engine. Be sure to
keep the brake pedal
depressed.
2 Shift into a forward gear. If
reversing, shift into R.
3 If the parking brake is in man-
ual mode, release the park-
ing brake. ( P.205)
4 Release the brake pedal, and
slowly pull or back away from
the wheel blocks. Stop and
apply the brakes.
5 Have someone retrieve the
blocks.
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped
with any new power train compo-
nents (such as an engine, transmis-
sion, differential or wheel bearing),
Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer unt il the vehicle has
been driven for over 500 miles (800
km).
After the vehicle has been driven for
over 500 miles (800 km), you can
start towing. However, for the next
500 miles (800 km), drive the vehi-
cle at a speed of less than 45 mph
(72 km/h) when towing a trailer, and avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a traile
r, your vehicle
will require more fr equent mainte-
nance due to the additional load.
(See “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner ’s Manual Sup-
plement”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the
towing ball and bracket after
approximately 600 miles (1000
km) of tra iler towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds,
passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.)
can adversely affect handling of
your vehicle and t railer, causing
instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to contr ol trailer sway-
ing by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator
pedal immediately but very gradu-
ally to reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not
apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction
with the steering or brakes, your
vehicle and trailer should stabilize (if
enabled, Trailer Sway Control can
also help to stabilize the vehicle and
trailer.).
●After the trailer swaying has
stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occu-
pants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer. Make sure the load has not
shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is
appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle.
Make sure the vehicle is not over-
loaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the

1934-1. Before driving
4
Driving
speed at which trailer swaying
occurred is beyond the limit of your
particular vehicle-trailer combina-
tion. Drive at a lower speed to pre-
vent instability . Remember that
swaying of the towing vehicle-trailer
increases as speed increases.Dinghy towing
Your vehicle is not designed
to be dinghy towed (with 4
wheels on the ground)
behind a motor home.
NOTICE
■To avoid serious damage to
your vehicle
Do not tow your vehicle with 4
wheels on the ground.
■To prevent causing serious
damage to the transmission
and AWD system (AWD mod-
els)
2WD models: Never tow this vehi-
cle from the rear with the front
wheels on the ground. This may
cause serious damage to the
transmission.

1944-1. Before driving
NOTICE
AWD models: Never tow this vehi-
cle with any of the wheels on the
ground. This may cause serious
damage to the transmission and
AWD system.

2014-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
*1: Shifting to the D position allows the system to select a gear suit-
able for the driving conditions.
Setting the shift lever to the D
position is recommended for nor-
mal driving.
*2: Selecting shift ranges using S mode restricts the upper limit of
the possible gear ranges, con-
trols engine brak ing force, and
prevents unnecessary upshifting.
■When driving with dynamic
radar cruise control with full-
speed range activated
Even when performing the following
actions with the in tent of enabling
engine braking, e ngine braking will
not activate because dynamic radar
cruise control with full-speed range will not be canceled.
●While driving in S mode, down-
shifting to 7, 6
, 5, or 4. (P.203)
●When switching th e driving mode
to sport mode while driving in D.
(  P.355)
■If “High Transmission Fluid
Temp See Owner’s Manual” is
displayed on the multi-informa-
tion display (AWD models)
Make sure to return to D position
driving and reduce speed by easing
off the accelerato r pedal. Stop the
vehicle in a safe place, shift the shift
lever to P and let the engine idle
until the warning message goes out.
When the warning message goes
out, the vehicle can be driven again.
If the warning message does not go
out after waiting a while, have your
vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer.
■Restraining sudden start (Drive-
Start Control)
 P.172
■AI-SHIFT
The AI-SHIFT automa tically selects
the suitable gear according to driver
performance and driving conditions.
The AI-SHIFT automatically oper-
ates when the shift lever is in D.
(Shifting the shift lever to S cancels
the function.)
Automatic transmis-
sion
Select the shift position
depending on your purpose
and situation.
Shift position purpose
and functions
Shift
positionObjective or function
PParking the vehi-
cle/starting the engine
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2
(  P.203)
WARNING
■When driving on slippery
road surfaces
Do not accelerate or shift gears
suddenly.
Sudden changes in engine brak-
ing may cause the vehicle to spin
or skid, resulting in an accident.

2044-2. Driving procedures
■Downshifting restriction warn-
ing buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving
performance, downshifting opera-
tion may sometimes b e restricted. In
some circumstances, downshifting
may not be possible even when the
shift lever is operated. (A buzzer will
sound twice.)
■If the “S” indicator does not
come on or the “D” indicator is
displayed even after shifting the
shift lever to S
This may indicate a malfunction in
the automatic tra nsmission system.
Have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer imme diately. (In this
situation, the transmission will oper-
ate in the same manner as when the
shift lever is in D.)
1 Right turn
2 Lane change to the right
(move the lever partway and
release it)
The right hand s ignals will flash 3
times.
3 Lane change to the left
(move the lever partway and
release it)
The left hand signals will flash 3
times.
4Left turn
■Turn signals can be operated
when
The engine switch is in ON.
■If the indicator flashes faster
than usual
Check that a light bulb in the front or
rear turn signal lights has not
Turn signal lever
Operating instructions