tow TOYOTA RAV4 2023 Owners Manual

3TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
4-1. Before drivingDriving the vehicle......... 179
Cargo and luggage ....... 185
Vehicle load limits ......... 188
Trailer towing ................ 189
Dinghy towing ............... 201
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without smart key
system)........................ 203
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles with smart key
system)........................ 204
Automatic transmission . 209
Turn signal lever ........... 212
Parking brake ................ 213
Brake Hold .................... 217
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch ............ 219
AHB (Automatic High Beam) .................................... 222
Fog light switch ............. 226
Windshield wipers and washer......................... 226
Rear window wiper and washer......................... 229
4-4. Refueling Opening the fuel tank cap.................................... 231
4-5. Using the driving support
systems
Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 234PCS (Pre-Collision System)
.................................... 239
LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) .................................... 250
RSA (Road Sign Assist) 261
Dynamic radar cruise control with full-speed range ... 264
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) .................................... 275
Intuitive parking assist ... 280
RCTA (Rear Cross Traffic Alert) function .............. 289
PKSB (Parking Support Brake) .......................... 294
Parking Support Brake func- tion (static objects) ...... 299
Parking Support Brake func- tion (rear-crossing vehicles)
.................................... 302
Stop & Start system....... 304
Driving mode s elect switch
.................................... 310
Multi-terrain Select (AWD vehicles) ...................... 312
Snow mode switch (AWD vehicles) ...................... 315
Downhill assist control sys- tem .............................. 316
Driving assist systems ... 318
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips .......... 325
Utility vehicle precautions .... ...

............................. 328
4Driving

4TABLE OF CONTENTS
5-1. Using the air conditioning
system and defogger
Manual air conditioning sys-
tem .............................. 332
Automatic air conditioning system ......................... 338
Heated steering wheel/seat heaters/seat ventilators 345
5-2. Using the interior lights Interior lights list ............ 348
5-3. Using the storage features List of storage features . 350
Luggage compartment fea- tures ............................ 354
5-4. Using the other interior fea- tures
Other interior features ... 359
Garage door opener...... 370
6-1. Maintenance and care Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior ............ 380
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior ............. 384
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements.................................... 387
General maintenance.... 389
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M) pro-
grams .......................... 3916-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service pre-cautions ....................... 393
Hood .............................. 395
Positioning a floor jack .. 396
Engine compartment ..... 398
Tires .............................. 405
Tire inflation pressure .... 416
Wheels .......................... 418
Air conditioning filter ...... 420
Wiper insert replacement .................................... 422
Wireless remote control/elec- tronic key battery ......... 425
Checking and replacing fuses ............................ 428
Headlight aim ................ 431
Light bulbs ..................... 432
7-1. Essential information Emergency flashers....... 440
If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency
.................................... 440
If the vehicle is submerged or water on the road is rising
.................................... 441
7-2. Steps to take in an emer- gency
If your vehicle needs to be towed ........................... 443
If you think something is wrong........................... 447
Fuel pump shut off system .................................... 448
5Interior features
6Maintenance and care
7When trouble arises

17Pictorial index
■Instrument panel
Engine switch .............................................................P.203, 204
Starting the engine/changing the modes .............P.203, 204, 207
Emergency stop of the engin e .............................................P.440
When the engine will not start ................................. .............P.472
Warning messages
*1............................................................P.4 59
Shift lever.................................................... ........................P.209
Changing the shift position.................................... ...............P.210
Precautions against towing ..................................................P.443
When the shift lever does not move............................. ........P.210
Meters ......................................................... ....................P.83, 88
Reading the meters/adjusting t he instrument panel light P.87, 9 3
Warning lights/indicator lights ................................ ................P.76
When the warning lights come on ................................ ........P.449
Multi-information display . ...........................................P.93, 102
Display ........................................................ ...................P.93, 102
When the warning messages are displayed ........................ P.459
A
B
C
D

401-1. For safe use
WARNING
●Do not sit on the edge of the
seat or lean against the dash-
board.
●Do not allow a child to stand in
front of the SRS front passenger
airbag unit or sit on the knees of
a front passenger.
●Do not allow the front seat occu-
pants to hold items on their
knees.
●Do not lean against the door,
the roof side rail or the front,
side and rear pillars.
●Do not allow anyone to kneel on
the passenger seat toward the
door or put their head or hands
outside the vehicle.
●Do not attach anything to or
lean anything against areas
such as the dashboard, steering
wheel pad and lower portion of
the instrument panel.
These items can become pro-
jectiles when the SRS driver,
front passenger and knee air-
bags deploy.
●Do not attach anything to areas
such as a door, windshield, side
window, front or rear pillar, roof
side rail and assist grip.

581-2. Child safety
buckle. Make sure that the
belt is not twisted.
Check that the shoulder belt is cor-
rectly positioned over the child’s
shoulder and that the lap belt is as
low as possible. (P.29)
■Removing a child restraint
system installed with a seat
belt
Press the buckle release button
and fully retract the seat belt.
When releasing the buckle, the
child restraint system may spring
up due to the rebound of the seat
cushion. Release the buckle while
holding down the child restraint
system.
Since the seat belt automatically
reels itself, slowly return it to the
stowing position.
WARNING
■When installing a child
restraint system
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so may result in
death or serious injury.
●Do not allow children to play
with the seat belt. If the seat belt
becomes twisted around a
child’s neck, it may lead to
choking or other serious injuries
that could result in death.
If this occurs and the buckle
cannot be unfastened, scissors
should be used to cut the belt.
●Ensure that the belt and plate
are securely locked and the
seat belt is not twisted.
●Shake the child restraint system
left and right, and forward and
backward to ensure that it has
been securely installed.
●After securing a child restraint
system, never adjust the seat.
●When a booster seat is
installed, always ensure that the
shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of the child’s
shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from the child’s neck,
but not so that it could fall off the
child’s shoulder.
●Follow all installation instruc-
tions provided by the child
restraint system manufacturer.

681-3. Emergency assistance
stances, be shared with third
parties to locate your vehicle.
Further information is available
at Toyota.com in the United
States, Toyotapr.com in Puerto
Rico and Toyota.ca in Canada.
■Emergency Assistance But-
ton (“SOS”)
In the event of an emergency on
the road, push the “SOS” button
to reach the Safety Connect
response center. The answering
agent will determine your vehi-
cle’s location, assess the emer-
gency, and dispatch the
necessary assistance required.
If you accidentally press the “SOS”
button, tell the response-center
agent that you are not experiencing
an emergency.
■Enhanced Roadside Assis-
tance
Enhanced Roadside Assistance
adds GPS data to the already
included warranty-based Toyota
roadside service.
Subscribers can press the
“SOS” button to reach a Safety
Connect response-center agent,
who can help with a wide range
of needs, such as: towing, flat
tire, fuel delivery, etc. For a
description of the Enhanced
Roadside Assistance services
and their limitations, please see
the Safety Connect Terms and
Conditions, which are available
at Toyota.com in the United
States, Toyotapr.com in Puerto Rico and Toyota.ca in Canada.
Important! Read this informa-
tion before using Safety Con-
nect.
■Exposure to radio fre-
quency signals
The Safety Connect system
installed in your vehicle is a low-
power radio transmitter and
receiver. It receives and also
sends out radio frequency (RF)
signals.
In August 1996, the Federal
Communications Commission
(FCC) adopted RF exposure
guidelines with safety levels for
mobile wireless phones. Those
guidelines are consistent with
the safety standards previously
set by the following U.S. and
international standards bodies.
 ANSI (American National
Standards Institute) C95.1
[1992]
 NCRP (National Council on
Radiation Protection and
Measurement) Report 86
[1986]
 ICNIRP (International Com-
mission on Non-Ionizing Radi-
ation Protection) [1996]
Those standards were based on
comprehensive and periodic
evaluations of the relevant sci-
Safety information for
Safety Connect

1173-1. Key information
3
Before driving
Opens and closes the power
back door
*2 ( P.129)
Sounds the alarm ( P.117)
*1: These settings must be custom-
ized at your Toyota dealer.
*2: If equipped
■Theft deterrent panic mode
Vehicles without smart key system
When is pressed for longer
than about 1 seco nd, an alarm will
sound intermittentl y and the vehicle
lights will flash to deter any person
from trying to break into or damage
your vehicle.
To stop the alarm, press any button
on the key.
Vehicles with smart key system
When is pressed for longer
than about 1 seco nd, an alarm will
sound intermittentl y and the vehicle
lights will flash to deter any person
from trying to break into or damage
your vehicle.
To stop the alarm, press any button
on the electronic key.
■Conditions affecting operation
Vehicles without smart key system
The wireless remote control function
may not operate normally in the fol-
lowing situations.
●When the wireles s 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 carrying a portable radio,
cellular phone or other wireless
communication device
●When the wireless key is in con-
tact with, or is c overed by a metal-
lic object
●When other wireless key (that
emits radio waves) is being used
nearby
●If window tint wit h a metallic con-
tent or metallic objects are
attached to the rear window
Vehicles with smart key system
 P.141
D
E

1183-1. Key information
1Releasing
To release the key, press the but-
ton.
2Folding
To stow the key back in its case,
push the key back to the stowed
position while pre ssing the button.
To take out the mechanical key,
slide the release lever and
take the key out.
The mechanical key can only be
inserted in one direction, as the key
only has grooves on one side. If the
key cannot be inserted in a lock cyl-
inder, turn it over and re-attempt to
insert it.
After using the mechanical key,
store it in the electronic key. Carry
the mechanical key together with
the electronic key. If the electronic
key battery is dep leted or the entry
function does not operate properly,
you will need the m echanical key. (
 P.474)
■When required to leave the
vehicle’s key wi th a parking
attendant
Lock the glove box as circum-
stances demand. ( P.351)
Remove the mechanical key for
your own use and p rovide the atten-
dant with the elec tronic key only.
■If you lose your keys
 P.474
■If a wrong key is used
The key cylinder rotates freely to
isolate inside mechanism.
Using the master key
(vehicles without smart
key system)
Using the mechanical key
(vehicles with smart key
system)
A

1333-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
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
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.
■Hands Free Powe r Back Door
operating conditions (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 Hands Free Power Back Door
operation is enabled ( P.98)
●The engine switch is in OFF.
●The electronic key is within the
operational range. ( P.140)
●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 Power Back Door)
In the following si tuations, 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 f or 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.141)
●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 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

1343-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
Door 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 rear bumper, such
as when the vehicle is being
washed or in heavy rain
●When dirt is wiped off the rear
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 passi ng 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 power 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 F
ree Power Back
Door operation setting off. ( P.98)
■When reconnecting the 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.