TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID 2021 Owners Manual
Manufacturer: TOYOTA, Model Year: 2021, Model line: RAV4 HYBRID, Model: TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID 2021Pages: 752, PDF Size: 31.25 MB
Page 631 of 752

6317-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
again after installing the bulb base.
6Reinstall the cover.
WARNING
■Replacing light bulb
●Turn off the light. Do not attempt 
to replace the bulb immediately 
after turning off the light. 
The bulb become very hot and 
may cause burns.
●Do not touch the  glass portion 
of the light bulb with bare 
hands. When it is unavoidable 
to hold the glass portion, use 
and hold with a clean dry cloth 
to avoid getting moisture and 
oils on the bulb. 
Also, if the bulb is scratched or 
dropped, it may blow out or 
crack.
●Fully install light bulb and any 
parts used to secure it. Failure 
to do so may result in heat dam-
age, fire, or water entering the 
light unit. This may damage the 
light or cause condensation to 
build up on the lens.
●Do not attempt to repair or dis-
assemble light bulbs, connec-
tors, electric circuits or 
component parts.
Doing so may res ult in death or 
serious injury due to electric 
shock.
■To prevent damage or fire
●Make sure bulb is fully seated 
and locked.
●Check the wattage of the bulb 
before installing  to prevent heat 
damage. 
Page 632 of 752

6327-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Page 633 of 752

633
8
8
When trouble arises
When trouble arises
8-1. Essential informationEmergency flashers .... 634
If your vehicle has to be  stopped in an emergency
.................................. 635
If the vehicle is trapped in  rising water ................ 636
8-2. Steps to take in an emer- gency
If your vehicle needs to be  towed......................... 637
If you think something is  wrong ........................ 641
If a warning light turns on or  a warning buzzer sounds
.................................. 642
If a warning message is dis- played........................ 654
If you have a flat tire.... 658
If the hybrid system will not  start ........................... 667
If you lose your keys ... 668
If the fuel filler door cannot  be opened ................. 669
If the electronic key does  not operate properly (vehi-
cles with smart key sys-
tem) ........................... 670
If the 12-volt battery is dis- charged ..................... 672
If your vehicle overheats .................................. 677If the vehicle becomes stuck
.................................. 680 
Page 634 of 752

6348-1. Essential information
8-1.Essential information
Press the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash.
To turn them off, press the switch 
once again.
■Emergency flashers
●If the emergency flashers are 
used for a long time while the 
hybrid system is not operating 
(while the “READY” indicator is 
not illuminated), the 12-volt bat-
tery may discharge.
●If any of the SRS airbags deploy 
(inflate) or in the event of a strong 
rear impact, the emergency flash-
ers will turn on automatically.
The emergency flashers will turn 
off automatically after operating 
for approximatel y 20 minutes. To 
manually turn t he emergency 
flashers off, press the switch 
twice. (The emergency flashers 
may not turn on automatically 
depending on the force of the 
impact and conditions of the colli- sion.)
Emergency flashers
The emergency flashers are 
used to warn other drivers 
when the vehicle has to be 
stopped in the road due to a 
breakdown, etc.
Operating instructions 
Page 635 of 752

6358-1. Essential information
8
When trouble arises
1Steadily step on the brake 
pedal with both feet and 
firmly depress it.
Do not pump the brake pedal 
repeatedly as this will increase the 
effort required to slow the vehicle.
2Shift the shift lever to N.
If the shift lever is shifted to N
3 After slowing down, stop the 
vehicle in a safe place by the 
road.
4 Stop the hybrid system.
If the shift lever cannot be 
shifted to N
3 Keep depressing the brake 
pedal with both feet to reduce 
vehicle speed as much as 
possible.
4 Perform the following proce-
dure to stop the hybrid sys-
tem:
Vehicles without smart key 
system
Turn the power s witch to ACC.
Vehicles with smart key sys-
tem
Press and hold the power switch for 
2 consecutive seconds or more, or 
press it briefly 3 times or more in 
succession.
5Stop the vehicle in a safe 
place by the road.
If your vehicle has to 
be stopped in an emer-
gency
Only in an emergency, such 
as if it becomes impossible 
to stop the vehicle in the 
normal way, stop the vehi-
cle using the following pro-
cedure:
Stopping the vehicle
WARNING
■If the hybrid system has to be 
turned off while driving
●Power assist for the steering 
wheel will be lost, making the 
steering wheel heavier to turn. 
Decelerate as much as possible 
before turning off the hybrid sys-
tem.
●Vehicles without smart key sys-
tem: Never atte mpt to remove 
the key, as doing so will lock the 
steering wheel. 
Page 636 of 752

6368-1. Essential information
Remove the seat belt first.
 If the door can be opened, 
open the door and exit the 
vehicle.
 If the door can not be opened, 
open the window using the 
power window switch and exit 
the vehicle through the win-
dow.
 If the window can not be 
opened using the power win-
dow switch, remain calm, wait 
until the water level inside the 
vehicle rises to the point that 
the water pressure inside of 
the vehicle equals the water 
pressure outside of the vehi-
cle, and then open the door 
and exit the vehicle.
If the vehicle is 
trapped in rising water
In the event the vehicle is 
submerged in water, remain 
calm and perform the fol-
lowing.
WARNING
■Using an emergency hammer* 
for emergency escape
The front side windows and rear 
side windows, as well as the rear 
window can be shattered with an 
emergency hammer
* used for 
emergency escape. However, an 
emergency hammer can not shat-
ter the windshield as it is lami-
nated glass.
*: Contact your Toyota dealer, or 
aftermarket accessory manu-
facturer for furt her information 
about an emergency hammer.
■Escaping the vehicle from the 
window
There are cases where escaping 
the vehicle from the window is not 
possible due to seating position, 
passenger body type, etc.
When using an emergency ham-
mer, consider your seat location 
and the size of the window open-
ing to ensure that the opening is 
accessible and large enough to 
escape. 
Page 637 of 752

6378-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
8-2.Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs 
to be towed
If towing is necessary, we 
recommend having your 
vehicle towed by your 
Toyota dealer or commer-
cial towing service, using a 
wheel-lift type truck or flat-
bed truck.
Use a safety chain system 
for all towing, and abide by 
all state/provincial and local 
laws.
If towing your vehicle with a 
wheel-lift type truck, use a 
towing dolly. (P.637, 638)
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may result 
in death or serious injury.
■When towing the vehicle
Be sure to transp ort the vehicle 
with all four wheels raised off the 
ground. If the vehicle is towed 
with the tires co ntacting the 
ground, the drivetrain or related 
parts may be damaged, the vehi-
cle may fly off the truck, or elec-
tricity generated by the operation 
of the motor may cause a fire to 
occur depending o n the nature of 
the damage or malfunction.
■While towing (vehicles with 
towing eyelet)
●When towing using cables or 
chains, avoid sudden starts, etc. 
which place excessive stress on 
the towing eyelets, cables or 
chains. The towing eyelets, 
cables or chains may become 
damaged, broken debris may hit 
people, and cause serious dam-
age.
●Do not turn the power switch to 
OFF.
There is a possi bility that the 
steering wheel is locked and 
cannot be operated. 
Page 638 of 752

6388-2. Steps to take in an emergency
The following may indicate a 
problem with your transmission. 
Contact your Toyota dealer or 
commercial towing service 
before towing.
The hybrid system warning 
message is shown on the 
multi-information display and 
the vehicle does not move.
 The vehicle makes an abnor-
mal sound.
From the front
Use a towing dolly under the 
rear wheels.
WARNING
■Installing towing eyelets to 
the vehicle (vehicles with 
towing eyelets)
Make sure that towing eyelets are 
installed securely. If not securely 
installed, towing eyelets may 
come loose during towing.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the 
vehicle when towing using a 
wheel-lift type truck
●Do not tow the vehicle from the 
rear when the power switch is 
off. The steering lock mecha-
nism is not strong enough to 
hold the front wheels straight.
●When raising the vehicle, 
ensure adequate ground clear-
ance for towing at the opposite 
end of the raised vehicle. With-
out adequate clearance, the 
vehicle could be damaged while 
being towed.
■To prevent damage to the 
vehicle when towing with a 
sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck, 
either from the front or rear.
■To prevent damage to the 
vehicle during emergency 
towing (vehicles with towing 
eyelet)
Do not secure cables or chains to 
the suspension components.
■Recreational towing (behind 
motor home, etc.)
Never dinghy tow your vehicle to 
prevent causing serious damage 
to the AWD system and hybrid 
transmission. ( P.209)
Situations when it is nec-
essary to contact dealers 
before towing
Towing with a wheel-lift 
type truck 
Page 639 of 752

6398-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
From the rear
Use a towing dolly under the 
front wheels.
When using a flat-bed truck to 
transport the vehicle, use tire 
strapping belts. Refer to the 
owner’s manual of the flat-bed 
truck for the tire strapping  method.
In order to suppress vehicle 
movement during transporta-
tion, set the parking brake and 
turn the power switch to OFF.
If a tow truck is not available in 
an emergency, your vehicle may 
be temporarily towed using 
cables or chains secured to the 
emergency towing eyelets. This 
should only be attempted on 
hard surfaced roads for short 
distances at under 18 mph (30 
km/h).
A driver must be in the vehicle to 
steer and operate the brakes. 
The vehicle’s wheels, drive 
train, axles, steering and brakes 
must be in good condition.
To have your vehicle towed by 
another vehicle, the towing eye-
let must be installed to your 
vehicle. Install the towing eyelet 
using the following procedure.
1
Take out the wheel nut 
wrench and towing eyelet. 
( P.659)
2 Using a flathead screw-
driver, remove eyelet cover 
NOTICE
■Towing with a sling-type 
truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck 
to prevent body damage.
Using a flatbed truck
Emergency towing (vehi-
cles with towing eyelet)
Emergency towing proce-
dure (vehicles with towing 
eyelet) 
Page 640 of 752

6408-2. Steps to take in an emergency
( ), and then remove eyelet 
cover ( ).
To protect the bodywork, place a 
rag between the screwdriver and 
the vehicle body as shown in the 
illustration.
3Insert the towing eyelet into 
the hole and tighten partially 
by hand.
4 Tighten down the towing eye-
let securely using a wheel nut 
wrench or hard metal bar.
5 Securely attach cables or 
chains to the towing eyelet.
Take care not to damage the vehi-
cle body.
6Enter the vehicle being towed 
and start the hybrid system.
Turn off the Parking Support Brake 
function (if equipped):  P.299
If the hybrid system does not start, 
turn the power switch to ON.
7 Shift the shift lever to N and 
release the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. ( P.225)
When the shift lever cannot be 
shifted:  P.221
■While towing
If the hybrid system is not running, 
the power assist for the brakes and 
steering will not function, making 
steering and braking more difficult.
■Wheel nut wrench
Wheel nut wrench is  installed in the 
tool bag. ( P.659)
A
B