1997 TOYOTA RAV4 lights

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

4
1. Speedometer
2. Odometer
3. Fuel gauge4. Service reminder indicators or
indicator lights
5. Engine coolant temperature gauge
6. Tachometer 7. Trip meter reset knob
8. Trip meter
Instrument cluster overview

Indicator symbols on the instrument panel5
Anti-lock brake system warning light * 1Brake system warning light * 1
Seat belt reminder light* 1
Discharge warning light* 1
Low oil pressure warning light* 1
Malfunction indicator light* 1
Low fuel level warning light * 1 Open door warning light*
1
SRS airbag warning light* 1
Automatic transmission fluid
temperature warning light* 1
Turn signal indicator lights
Headlight high beam indicator light
Over-drive indicator light

12
LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WITH KEY
Insert the key into the keyhole and turn
it.
To lock: Turn the key counterclockwise.
To unlock: Turn the key clockwise.
When closing the backdoor, make sure it is fully closed. See Luggage stowage precautionsº in
Part 2 for precautions to observe in load- ing luggage.
CAUTION!
Keep the back door closed while
driving. This not only keeps the
luggage from being thrown out but
also prevents exhaust gases from
entering the vehicle.
If the open back door hides the rear
stop and tail lights or rear turn sig-
nal lights while you are parked, oth- er road users must be warned of the
presence of your vehicle by a warn-
ing triangle or other device.
To open the hood, do the following.
1. Pull the hood lock release lever.
The hood will spring up slightly.
Before driving, be sure that the hood
is securely locked. Otherwise, the
hood may open unexpectedly while
driving and an accident may occur.
CAUTION!
Back door
Hood

61
The rear view mirrors can be folded
backward for parking in restricted areas.
To fold the rear view mirror, push back- ward.
CAUTION!
Do not drive with the mirrors folded
backward. Both the driver and pas-
senger side rear view mirrors must
be extended and properly adjusted
before driving.
To reduce glare from the headlights of
the vehicle behind you during night
driving, operate the lever on the lower
edge of the mirror. Daylight drivingÐLever at position 1
The reflection in the mirror has greater
clarity at this position. Night drivingÐLever at position 2 Remember that by reducing glare you
also lose some rear view clarity.
Anti-glare
inside rear view
mirror
ÐFolding rear view mirrors

Part 1Headlights and turn signals
63
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS ANDCONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-4
Lights, Wipers and Defogger
Headlights and turn signals
Emergency flashers
Instrument panel light control
Interior light
Personal lights
Windshield wipers and washer
Rear window wiper and washer
Rear window defogger
HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob. Position 1ÐParking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights Position 2ÐHeadlights and all of the above
If you remove the key with the headlights
left on, a buzzer reminds you to turn the
lights off
when you open the driver's door.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the lights
on for a long period when theengine is not running.
Daytime running light system (Canada only)
The headlights turn on when the parking brake is released with the engine started,
even with the light switch in the OFFº position. They will not go off until the igni-
tion switch is turned off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and in-
strument panel lights, twist the knob to the
position 1.
Under the daytime running light system,
the headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty. Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
to full intensity for driving at night.

64
High-Low beamsÐFor high beams,
turn the headlights on and push the lever away from you (position 1). Pull the lever
toward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will tell
you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3) ÐPull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights with knob turned to OFFº.TURN SIGNAL
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to posi-
tion 1. The key must be in the ONº position. The lever automatically returns after you make a turn, but you may have to return it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position 2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal bulb
is burned out. See Replacing light bulbsº
in chapter 7-3.To turn on the emergency flashers,
push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. To turn
them off, push the switch once again.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn other drivers if your vehicle must be
stopped where it might be a traf fic hazard.
Always pull as far off the road as possible.
The turn signal light switch will not work
when the emergency flashers are operat- ing. Emergency flashers

65
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the lights
on for a long period when the engine is not running.
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the knob.To turn on the interior light, slide the switch.
The interior light has the following posi- tion:
ONºÐKeeps the light on all the time.
OFFºÐTurns the light off.DOORºÐ
2-door models: Turns the light on when the back door is opened. The light goes
off when the back door is closed.
4-door models: Turns the light on when either rear door or back door is opened.
The light goes off when both rear doors
and back door are closed.
Instrument panel light control
Interior light