Page 90 of 250
Rav4(U)
822000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
Instrument panel light control
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the knob.
Interior light
To turn on the interior light, slide the
switch.
The interior light switch has the following
positions:
”ON”—Keeps the light on all the time.
”OFF”—Turns the light off.
”DOOR”—
2−door hardtop and soft−top: Turns the
light on when the back door (hardtop) or
tailgate (soft−top) is opened. The light
goes off when the back door is closed.
4−door hardtop: 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.To turn on the personal light, push the
switch. To turn the light off, slightly
push the switch on the opposite side.
The personal light switch has the following
positions:
”ON”—Keeps the light on all the time.
”DOOR”—Turns the light on when either
front door is opened. The light goes off
when both front doors are closed.
Personal lights
(with moon roof)
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Page 105 of 250
Rav4(U)
972000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
Automatic transmission
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
Parking, engine
starting and key
removal
Reverse
Neutral
Maximum engine braking
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while holding the lock release
button in. (The ignition switch must
be in ”ON” position.)
Shift while holding the lock
release button in
Shift normallyDriving pattern selector button
For selecting a driving pattern
suited to existing driving conditions
”NORMAL” (Normal)
mode for general
driving conditions”POWER” (Power)
mode for powerful
acceleration”POWER” mode indicator
light on the instrument
panel shows the driving
pattern selector button is
in the ”POWER” mode
Overdrive switchFor selecting either a three−speed or
four−speed transmission
ON position
(Shifting into
overdrive possible)OFF position
(Shifting into
overdrive not
possible)”O/D OFF” indicator light
(Shows the overdrive
switch is in OFF
position)
Always turn the overdrive switch on for better fuel economy.
Stronger engine braking Normal driving
(with overdrive on)
Vehicles with cruise control⎯When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission by turning off the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see
”Cruise control” in this section.
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Page 110 of 250
Rav4(U)
1022000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use the fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into reverse.The center differential lock system is pro-
vided for use only when the vehicle does
not have enough traction to move itself
out of the following situations.
All front wheels or rear wheels are off
the ground or on a slippery surface.
One of the four wheels is off the
ground or on a slippery surface.
Operating precautions
If the front wheels and rear wheels are
worn unevenly, the center differential
may not lock or unlock smoothly.
Before locking the center differential,
make sure the wheels have stopped
spinning.
Unlock the center differential immedi-
ately after you finish using the center
differential lock system. An indicator
buzzer will sound while the center dif-
ferential is being unlocked.
After you have pushed the center dif-
ferential lock switch to lock and moved
the vehicle a short distance, the indica-
tor light in the instrument panel stays
on. If the light either fails to come on
or goes out, ask your Toyota dealer to
check the electrical system and the
locking mechanism.
CAUTION
The center differential must be un-
locked in normal driving. Locking the
center differential will result in diffi-
cult cornering control.
NOTICE
Do not drive on a dry paved surface
with the center differential locked.
This may damage the locking mecha-
nism and the drive system.
Center differential lock system
(four−wheel drive models
with manual transmission)
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Page 111 of 250
Rav4(U)
1032000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
To lock the center differential:
1. Press the brake pedal and stop the
wheel spinning.
2. Put the front wheels in as straight−
ahead a position as possible.
3. Push the center differential lock switch
and check that the indicator light in the
instrument panel comes on.To unlock the center differential:
1. Put the front wheels in as straight−
ahead a position as possible.
2. Push the center differential lock switch
once again and check that the indicator
light in the instrument panel goes out
and that the indicator buzzer stops
sounding.
The indicator buzzer will sound while the
center differential is being unlocked. It
stops sounding when unlocking is com-
pleted.
Sometimes complete unlocking of the cen-
ter differential may take longer.If unlocking of the center differential is not
completed, check the area around you for
safety, then accelerate or decelerate, or
move the vehicle backward.
NOTICE
While the indicator buzzer is sound-
ing, do not make turns, and do not
put the vehicle into a garage. This
may damage the locking mechanism
and the drive system.
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Page 112 of 250
Rav4(U)
1042000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
Parking brake
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
To set: Pull up the lever. For better hold-
ing power, first depress the brake pedal
and hold it while setting the parking
brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly,
press the thumb button, and lower.
To remind you that the parking brake is
set, the parking brake reminder light in
the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing brake reminder light is off.
Cruise control
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of engine
performance, although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or
down the grades. On steeper hills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snow−covered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking
to slow down.
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Page 113 of 250
Rav4(U)
1052000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
TURNING ON THE SYSTEM
To operate the cruise control, push the
”CRUISE ON·OFF” switch. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the
instrument panel shows that you can now
set the vehicle at a desired cruising
speed. Another push will turn the system
completely off.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the ”CRUISE ON·OFF”
switch off when not using the cruise
control.
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
On vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission must be in ”D” before
you set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push the lever down in the ”SET/COAST”
direction and release it. This sets the ve-
hicle at that speed. If the speed is not
satisfactory, tap the lever up for a faster
speed, or tap it down for a slower speed.
Each tap changes the set speed by 1.6
km/h (1.0 mph). You can now take your
foot off the accelerator pedal.If you need acceleration—for example,
when passing—depress the accelerator
pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the set speed. When you release it, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
While driving with the cruise control
on, do not shift to neutral without
depressing the clutch pedal, as this
may cause engine racing or overrev-
ving.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:
a. Pulling the lever in the ”CANCEL”
direction and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
c. Depressing the clutch pedal (manual
transmission).
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40
km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will auto-
matically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10
mph) below the preset speed, the preset
speed will also automatically cancel out.
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Page 131 of 250
Rav4(U)
1232000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Air conditioning system
Controls124 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Air flow selector settings127 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operating tips127 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Instrument panel vents129 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1− 8
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Page 133 of 250
Rav4(U)
1252000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
Fan speed selector
Move the lever to adjust the fan
speed—to the right to increase, to the left
to decrease.
Temperature selector
Move the lever to adjust the temperatu-
re—to the right to warm, to the left to
cool.
Air flow selector
Move the lever to select the vents used
for air flow.
1. Panel—Air flows mainly from the
instrument panel vents.
2. Bi−level—Air flows from both the floor
vents and the instrument panel vents.
3. Floor—Air flows mainly from the floor
vents.
4. Floor/Windshield—Air flows mainly
from the floor vents and windshield
vents.
Use with the air intake selector posi-
tioned in Fresh.5. Windshield—Air flows mainly from the
windshield vents.
Use with the air intake selector posi-
tioned in Fresh.
For details about air flow selector settings,
see the illustration after ”A/C” button.
Turning the Air Flow Selector to wind-
shield position turns on the defroster to
clear the front view more quickly.
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