Page 22 of 250
Rav4(U)
142000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
Hood
To open the hood:
1. Pull the hood lock release lever. The
hood will spring up slightly.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure that the hood
is closed and securely locked. Other-
wise, the hood may open unexpected-
ly while driving and an accident may
occur.
2. In front of the vehicle, pull up the
auxiliary catch lever and lift the
hood.3. Hold the hood open by inserting the
support rod into the slot.
Before closing the hood, check that you
have not forgotten any tools, rags, etc.
and return the support rod to its clip—this
prevents rattles. Then lower the hood until
it is about 20 cm (8 in.) above the engine
compartment and release it. If the hood is
still not fully closed, lift and release the
hood again. After closing the hood, make
sure it is securely locked.
If you notice while driving that the hood
is not securely locked, stop the vehicle at
once and close the hood.
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Rav4(U)
152000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
CAUTION
Right after driving the support rod
may be hot, so only touch the part
coated with nylon.
After inserting the rodinto the
slot, make sure the rod supports
the hood securely from falling down
on to your head or body.
When closing the hood, be careful
not to get your hands caught be-
tween the hood and the vehicle
body.
NOTICE
Do not press on the hood, or you
may deform the hood.
Fuel tank cap
1. To open the fuel filler door, pull the
lever up.
When refueling, turn off the engine.
CAUTION
Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames when refueling.
The fumes are flammable.
When opening the cap, do not re-
move the cap quickly. In hot weath-
er, fuel under pressure could cause
injury by spraying out of the filler
neck if the cap is suddenly re-
moved.
2. To remove the fuel tank cap, turn
the cap slowly counterclockwise,
then pause slightly before removing
it. After removing the cap, hang it
on the cap hanger.
It is not unusual to hear a slight swoosh
when the cap is opened. When installing,
turn the cap clockwise till you hear a
click.
If the cap is not tightened securely, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on.
Make sure the cap is tightened securely.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.
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Rav4(U)
172000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
CAUTION
To avoid serious personal injury, you
must do the following.
While the vehicle is moving, always
keep the head, hands and other
parts of the body of all occupants
away from the roof opening. Other-
wise, you could be seriously injured
if the vehicle stops suddenly or if
the vehicle is involved in an acci-
dent.
Always make sure nobody places
his/her head, hands and other parts
of the body in the roof opening be-
fore you close the roof. If some-
one’s neck, head or hands gets
caught in the closing roof, it could
result in a serious injury. When
anyone close the roof, first make
sure it is safe to do so.
Never leave small children alone in
the vehicle, especially with the igni-
tion key still inserted. They could
use the moon roof switches and get
trapped in the roof opening. Unat-
tended children can become in-
volved in serious accidents.
Never sit on top of the vehicle
around the roof opening.
CAUTION
To avoid serious personal injury, you
must do the following.
While the vehicle is moving, always
keep the head, hands and other
parts of the body of all occupants
away from the roof opening. Other-
wise, you could be seriously injured
if the vehicle stops suddenly or if
the vehicle is involved in an acci-
dent.
Never sit on top of the vehicle
around the roof opening.
Never attempt to remove the sun
roof panel while driving. Otherwise,
the panel may become a hazard by
falling into or flying off the vehicle.
After installing the sun roof panel,
make sure they are firmly secured
by pushing up on the underside of
each panel.
Never put your hands between the
sun roof panel and the surrounding
roof.
—Tilting up and closing
To tilt up the sun roof, first pull down
on the handle while pushing in one of
the lock buttons. Then push up the sun
roof until it locks.
After tilting up the sun roof, make sure
the handle is securely in place.
When closing the sun roof, slowly pull
down the handle while supporting the roof
with your hand. Close and lock the sun
roof by pushing the handle until it clicks.
Be sure to use your palm to push the
handle. After closing the sun roof, make
sure it is securely locked.
Detachable sun roof—
—Sun roof precautions
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Page 28 of 250
Rav4(U)
202000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
3. Place the removed holder over the
sun roof handle.4. Secure the holder by turning the
bolts clockwise.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle without
checking that the roof panel is se-
curely attached to the tailgate.
—Installing
1. Insert the flat hinges of the sun roof
panel into the hinge cases on the
body. Then slowly lower it while
holding the roof with your hands.
Make sure both flat hinges are inserted
into the hinge cases.
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Page 30 of 250

Rav4(U)
222000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
NOTICE
Make sure there are no items or
packages between the rear seatback
and the soft−top storage area when
raising or lowering the soft−top.
Even small items may interfere with
soft−top operation and can cause
damage.
Do not sit or place excessive
weight on the soft−top; when the
top is up or down, damage may
result.
Do not raise or lower the soft−top
when the temperature is below 0°C
(32°F), or damage may result to the
top material, rear window or quarter
windows. If necessary to do so,
warm the vehicle in a heated garage
prior to operating the soft−top
mechanism.
Do not lower the soft−top if the top
is damp or wet. Interior water dam-
age, water stains or mildew of the
top material may result.
Do not bend the removed quarter
and rear windows or hit them on a
hard object. It may damage the re-
moved windows.
—Lowering the soft−top
Before lowering the soft−top, make sure
the soft−top is securely closed.
REMOVING THE QUARTER WINDOWS
1. Remove the Velcros on the top of
the quarter window from the inside
of the vehicle.2. Remove the Velcros on the quarter
window from the outside of the ve-
hicle.
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Page 33 of 250
Rav4(U)
252000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
2. Lock the latch handle and hook.3. Fold the soft−top. Make sure to
place the soft−top between the rear
seat backs and tailgate.
CAUTION
With the soft−top opened, when the
rear seat is in the reclined position
or when reclining the rear seat, be
careful not to damage the soft−top
and not to get your head hit or in-
jured by the latch handles.
4. Take the latch handle cover out of
the glove box, put it over the latch
handle and fasten it securely with
Ve l c r o s .
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Rav4(U)
272000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
4. Set the hook, push up the latch han-
dle to securely lock it.
CAUTION
Try pushing and pulling the latch
handle to make sure it is securely
locked.
Try pushing the soft−top forward
and rearward to make sure it is se-
curely locked.
INSTALLING THE REAR WINDOW
1. Open the tailgate and engage the
zipper approximately 25 mm (1.0 in.).
CAUTION
The rear window must be securely
sealed to prevent exhaust gases from
coming into the occupant compart-
ment and causing serious personal
injury or death.
2. Align the retainer on the bottom of
the window with the groove.
CAUTION
Make sure the retainer on the rear
window is securely inserted into the
groove.
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Rav4(U)
282000 RAV4 (OM42479U)
3. Fasten the zippers securely and
align the Velcros to secure the rear
window.INSTALLING THE QUARTER WINDOWS
1. Engage the zipper approximately 25
mm (1.0 in.).2. Insert the retainer on the side of the
window into the groove on the ve-
hicle side.
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