2001 TOYOTA RAV4 brake light

'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
942001 RAV4 (OM42483U)
(k) SRS Warning Light
This light will come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ªONº position.
After about 6 seconds, the light will go
off. This means the systems of the air-
bag and front seat belt pretensioners
are operating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, front seat belt pretensioner assem-
blies, inflators, warning light, interconnect-
ing wiring and power sources.
If either of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle.

The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ªONº posi-
tion or remains on.

The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
(l) Low Windshield Washer Fluid Level
Warning Light
The light warns that the windshield washer
fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instructions,
see ªAdding washer fluidº on page 235 in
Section 7±3.)(m) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver 's door with
the ignition key in the ªACCº or ªLOCKº
position.
(n) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound if the headlight
switch is left on and the driver's door is
opened with the key removed from the
ignition switch.CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light and low windshield
washer fluid level warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the side doors or back
door.
The open door warning light should
come on.
3. Close the door.
The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to ªONº, but do
not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light and
automatic transmission fluid tempera-
ture warning light should come on. The
ªABSº warning light goes off after a
few seconds. The SRS warning light
goes off after about 6 seconds.
5. Turn the ignition key to ªSTARTº.
The automatic transmission fluid tem-
perature warning light should come on.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, have it checked by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible.
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
982001 RAV4 (OM42483U)
(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The ªO/D OFFº indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The ªO/D OFFº indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will automatically be on.Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing the overdrive switch, engine
braking will not be enabled because the
cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see ªCruise controlº on page 103 in this
section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ªHow
to start the engineº on page 168 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
ªPº or ªNº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to ªDº.
When the lever is in the ªDº position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:

Push the overdrive switch. The ªO/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.

Shift into the ª2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
Two±wheel drive models
108 km/h (67 mph)
Four±wheel drive models
103 km/h (64 mph)
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
1032001 RAV4 (OM42483U)
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 (1),
press the lock release button (2), and low-
er (3).
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.
TURNING ON THE SYSTEM
To operate the cruise control, push the
ªCRUISE ON±OFFº 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 ªCRUISE ON±
OFFº switch off when not using the
cruise control.
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
1052001 RAV4 (OM42483U)
On vehicles with automatic transmission,
even if you turn off the overdrive switch
with the cruise control on, engine braking
will not be applied because the cruise
control is not cancelled. To decrease the
vehicle speed, reset to a slower speed
with the cruise control lever or depress
the brake pedal. If you use the brake
pedal, cruise control is cancelled.
RESUMING THE PRESET SPEED
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling
the control lever or by depressing the
brake pedal or clutch pedal, pushing the
lever up in the ªRES/ACCº direction will
restore the speed set prior to cancellation.
However, once the vehicle speed falls be-
low about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset
speed will not be resumed.
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE WARNING
If the ªCRUISEº indicator light in the
instrument cluster flashes when using the
cruise control, press the ªCRUISE ON±
OFFº switch to turn the system off and
then press it again to turn it on.If any of the following conditions then oc-
curs, there is some trouble in the cruise
control system.

The indicator light does not come on.

The indicator light flashes again.

The indicator light goes out after it
comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Toyota
dealer and have your vehicle inspected.
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
2222001 RAV4 (OM42483U)
CAUTION
To prevent burning yourself, do not
remove the radiator cap when the en-
gine is hot.
Coolant type selection
Use of improper coolants may damage
your engine cooling system. Your coolant
must contain ethylene±glycol type coolant
for a proper corrosion protection of your
engine that contains aluminum compo-
nents. Use ªTOYOTA Long Life Coolantº
or equivalent.
In addition to preventing freezing and sub-
sequent damage to the engine, this type
of coolant will also prevent corrosion. Fur-
ther supplemental inhibitors or additives
are neither needed nor recommended.
Read the coolant container for information
on freeze protection. Follow the manufac-
turer's directions for how much to mix
with plain water (preferably demineralized
water or distilled water). The total capacity
of the cooling system is given on page
247 in Section 8.We recommend to use 50% solution for
your Toyota, to provide protection down to
about ±35C (±31F). When it is extreme-
ly cold, to provide protection down to
about ±50C (±58F), 60% solution is rec-
ommended. Do not use more than 70%
solution for better coolant performance.NOTICE
Do not use alcohol type antifreeze or
plain water alone.
Checking brake fluid
To check the fluid level, simply look at
the see±through reservoir. The level
should be between the ªMAXº and
ªMINº lines on the reservoir.
It is normal for the brake fluid level to go
down slightly as the brake pads wear. So
be sure to keep the reservoir filled.
If the reservoir needs frequent refilling, it
may indicate a serious mechanical prob-
lem.
If the level is low, add SAE J1703 or
FMVSS No.116 DOT 3 brake fluid to the
brake reservoir.
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
2302001 RAV4 (OM42483U)
Replacing wheels
WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR WHEELS
If you have wheel damage such as
bending, cracks or heavy corrosion, the
wheel should be replaced.
If you fail to replace damaged wheels, the
tire may slip off the wheel or cause loss
of handling control.
WHEEL SELECTION
When replacing wheels, care should be
taken to ensure that the wheels are re-
placed by ones with the same load ca-
pacity, diameter, rim width, and offset.
Correct replacement wheels are available
at your Toyota dealer.
A wheel of a different size or type may
adversely affect handling, wheel and bear-
ing life, brake cooling, speedometer/odom-
eter calibration, stopping ability, headlight
aim, bumper height, vehicle ground clear-
ance, and tire or snow chain clearance to
the body and chassis.Replacement with used wheels is not rec-
ommended as they may have been sub-
jected to rough treatment or high mileage
and could fail without warning. Also, bent
wheels which have been straightened may
have structural damage and therefore
should not be used. Never use an inner
tube in a leaking wheel which is designed
for a tubeless tire.
NOTICE
Four±wheel drive models:
Do not use wheels of different
brands, sizes and types. This may
damage the drive system.
Aluminum wheel precautions

When installing aluminum wheels,
check that the wheel nuts are tight
after driving your vehicle the first 1600
km (1000 miles).

If you have rotated, repaired, or
changed your tires, check that the
wheel nuts are still tight after driving
1600 km (1000 miles).

When using tire chains, be careful not
to damage the aluminum wheels.

Use only the Toyota wheel nuts and
wrench designed for your aluminum
wheels.

When balancing your wheels, use only
Toyota balance weights or equivalent
and a plastic or rubber hammer.

As with any wheel, periodically check
your aluminum wheels for damage. If
damaged, replace immediately.
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