2002 TOYOTA RAV4 trailer

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1792002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
BREAKIN SCHEDULE
Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer with a new vehicle or a
vehicle with any new power train com-
ponent (engine, transmission, differen-
tial, wheel bearing, etc.) for the first
800 km (500 miles) of driving.
MAINTENANCE
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will
require more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. For this informa-
tion, please refer to the scheduled
maintenance information in the “Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner ’s
Manual Supplement”.
Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRETOWING SAFETY CHECK
Check that your vehicle remains level
when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal noseup or nosedown
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspension
or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
loaded so that it cannot shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulations. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose.
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing. The three main causes of vehicle
trailer accidents are driver error, exces-
sive speed and improper trailer loading.
Keep these in mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicletrailer connec-
tions. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and con-
nections. Before actually towing a trail-
er, practice turning, stopping and back-
ing with a trailer in an area away from
traffic until you learn the feel.
Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicletovehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, prevent excessive clutch
slippage by keeping engine rpm low
and not racing the engine. Always start
out in first gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
Backing with a trailer is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the bottom of
the steering wheel and move your hand
to the left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (This pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer). Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
1802002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking effi-
ciency, do not use fifth gear (manual
transmission) or overdrive (automatic
transmission).
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
30C [85 F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull off the road
and stop in a safe spot. Refer to “If
your vehicle overheats” on page 188 in
Section 4.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firmly.
Put the transmission in “P” (automatic)
or in first or reverse (manual). Avoid
parking on a slope with a trailer, but
if it cannot be avoided, do so only
after performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un- der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into first or reverse (manual) or “P” (automatic) and turn off the engine. When restarting out after parking on a
slope:
1. With the transmission in “P” position (automatic) or the clutch pedal de-
pressed (manual), start the engine.
(With an automatic transmission, be
sure to keep the brake pedal de-
pressed.)
2. Shift into gear.
3. Release the parking brake (also foot brake on automatic transmission ve-
hicles) and slowly pull or back away
from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply
your brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blo cks.
CAUTION
Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
2702002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
Seat belt precautions40
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Seat belt pretensioners 48
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Seats 28
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Separation net 147
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Service and maintenance 212
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Side door locks 12
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Side doors 12
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Side vents 134
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Spare fuse 242
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Spare tire 190
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Spark plugs
Iridiumtipped spark plugs 160
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Specifications 254
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SRS driver airbag and front passenger airbag 50
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SRS warning light 90
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Starting
Cold weather 170
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Engine 170
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Jump starting 185
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Steering
Tilt steering wheel 74
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Steering column
Column lock 98
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Sun visors 76
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Suspension and chassis 167
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Switch
Emergency flasher 81
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Headlight, dimmer and turn signal 80 . . . . .
Ignition 98
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Outside rear view mirror defogger 85 . . . . .
Overdrive 99
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Rear window defogger 85
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Rear window wiper and washer 84 . . . . . . .
Windshield wiper and washer 84
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Tachometer 89
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Theft prevention labels 167
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Threeway catalytic converter 158
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Tiedown hooks 145
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Tilt steering wheel 74
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Tires
Changing 189
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Flat tire 189
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Rotation 234
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Spare 190
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Tire information 231,232,234,236 . . . . . . . .
Tools 190
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To w i n g
Dinghy towing 174,175
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Emergency towing 200
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Emergency towing eyelet precautions 201
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If your vehicle needs to be towed 198 . . . . .
Tips for towing a stuck vehicle 202 . . . . . . .
Trailer 176
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Trailer towing 176
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Trip meter 89
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Turn signals 80
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Types of tires 167
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U
Uniform tire quality grading 262
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V
Vanity mirrors 77
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W
Washer fluid
Adding washer fluid 243 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Washing and waxing 207 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wheels
Aluminum wheel 237 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windshield wiper and washer switch 84 . . . . .
Winter driving tips 173 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wireless remote control 15,203 . . . . . . . . . . . .