2002 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
242002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
This indicates that the fuel filler door
is on the left side of your vehicle.1. To open the fuel filler door, pull thelever 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, turnthe 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 insta lling,
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.
Fuel tank cap

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
252002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
CAUTION
Make sure the cap is tightened se-
curely to prevent fuel spillage in
case of an accident.
Use only a genuine Toyota fuel tank
cap for replacement. It is designed
to regulate fuel tank pressure.
Sliding operation
Tilting operation
To operate the moon roof, use the
switch beside the personal light.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
Sun shade operation—
The sun shade can be opened or closed
by hand.
Sliding operation—
To open: Push the switch on the “SLIDE
OPEN” side.
The roof will fully open. To stop the roof
partway, push the switch on either the
“SLIDE OPEN” or “TILT UP” side briefly.
The sun shade will be opened together
with the roof.
To close: Push the switch on the “TILT
UP” side.
As a precaution when closing, the roof
stops at the threequarters closed position
before fully closing. Therefore, release the
switch and then push it again to close it
completely.
Tilting operation—
To tilt up: Push the switch on the “TILT
UP” side.
To lower: Push the switch on the “SLIDE
OPEN” side.
Electric moon roof

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
262002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
You may stop the moon roof at any de-
sired position. The roof will move while
the switch is being pushed and stop when
released except to slide open.
CAUTION
To avoid serious personal injury, you
must do the following.
While the vehicle is moving, always
keep the heads, hands and other
parts of the bodies of all occupants
away from the roof opening. Other-
wise, they could be seriously in-
jured if the vehicle stops suddenly
or if the vehicle is involved in an
accident.
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 hand 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 be involved in
serious accidents.
Never sit on top of the vehicle
around the roof opening.
NOTICE
Do not touch the plastic resin moon
roof with anything hard or sharp.
The roof is damaged more easily
than ordinary glass.
 When washing the plastic resin
moon roof, use a mild soap or neu-
tral detergent. Do not use wax, win-
dow cleaner or abrasive clean-
er—these may damage the plastic
resin moon roof. (See “Washing and
waxing your Toyota” on page 207 in
Section 5.)
Do not use organic substances
(gasoline, kerosene, benzine or
strong solvents), which may toxic
or cause damage.
 Do not use window scraper or deic-
er when the plastic resin moon roof
is heavily coated with frost or ice.
The plastic resin moon roof is easi-
ly damaged.

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
272002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Seats, Seat belts, Steering wheel and Mirrors
Seats28
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Front seats 28
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Rear seats 30
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Flattening seatbacks 38
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Head restraints 39
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Seat belts 40
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SRS driver airbag and front passenger airbag 50
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Child restraint 57
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Tilt steering wheel 74
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Outside rear view mirrors 74
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Antiglare inside rear view mirror 76
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Sun visors 76
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SECTION 1 3

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
282002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow sitting on top of a
foldeddown seatback, or in the
luggage compartment or cargo area.
Persons not properly seated and/or
properly restrained by seat belts
can be severely injured in the event
of emergency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow pas-
sengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Severe inju-
ries can occur in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
Adjust the driver’s seat so that the foot
pedals, steering wheel and instrument
panel controls are within easy reach of
the driver.
CAUTION
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When adjusting the seat, be careful
that the seat does not hit a passen-
ger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position,
try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is locked in posi-
tion.
After adjusting the seatback, push
back your body to make sure it is
locked in position.
Do not put objects under the seats.
The objects may interfere with the
seatlock mechanism or unexpect-
edly push up the seat position ad-
justing lever. Otherwise the seat
may suddenly move, causing the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.
While adjusting the seat, do not put
your hands under the seat or near
the moving parts. Otherwise you
may catch and injure your hands or
fingers.
SeatsFront seats—
—Seat adjustment precautions

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
292002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LEVER
Hold the center of the lever and pull it
up. Then slide the seat to the desired
position with slight body pressure and
release the lever.
2. SEAT CUSHION ANGLE ADJUSTING KNOB
Turn the knob either way.
3. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lever up.
Then lean back to the desired angle
and release the lever.CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the pas-
senger are sitting up straight and
well back in the seats. If you are
reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces
directly to the abdomen. Therefore, in
the event of a frontal collision, the
risk of personal injury may increase
with increasing recline of the seat-
back.
—Adjusting front seats

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
302002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
CAUTION
Adjustment should not be made
while the vehicle is moving.
When adjusting the seat, be careful
that the seat does not hit a passen-
ger or luggage.
Adjust both seat cushions to the
same position and align both seat-
backs at the same angle when a
person sits in the rear center posi-
tion. Otherwise, the person cannot
wear the seat belt properly and this
may cause serious injuries in a col-
lision.
After adjusting the seat position,
try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is lock in position.
After adjusting the seatback, push
back your body to make sure it is
locked in position.
When returning seats to their origi-
nal position, observe the following
precautions in order to prevent per-
sonal injury in a collision or sud-
den stop:
Make sure the seat is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback or
by trying to pull up the edge of the
bottom cushion. Failure to do so
will prevent the seat belt from oper-
ating properly.
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught under the seat
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.
Folding the seats up will enlarge the lug-
gage compartment. See “Luggage stowage
precautions” on page 164 in Section 2 for
precautions in loading luggage.
Rear seats—
—Rear seat precautions—Adjusting rear seats

’02 Rav4_U (L/O 0108)
312002 MY RAV4_U (OM42503U)
1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LEVER
Hold the center of the lever and pull it
up. Then slide the seat to the desired
position with slight body pressure and
release the lever.
When a person sits in the rear center
position, adjust both seat cushions to
the same position.
Do not place anything under the seats. It
might interfere with the seatlock mecha-
nism.
2. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING STRAP
Pull the strap up. Then lean back to the
desired angle and release the strap.
When a person sits in the rear center
position, align both seatbacks at the
same angle.
CAUTION
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving.
Adjust both seat cushions to the
same position and align both seat-
backs at the same angle when a
person sits in the rear center posi-
tion. Otherwise, the person cannot
wear the seat belt properly and this
may cause serious injuries in a col-
lision.
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision,
avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts
provide maximum protection in a
frontal or rear collision when the
passengers are sitting up straight
and well back in the seats. If you
are reclined, the lap belt may slide
past your hips and apply restraint
forces directly to the abdomen.
Therefore, in the event of a frontal
collision, the risk of personal injury
may increase with increasing recline
of the seatback.
After adjusting the seatback, push
back your body to make sure it is
locked in position.
NOTICE
Do not fold the seatback forward
while the luggage cover is set.