2003 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
i2003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Foreword
Welcome to the growing group of valueconscious people who drive Toyotas. We are proud of the advanced engineering and
quality construction of each vehicle we build.
This Owner ’s Manual explains the operation of your new Toyota. Please read it thoroughly and have all the occupants
follow the instructions carefully. Doing so will help you enjoy many years of safe and troublefree motoring. For
important information about this manual and your Toyota, read the following pages carefully.
When it comes to service, remember that your Toyota dealer knows your vehicle best and is interested in your complete
satisfaction. He will provide quality maintenance and any other assistance you may require.
If there is not a Toyota dealer near you, or you need emergency assistance for any reason, please call the following number:
U.S. OWNERS:Toyota Customer Assistance Center Tollfree: 18003314331
CANADIAN OWNERS:Toyota Canada Customer Interaction Centre Tollfree: 1888TOYOTA8 (18888696828)
Please leave this Owner ’s Manual in this vehicle at the time of resale. The next owner will need this information also.
All information and specifications in this manual are current at the time of printing. However, because of Toyota’s policy of
continual product improvement, we reserve the right to make changes at any time without notice.
Please note that this manual applies to all models and explains all equipment, including options. Therefore, you may
find some explanations for equipment not installed on your vehicle.
©2002 TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or copied, in whole or in part, without the written permission of Toyo ta
Motor Corporation.

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
ii2003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Important information about this manual
Safety and vehicle damage warnings
Throughout this manual, you will see safety and vehicle dam-
age warnings. You must follow these warnings carefully to
avoid possible injury or damage.
The types of warnings, what they look like, and how they are
used in this manual are explained as follows:
CAUTION
This is a warning against anything which may cause
injury to people if the warning is ignored. You are
informed about what you must or must not do in
order to reduce the risk of injury to yourself and
others.
NOTICE
This is a warning against anything which may cause
damage to the vehicle or its equipment if the warning
is ignored. You are informed about what you must or
must not do in order to avoid or reduce the risk of
damage to your vehicle and its equipment.
Safety symbol
When you see the safety symbol
shown above, it means: “Do not...”;
“Do not do this”; or “Do not let this
happen”.

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
iii2003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Important information about your Toyota
New vehicle warranty
Your new vehicle is covered by the following Toyota limited
warranties: New vehicle warranty
 Emission control systems warranty
 Others
For further information, please refer to the “Owner’s
Warranty Information Booklet” or “Owner ’s Manual
Supplement”.
Your responsibility for maintenance
It is the owner ’s responsibility to make sure that the speci-
fied maintenance is performed. Section 6 gives details of
these maintenance requirements. Also included in Section
6 is general maintenance. For scheduled maintenance in-
formation, please refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.
Accessories, spare parts andmodification of your Toyota
A wide variety of nongenuine spare parts and accessories
for Toyota vehicles are currently available in the market.
You should know that Toyota does not warrant these prod-
ucts and is not responsible for their performance, repair, or
replacement, or for any damage they may cause to, or
adverse effect they may have on, your Toyota vehicle.
This vehicle should not be modified with nongenuine
Toyota products. Modification with nongenuine Toyota
products could affect its performance, safety or durability,
and may even violate governmental regulations. In addi-
tion, damage or performance problems resulting from the
modification may not be covered under warranty.

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
iv2003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Spark ignition system of yourTo y o t a
The spark ignition system in your Toyota meets all require-
ments of the Canadian InterferenceCausing Equipment
Standard.
Installation of a mobiletwoway radio system
As the installation of a mobile twoway radio system in
your vehicle could affect electronic systems such as multi-
port fuel injection system/sequential multiport fuel injection
system, cruise control system, antilock brake system,
SRS airbag system and seat belt pretensioner system, be
sure to check with your Toyota dealer for precautionary
measures or special instructions regarding installation.
Scrapping of your Toyota
The SRS airbag and seat belt pretensioner devices in your
Toyota contain explosive chemicals. If the vehicle is
scrapped with the airbags and pretensioners left as they
are, this may cause an accident such as fire. Be sure to
have the systems of the SRS airbag and seat belt preten-
sioner removed and disposed of by the qualified service
shop or by your Toyota dealer before you dispose of your
vehicle.

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
v2003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Onpavement and offroaddriving tips
This vehicle belongs to the ut ility vehicle class. Utility
vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles. This vehicle will handle and maneuver
differently from an ordinary passenger car because it is
designed for offroad use also. In addition, this vehicle
has a higher ground clearance and center of gravity than
that of an ordinary passenger car. This vehicle design
feature causes this type of vehicle to be more likely to
rollover. Failure to operate this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, accidents or vehicle rollover causing
death or serious injury. Be sure to read “Offroad vehicle
precautions” on page 154 in Section 2 and “Offroad
driving precautions” on page 172 in Section 3.

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vi2003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)

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12003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Overview of instruments and controls
Instrument panel overview2
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Instrument cluster overview 4
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Indicator symbols on the instrument panel 5
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SECTION 1 1

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22003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
1. Side defroster outlets
2. Side vents
3. Instrument cluster
4. Center vents
5. Garage door opener box or auxiliary
box
6. Electric moon roof switch and personal light
7. Glove box
8. Power door lock switches (with power windows)
9. Power window switches
10. Automatic transmission selector lever or manual transmission gear shift lever
11. Parking brake lever
12. Cup holders
13. Ashtray
14. Power outlet
15. Auxiliary box
16. Hood lock release lever
17. Window lock switch
Instrument panel overview