2003 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
752003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Ty p e B
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM
INSTALLATION
Ty p e A —1. Widen the clearance between the seat cushion and seatback a little
and confirm the position of the low-
er anchorages below the tag in the
seatback.
2. Latch the hooks of lower straps onto the anchorages and tighten the lower
straps.
Ty p e B — 1. Widen the clearance between the seat cushion and seatback a little
and confirm the position of the low-
er anchorages below the tag in the
seatback.
2. Latch the buckles onto the anchor- ages.
If your child restraint system has a top
strap, it should be anchored. (For the
installation of the top strap, see “—Using
a top strap” on page 71 in this section.)
For the installation details, refer to the
instruction manual equipped with each
product.CAUTION
When using the lower anchorages
for the child restraint system, be
sure that there are no irregular ob-
jects around the anchorages or that
the seat belt is not caught.
Push and pull the child restraint
system in different directions to be
sure it is secure. Follow all the
installation instructions provided by
its manufacturer.
When using the lower anchorages
for the child restraint system, en-
sure that the seat is moved to the
rearmost position, with the seat-
back close to the child restraint
system.
After securing the child restraint
system, never slide or recline the
seat.
Do not install a child restraint sys-
tem on the rear seat if it interferes
with the lock mechanism of the
front seats. This can cause death or
severe injury to the child and front
passenger in case of sudden brak-
ing or a collision.

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
762003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
To change the steering wheel angle,
hold the steering wheel, push down the
lock release lever, tilt the steering
wheel to the desired angle and return
the lever to its original position.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so may cause the driver to mishan-
dle the vehicle and an accident may
occur resulting in death or serious
injuries.
After adjusting the steering wheel,
try moving it up and down to make
sure it is locked in position.
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the side of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
Be careful when judging the size or dis-
tance of any object seen in the outside
rear view mirror on the passenger ’s side.
It is a convex mirror with a curved sur-
face. Any object seen in a convex mirror
will look smaller and farther away than
when seen in a flat mirror.
On some models, when you push the rear
window defogger switch, the heater panels
in the outside rear view mirrors will quick-
ly clear the mirror surface. (See “Rear
window and outside rear view mirror de-
foggers” on page 87 in section 14.)
Tilt steering wheelOutside rear view mirrors—

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
772003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
CAUTION
Do not adjust the mirror while the
vehicle is moving. Doing so may
cause the driver to mishandle the
vehicle and an accident may occur
resulting in death or serious inju-
ries.
Since the mirror surfaces can get
hot, do not touch them when the
defogger switch is on.
To adjust a mirror, use the switches.1. Master switch—To select the mirror to be adjusted
Push the “L” (left) or “R” (right) switch.
2. Control switch—To move the mirror Push the switch in the desired direc-
tion.
Mirrors can be adjusted when the key is
in the “ACC” or “ON” position.
NOTICE
If ice should jam the mirror, do not
operate the control or scrape the mir-
ror face. Use a spray deicer to free
the mirror.
The rear view mirrors can be folded
backward for parking in restricted
areas.
To fold the rear view mirror, push back-
ward.
CAUTION
Do not drive with the mirrors folded
backward. Both the driver and pas-
senger side rear view mirrors must
be extended and properly adjusted
before driving.
—Power rear view mirror
control —Folding rear view mirrors

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
782003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the rear of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
To reduce glare from the headlights of
the vehicle behind you during night
driving, operate the lever on the lower
edge of the mirror.
Daylight driving—Lever at position 1
The reflection in the mirror has greater
clarity at this position.
Night driving—Lever at position 2
Remember that by reducing glare you also
lose some rear view clarity.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the mirror while the
vehicle is moving. It may cause the
driver to mishandle the vehicle and
an accident may occur resulting in
death or serious injuries.
To block out glare, move the sun visor.
To block out glare from the front—Swing
down the sun visor (position 1).
To block out glare from the side—Swing
down the sun visor, remove it from the
hook and swing it to the lateral side (posi-
tion 2).
If glare comes from obliquely behind you,
extend the plate at the end of the visor
(to position 3).
Antiglare inside rear view
mirrorSu n viso rs—

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
792003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
CAUTION
Do not extend the plate at the end of
the sun visor when the visor is in the
position 1. It can cover the antiglare
inside rear view mirror and obstruct
the rear view.
To use the vanity mirrors, swing down
the sun visor and open the cover.
—Vanity mirrors

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
802003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
812003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Lights, Wipers and Defogger
Headlights and turn signals82
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Emergency flashers 83
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. . . . . .
Instrument panel light control 84
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front fog lights 84
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. . . . . . . . . .
Interior lights 84
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Personal light 85
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. . . . . . . . . . .
Windshield wipers and washer 86
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear window wiper and washer 86
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear window and outside rear view mirror defoggers 87
. . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 4

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
822003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1—Parking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights
Position 2—Headlights and all of the
above
Light reminder buzzer
A buzzer will remind you to turn the lights
off when the driver ’s door is opened if you
remove the key with the headlight switch
on.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the lights on
for a long period when the engine is
not running.
Daytime running light system
(on some models)
The headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty when the parking brake is released with
the engine started, even with the light
switch in the “OFF” position. They will not
go off until the ignition switch is turned
off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and
instrument panel lights, twist the knob to
the position 1.
Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
to full intensity for driving at night.
HighLow beams—For high beams, turn
the headlights on and push the lever away
from you (position 1). Pull the lever to-
ward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will
tell you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)—Pull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights
with the knob turned to “OFF”.
Headlights and turn signals