2003 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
832003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to position
1.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The lever automatically returns after you
make a turn, but you may have to return
it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position
2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal
bulb is burned out. See “Replacing light
bulbs” on page 244 in Section 73.To turn on the emergency flashers,
push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. To turn
them off, push the switch once again.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn
other drivers if your vehicle must be
stopped where it might be a traffic hazard.
Always pull as far off the road as pos-
sible.
The turn signal light switch will not work
when the emergency flashers are operat-
ing.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the switch on
longer than necessary when the en-
gine is not running.
Emergency flashers

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
842003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the knob.To turn on the front fog lights, twist
the band of the headlight and turn sig-
nal switch lever. They will come on
only when the headlights are on low
beam.To turn on the interior light, slide the
switch.
The interior light switch has the following
positions:
“ON”—Keeps the light on all the time.
“OFF”—Turns the light off.
“DOOR”—Turns the light on when any of
the side doors and back door are opened.
The light goes off when all the side doors
and back door are closed.
Instrument panel light control Front fog lightsInterior lights

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
852003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
ILLUMINATED ENTRY SYSTEM
(with power door lock system)
When the switch is in the “DOOR” posi-
tion and any of the side doors and back
door are opened, the lights will come on.
After all the side doors and back door are
closed, the lights remain on for about 15
seconds before fading out.
However, in the following cases, the light
fades out immediately:
All the side doors and back door are
closed when the ignition key is in
“ACC” or “ON” position.
All the side doors and back door are
locked when the light is still on.
When all the side doors and back door
are unlocked simultaneously using either
the key or the wireless remote control
transmitter, the interior lights will come on
and remain on for about 15 seconds be-
fore fading out.
INTERIOR LIGHT CUT OFF OPERATION
To prevent the battery being discharged,
the light will automatically turn off when
the ignition switch is in the “LOCK” posi-
tion and the door is left opened with the
switch at “DOOR” position for 20 minutes
or more.With moon roof
Without moon roof
To turn on the personal light, push the
switch. To turn the light off, push the
switch once again.
Personal light

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
862003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the “ON” position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts. For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 243 in
Section 73.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
To turn on the rear window wiper, twist
the lever knob upward.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Normal
To squirt washer fluid on the rear window,
twist the knob upward or downward as far
as it will go (position 3 or 4). The knob
automatically returns from these positions
after you release it.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 243 in
Section 73.
Windshield wipers and washer Rear window wiper and
washer

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
872003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
NOTICE
Do not operate the rear wiper if the
rear window is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the window
surface. An indicator light will illuminate to
indicate the defogger is operating.
On some models, the heater panels in the
outside rear view mirrors will also quickly
clear the surfaces.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defoggers off.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defoggers have operated about 15
minutes.
CAUTION
Since the mirror surfaces can get hot,
do not touch them when the switch
is on.
Make sure you turn the defoggers off
when the surfaces are clear. Leaving the
defoggers on for a long time could cause
the battery to discharge, especially during
stopandgo driving. The defoggers are
not designed for drying rain water or for
melting snow.
If the outside rear view mirrors are heavi-
ly coated with ice, use a spray deicer
before operating the switch.
NOTICE
When cleaning the inside of the rear
window, be careful not to scratch or
damage the heater wires or connec-
tors.
Rear window and outside rear
view mirror defoggers

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
882003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
892003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Gauges, Meters and Service reminder indicators
Fuel gauge90
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. . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine coolant temperature gauge 90
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Tachometer 91
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. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Odometer and two trip meters 91
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Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers 93
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 5

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
902003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
The gauge indicates the approximate
quantity of the fuel remaining in the
tank when the ignition switch is on.
Nearly full—Needle at “F”
Nearly empty—Needle at “E”
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
The needle moves when braking, acceler-
ating or making turns. This is caused by
the movement of the fuel in the tank.
If the fuel level approaches “E” or the low
fuel level warning light comes on, fill the
fuel tank as soon as possible.On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the fuel gauge
needle may fluctuate or the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
If the fuel tank is completely empty, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
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.The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone,
your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Fuel gauge
Engine coolant temperature
gauge