2003 TOYOTA RAV4 ECO mode

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
1212003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Compact disc player
There are two scan features—you can ei-
ther scan the tracks on a specific disc or
scan the first tracks of all the discs in the
magazine.
Scanning the tracks on a disc:
Quickly push and release the “SCAN” but-
ton. “SCAN” will appear on the display
and the player will scan all the tracks on
the disc you are listening to. To stop
scanning, push this button again. If the
player scanned all the tracks on the disc,
it will stop scanning.
With compact disc changer only—
Scanning the first tracks of all the discs
in the magazine:
Push the “SCAN” button until you hear a
beep. “
·SCAN” will appear on the dis-
play and the player will scan the first
track of the next disc. To stop scanning,
push this button again. If the player has
scanned all the di scs, it will stop scan-
ning. SEEK/TRACK (Seeking/Track up/down)
Radio
In the seek mode, the radio finds and
plays the next station up or down the
station band.
To seek the next station, quickly push and
release “
” or “ ” side of the “SEEK/
TRACK” button. Do this again to find the
station after that.
Cassette Player
Use this button to skip up or down to
locate a song or recording.
You can select up to nine recordings (in-
cluding current one).
A blank space of at least 3 seconds is
considered to be a start of a recording.
When a beginning of a tape is reached,
the player automatically resumes play.
When the end of the tape is reached, the
player automatically reverses sides and
resumes normal play.
In addition, the feature may not work well
with some spoken word, live, or classical
recordings. Compact disc player
Use this button to skip up or down to a
different track.
Push “
” or “ ” side of the “SEEK/
TRACK” button until the number of the
track you want to listen to appears on the
display. If you want to return to the begin-
ning of the current track, quickly push the
down side of the button one time.
ST (Stereo reception) display
Your radio automatically changes to stereo
reception when a stereo broadcast is re-
ceived. “ST” appears on the display. If the
signal becomes weak, the radio reduces
the amount of channel separation to prev-
ent the weak signal from creating noise.
If the signal becomes extremely weak, the
radio switches from stereo to mono recep-
tion.
TA P E
Push the “TAPE” button to play a cassette
tape.

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
1312003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
To cool off your Toyota after it has
been parked in the hot sun, drive with
the windows open for a few minutes.
This vents the hot air, allowing the air
conditioning to cool the interior more
quickly.
Make sure the air intake grilles in front
of the windshield are not blocked (by
leaves or snow, for example).
On humid days, do not blow cold air
on the windshield. The windshield could
fog up because of the difference in air
temperature on the inside and outside
of the windshield.
Keep the area under the front seats
clear to allow air to circulate through-
out the vehicle.
On cold days, set the fan speed to
high for a minute to help clear the
intake ducts of snow or moisture. This
can reduce the amount of fogging on
the windows.
When driving on dusty roads, close all
windows. If dust thrown up by the ve-
hicle is still drawn into the vehicle after
closing the windows, it is recommended
that the air intake selector be set to
FRESH and the fan speed selector to
any setting except “OFF”.
Air flow selector settings
On some models
Operating tips

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1612003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
The tandem master cylinder brake system
is a hydraulic system with two separate
subsystems. If either subsystem should
fail, the other will still work. However, the
pedal will be harder to press, and your
stopping distance will be longer. Also, the
brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with only a
single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
BRAKE BOOSTER
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to
powerassist the brakes. If the engine
should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal
pedal pressure. There is enough reserved
vacuum for one or two stops—but no
more!
CAUTION
Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your reserved vacu-
um.
Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push the
pedal hard, much harder than nor-
mal. And your braking distance will
be longer.
ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
(with “ABS” warning light)
The antilock brake system is designed
to help prevent lockup of the wheels
during a sudden braking or braking on
slippery road surfaces. This assists in
providing directional stability and steer-
ing performance of the vehicle under
these circumstances.
Effective way to press the ABS brake
pedal: When the antilock brake system
function is in action, you may feel the
brake pedal pulsating and hear a noise.
In this situation, to let the antilock
brake system work for you, just hold the
brake pedal down more firmly. Do not
pump the brake in a panic stop. This
will result in reduced braking performan-
ce.
The antilock brake system becomes op-
erative after the vehicle has accelerated
to a speed in excess of approximately 10
km/h (6 mph). It stops operating when the
vehicle decelerates to a speed below
approximately 5 km/h (3 mph).
Depressing the brake pedal on slippery
road surfaces such as on the manhole
cover, the steel plate under the construc-
tion, joints in the bridge, etc. on a rainy
day tends to activate the antilock brake
system.
You may hear a click or motor sound in
the engine compartment for a few seconds
when the engine is started or just after
the vehicle is started. This means that the
antilock brake system is in the self
check mode, and does not indicate a mal-
function.
Brake system

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1752003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Your vehicle can be dinghy towed (with
four wheels on the ground) from the
front behind a motorhome.
CAUTION
Dinghy towing requires special equip-
ment and accessories. Please refer to
your service outlet of the motorhome
manufacture for the recommended
equipment.
NOTICE
Dinghy towing does not eliminate the
possibility of damage to your vehicle.
DINGHY TOWING TIPS
Before dinghy towing, be sure to ob-
serve the following in order to reduce
the damage to your vehicle.1. Put the shift lever in neutral.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC” position. Make sure the audio is turned
off and any item is not plugged into
the power outlet.
NOTICE
To avoid the locking of the steering
wheel, turn the ignition switch to the
“ACC” position.
3. Release the parking brake.
NOTICE
Fourwheel drive models:
To prevent the vehicle from being
damaged, observe following.
Do not tow the vehicle at a speed
higher than 88 km/h (55 mph).
 Do not tow the vehicle for more
than 320 km (200 miles).
After dinghy towing or at the recom-
mended distance limit, let the engine idle
for more than 3 minutes before driving the
vehicle or resuming towing.
Dinghy towing
(with manual transmission)

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NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle from the
rear. This may cause serious damage
to your vehicle.
Your vehicle is designed primarily as a
passengercarrying vehicle. Towing a
trailer will have an adverse effect on
handling, performance, braking, durability
and driving economy (fuel consumption,
etc.). Your safety and satisfaction depend
on the proper use of correct equipment
and cautious driving habits. For your
safety and the safety of others, you must
not overload your vehicle or trailer. Toyota
warranties do not apply to damage or
malfunction caused by towing a trailer for
commercial purposes. Ask your local
Toyota dealer for further details before
towing.
WEIGHT LIMITS
Before towing, make sure the total trail-
er weight, gross combination weight,
gross vehicle weight, gross axle weight
and trailer tongue load are all within
the limits.
The total trailer weight and tongue load
can be measured with platform scales
found at a highway weighing station, build-
ing supply company, trucking company,
junk yard, etc.CAUTION
The total trailer weight (trailer
weight plus its cargo load) must
not exceed 680 kg (1500 lb.).
The gross combination weight (sum
of your vehicle weight plus its load
and the total trailer weight) must
not exceed the following.
Twowheel drive models2468 kg (5441 lb.)
Fourwheel drive models 2489 kg (5487 lb.)
Trailer towing

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
1812003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
Improving fuel economy is easy—just take
it easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See page
233 in Section 72 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warmup idling. Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
driving—but gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Keep the automatic transmission
overdrive turned on when engine
braking is not required. Driving with
the overdrive off will reduce the fuel
economy. (For details, see “Automatic
transmission” on page 101 in Section
16.)
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
Avoid long engine idling. If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic,
it is better to turn off the engine and
start again later.
Avoid engine lugging or overrev-
ving. Use a gear position suitable for
the road on which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stopandgo driving
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the clutch
or brake pedal. This causes premature
wear, overheating and poor fuel econo-
my.
Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways. The faster you drive, the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer

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If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice. In consultation with them, have
your vehicle towed using either (a) or
(b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or com-
mercial tow truck service, tow your ve-
hicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in “—Emergency tow-
ing” on page 201 in this section.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following pre-
cautions are observed. If necessary, show
this page to the tow truck driver.TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
Twowheel drive models—
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From front—
Release the parking brake.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to en-
sure adequate ground clearance for
towing at the opposite end of the
raised vehicle. Otherwise, the bumper
and/or underbody of the towed vehicle
will be damaged during towing.
From rear—
Manual transmission:
We recommend using a towing dolly
under the front wheels. If you do not
use a towing dolly, place the ignition
key in the “ACC” position and put the
transmission in neutral.
NOTICE
Do not tow with the key removed or
in the “LOCK” position when towing
from the rear without a towing dolly.
The steering lock mechanism is not
strong enough to hold the front
wheels straight.
Automatic transmission:
Use a towing dolly under the front
wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle with an automatic
transmission from the rear with the
front wheels on the ground, as this
may cause serious damage to the
transmission.
(b) Using flat bed truck
Fourwheel drive models—
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
Use a towing dolly under the wheels not
lifted by the truck.
(b) Using flat bed truck

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(c) Towing with sling type truck
All models—
(c) Towing with sling type truck
NOTICE
Do not tow with sling type truck, ei-
ther from the front or rear. This may
cause body damage.
Front
Rear (fourwheel drive models with manu-
al transmission and twowheel drive mod-
els)
Rear (fourwheel drive models with auto-
matic transmission)
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tempo-
rarily towed by a cable or chain se-
cured to the emergency towing eyelets
under the front of the vehicle or the
left emergency towing eyelet under the
rear of the vehicle. Use extreme caution
when towing vehicle.
—Emergency towing