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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
1922003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
To remove the spare tire on the back
door:1. Remove the spare tire cover.
Full spare tire cover—Unhook the latch
handle which is on the bottom of the cov-
er. Pull up the cover by grasping the
clearances on both sides between the
cover and latch handle base.
Half spare tire cover—Pry off the center
cover and loose the nut with wheel nut
wrench, then remove the spare tire cover.
2. Turn the hold down nuts counterclock- wise with the wheel nut wrench and
remove them.
When storing the spare tire, put it in place
and secure it to prevent it from flying
forward during a collision or s udden brak-
ing.2. Block the wheel diagonally opposite the flat tire to keep the vehicle from
rolling when it is j acked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a wheel
block in front of one of the front wheels
or behind one of the rear wheels.
—Blocking the wheel
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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
1962003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
8. Lower the vehicle completely andtighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to
lower the vehicle.
Use only the wheel nut wrench and turn
it clockwise to tighten the nuts. Do not
use other tools or any additional leverage
other than your hands, such as a hammer,
pipe or your foot. Make sure the wrench
is securely engaged over the nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in the
order shown. Repeat the process until all
the nuts are tight.
CAUTION
When lowering the vehicle, make
sure all portions of your body and
all other persons around will not be
injured as the vehicle is lowered to
the ground.
Have the wheel nuts tightened by
torque wrench at 103 N·m (10.5
kgf·m, 76 ft·lbf), as soon as pos-
sible after changing wheels. Other-
wise, the nuts may loosen and the
wheels may fall off, which could
cause a serious accident.
9. Install the flat tire and spare tire cover on the back door.
CAUTION
Make sure flat tire and spare tire cov-
er are securely in place in their stor-
age location to reduce the possibility
of personal injury during a collision
or sudden braking.
Install the full spare tire cover by the
following procedure:
—Lowering your vehicle —Stowing flat tire
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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
1972003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Guides
1. Insert the hooks under the guides tothe upper slots and lower the cover.
2. Push both sides of the cover and setthe cover by hooking the 4 inside pro-
trusions.
Check that the 2 hooks and 4 protrusions
are securely attached.
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1982003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
3. Lock the latch handle which is on thebottom of the cover.
Check that the cover is securely in place. 10. Check the air pressure of the re-
placed tire.
Adjust the air pressure to the specification
designated on page 258 in Section 8. If
the pressure is lower, drive slowly to the
nearest service station and fill to the cor-
rect pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire inflation
valve cap as dirt and moisture could get
into the valve core and possibly cause air
leakage. If the cap is missing, have a new
one put on as soon as possible.
11. Restow all the tools and jack secure- ly.
As soon after changing wheels as pos-
sible, tighten the wheel nuts to the torque
specified on page 258 in Section 8 with
a torque wrench. Have a technician repair
the flat tire.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools and jack are securely in place
in their storage location to reduce the
possibility of personal injury during a
collision or sudden braking.
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt
to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and back-
ward if people or objects are any-
where near the vehicle. During the
rocking operation the vehicle may
suddenly move forward or backward
as it becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or ob-
jects.
—After changing wheels If your vehicle becomes stuck
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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
2022003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
NOTICE
Only use specified towing eyelet;
otherwise your vehicle may be dam-
aged.
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer
it and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hard surfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, drive train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
CAUTION
Use extreme caution when towing ve-
hicles. Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which would place
excessive stress on the emergency
towing eyelet and towing cable or
chain. The eyelet and towing cable or
chain may break and cause serious
injury or damage.
NOTICE
Use only a cable or chain specifically
intended for use in towing vehicles.
Securely fasten the cable or chain to
the towing eyelet provided.
Before towing, release the parking brake
and put the transmission in neutral (manu-
al) or “N” (automatic). The key must be
in “ACC” (engine off) or “ON” (engine run-
ning).
CAUTION
If the engine is not running, the pow-
er assist for the brakes and steering
will not work so steering and braking
will be much harder than usual.
Before emergency towing, check that
the eyelet is not broken or damaged
and that the installation bolts are not
loose.
Fasten the towing cable or chain se-
curely to the eyelet.
Do not jerk the eyelet. Apply steady
and even force.
To avoid damaging the eyelet, do not
pull from the side or at a vertical
angle. Always pull straight ahead.
—Emergency towing eyelet
precautions
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