
’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
32003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
1. Power rear view mirror control switches
2. Instrument panel light control knob
3. Engine immobiliser system indicatorlight
4. Headlight, turn signal and front fog light switches
5. Wiper and washer switches
6. Front passenger ’s seat belt reminder light
7. Car audio
8. Clock display
9. Emergency flasher switch
10. Rear window and outside rear view mirror defogger switch
11. Air conditioning controls
12. Cigarette lighter
13. Ashtray
14. Ignition switch
15. Cruise control switch
16. Tilt steering lock release lever
17. Power door lock switch (without power windows)

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
52003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
Brake system warning light∗1
Discharge warning light∗1
Low engine oil pressure warning light∗1
Malfunction indicator lamp∗1
Headlight high beam indicator light Automatic transmission fluid temperature warning
light
∗1
Turn signal indicator lights
Driver ’s seat belt reminder light
∗
1Open door warning light∗1
Low fuel level warning light∗1
SRS warning light∗1
Anti lock brake system warning light∗1or
Low windshield washer fluid level warning light∗1
or
Front passenger ’s seat belt reminder light∗1
or
Automatic transmission indicator lights
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)
222003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WITH KEY
Insert the key into the keyhole and turn
it.
To lock: Turn the key clockwise.
To unlock: Turn the key counterclockwise.
To open the back door, pull the lock re-
lease lever.
Vehicles with a power door lock system—
All the side doors and back door lock and
unlock simultaneously with the back door.When all the side doors and back door
are unlocked simultaneously using a key,
the interior lights will come on and remain
on for about 15 seconds before fading
out. (For further information, see “Interior
lights” on page 84 in Section 1 4.)
Operating the power door lock switch or
wireless remote control transmitter simul-
taneously locks or unlocks the back door.
(See “Side doors” on page 12 in this sec-
tion.)
When closing the back door, make sure
it is fully closed.
See “Luggage stowage precautions” on
page 164 in Section 2 for precautions to
observe in loading luggage.
CAUTION
Keep the back door
closed while
driving. This not only keeps the
luggage from being thrown out but
also prevents exhaust gases from
entering the vehicle.
If the open back door hides the
stop, tail or rear turn signal lights
while you are parked, other road
users must be warned of the pres-
ence of your vehicle by a warning
triangle or other device.
Back door

’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
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency flashers 83
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . .
Instrument panel light control 84
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front fog lights 84
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Interior lights 84
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Personal light 85
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . . .
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.
High Low 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

’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 7 3.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)
11 52003 RAV4 from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM42517U)
SCAN
Radio
You can either scan all the frequencies on
a band or scan only the preset stations
for that band.
To scan the preset stations:
Push and hold the “SCAN” button until
you hear a beep. The radio will tune in
the next preset station up the band, stay
there for 5 seconds, and then move to the
next preset station. To stop scanning,
push this button again.
To scan all the frequencies:
Quickly push and release the “SCAN” but-
ton. The radio will find the next station up
the station band, stay there for 5 seconds,
and then scan again to the next station.
To stop scanning, push this button again.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.
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.

’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.