2004 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

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Foreword
Welcome to the growing group of value−conscious people who drive Toyotas. We are proud of the advanced engineering and
quality construction of each vehicle we build.
This Owner ’s Manual explains the operation of your new Toyota. Please read it thoroughly and have all the occupants
follow the instructions carefully. Doing so will help you enjoy many years of safe and troublefree motoring. For
important information about this manual and your Toyota, read the following pages carefully.
When it comes to service, remember that your Toyota dealer knows your vehicle very well and is interested in your complete
satisfaction. He will provide quality maintenance and any other assistance you may require.
If there is not a Toyota dealer near you, or you need emergency assistance for any reason, please call the following number:
U.S. OWNERS: Toyota Customer Assistance Center Tollfree: 18003314331
CANADIAN OWNERS:Toyota Canada Customer Interaction Centre Tollfree: 1888TOYOTA8 (18888696828)
Please leave this Owner ’s Manual in this vehicle at the time of resale. The next owner will need this information also.
All information and specifications in this manual are current at the time of printing. However, because of Toyota’s policy of
continual product improvement, we reserve the right to make changes at any time without notice.
Please note that this manual applies to all models and explains all equipment, including options. Therefore, you may
find some explanations for equipment not installed on your vehicle.
©2004 TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or copied, in whole or in part, without the written permission of Toyo ta
Motor Corporation.

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Important information about this manual
Safety and vehicle damage warnings
Throughout this manual, you will see safety and vehicle dam-
age warnings. You must follow these warnings carefully to
avoid possible injury or damage.
The types of warnings, what they look like, and how they are
used in this manual are explained as follows:
CAUTION
This is a warning against anything which may cause
injury to people if the warning is ignored. You are
informed about what you must or must not do in
order to reduce the risk of injury to yourself and
others.
NOTICE
This is a warning against anything which may cause
damage to the vehicle or its equipment if the warning
is ignored. You are informed about what you must or
must not do in order to avoid or reduce the risk of
damage to your vehicle and its equipment.
Safety symbol
When you see the safety symbol
shown above, it means: “Do not...”;
“Do not do this”; or “Do not let this
happen”.

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Important information about your Toyota
Occupant restraint systems
Toyota encourages you and your family to take the time to
read Section 1−3 of this Owner’s Manual carefully. In
terms of helping you understand how you can receive the
maximum benefit of the occupant restraint systems this
vehicle provides, Section 1 −3 of this Owner ’s Manual is
the most important Section for you and your family to
read.
Section 1 −3 describes the function and operation concern-
ing seats, seat belts, SRS airbags and child restraint sys-
tems of this vehicle and some potential hazards you
should be aware of. These systems work together along
with the overall structure of this vehicle in order to provide
occupant restraint in the event of a crash. The effect of
each system is enhanced when it is used properly and
together with other systems. No single occupant restraint
system can, by itself, provide you or your family with the
equal level of restraint which these systems can provide
when used together. That is why it is important for you and
your family to understand the purpose and proper use of
each of these systems and how they relate to each other.
The purpose of all occupant restraint systems is to help
reduce the possibility of death or serious injury in the
event of a collision. None of these systems, either individ-
ually or together, can ensure that there is no injury in the
event of collision. However, the more you know about
these systems and how to use them properly, the greater
your chances become of surviving an accident without
death or serious injury.
Seat belts provide the primary restraint to all occupants of
the vehicle, and every occupant of the vehicle should wear
seat belts properly at all times. Children should always be
secured in child restraint systems that are appropriate for
their age and size. SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
airbags are, as their names imply, designed to work with,
and be supplemental to, seat belts and are not substitutes
for them. SRS airbags can be very effective in reducing
the risk of head and chest injuries by preventing contact of
the head and chest with interior portions of the vehicle.

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In order to be effective, the SRS airbags must deploy with
tremendous speed. The rapid deployment of the SRS air-
bags makes the SRS airbags themselves potential sources
of serious injury if an occupant is too close to an airbag,
or if an object or some part of his or her body has been
placed between the occupant and the airbag at the time of
deployment. This is just one example of how the instruc-
tions in Section 1−3 of this Owner ’s Manual will help en-
sure proper use of the occupant restraint systems, and
increase the safety they can provide to you and your fami-
ly in the event of an accident.
Toyota recommends you to read the provisions in Section
1 −3 carefully and refer to them as needed during your time
of ownership of this vehicle.New vehicle warranty
Your new vehicle is covered by the following Toyota limited
warranties:
 New vehicle warranty
 Emission control systems warranty
 Others
For further information, please refer to the “Owner’s
Warranty Information Booklet” or “Owner ’s Manual
Supplement”.
Your responsibility for maintenance
It is the owner ’s responsibility to make sure that the speci-
fied maintenance is performed. Section 6 gives details of
these maintenance requirements. Also included in Section
6 is general maintenance. For scheduled maintenance in-
formation, please refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.

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Important health and safety
information about your Toyota
CAUTION
WARNING: Engine exhaust, some of its constitu- ents, and a wide variety of automobile compo-
nents contain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth de-
fects and other reproductive harm. In addition,
oils, fuels and fluids contained in vehicles as
well as waste produced by component wear con-
tain or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm.
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead and lead compounds. Wash your
hands after handling. Used engine oil contains
chemicals that have caused cancer in laboratory
animals. Always protect your skin by washing
thoroughly with soap and water.
Accessories, spare parts and
modification of your Toyota
A wide variety of non −genuine spare parts and accessories
for Toyota vehicles are currently available in the market.
You should know that Toyota does not warrant these prod-
ucts and is not responsible for their performance, repair, or
replacement, or for any damage they may cause to, or
adverse effect they may have on, your Toyota vehicle.
This vehicle should not be modified with non −genuine
Toyota products. Modification with non −genuine Toyota
products could affect its performance, safety or durability,
and may even violate governmental regulations. In addi-
tion, damage or performance problems resulting from the
modification may not be covered under warranty.

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Spark ignition system of yourTo y o t a
The spark ignition system in your Toyota meets all require-
ments of the Canadian Interference −Causing Equipment
Standard.
Installation of a mobile twoway radio system
As the installation of a mobile two −way radio system in
your vehicle could affect electronic systems such as multi-
port fuel injection system/sequential multiport fuel injection
system, electronic throttle control system, cruise control
system, anti −lock brake system, traction control system,
vehicle stability control system, SRS airbag system and
seat belt pretensioner system, be sure to check with your
Toyota dealer for precautionary measures or special in-
structions regarding installation.
Tires and loading on your To y o t a
Underinflated or overinflated tire pressure and the
excess load may result in the deterioration of
steering ability and braking ability, leading to an
accident. Check the tire inflation pressure periodi-
cally and be sure to keep the load limits given in
this Owner ’s Manual. For details about tire inflation
pressure and load limits, see pages 291 and 219.

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Scrapping of your Toyota
The SRS airbag and seat belt pretensioner devices in your
Toyota contain explosive chemicals. If the vehicle is
scrapped with the airbags and pretensioners left as they
are, this may cause an accident such as fire. Be sure to
have the systems of the SRS airbag and seat belt preten-
sioner removed and disposed of by the qualified service
shop or by your Toyota dealer before you dispose of your
vehicle.
Onpavement and offroaddriving tips
This vehicle belongs to the utility vehicle class. Utility
vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles. This vehicle will handle and maneuver
differently from an ordinary passenger car because it is
designed for off −road use also. In addition, this vehicle
has a higher ground clearance and center of gravity than
that of an ordinary passenger car. This vehicle design
feature causes this type of vehicle to be more likely to
rollover. Failure to operate this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, accidents or vehicle rollover causing
death or serious injury. Be sure to read “Off −road vehicle
precautions” on page 196 in Section 2 and “Off −road
driving precautions” on page 228 in Section 3.

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