2004 TOYOTA RAV4 Cargo

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2004 RAV4 from Mar. ’04 Prod. (OM42568U)
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle from the
rear. This may cause serious damage
to your vehicle.
Your vehicle is designed primarily as a
passenger−carrying 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 models2513 kg (5540 lb.)
Fourwheel drive models 2534 kg (5586 lb.)
Trailer towing

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Trailer hitch assemblies have differ-
ent weight capacities established by
the hitch manufacturer. Even though
the vehicle may be physically capa-
ble of towing a higher weight, the
operator must determine the maxi-
mum weight rating of the particular
hitch assembly and never exceed
the maximum weight rating speci-
fied for the trailerhitch. Exceeding
the maximum weight rating set by
the trailer hitch manufacturer can
cause an accident resulting in seri-
ous personal injuries.
The gross vehicle weight must not
exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR) indicated on the
Certification Label. The gross ve-
hicle weight is the sum of weights
of the unloaded vehicle, driver, pas-
sengers, luggage, hitch and trailer
tongue load. It also includes the
weight of any special equipment
installed on your vehicle.
The load on either the front or rear
axle resulting from distribution of
the gross vehicle weight on both
axles must not exceed the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) listed
on the Certification Label.
Total trailer weightTotal trailer weight Tongue load
Tongue load  100 = 9 to 11%
The trailer cargo load should be
distributed so that the tongue load
is 9 to 11% of the total trailer
weight, not exceeding 68 kg (150
lb.).
Never load the trailer with more
weight in the back than in the
front. About 60% of the trailer load
should be in the front half of the
trailer and the remaining 40% in the
rear.

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BREAKIN SCHEDULE
Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer with a new vehicle or a
vehicle with any new power train com-
ponent (engine, transmission, differen-
tial, wheel bearing, etc.) for the first
800 km (500 miles) of driving.
MAINTENANCE
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will
require more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. For this informa-
tion, please refer to the scheduled
maintenance information in the “Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner ’s
Manual Supplement”.
Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRETOWING SAFETY CHECK
Check that your vehicle remains level
when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal nose −up or nose −down
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspension
or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
loaded so that it cannot shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulations. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose.
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing. The three main causes of vehicle
trailer accidents are driver error, exces-
sive speed and improper trailer loading.
Keep these in mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicle −trailer connec-
tions. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and con-
nections. Before actually towing a trail-
er, practice turning, stopping and back-
ing with a trailer in an area away from
traffic until you learn the feel.
Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle −to −vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, prevent excessive clutch
slippage by keeping engine rpm low
and not racing the engine. Always start
out in first gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
Backing with a trailer is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the bottom of
the steering wheel and move your hand
to the left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (This pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer.) Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.

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3. Remove the filter from the filtercase.
4. Inspect the filter on the surface.
If it is dirty, it should be replaced.
INFORMATION
The air filter should be installed prop-
erly in position. The use of air condi-
tioning with the air filter removed
may cause deteriorated dustproof per-
formance and then affect air condi-
tioning performance.
Keep your tire inflation pressures
at the proper level.
The recommended cold tire inflation
pressures, tire sizes and the com-
bined weight of occupants and cargo
(vehicle capacity weight) are de-
scribed on page 312 and 316. They
are also on the tire and loading infor-
mation label.
You should check the tire inflation
pressure every two weeks, or at least
once a month. And do not forget the
spare!
Checking tire inflation
pressure

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∗1: Unladen vehicle∗2: With steel wheel spare tire and half
spare tire cover
∗3: With aluminum wheel spare tire and
half spare tire cover
∗4:
With full spare tire cover
∗ 5:
With over fender
∗ 6:
Tw o −wheel drive models
∗
7:
Four −wheel drive models
∗
8:
With roof rails
∗ 9:
With automatic transmission
∗ 10:
With manual transmission
Dimensions and weights
Overall length mm (in.)
Overall width mm (in.)
Overall height
∗ 1mm (in.)
Wheelbase mm (in.)
Front tread mm (in.)
Rear tread mm (in.)
Vehicle capacity
weight (occupants
+ luggage) kg (lb.) 215/70R16 tires 235/60R16 tires
4205 (165.6)
4210 (165.7)
∗ 2
4215 (165.9)∗3
4255 (167.5)∗4
4220 (166.1)
4225 (166.3)∗3
4255 (167.5)∗4
1735 (68.3)
1785 (70.3)∗51785 (70.3)
1670 (65.7)
1705 (67.1)
∗8
2490 (98.0) 2490 (98.0)
1505 (59.3)
∗ 7
1510 (59.4)∗61525 (60.0)
1495 (58.9)
∗ 7
1500 (59.1)∗61520 (59.8)
345 (761)
∗ 7, 9
375 (826)∗7, 10
417 (919)∗6, 9
447 (985)∗6, 10
345 (761)∗7, 9
375 (826)∗7, 10
417 (919)∗6, 9
447 (985)∗6, 10
1670 (65.7)∗6
1680 (66.1)∗7
1705 (67.1)∗6, 8
1715 (67.5)∗7, 8
Towing capacity (trailer
weight + cargo weight)
kg (lb.)680 (1500) 680 (1500)