2005 TOYOTA RAV4 towing

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To avoid serious personal injury and
damage to your vehicle which might re-
sult from battery explosion, acid burns,
electrical burns, or damaged electronic
components, these instructions must be
followed precisely.
If you are unsure about how to follow this
procedure, we strongly recommend that
you seek the help of a competent me-
chanic or towing service.
CAUTION

Batteries contain sulfuric acid
which is poisonous and corrosive.
Wear protective safety glasses when
jump starting, and avoid spilling
acid on your skin, clothing, or ve-
hicle.

If you should accidentally get acid
on yourself or in your eyes, remove
any contaminated clothing and flush
the affected area with water im-
mediately. Then get immediate medi-
cal attention. If possible, continue
to apply water with a sponge or
cloth while en route to the medical
office.

The gas normally produced by a
battery will explode if a flame or
spark is brought near. Use only
standardized jumper cables and do
not smoke or light a match while
jump starting.
NOTICE
The battery used for boosting mustbe 12 V. Do not jump start unless youare sure that the booster battery iscorrect.
BEFORE JUMP STARTING
Remove the battery cover as shown in the
illustration.
(c) Jump starting

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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
with torque wrench to 103 N´m
(10.5 kgf´m, 76 ft´lbf), as soon
as possible after changing
wheels. Otherwise, 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
cover are securely in place in
their storage location to reduce
the possibility of personal injury
during a collision or sudden
braking.
Install the full spare tire cover by the
following procedure:
Guides
ÐStowing flat tire

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NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe thefollowing precautions to prevent dam-age to the transmission and otherparts.

Do not depress the accelerator ped-al while shifting the selector leveror before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reversegear.

Do not race the engine and avoidspinning the wheels.

If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,consider other ways such as tow-
ing.
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truckÐ
ÐFrom front
ÐFrom rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
Two- wheel drive models(a) Towing with wheel lift type truckÐ ÐFrom front
ÐFrom rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
Four- wheel drive models
If your vehicle needs to be
towedÐ

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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 ÐEmergency tow-
ingº on page 260 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.
Two- wheel drive modelsÐ
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From frontÐ
Release the parking brake.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to en-
sure adequate ground clearance fortowing at the opposite end of theraised vehicle. Otherwise, the bumper
and/or underbody of the towed vehiclewill be damaged during towing.
From rearÐ

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 ACCº position and put the
transmission in neutral.
NOTICE
Do not tow with the key removed or
in the LOCKº position when towingfrom the rear without a towing dolly.The steering lock mechanism is not
strong enough to hold the frontwheels straight.

Automatic transmission:
Use a towing dolly under the front
wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle with an automatic
transmission from the rear with thefront wheels on the ground, as thismay cause serious damage to the
transmission.
(b) Using flat bed truck
Four- wheel drive modelsÐ
(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 modelsÐ
(c) Towing with sling type truck
NOTICE
Do not tow with sling type truck, ei-
ther from the front or rear. This maycause body damage.
Front
Rear
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.
Vehicles with an automatic transmis-
sion, use only the front towing eyelet
when towing your vehicle.
NOTICE

Only use specified towing eyelet;
otherwise your vehicle may be dam-aged.

Vehicles with an automatic trans-
mission, never tow a vehicle fromthe rear with four wheels on theground. This may cause serious
damage to the transmission.
ÐEmergency towing

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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 specificallyintended for use in towing vehicles.Securely fasten the cable or chain tothe towing eyelet provided.
Before towing, release the parking brake
and put the transmission in neutral (manu-
al) or Nº (automatic). The key must be
in ACCº (engine off) or ONº (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.
ÐEmergency towing eyelet
precautions

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CAUTION
If the emergency towing eyelet is
used to get out when your vehicle
becomes struck in mud, sand or oth-
er condition from which the vehicle
cannot be driven out under its own
power, make sure to observe the pre-
cautions mentioned below. Otherwise,
excessive stress will be put on the
eyelet and the towing cable or chain
may break, causing serious injury or
damage.

If the towing vehicle can hardly
move, do not forcibly continue the
towing. Contact your Toyota dealer
or a commercial tow truck service
for assistance.

Tow the vehicle as straight ahead
as possible.

Keep away from the vehicle during
towing.
The following methods are effective to get
out when your vehicle is struck in mud,
sand or other condition from which the
vehicle cannot be driven out under its own
power. Use extreme caution when towing
vehicles. In addition, keep away from the
vehicles and towing cable or chain when
towing.

Remove the soil and sand in the front
and the back of the tires.

Place a stone or wood under the tires.
If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of Pº position to other positions
even though the brake pedal is de-
pressed, use the shift lock override but-
ton as follows:1. Turn the ignition key to LOCKº position. Make sure the parking
brake is applied.
2. Pry up the cover with a flat- bladed screwdriver or equivalent.
ÐTips for towing a stuck
vehicle If you cannot shift automatic
transmission selector lever

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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: Two- 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)