2005 TOYOTA RAV4 tow

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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.
HITCHES

Use only a weight carrying hitch
designed for the total trailer weight.
Toyota does not recommend using a
weight distribution (load equalizing)
hitch.

The hitch must be bolted securely to
the vehicle frame and installed accord-
ing to the hitch manufacturer 's instruc-
tions.

The hitch ball should have a light coat
of grease.

Toyota recommends that the trailer
hitch be removed when not towing to
prevent injury and/or damage by the
hitch in event of a rear end collision.
After removing the hitch, the installa-
tion area should be sealed to prevent
entry of exhaust fumes and mud.
NOTICE
Do not use an axle- mounting hitch as
it may cause damage to the axlehousing, wheel bearings, wheels and/or tires.
BRAKES AND SAFETY CHAINS

Toyota recommends trailers with
brakes that conform to any applica-
ble federal and state/provincial regu-
lations.

A safety chain must always be used
between the towing vehicle and the
trailer. Leave sufficient slack in the
chain for turns. The chain should
cross under the trailer tongue to
prevent the tongue from dropping to
the ground in case it becomes dam-
aged or separated. For correct safety
chain procedures, follow the hitch or
trailer manufacturer 's recommenda-
tions.
CAUTION

If the total trailer weight exceeds
272 kg (600 lb.), trailer brakes are
required.

Never tap into your vehicle's hy-
draulic system as it would lower its
braking effectiveness.

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Never tow a trailer without using a
safety chain securely attached to
both the trailer and the vehicle. If
damage occurs to the coupling unit
or hitch ball, there is danger of the
trailer wandering over into another
lane.
TIRES

Ensure that your vehicle's tires are
properly inflated. See page 291 Section
7- 2 and page 316 in Section 8 for
instructions.

The trailer tires should be inflated to
the pressure recommended by the trail-
er manufacturer in respect to the total
trailer weight.
TRAILER LIGHTS

Trailer lights must comply with federal,
state/provincial and local regulations.
See your local recreational vehicle
dealer or rental agency for the correct
type of wiring and relays for your trail-
er. Check for correct operation of the
turn signals and stop lights each time
you hitch up. Direct splicing may dam-
age your vehicle's electrical system
and cause a malfunction of your lights. BREAK- IN 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 Guideº or Owner 's
Manual Supplementº.

Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRE- TOWING 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.

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When restarting out after parking on a
slope:1. With the transmission in Pº position (automatic) or the clutch pedal de-
pressed (manual), start the engine.
(With an automatic transmission, be
sure to keep the brake pedal de-
pressed.)
2. Shift into gear.
3. Release the parking brake (also foot brake on automatic transmission ve-
hicles) and slowly pull or back away
from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply
your brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blo cks.
CAUTION

Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle-
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.

Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.

Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
Improving fuel economy is easyÐjust take
it easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:

Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See page
291 in Section 7- 2 for instructions.

Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.

Avoid lengthy warm- up idling. Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
drivingÐbut gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.

Keep the automatic transmission
overdrive turned on when engine
braking is not required. Driving with
the overdrive off will reduce the fuel
economy. (For details, see Automatic
transmissionº on page 121 in Section
1- 7.)

Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer

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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
In case of an emergency
If your vehicle will not start242
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If your engine stalls while driving 246
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If you cannot increase engine speed 246
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle overheats 246
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If you have a flat tire 247
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. . . . .
If your vehicle becomes stuck 257
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If your vehicle needs to be towed 258
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If you cannot shift automatic transmission selector lever 262
. . . . . . . .
If you lose your keys 263
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. . . .
If you lose your wireless remote control transmitter 263
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 4

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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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10.Check the air pressure of the re-placed tire.
Adjust the air pressure to the specifi-
cation designated on page 316 in
Section 8. If the pressure is lower,
drive slowly to the nearest service
station and fill to the correct pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire infla-
tion 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 se- curely.
As soon after changing wheels as
possible, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified on page 316 in Sec-
tion 8 with a torque wrench. Have a
technician repair the flat tire.
Initial adjustment of the tire pres-
sure warning system is necessary
after you have replaced your tires
or wheels. See Tire pressure
warning systemº on page 131 in
Section 1- 7.CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools and jack are securely in
place in their storage location to
reduce the possibility of person-
al 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.
Two- wheel drive models with traction
control systemÐTurn off the traction
control system to become unstuck to
allow the tires to spin enough to re-
move the vehicle from the obstruction.
(For details, see Traction control sys-
tem (two- wheel drive models)º on page
126 in Section 1- 7.)
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.
ÐAfter changing wheels If your vehicle becomes stuck

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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