2006 TOYOTA RAV4 four wheel drive

’06 Rav4_U (L/O 0601)
3
2005 RAV4 from Jan. ’06 Prod. (OM42620U)
1. Instrument panel light control dial
2. Headlight, turn signal and front foglight switches
3. Audio remote control switches
4. Wiper and washer switches
5. Four −wheel drive lock switch
(four −wheel drive models) or “AUTO
LSD” switch (two −wheel drive models)
6. Audio system
7. Emergency flasher switch
8. Front passenger occupant classification indicator light
9. Air conditioning controls
10. Clock display 11. Rear window and outside rear view mirror defogger switch
12. Power outlet
13. Windshield wiper de −icer switch
14. Seat heater switch
15. Downhill assist control switch
16. Front passenger ’s seat belt reminder light
17. Engine immobilizer system indicator light

View B (with manual air conditioning system)

’06 Rav4_U (L/O 0601)
5
2005 RAV4 from Jan. ’06 Prod. (OM42620U)
1. Instrument panel light control dial
2. Headlight, turn signal and front foglight switches
3. Audio remote control switches
4. Wiper and washer switches
5. Four −wheel drive lock switch
(four −wheel drive models) or “AUTO
LSD” switch (two −wheel drive models)
6. Audio system
7. Emergency flasher switch
8. Front passenger occupant classification indicator light
9. Air conditioning controls
10. Rear window and outside rear view mirror defogger switch
11. Clock and air conditioning display
12. Power outlet
13. Windshield wiper de −icer switch
14. Seat heater switch
15. Downhill assist control switch
16. Front passenger ’s seat belt reminder light
17. Engine immobilizer system indicator light

View B (with automatic air conditioning system)

’06 Rav4_U (L/O 0601)
9
2005 RAV4 from Jan. ’06 Prod. (OM42620U)
∗1: For details, see “Service reminder indicators and warning
buzzers” on page 127 in Section 1 −6.
∗
2: If this light flashes, see “Cruise control” on page 166 in
Section 1 −7.Cruise control indicator light
∗
2
Four −wheel drive lock indicator light
Headlight high beam indicator light
Turn signal indicator lights
Automatic transmission indicator lights
(4 −speed)
Engine oil replacement reminder light
∗ 1
Slip indicator light
Front fog light indicator light Headlight low beam indicator light
Tail light indicator light
“AIRBAG ON” and “AIRBAG OFF” indicator
lights
Downhill assist control system indicator light “AUTO LSD” indicator light
Low windshield washer fluid level warning
light∗1
Electric power steering system warning light∗1
Automatic transmission indicator lights
(5 −speed)

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2005 RAV4 from Jan. ’06 Prod. (OM42620U)
“AUTO LSD” indicator light
(two−wheel drive models)
Slip indicator light
Downhill assist control system indicator
light
Four −wheel drive lock indicator light
The SRS warning light goes off after
about 6 seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, have it checked by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible.

’06 Rav4_U (L/O 0601)
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2005 RAV4 from Jan. ’06 Prod. (OM42620U)
(b) Normal driving1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 306 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
“P” or “N”.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
When the lever is in the “D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc.
Always use the “D” position for better fuel
economy and quieter driving. If the engine
coolant temperature is low, the transmis-
sion will not shift into the overdrive gear
even in the “D” position.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting. (c) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the “3” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to third gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
Tw o −wheel drive models
173 km/h (108 mph)
Four −wheel drive models
164 km/h (102 mph)
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
Tw o −wheel drive models
113 km/h (70 mph)
Four −wheel drive models
107 km/h (66 mph)
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be en-
abled.
Tw o −wheel drive models
56 km/h (35 mph)
Four −wheel drive models
53 km/h (33 mph)
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift from “D” to “3”,
engine braking will not be enabled be-
cause the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 166 in this
Section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to skid or
spin.

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2005 RAV4 from Jan. ’06 Prod. (OM42620U)
(d) Using “2” and “L” positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “2” or “L”, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “2”, the vehicle
will start in first gear and automatically
shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
Twowheel drive models“2” 126 km/h (78 mph) . . . . . . . . .
“L” 70 km/h (43 mph) . . . . . . . . . .
Fourwheel drive models “2” 120 km/h (74 mph) . . . . . . . . .
“L” 67 km/h (41 mph) . . . . . . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“2” or “L” position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To prevent
such damage, “3” position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(e) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(f) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into “P” position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.
(g) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between third gear and over-
drive when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever to the “3” posi-
tion. Be sure to shift the selector lever
to the “D” position immediately after-
ward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use “D” position.

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2005 RAV4 from Jan. ’06 Prod. (OM42620U)
(h) If you cannot shift the selector le-ver out of “P” position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
the “P” position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see “If
you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 342 in Section 4. The active torque control 4WD system
controls the engine torque that is ap-
plied to the rear wheels according to
the driving conditions and road condi-
tions. When the vehicle’s driving condi-
tions are stable such as driving straight
ahead, the engine torque is applied to
only the front wheels.
FOURWHEEL DRIVE LOCK SWITCH
When the vehicle is driven on loose
surfaces, such as sand, gravel, or deep
snow, or if the vehicle gets stuck,
pushing the fourwheel drive lock
switch to ensure that the engine torque
is applied to the 4 wheels.
When the four
−wheel drive lock switch is
pushed, the four −wheel drive lock indicator
light blinks twice and remains on until the
four −wheel drive lock is canceled.
To cancel the four −wheel drive lock, push
the switch once again and the four −wheel
drive lock indicator light will go off.
Active torque control 4WD
system

’06 Rav4_U (L/O 0601)
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2005 RAV4 from Jan. ’06 Prod. (OM42620U)
When the vehicle speed exceeds 40 km/h
(25 mph), the four−wheel drive lock will
be cancelled automatically.
The four −wheel drive lock indicator will
come on for a few seconds when the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
If the indicator light does not come on
when the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
the four −wheel drive lock switch is
pushed, contact your Toyota dealer.
NOTICE
Use the fourwheel drive lock only
when driving on the loose surfaces,
such as sand, gravel, or deep snow,
or if the vehicle gets stuck. After the
fourwheel drive lock is used to pro-
vide traction, cancel the fourwheel
drive lock. Using the fourwheel drive
lock at other times may cause dam-
age to the fourwheel drive system.SYSTEM FAILURE WARING
The “4WD” warning light warns that there
is a problem somewhere in the active
torque control 4WD system.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to “ON”. When the system
works properly, the light turns off after a
few seconds.
If the warning light does not come on
when the ignition key is turned to “ON”,
contact your Toyota dealer to service the
vehicle. If the “4WD” warning light flashes...
This indicates that the driveline tempera-
ture has become too high. Without turning
off the engine, do either of the following
to cool the driveline:
Reduce vehicle speed until the light
goes off.
Stop the vehicle at a safe place and
allow the engine to idle until the light
goes off.
If operation of the vehicle is continued
while the light is flashing, the system au-
tomatically shuts off the engine torque that
is applied to the rear wheels to protect
the driveline. If this happens, the light will
flash faster.
When the driveline temperature falls
enough, the light will go off.
If the “4WD” warning light remains on...
This indicates that the system may not
work properly. Contact your Toyota dealer
to service your vehicle.