2007 TOYOTA RAV4 towing

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Front door
Rear door
The bottle holders are designed to hold
bottles securely.
CAUTION
Do not attempt to use the holder for
any other purpose for which it was
intended. Inappropriately sized or
shaped objects may be thrown about
in the compartment and possibly in-
jure people in the vehicle during a
sudden braking or an accident.
NOTICE
Do not put a cup or open bottle in
the bottle holder because the con-
tents may spill when the door opens
or closes.
To secure your luggage, use the tiedown
hooks as shown above.
See “—Stowage precautions” on page 331
in Section 2 for precautions when loading
luggage.
Vehicles with third seat: When using the
tie−down hooks, stow the third seat (For
detailed information, see “—Stowing third
seats for luggage space” on page 45 in
Section 1 −3).
CAUTION
To avoid personal injury, keep the tie
down hooks stored when not in use.
Bottle holders Tiedown hooks

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STOWING LUGGAGE COVER (without
third seats)1. Open the deck board.
2. Remove the deck side cover.

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USING CARGO NET
To use the net, insert the right end of the
pipe into the hole.Compress the left end of the pipe, and fit
it into the hole on the other side of the
luggage compartment.
Vehicles with third seat: When sitting in
the third seat, you cannot use the rear
cargo net. Make sure to remove the rear
cargo net.
When using the rear cargo net, stow the
third seat (For detailed information, see
“—Stowing third seats for luggage space”
on page 45 in Section 1−3).

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STOWING REAR CARGO NET (without
third seat)1. Open the deck board.
2. Remove the deck side cover.3. Insert the right end of the rear cargo net into the luggage storage box as
shown.

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Vehicle load limits include total load
capacity, seating capacity, towing ca-
pacity and cargo capacity. Follow the
load limits shown below. Total load ca-
pacity and seating capacity are also
described on the tire and loading in-
formation label. For location of the tire
and loading information label, see
“Checking tire inflat ion pr es s ur e” on
page 402.
Total load capacity:
Without third seat375 kg (825 lb.)
With third seat 525 kg (1155 lb.)
Total load capacity means combined
weight of occupants, cargo and lug-
gage. Tongue load is included when
trailer towing. Seating capacity:
Without third seatTotal 5 (Front 2, Rear 3)
With third seat Total 7 (Front 2, Rear 5)
Seating capacity means the maximum
number of occupants whose esti-
mated average weight is 68 kg (150
lb.) per person. Depending on the
weight of each person, the seating ca-
pacity given may exceed the total
load capacity.
NOTICE
Even if the number of occupants are
within the seating capacity, do not ex-
ceed the total load capacity.
Towing capacity: 2. 4 L 4 −cylinder (2AZ −FE) engine
680 kg (1500 lb.)
3.5 L V6 (2GR− FE) engine
Without towing package 907 kg (2000 lb.)
With towing package 1588 kg (3500 lb.)
Towing capacity means the maximum
gross trailer weight (trailer weight plus
its cargo weight) that your vehicle is
able to tow.
Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or de-
crease depending on the size (weight)
and the number of occupants. For de-
tails, see “Capacity and distribution”
that follows.
CAUTION
Do not apply the load more than
each load limit. That may cause
not only damage to the tires, but
also deterioration to the steering
ability and braking ability, which
may cause an accident.
Veh icle lo ad limit s

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When stowing cargo and luggage in
the vehicle, observe the following: Put cargo and luggage in the lug-
gage compartment when at all
possible. Be sure all items are se-
cured in place.
 Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far
forward as possible helps maintain
balance.
 For better fuel economy, do not
carry unneeded weight.
CAUTION
To prevent cargo and l uggage
from sliding forward during
braking, do not stack anything
in the luggage compartment
higher than the seatbacks.
Keep cargo and luggage low,
as close to the floor as pos-
sible.
 Never allow anyone to ride in
the luggage compartment. It is
not designed for passengers.
They should ride in their seats
with their seat belts properly
fastened. Otherwise, they are
much more likely to suffer
death or serious bodily injury,
in the event of sudden braking
or a collision.
 Do not place anything on the
flattened seat, or it may slide
forward during braking.
 Do not place anything on the
luggage cover. Such items may
be thrown about and possibly
injure people in the vehicle
during sudden braking or an
accident. Secure all items in a
safe place.To prevent cargo and l uggage
from sliding forward during
braking, do not place anything
on the net higher than the rear
seatbacks. Otherwise, such
items may be thrown about and
possibly injure people in the
vehicle during sudden braking
or an accident.
 Do not drive with objects left
on top of the instrument panel.
They may interfere with the
driver’s field of view. Or they
may move during sharp vehicle
acceleration or turning, and im-
pair the driver’s control of the
vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occu-
pants.
Cargo and luggage—
—Stowage precautions

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Cargo capacity depends on the to-
tal weight of the occupants.
(Cargo capacity) = (Total load capac-
ity) – (Total weight of occupants)
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit—
(1) Locate the statement “The com-bined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX
kg or XXX lbs.” on your vehicle’s
placard.
(2) Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that
will be riding in your vehicle.
(3) Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
XXX kg or XXX lbs. (4) The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For exam-
ple, if the “ XXX” amount equals
1400 lbs. and there will be five
150 lb passengers in your ve-
hicle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load capacity
is 650 lbs. (1400–750
(5x150)=650 lbs.)
(5) Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being
loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed the
available cargo and luggage load
capacity calculated in Step 4.
(6) If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will
be transferred to your vehicle.
Consult this manual to determine
how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity
of your vehicle.
For details about trailer towing, see
page 342.
Cargo
capacity
Total load
capacity
Example on Your Vehicle
In case that 2 people with the com-
bined weight of 166 kg (366 lb.) are
riding in your vehicle, the available
amount of cargo and luggage load ca-
pacity will be as follows:
Without third seat
Total load capacity: 375 kg (825 lb.) 375 kg – 166 kg = 209 kg.
( 825 lb. – 366 lb. = 459 lb. )
With third seat
Total load capacity: 525 kg (1155 lb.) 525 kg – 166 kg = 359 kg.
( 1155 lb. – 366 lb. = 789 lb. )
—Capacity and distribution

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STARTING AND DRIVING
Starting and driving
Before starting the engine336
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How to start the engine 336
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Tips for driving in various conditions 337
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Driving in the rain 338
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Off −road driving precautions 339
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Winter driving tips 340
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Dinghy towing 341
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Trailer towing 342
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How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer 347
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SECTION 3