2008 TOYOTA RAV4 wheel

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Do not disassemble or repair the
front, center and roof side garnish
containing the curtain shield air-
bags. Such changes may disable
the system or cause the curtain
shield airbags to inflate accidental-
ly, resulting in death or serious in-
jury.
Do not modify or change the sus-
pension system. Such changes may
cause the curtain shield airbags to
inflate accidentally, which could re-
sult in death or serious injury.
Do not use tires or wheels other
than the manufacturer ’s recom-
mended size. Such a use may cause
the curtain shield airbags to inflate
accidentally, which could result in
death or serious injury. For details,
see “Checking and replacing tires”
on page 410 in Section 72.
Do not place luggage heavier than
specified on the roof luggage carri-
er. Such luggage may cause the
curtain shield airbags to inflate ac-
cidentally, which could result in
death or serious injury. For details,
see “Roof luggage carrier” on page
303 in Section 110.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.
Consult your Toyota dealer about any
repair and modification.
If you wish to modify your vehicle for
a person with physical disability, con-
sult your Toyota dealer. It may dan-
gerously interfere with the SRS side
airbags and curtain shield airbags op-
eration.NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile twoway radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
 Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
 Modification of the side structure of
the passenger compartment
 Repairs made on or near the con-
sole or front seat

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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Steering wheel and Mirrors
Tilt and telescopic steering wheel108
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Outside rear view mirrors 108
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Anti −glare inside rear view mirror 11 0
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Sun visors 111
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SECTION 1 4

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To adjust the steering wheel position,
push down the lock release lever. Then
tilt the steering wheel to the desired
angle, push or pull it to the desired
steering column length and return the
lever to its original position.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so may cause the driver to mishan-
dle the vehicle and an accident may
occur resulting in death or serious
injuries.
After adjusting the steering wheel,
try moving it up and down or for-
ward and rearward to make sure it
is locked in position.
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the side of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
Be careful when judging the size or dis-
tance of any object seen in the outside
rear view mirror on the passenger ’s side
because it is a convex mirror. Any object
seen in a convex mirror will look smaller
and farther away than when seen in a flat
mirror.
On some models, when you push the rear
window defogger switch, the heater panels
in the outside rear view mirrors will quick-
ly clear the mirror surface. (See “Rear
window and outside rear view mirror de-
foggers” on page 122 in Section 1−5.)
Tilt and telescopic steering
wheel Outside rear view mirrors—

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When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
anti−lock brake system does not operate
so that the wheels could lock up during
a sudden braking or braking on slippery
road surfaces.
If either of the following conditions
occurs, this indicates a malfunction
somewhere in the components moni-
tored by the warning light. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible to
service the vehicle.
The light does not come on when the
engine switch is turned to the “ON”
position, or remains on.
The light comes on while you are driv-
ing.
A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.
CAUTION
If the “ABS” warning light remains on
together with the brake system warn-
ing light, immediately stop your ve-
hicle at a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
In this case, not only the antilock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely unsta-
ble during braking.
(i) Open Door Warning Light
This light remains on until all the side
doors and back door are completely
closed. (j) SRS Warning Light
This indicator comes on when the en-
gine switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion. It goes off after about 6 seconds.
This means the SRS airbags and seat
belt pretensioners are operating proper-
ly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side and curtain shield airbag sen-
sors, curtain shield airbag sensors, driv-
er ’s seat position sensor, driver ’s seat belt
buckle switch, “AIR BAG ON” indicator
light, “AIR BAG OFF” indicator light, front
passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch, seat
belt pretensioner assemblies, inflators, in-
terconnecting wiring and power sources.
If any of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction of the airbags
or seat belt pretensioners. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
The light does not come on when the
engine switch is turned to the “ON”
position or remains on for more than
6 seconds.
The light comes on while driving.

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(n) “4WD” Warning Light
The light warns that when there is a prob-
lem somewhere in active torque control
4WD system.
The light will come on when the engine
switch is turned to the “ON” position, and
will go off after about a few seconds.
If the warning light does not come on
when the engine switch is turned to the
“ON” position, 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.
(o) Electric Power Steering System
Warning Light
The light comes on when the engine
switch is turned to the “ON” position. If
the electric power steering system warning
light works properly, the light turns off
after a few seconds. If the system has
malfunctions, the light comes on again.
If the following conditions occur, this
indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the components monitored by the warn-
ing light system. Have your vehicle
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible.The light does not come on when the
engine switch is turned to the “ON”
position or remains on.
The light stays on while you are driv-
ing.
CAUTION
If the electric power steering system
warning light comes on, take your ve-
hicle to your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible. In this case, more effort
is required for the steering wheel to
turn than usual. Drive your vehicle
while firmly gripping the steering
wheel.
(p) Low Windshield Washer Fluid Level Warning Light
The light warns that the windshield washer
fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instructions,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 422 in
Section 7 −3.)

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“AUTO LSD” indicator light
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.

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“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see page 341 in Section
3.
“ON”—Engine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
“ACC”—Accessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the engine switch in the
“ACC” or “LOCK” position and open the
driver ’s door, a buzzer will remind you to
remove the key.“LOCK”—Engine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
You must push in the key to turn the
engine switch from the “ACC” to “LOCK”
position. The selector lever must be in the
“P” position before pushing the key.
Vehicles with engine immobilizer sys-
tem—Once you remove the key, the en-
gine immobilizer system is automatically
set. (See “Engine immobilizer system” on
page 15 in Section 1
−2.)
When starting the engine, the engine
switch may seem stuck at the “LOCK”
position. To free it, first be sure the key
is pushed all the way in, and then rotate
the steering wheel slightly while turning
the key gently.
Approximately five hours after the engine
is turned off, you may hear sound coming
from under the floor around the driver ’s
seat for several minutes. This is normal
operation and does not indicate a malfunc-
tion. (See “Leak detection pump” on page
ix.)
It is not a malfunction if the needle on all
meters and gauges move slightly when the
engine switch is turned to the “ON” or
“START” position.
NOTICE
Do not leave the engine switch in the
“ON” position if the engine is not
running. The battery will discharge
and the ignition could be damaged.
Engine (ignition) switch

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(b) Normal driving1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 342 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
the “P” or “N” position.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to the
“D” position.
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 and
engine braking will be enabled.
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 the “D” to “3”
position, engine braking will not be en-
abled because the cruise control is not
cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 168 in this
Section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to skid or
spin.