2008 TOYOTA RAV4 section

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Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop−and− go traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your ve-
hicle overheats” on page 360 in
Section 4.
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm (revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
This meter displays the odometer and
two trip meters.
1. Odometer—Shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Two trip meters—Show two different distances independently driven since
the last time each trip meter was set
to zero.
You can use one trip meter to calculate
the fuel economy and the other to
measure the distance on each trip. All
trip meter data is cancelled if the elec-
trical power source is disconnected.
Tachometer Odometer and two trip meters

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Loose fuel tank cap
If the fuel tank cap is loose, securely
tighten it.
These cases are temporary malfunctions.
The malfunction indicator lamp will go off
after taking several driving trips.
If the lamp does not go off even after
several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
If the fuel tank is not empty or the fuel
tank cap is not loose...
There is a problem somewhere in the
engine, emission control system, elec-
tronic throttle control system, automatic
transmission electrical system or warn-
ing light system itself.
Contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible to service the vehicle.
If engine speed does not increase when
the accelerator pedal is depressed, there
may be a problem somewhere in the elec-
tronic throttle control system.
At this time, vibration may occur. Howev-
er, if you depress the accelerator pedal
more firmly and slowly, you can drive your
vehicle at low speeds. Have your vehicle
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible. Even if the abnormality of the electronic
throttle control system is corrected during
low speed driving, the system may not be
recovered until the engine is stopped and
the engine switch is turned to the “ACC”
or “LOCK” position.
CAUTION
Be especially careful to prevent erro-
neous pedal operation.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
(I/M) programs
Your vehicle may not pass a state
emission inspection if the malfunction
indicator lamp remains on. Contact your
Toyota dealer to check your vehicle’s
emission control system and OBD
(On
−Board Diagnostics) system before
taking your vehicle for the inspection.
For details, see “Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance (I/M) programs” on page 394
in Section 6. (g) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level
in the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up
the tank as soon as possible.
On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
(h) “ABS” Warning Light
The light comes on when the engine
switch is turned to the “ON” position. If
the anti
−lock brake system and the brake
assist system work properly, the light
turns off after a few seconds. Thereafter,
if either of the systems malfunctions, the
light comes on again.
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
following systems do not operate, but the
brake system still operates conventionally.
Anti −lock brake system
Brake assist system
Traction control system
“AUTO LSD” system
Enhanced vehicle stability control sys-
tem
Downhill assist control system
Hill −start assist control system

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The SRS warning light and “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator light will come on if there
is a malfunction in the front passenger
occupant classification system.
(k) Automatic Transmission Fluid Tem-perature Warning Light
This light warns that the automatic trans-
mission fluid temperature is too high.
If this light comes on while you are driv-
ing, slow down and pull off the road. Stop
the vehicle at a safe place and put the
selector lever in “P”. With the engine id-
ling, wait until the light goes off. If the
light goes off, you can start the vehicle
again. If the light does not go off, call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.
NOTICE
Continued driving with the warning
light on may damage the automatic
transmission.
(l) “VSC” Warning Light
The light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the following.
Enhanced vehicle stability control sys-
tem
Traction control system
“AUTO LSD” system
Downhill assist control system
Hill− start assist control system
The light will come on when the engine
switch is turned to the “ON” position and
will go off after a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, all the
above systems will not work. In such a
case, the brakes will operate when applied
(no electronic assistance will be avail-
able), and it will be possible to continue
driving the vehicle.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the engine switch is turned to the
“ON” position.
The warning light remains on after the
engine switch is turned to the “ON”
position.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing. (m) Tire Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the tire pressure of
one or more of your tires (including the
spare tire) is low. The light comes on
when the engine switch is turned to the
“ON” position. It goes off after a few sec-
onds. This indicates that the tire pressure
warning system is functioning properly.
If the warning light comes on while you
are driving, the tire pressure of one or
more of your tires (including the spare
tire) is low. The light goes off after the
tire inflation pressure is adjusted to the
proper pressure.
If the warning light blinks, the tire pres-
sure warning system may be malfunction-
ing. Contact your Toyota dealer.
For details, see “Tire pressure warning
system” on page 163 in Section 1
−7.

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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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(q) Engine Oil Replacement ReminderLight
This light acts as a reminder to replace
the engine oil.
This light will come on when the engine
switch is turned to the “ON” position and
will go off after about a few seconds.
When you drive for about 7200 km (4500
miles) after the engine oil replacement,
this light illuminates for about 3 seconds
and then flashes for about 12 seconds
with the engine switch turned to the “ON”
position. If you continue driving without
replacing the engine oil, and if the dis-
tance driven exceeds 8000 km (5000
miles), the light will come on after the
engine switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion. The light will remain on thereafter.
If the light is flashing, we recommend that
you replace the engine oil at an early
opportunity depending on the driving and
road conditions. If the light comes on,
replace it as soon as possible. The system must be reset after the en-
gine oil replacement. Reset the system by
the following procedure:
1. Turn the engine switch to the “OFF” position with the trip meter A reading
shown. (For details, see “Odometer and
two trip meters” on page 127 in this
Section.)
2. Turn the engine switch to the “ON” position while holding down the trip
meter reset knob.
Hold down the knob for at least 5 sec-
onds. The odometer indicates “000000”
and the light goes off.
If the system fails to reset, the light will
continue flashing.
(r) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer acts as a reminder to remove
the key when you open the driver’s door
with the engine switch in the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position. CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light
and low windshield
washer fluid level warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors. The open door warning light should
come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the engine switch to the “ON” position, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light should
come on.
The following service reminder indica-
tors go off after a few seconds:
Engine oil replacement reminder light
Automatic transmission fluid tempera-
ture warning light
“ABS” warning light
“VSC” warning light
Tire pressure warning light
“4WD” warning light
Electric power steering system warning
light

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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Engine (ignition) switch, Transmission and Parking
brake
Engine (ignition) switch142
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
.
Automatic transmission 143
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
.
Active torque control 4WD system 150
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Traction control system 152
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
“AUTO LSD” system 153
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Enhanced vehicle stability control system 155
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Downhill assist control system 158
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Hill −start assist control system 161
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire pressure warning system 163
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Parking brake 167
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. . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 168
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. . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 7

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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.