2008 TOYOTA RAV4 heating

’08 Rav4_U (L/O 0802)
53
2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
CAUTION
Occupants must use caution when op-
erating the seat heater because it
may make them feel too hot or cause
burns at low temperatures (erythema,
varicella). Use extra caution for;
Babies, small children, elderly per-
sons, sick persons or persons with
physical disabilities
Persons who have sensitive skin
Persons who are exhausted
Persons who have taken alcohol or
drugs which induce sleep (sleeping
drug, cold remedy, etc.)
To prevent the seat overheating, do
not use the seat heater with a blan-
ket, cushion, or other insulating ob-
jects which cover the seat.
NOTICE
 Do not put unevenly weighed ob-
jects on the seat and do not stick
sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.)
into the seat.
 When cleaning the seats, do not
use organic substances (paint thin-
ner, benzine, alcohol, gasoline,
etc.). They may damage the heater
and seat surface.
 To prevent the battery from being
discharged, turn the switch off
when the engine is not running.
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passengers in the vehicle be properly re-
strained at all times with the seat belts
provided. Failure to do so could increase
the chance of injury and/or the severity of
injury in accidents.
The seat belts provided for your vehicle
are designed for people of adult size,
large enough to properly wear them.
Child. Use a child restraint system ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle’s seat belts. See “Child restraint”
on page 85 in this Section for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s hould sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. According to accident
statistics, the child is safer when properly
restrained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
If a child must sit in the front seat, the
seat belts should be worn properly. If an
accident occurs and seat belts are not
worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the airbag may cause death or
serious injury to the child.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions

’08 Rav4_U (L/O 0802)
145
2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
(d) Using the “2” and “L” positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in the “2” or “L”
position, you can start the vehicle in mo-
tion as with the lever in the “D” position.
With the selector lever in the “2” position,
the vehicle will start in first gear and au-
tomatically shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in the “L” position,
the transmission 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, the “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 the “P” position under any
circumstances while the vehicle is
moving. Serious mechanical damage
and loss of vehicle control may re-
sult.
(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 the “D” position.

’08 Rav4_U (L/O 0802)
149
2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
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:
“3” 175 km/h (109 mph). . . . . . . .
“2” 113 km/h (70 mph) . . . . . . . . .
“L” 63 km/h (39 mph) . . . . . . . . . .
 Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“3”, “2” or “L” position. This may
cause severe automatic transmis-
sion damage from overheating. To
prevent such damage, the “4” posi-
tion 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 the “P” position under any
circumstances while the vehicle is
moving. Serious mechanical damage
and loss of vehicle control may re-
sult.
(g) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between fourth gear and
overdrive when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever to the “4” 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 the “D” position.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the
parking brake to hold the vehicle on
an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold
the vehicle using the accelerator ped-
al, as this can cause the transmission
to overheat.

’08 Rav4_U (L/O 0802)
271
2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
Fan speed selector
Turn the dial to adjust the fan speed—to
the right to increase, to the left to de-
crease.
Temperature selector
Turn the dial to adjust the temperature—to
the right to warm, to the left to cool.
Air flow selector
Turn the dial to select the vents used for
air flow.1. Panel— Air flows mainly from the
instrument panel vents.
2. Bilevel— Air flows from both the floor
vents and the instrument panel vents.
3. Floor— Air flows mainly from the floor
vents.
4. Floor/Windshield— Air flows mainly
from the floor vents and windshield
vents.
Turning the air flow selector to the
floor/windshield position turns on the
defogging function with the purpose of
clearing the front view. In this position, air intake selector
mode changes to FRESH automatically
to clean up the front view quickly. It is
not possible to return to RECIRCULATE
in this position.
Press the “A/C” button for dehumidified
heating or cooling. This setting clears
the front view more quickly.
5. Windshield— Air flows mainly from the
windshield vents.
Turning the air flow selector to the
windshield position turns on the defog-
ging function with the purpose of clear-
ing the front view.
In this position, air intake selector
mode changes to FRESH automatically
to clean up the front view quickly. It is
not possible to return to RECIRCULATE
in this position.
Press the “A/C” button for dehumidified
heating or cooling. This setting clears
the front view more quickly.
For details about air flow selector settings,
see “—Air flow selector settings” on page
273.

’08 Rav4_U (L/O 0802)
274
2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
If following another vehicle on a dusty
road, or driving in windy and dusty
conditions, it is recommended that the
air intake selector be temporarily set to
RECIRCULATE, which will close off the
outside passage and prevent outside
air and dust from entering the vehicle
interior.
CAUTION
To prevent the windshield from fog-
ging up, do not use the windshield
air flow button during cool air opera-
tion in extremely humid weather. The
difference between the temperature of
the outside air and that of the wind-
shield can cause the outer surface of
the windshield to fog up, blocking
your vision.
NOTICE
To prevent battery discharge, do not
leave the air conditioning system on
longer than necessary when the en-
gine is stopped.
Heating
For best results, set controls to:Fan speed— Any setting except “0”
Temperature— To w a r d s WARM
(red zone)
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—FLOOR
Air conditioning—OFF
For quick heating, select recirculated
air for a few minutes. To keep the
windows from fogging, select fresh af-
ter the vehicle interior has been
warmed.
Press the “A/C” button on for dehumidi-
fied heating.
Choose floor/windshield air flow to heat
the vehicle interior while defrosting or
defogging the windshield.
Air conditioning
For best results, set controls to:
Fan speed— Any setting except “0”
Temperature— To w a r d s COLD
(blue zone)
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—PANEL
Air conditioning—ON
For quick cooling, turn the temperature
selector dial fully towards COLD and
change the air intake selector mode to
RECIRCULATE.

’08 Rav4_U (L/O 0802)
275
2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
Ventilation
For best results, set controls to:Fan speed— Any setting except “0”
Temperature— To w a r d s COLD
(blue zone)
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—PANEL
Air conditioning—OFF
Defogging
The inside of the windshield
For best results, set controls to:
Fan speed— Any setting except “0”
Temperature— To w a r d s WARM
(red zone) to heat;
COLD (blue zone) to
cool
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—WINDSHIELD
Turning the air flow selector to the wind-
shield or floor/windshield position turns on
the defogging function with the purpose of
clearing the front view.
When turning the air flow selector to wind-
shield or floor/windshield position, air in-
take selector mode changes to FRESH
automatically to clean up the front view
quickly. It is not possible to return to
RECIRCULATE in this position. Press the “A/C” button for dehumidified
heating or cooling. This setting clears the
front view more quickly.
On humid days, do not blow cold air
on the windshield—the difference be-
tween the outside and inside tempera-
tures could make the fogging worse.
Defrosting
The outside of the windshield
For best results, set controls to:
Fan speed— Any setting except “0”
Temperature— To w a r d s WARM
(red zone)
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—WINDSHIELD
Turning the air flow selector to the wind-
shield or floor/windshield position turns on
the defrosting function with the purpose of
clearing the front view.
When turning the air flow selector to wind-
shield or floor/windshield position, air in-
take selector mode changes to FRESH
automatically to clean up the front view
quickly. It is not possible to return to
RECIRCULATE in this position. Press the “A/C” button for dehumidified
heating. This setting clears the front view
more quickly.
To heat the vehicle interior while de-
frosting the windshield, choose
floor/windshield air flow.

’08 Rav4_U (L/O 0802)
281
2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
If following another vehicle on a dusty
road, or driving in windy and dusty
conditions, it is recommended that the
air intake selector be temporarily set to
RECIRCULATE, which will close off the
outside passage and prevent outside
air and dust from entering the vehicle
interior.
CAUTION
To prevent the windshield from fog-
ging up, do not use the windshield
air flow button during cool air opera-
tion in extremely humid weather. The
difference between the temperature of
the outside air and that of the wind-
shield can cause the outer surface of
the windshield to fog up, blocking
your vision.
NOTICE
To prevent battery discharge, do not
leave the air conditioning system on
longer than necessary when the en-
gine is stopped.
Heating
For best results, set controls to:
—For automatic operationPress in the “AUTO” button.
Temperature— To the desired
temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air conditioning—OFF
—For manual operation
Fan speed— To the desired fan speed
Temperature— To w a r d s high temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—FLOOR
Air conditioning—OFF
For quick heating, select recirculated
air for a few minutes. To keep the
windows from fogging, select fresh af-
ter the vehicle interior has been
warmed.
Press the “A/C” button on for dehumidi-
fied heating.
Choose floor/windshield air flow to heat
the vehicle interior while defrosting or
defogging the windshield. Air conditioning
For best results, set controls to:
—For automatic operation
Press in the “AUTO” button.
Temperature— To the desired
temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air conditioning—ON
—For manual operation
Fan speed— To the desired fan speed
Temperature— Towards low temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—PANEL
Air conditioning—ON
For quick cooling, select recirculated
air.

’08 Rav4_U (L/O 0802)
313
2008 RAV4 from Feb. ’08 Prod. (OM42726U)
CAUTION
Exhaust gases include harmful car-
bon monoxide (CO) that is colorless
and odorless. Inhaling exhaust
gases may lead to death or a seri-
ous health hazard.
The exhaust should be checked
occasionally. If there is a hole or
crack caused by corrosion, damage
to a joint or abnormal exhaust
noise, be sure to have the vehicle
inspected and repaired by your
Toyota dealer. Failure to do so may
allow exhaust gases to enter the
vehicle, resulting in death or a
serious health hazard.
If the vehicle is in a poorly venti-
lated area, turn the engine off. In a
closed area, such as a garage, ex-
haust gases may collect and enter
the vehicle. This may lead to death
or a serious health hazard.
Do not remain for a long time in a
parked vehicle with the engine run-
ning. If it is unavoidable, however,
do so only in an unconfined area
and adjust the heating or cooling
system to force outside air into the
vehicle.
Keep the back door closed while
driving. An open or unsealed back
door may cause exhaust gases to
be drawn into the vehicle.
To allow proper operation of your
vehicle’s ventilation system, keep
the inlet grilles in front of the wind-
shield clear of snow, leaves, or oth-
er obstructions.
If the smell of exhaust is noticed
inside the vehicle, open the win-
dows. Large amounts of exhaust in
the vehicle can cause driver drowsi-
ness and an accident, resulting in
death or a serious health hazard.
Have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer immediately.
Do not leave the engine running in
an area with snow buildup, or
where it is snowing. If snowbanks
build up around the vehicle while
the engine is running, exhaust
gases may collect and enter the ve-
hicle. This may lead to death or a
serious health hazard.
When taking a nap in the vehicle,
always turn the engine off. Other-
wise, you may accidentally move
the shift lever or depress the accel-
erator pedal, which could cause an
accident or fire due to engine over-
heating. Additionally, if the vehicle
is parked in a poorly ventilated
area, exhaust gases may collect and
enter the vehicle, leading to death
or a serious health hazard.
Engine exhaust cautions