2016 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

331-1. For safe use
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1
For safety and security
WARNING
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of injury in the event of
sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
■Wearing a seat belt
● Ensure that all passengers wear a seat belt.
● Always wear a seat belt properly.
● Each seat belt should be used by one person only. Do not use a seat belt
for more than one person at one time, including children.
● Toyota recommends that children be seated in the rear seat and always
use a seat belt and/or an appropriate child restraint system.
● To achieve a proper seating position, do not recline the seat more than
necessary. The seat belt is most effective when the occupants are sitting
up straight and well back in the seats.
● Do not wear the shoulder belt under your arm.
● Always wear your seat belt low and snug across your hips.
■ Pregnant women
■ People suffering illness
Obtain medical advice and wear the seat belt in the proper way. ( →P. 28)
Obtain medical advice and wear the seat
belt in the proper way. (→P. 28)
Women who are pregnant should posi-
tion the lap belt as low as possible over
the hips in the same manner as other
occupants, extending the shoulder belt
completely over the shoulder and avoid-
ing belt contact with the rounding of the
abdominal area.
If the seat belt is not worn properly, not
only the pregnant woman, but also the
fetus could suffer death or serious injury
as a result of sudden braking or a colli-
sion.

341-1. For safe use
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WARNING
■When children are in the vehicle
Do not allow children to play with the seat belt. If the seat belt becomes
twisted around a child’s neck, it may lead to choking or other serious injuries
that could result in death.
If this occurs and the buckle cannot be unfastened, scissors should be used
to cut the belt.
■ Seat belt pretensioners
● Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger’s seat.
Doing so will disperse the passenger’s weight, which prevents the sensor
from detecting the passenger’s weight properly. As a result, the seat belt
pretensioner for the front passenger’s seat may not activate in the event of
a collision.
● If the pretensioner has activated, the SRS warning light will come on. In
that case, the seat belt cannot be used again and must be replaced at
your Toyota dealer.
■ Adjustable shoulder anchor
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the center of your
shoulder. The belt should be kept away from your neck, but not falling off
your shoulder. Failure to do so could reduce the amount of protection in an
accident and cause death or serious injuries in the event of a sudden stop,
sudden swerve or accident. ( →P. 31)
■ Seat belt damage and wear
● Do not damage the seat belts by allowing the belt, plate, or buckle to be
jammed in the door.
● Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Do not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat
belts cannot protect an occupant from death or serious injury.
● Ensure that the belt and plate are locked and the belt is not twisted.
If the seat belt does not function correctly, immediately contact your Toyota
dealer.
● Replace the seat assembly, including the belts, if your vehicle has been
involved in a serious accident, even if there is no obvious damage.
● Do not attempt to install, remove, modify, disassemble or dispose of the
seat belts. Have any necessary repairs carried out by your Toyota dealer.
Inappropriate handling of the pretensioner may prevent it from operating
properly resulting in death or serious injury.

351-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
WARNING
■When using the r ear center seat belt
■ Using a seat belt extender
● Do not wear the seat belt extender if you can fasten the seat belt witho\
ut
the extender.
● Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a child restraint system
because the belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, increas-
ing the risk of death or serious injury in the event of an accident.
● The personalized extender may not be safe on another vehicle, when
used by another person, or at a different seating position other than the
one originally intended.
NOTICE
■When using a seat belt extender
When releasing the seat belt, press on the buckle release button on the
extender, not on the seat belt.
This helps prevent damage to the vehicle interior and the extender itself.
Do not use the rear center seat belt with
either buckle released. Fastening only
one of the buckles may result in death or
serious injury in case of sudden braking,
sudden swerving or an accident.

361-1. For safe use
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SRS airbags
The SRS airbags inflate when the vehicle is subjected to certain
types of severe impacts that may cause significant injury to the
occupants. They work together with the seat belts to help reduce
the risk of death or serious injury.

371-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
◆SRS front airbagsSRS driver airbag/front passenger airbag
Can help protect the head and chest of the driver and front pas-
senger from impact with interior components
SRS driver knee airbag
Can help provide driver protection
SRS seat cushion airbag
Can help restrain the front passenger
◆SRS side and curtain shield airbagsSRS side airbags
Can help protect the torso of the front seat occupants
SRS curtain shield airbags
● Can help protect primarily the head of occupants in the outer
seats
● Can help prevent the occupants from being thrown from the
vehicle in the event of vehicle rollover
1
2
3
4
5

381-1. For safe use
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SRS airbag system components
Side impact sensors (front
doors)
Front passenger airbag
Curtain shield airbags
Front passenger’s seat cush-
ion airbag
Side airbags
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator lights
Front passenger’s seat belt
buckle switch
SRS warning light
Driver airbagSide impact sensors (rear)
Seat belt pretensioners and
force limiters
Driver’s seat position sensor
Driver’s seat belt buckle
switch
Driver knee airbag
Front impact sensors
Front passenger occupant
classification system (ECU
and sensors)
Airbag sensor assembly1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

391-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
Your vehicle is equipped with ADVANCED AIRBAGS designed based
on the US motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The airbag
sensor assembly (ECU ) controls airbag deployment based on infor-
mation obtained from the sensors et c. shown in the system compo-
nents diagram above. This informat ion includes crash severity and
occupant information. As the airbags deploy, a chemical reaction in
the inflators quickly fills the airbag s with non-toxic gas to help restrain
the motion of the occupants.
WARNING
■ SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the SRS airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
● The driver and all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts
properly.
The SRS airbags are supplemental devices to be used with the seat belts.
● The SRS driver airbag deploys with considerable force, and can cause
death or serious injury especially if the driver is very close to the airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises:
Since the risk zone for the driver’s airbag is the first 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 mm)
of inflation, placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm) from your driver airbag pro-
vides you with a clear margin of safety. This distance is measured from
the center of the steering wheel to your breastbone. If you sit less than 10
in. (250 mm) away now, you can change your driving position in several
ways:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the ped- als comfortably.
• Slightly recline the back of the seat.
Although vehicle designs vary, many drivers can achieve the 10 in.
(250 mm) distance, even with the driver seat all the way forward, simply
by reclining the back of the seat somewhat. If reclining the back of your
seat makes it hard to see the road, raise yourself by using a firm, non-
slippery cushion, or raise the seat if your vehicle has that feature.
• If your steering wheel is adjustable, tilt it downward. This points the air-
bag toward your chest instead of your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as recommended by NHTSA above, while
still maintaining control of the foot pedals, steering wheel, and your v\
iew
of the instrument panel controls.

401-1. For safe use
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WARNING
■SRS airbag precautions
● The SRS front passenger airbag also deploys with considerable force, and
can cause death or serious injury especially if the front passenger is very
close to the airbag. The front passenger seat should be as far from the air-
bag as possible with the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits
upright.
● Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children can be killed or
seriously injured by a deploying airbag. An infant or child who is too small
to use a seat belt should be properly secured using a child restraint sys-
tem. Toyota strongly recommends that all infants and children be placed in
the rear seats of the vehicle and properly restrained. The rear seats are
safer for infants and children than the front passenger seat. ( →P. 57)
●If the seat belt extender has been con-
nected to the front seat belt buckles but
the seat belt extender has not also been
fastened to the latch plate of the seat
belt, the SRS front airbags will judge
that the driver and front passenger are
wearing the seat belt even though the
seat belt has not been connected. In
this case, the SRS front airbags may
not activate correctly in a collision,
resulting in death or serious injury in the
event of a collision. Be sure to wear the
seat belt with the seat belt extender.
●Do not sit on the edge of the seat or
lean against the dashboard.