
3
RAV4_OM_OM42A41U_(U)
1
9 8
7
6 4 3
2
10
5
4-1. Before drivingDriving the vehicle ............. 166
Cargo and luggage............ 176
Vehicle load limits ............. 180
Trailer towing..................... 181
Dinghy towing.................... 195
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without
smart key system) ........... 196
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles with
smart key system) ........... 198
Automatic transmission ..... 203
Turn signal lever................ 210
Parking brake .................... 211
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch ................ 212
Automatic High Beam ....... 216
Fog light switch ................. 220
Windshield wipers and washer ..................... 221
Rear window wiper and washer ..................... 225 4-4. Refueling
Opening the fuel tank cap................................... 228
4-5. Using the driving support systems
Toyota Safety Sense P ...... 231
PCS (Pre-Collision System)..... 238
LDA (Lane Departure Alert with steering
control) ............................ 252
Dynamic radar cruise control.............................. 260
Cruise control .................... 272
Intuitive parking assist ....... 277
Rear view monitor system ............................. 286
All-wheel drive lock switch (AWD models) ...... 296
Driving assist systems ....... 297
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor)......... 305
• The Blind Spot Monitor function.......................... 309
• The Rear Cross Traffic Alert function ................. 312
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips .............. 315
Utility vehicle precautions ...................... 319
4Driving

16Pictorial index
RAV4_OM_OM42A41U_(U)
■Instrument panel
Engine switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 196, 198
Starting the engine/changing the modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 196, 199
Emergency stop of the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 605
When the engine will not start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 655
Warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 637
Shift lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 203
Changing the shift position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 203
Precautions against towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 607
When the shift lever does not move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 657
Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 85
Reading the meters/adjusting the instrument panel light . . . . . . P. 85
Warning lights/indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 78
When the warning lights come on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 615
Multi-information display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 89, 92
When the warning messages are displayed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 626
Parking brake lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 211
Applying/releasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 211
Precautions against winter season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 316
Warning buzzer/message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. 6291
2
3
4
5

RAV4_OM_OM42A41U_(U)
1433-3. Adjusting the seats
3
Operation of each component
WARNING
■When folding the rear seatbacks down
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
● Do not fold the seatbacks down while driving.
● Stop the vehicle on level ground, set the parking brake and shift the shift
lever to P.
● Do not allow anyone to sit on a folded seatback or in the luggage compart-
ment while driving.
● Do not allow children to enter the luggage compartment.
■ Seat adjustment
● To reduce the risk of sliding under the lap belt during a collision, do not
recline the seat more than necessary.
If the seat is too reclined, the lap belt may slide past the hips and apply
restraint forces directly to the abdomen, or your neck may contact the
shoulder belt, increasing the risk of death or serious injury in the event of
an accident.
Adjustments should not be made while driving as the seat may unexpect-
edly move and cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
● Be careful not to get hands or feet pinched between the rear console box\
and the rear seat when folding down the rear seatback.
■ After returning the rear seat back to the upright position
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
● Make sure the seatback is securely locked by pushing it forward and rear-
ward on the top.
● Check that the seat belts are not twisted or caught in the seatback.
NOTICE
■Stowing the seat belts
The seat belts and the buckles must be stowed before you fold down the
rear seatbacks.

165
RAV4_OM_OM42A41U_(U)
4Driving
4-1. Before drivingDriving the vehicle ............. 166
Cargo and luggage ........... 176
Vehicle load limits ............. 180
Trailer towing..................... 181
Dinghy towing ................... 195
4-2. Driving procedures Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without
smart key system) ........... 196
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles with
smart key system) ........... 198
Automatic transmission ..... 203
Turn signal lever................ 210
Parking brake .................... 211
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch ................ 212
Automatic High Beam ....... 216
Fog light switch ................. 220
Windshield wipers and washer ..................... 221
Rear window wiper and washer ..................... 225 4-4. Refueling
Opening the fuel tank cap .................................. 228
4-5. Using the driving support systems
Toyota Safety Sense P ..... 231
PCS (Pre-Collision System) .... 238
LDA (Lane Departure Alert with steering
control) ............................ 252
Dynamic radar cruise control ............................. 260
Cruise control .................... 272
Intuitive parking assist....... 277
Rear view monitor system ............................ 286
All-wheel drive lock switch (AWD models) ..... 296
Driving assist systems ...... 297
BSM (Blind Spot Monitor) ........ 305
• The Blind Spot Monitor function ......................... 309
• The Rear Cross Traffic Alert function ................. 312
4-6. Driving tips Winter driving tips ............. 315
Utility vehicle precautions ..................... 319

166
RAV4_OM_OM42A41U_(U)
4-1. Before driving
Driving the vehicle
→P. 196, 198
With the brake pedal depressed, shift the shift lever to D. ( →P. 203)
Release the parking brake. ( →P. 211)
Gradually release the brake pedal and gently depress the accelera-
tor pedal to accelerate the vehicle.
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
If necessary, set the parking brake.
If the vehicle is to be stopped for an extended period of time, shift the shift
lever to P or N. ( →P. 203)
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
Shift the shift lever to P. ( →P. 203)
Set the parking brake. ( →P. 211)
Vehicles without smart key system:
Turn the engine switch to the “L OCK” position to stop the engine.
Vehicles with smart key system:
Press the engine switch to stop the engine.
Lock the door, making sure that you have the key on your person.
If parking on a hill, block the wheels as needed.
The following procedures should be observed to ensure safe
driving:
Starting the engine
Driving
Stopping
Parking the vehicle
1
2
3
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2
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2
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4
5

RAV4_OM_OM42A41U_(U)
1674-1. Before driving
4
Driving
Make sure that the parking brake is set and shift the shift lever to D.
Gently depress the accelerator pedal.
Release the parking brake.
■When starting off on a uphill
The hill-start assist control will activate. ( →P. 297)
■ Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is raining, because visibility will be reduced, the win-
dows may become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.
● Drive carefully when it starts to rain, because the road surface will be espe-
cially slippery.
● Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain,
because there may be a layer of water between the tires and the road sur-
face, preventing the steering and brakes from operating properly.
■ Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, the engine speed may become high while driving.
This is due to automatic up-shifting control or down-shifting implementation to
meet driving conditions. It does not indicate sudden acceleration.
●The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill or downhill
● When the accelerator pedal is released
● When the brake pedal is depressed while sport mode is selected
■ Breaking in your new Toyota
To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is recom-
mended:
●For the first 200 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
● For the first 500 miles (800 km):
Do not tow a trailer.
● For the first 600 miles (1000 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speed.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
Starting off on a steep uphill
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168
RAV4_OM_OM42A41U_(U)
4-1. Before driving
■Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type par king brake system. This type of brake
system needs bedding-down of the brake shoes periodically or whenever the
parking brake shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have your Toyota dealer per-
form the bedding down operation.
■ Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability
of the correct fuel. ( →P. 679)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■ When driving the vehicle
● Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and ac\
cel-
erator pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake
pedal will result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a diffi- culty in operating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the
vehicle only slightly. This allows you to depress the brake and accelera-
tor pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake
pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, result-
ing in an accident.
● Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. These hot
parts may cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.

RAV4_OM_OM42A41U_(U)
1714-1. Before driving
4
Driving
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■If you hear a squealing or scrapi ng noise (brake pad wear limit indica-
tors)
Have the brake pads checked and replaced by your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible.
The rotor damage may result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads
and/or those of the brake discs are exceeded.
■ When the vehicle is stopped
● Do not race the engine.
If the vehicle is in any gear other than P or N, the vehicle may accelerate
suddenly and unexpectedly, causing an accident.
● In order to prevent accidents due to the vehicle rolling away, always keep
depressing the brake pedal while the engine is running, and apply the
parking brake as necessary.
● If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, in order to prevent accidents caused
by the vehicle rolling forward or backward, always depress the brake pedal
and securely apply the parking brake as needed.
● Avoid revving or racing the engine.
Running the engine at high speed while the vehicle is stopped may cause
the exhaust system to overheat, which could result in a fire if combusti\
ble
material is nearby.