2021 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID Start stop

1433-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
3
Before driving
WARNING
■Back door closer
●In the event that the back door
is left slightly open, the back
door closer will automatically
close it to the fully closed posi-
tion. It takes several seconds
before the back door closer
begins to operate. Be careful
not to catch fingers or anything
else in the back door, as this
may cause bone fractures or
other serious injuries.
●Use caution when using the
back door closer as it still oper-
ates when the power back door
system is canceled.
■Power back door
Observe the following precautions
when operating the power back
door.
Failure to do so may cause death
or serious injury.
●Check the safety of the sur-
rounding area to make sure
there are no obstacles or any-
thing that could cause any of
your belongings to get caught.
●If anyone is in the vicinity, make
sure they are safe and let them
know that the back door is
about to open or close.
●If the power back door system is
turned off while the back door is
operating automatically, the
automatic operation is stopped.
The back door then has to be
operated manually. Take extra
care when on an incline, as the
back door may open or close
unexpectedly.
●If the operating conditions of the
power back door are no longer
met, a buzzer may sound and
the back door may stop opening
or closing. The ba ck door then
has to be operated manually.
Take extra care when on an
incline, as the back door may
open or close abruptly.
●On an incline, the back door
may suddenly shut after it
opens. Make sure the back door
is fully open and secure.
●In the following si tuations, the
power back door may detect an
abnormality and automatic
operation may be stopped. In
this case, the back door has to
be operated manually. Take
extra care when on an incline,
as the back door may open or
close abruptly.
• When the back door contacts an obstacle
• When the 12-volt battery volt- age suddenly drops, such as
when the power switch is turned
to ON or the hybrid system is
started during automatic opera-
tion
●If a bicycle carr ier or similar
heavy object is attached to the
back door, it may suddenly shut
again after being opened, caus-
ing someone’s hands, head or
neck to be caught and injured.
When installing an accessory
part to the back door, using a
genuine Toyota part is recom-
mended.

1503-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
the effective range, the door may
lock and unlock repeatedly. In that
case, follow the fo llowing correc-
tion procedures to wash the vehi-
cle:
• Place the electronic key in a loca- tion 6 ft. (2 m) or more away from
the vehicle. (Take care to ensure
that the key is not stolen.)
• Set the electronic key to battery-
saving mode to disable the smart
key system. ( P.148)
●If the electronic key is inside the
vehicle and a door handle
becomes wet during a car wash, a
message may be shown on the
multi-informatio n display and a
buzzer will sound outside the vehi-
cle. To turn off the alarm, lock all
the doors.
●The lock sensor may not work
properly if it com es into contact
with ice, snow, mud, etc. Clean
the lock sensor and attempt to
operate it again, or use the lock
sensor on the lower part of the
door handle.
●A sudden approac h to the effec-
tive range or door handle may pre-
vent the doors from being
unlocked. In this case, return the
door handle to the original position
and check that the doors unlock
before pulling the door handle
again.
●If there is another electronic key in
the detection area, it may take
slightly longer to unlock the doors
after the door handle is gripped.
■When the vehicle is not driven
for extended periods
●To prevent theft of the vehicle, do
not leave the electronic key within
6 ft. (2 m) of the vehicle.
●The smart key system can be
deactivated in advance. ( P.710)
●Battery-saving mode can reduce
the power consumption of elec-
tronic keys. ( P.148)
■To operate the system properly
Make sure to carry the electronic
key when operating the system. Do
not get the electronic key too close
to the vehicle when operating the
system from the out side of the vehi-
cle.
Depending on the position and hold-
ing condition of the electronic key,
the key may not be detected cor-
rectly and the system may not oper-
ate properly. (The alarm may go off
accidentally, or the door lock pre-
vention may not operate.)
■If the smart key system does
not operate properly
●Locking and unlocking the doors:
Use the mechanical key.
(  P.670)
●Starting the hybrid system:
P.671
■Customization
Settings (e.g. smart key system)
can be changed.
(Customizable features: P.709)
If the smart key system has been
deactivated in a customized setting,
refer to the explanations for the fol-
lowing operations.
●Locking and unlocking the doors:
Use the wireless remote control or
mechanical key. ( P.127, 670)
●Starting the hybr id system and
changing power switch modes:
 P.671
●Stopping the hybrid system:
P.214

1843-5. Opening, closing the windows and moon roof
1Stop the vehicle.
2 Turn the power switch to ON.
3 Slide and hold the switch
or switch forward. Continue
sliding and holding the switch for
approximately 10 seconds after
the panoramic moon roof or elec-
tronic sunshade closes and
reopens. The panoramic moon
roof and electronic sunshade will
start to close.
*
4Check that the panoramic moon
roof and electronic sunshade are
fully closed and release the
switch.
*: If the switch is released at the
incorrect time, the procedure will
have to be performed again from
the beginning.
If the panoramic moon roof or elec-
tronic sunshade does not fully close
even after performing the above
procedure correctly, have the vehi-
cle inspected by your Toyota dealer.
■Panoramic moon roof open
reminder function
A buzzer sounds and a message is
shown on the multi -information dis-
play when the power switch is
turned to OFF and the driver’s door
is opened with the panoramic moon
roof open.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. linked door lock oper-
ation) can be changed. (Customiz-
able features:  P.712)
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so m ay result in
death or serious injury.
■Opening and closing the elec-
tronic sunshade
●Check to make sure that all pas-
sengers do not have any part of
their body in a pos ition where it
could be caught when the elec-
tronic sunshade is being oper-
ated.
●Do not let a ch ild operate the
electronic sunshade. Closing
the electronic sunshade on
someone can cau se death or
serious injury.
■Opening the panoramic moon
roof
●Do not allow any passengers to
put their hands or head outside
the vehicle while it is moving.
●Do not sit on top of the pan-
oramic moon roof.
■Opening and closing the pan-
oramic moon roof
●The driver is responsible for
panoramic moon roof opening
and closing operations.
In order to prevent accidental
operation, especially by a child,
do not let a child operate the
panoramic moon roof. It is pos-
sible for children and other pas-
sengers to have body parts
caught in the panoramic moon
roof.

1894-1. Before driving
4
Driving
4-1.Before driving
■Starting the hybrid system
 P.210, 212
■Driving
1 With the brake pedal
depressed, shift the shift
lever to D. ( P.219)
2 Release the parking brake.
( P.224)
If the parking brake is in automatic
mode, the parking brake is
released automatically when shift-
ing the shift lever to any position
other than P. ( P.224)
3 Gradually release the brake
pedal and gently depress the
accelerator pedal to acceler-
ate the vehicle.
■Stopping
1 With the shift lever in D,
depress the brake pedal.
2 If necessary, set the parking
brake. ( P.224)
If the vehicle is to be stopped for an
extended period of time, shift the
shift lever to P. ( P.219)
■Parking the vehicle
1 With the shift lever in D,
depress the brake pedal. 2
Set the parking brake
( P.224), and shift the shift
lever to P ( P.219).
3 Turn the power switch to
OFF to stop the hybrid sys-
tem.
4 Lock the door, making sure
that you have the key on your
person.
If parking on a hill, block the wheels
as needed.
■Starting off on a steep
uphill
1 With the brake pedal
depressed, shift the shift
lever to D. ( P.219)
2 Pull the parking brake switch
and parking brake is set
manually. ( P.224)
3 Release the brake pedal and
gently depress the accelera-
tor pedal to accelerate the
vehicle.
Parking brake automatic release
function ( P.225)
■When starting off on a uphill
The hill-start assist control will acti-
vate. ( P.369)
■For fuel-efficient driving
Keep in mind that hybrid vehicles
are similar to conventional vehicles,
and it is necessary to refrain from
activities such as sudden accelera-
tion, etc. Refer to “Hybrid vehicle
driving tips”. ( P.376)
■Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully whe n it is raining,
because visibility will be reduced,
the windows may become fogged-
up, and the road could be slip-
Driving the vehicle
The following procedures
should be observed to
ensure safe driving:
Driving procedure

1904-1. Before driving
pery.
●Drive carefully when it starts to
rain, as the road surface could be
especially 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 surface, preventing
the steering and brakes from
operating properly.
■ECO Accelerator Guidance
(  P.105)
It is easier to drive in an Eco-friendly
manner by driving while referring to
the ECO Accelerator Guidance dis-
play. Also, by using the ECO Accel-
erator Guidance it is easier to
increase the “Eco Score” evaluation.
●When starting off:
While staying within the ECO
Accelerator Guidance range,
gradually depress the accelerator
pedal and accelerate to the
desired speed. If excessive accel-
eration is avoid ed, the “Start”
score will increase.
●When driving:
After accelerating to the desired
speed, release the accelerator
pedal and drive at a stable speed
within the ECO Acce lerator Guid-
ance range. By keeping the vehi-
cle within the E CO Accelerator
Guidance range, the “Cruise”
score will increase.
●When stopping:
When stopping the vehicle, early
releasing the accelerator pedal
will cause the “Stop” score to
increase.
■Restraining the hybrid system
output (Brake Override System)
●When the accelerator and brake
pedals are depressed at the same
time, the hybrid system output
may be restrained.
●A warning message is displayed
on the multi-information display
while the system is operating. (
 P.648)
■Restraining sudden start (Drive-
Start Control)
●When the following unusual oper-
ation is performed, the hybrid sys-
tem output may b e restrained.
• When the shift lever is shifted from
R to D, D to R, N to R, P to D
*, or
P to R* (D includes S) with the
accelerator pedal depressed, a
warning message appears on the
multi-information display. If a
warning message is shown on the
multi-information d isplay, read the
message and follow the instruc-
tions.
• When the accelerator pedal is depressed too much while the
vehicle is in reverse.
*: Depending on the situation, the
shift lever may not be changed.
●While Drive-Start Control is being
activated, your v ehicle may have
trouble escaping from the mud or
fresh snow. In such case, deacti-
vate TRAC ( P.370) to cancel
Drive-Start Cont rol so that the
vehicle may be able to escape
from the mud o r fresh snow.
●Drive-Start Contro l does not work
when Trail Mode is turned on.
■Breaking in your new Toyota
To extend the life of the vehicle,
observing the following precautions
is recommended:
●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 speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low
gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed
for extended periods.

1914-1. Before driving
4
Driving
■Operating your vehicle in a for-
eign country
Comply with the re levant vehicle
registration laws and confirm the
availability of the correct fuel.
(  P.685)
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so m ay result in
death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the
brake pedal while stopped with
the “READY” indi cator is illumi-
nated. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if y ou are unfamil-
iar with the location of the brake
and accelerator 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
difficulty in operating the pedals.
Make sure to operate the pedals
properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when mov-
ing the vehicle only slightly. This
allows you to depress the brake
and accelerator pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the
brake pedal using your left foot
may delay respon se in an emer-
gency, resulting in an accident.
●The driver should pay extra
attention to pedestrians when
the vehicle is powered only by
the electric motor (traction
motor). As there is no engine
noise, the pedestrians may mis-
judge the vehicle’s movement.
Even though the vehicle is
equipped with the vehicle prox-
imity notification system, drive
with care as pedestrians in the
vicinity may still not notice the
vehicle if the surrounding area
is noisy.
●Do not drive the vehicle over or
stop the vehicle near flammable
materials such as leaves, paper
or rags.
The exhaust system and
exhaust gases can be
extremely hot. These hot parts
may cause a fire i f there is any
flammable material nearby.
●During normal driving, do not
turn off the hybr id system. Turn-
ing the hybrid s ystem off while
driving will not cause loss of
steering or braking control, how-
ever, power assist to the steer-
ing will be lost. This will make it
more difficult to steer smoothly,
so you should pull over and stop
the vehicle as soon as it is safe
to do so. In the event of an
emergency, such as if it
becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way:
 P.635
●Use engine braking (downshift)
to maintain a safe speed when
driving down a steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously
may cause the brakes to over-
heat and lose effectiveness.
( P.219)

1944-1. Before driving
WARNING
●Always apply the parking brake,
shift the shift lever to P, stop the
hybrid system and lock the vehi-
cle.
Do not leave the vehicle unat-
tended while the “READY” indi-
cator is illuminated.
If the vehicle is parked with the
shift lever in P but the parking
brake is not set, the vehicle may
start to move, possibly leading
to an accident.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipes
while the “READY” indicator is
illuminated or immediately after
turning the hybrid system off.
Doing so may cause burns.
■When taking a nap in the
vehicle
Always turn the hyb rid system off.
Otherwise, if you accidentally
move the shift lever or depress
the accelerator p edal, this could
cause an accident or fire due to
hybrid system ove rheating. Addi-
tionally, if the vehicle is parked in
a poorly ventilated area, exhaust
gases may collect and enter the
vehicle, leading to death or a seri-
ous health hazard.
■When braking
●When the brakes a re wet, drive
more cautiously.
Braking distance increases
when the brakes are wet, and
this may cause one side of the
vehicle to brake differently than
the other side. Also, the parking
brake may not securely hold the
vehicle.
●If the electronically controlled
brake system does not operate,
do not follow other vehicles
closely and avoid hills or sharp
turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still pos-
sible, but the brake pedal
should be depressed more
firmly than usual. Also, the brak-
ing distance will increase. Have
your brakes fixed immediately.
●The brake system consists of 2
or more individual hydraulic sys-
tems; if one of the systems fails,
the other will still operate. In this
case, the brake pedal should be
depressed more firmly than
usual and the braking distance
will increase. Have your brakes
fixed immediately.
■If the vehicle becomes stuck
Do not spin the wheels exces-
sively when any of the tires is up
in the air, or the vehicle is stuck in
sand, mud, etc. This may damage
the driveline components or pro-
pel the vehicle forward or back-
ward, causing an accident.
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not depress the accelerator
and brake pedals at the same
time during driving, as this may
restrain the hybrid system out-
put.
●Do not use the accelerator
pedal or depress the accelera-
tor and brake pedals at the
same time to hold the vehicle on
a hill.

1984-1. Before driving
load
As shown in the example above,
if the number of occupants
increases, the cargo and lug-
gage load will be reduced by an
amount that equals the
increased weight due to the
additional occupants. In other
words, if an increase in the num-
ber of occupants causes an
excess of the total load capacity
(combined weight of occupants
plus cargo and luggage load),
you must reduce the cargo and
luggage on your vehicle.
WARNING
■When loading cargo on the
roof luggage carrier (if
equipped)
Observe the following precau-
tions:
●Place the cargo so that its
weight is distributed evenly
between the front and rear
axles.
●If loading long or wide cargo,
never exceed the vehicle overall
length or width. ( P.684)
●Before driving, make sure the
cargo is securel y fastened on
the roof luggage carrier.
●Loading cargo on the roof lug-
gage carrier will make the cen-
ter of gravity of the vehicle
higher. Avoid high speeds, sud-
den starts, sharp turns, sudden
braking or abrupt maneuvers,
otherwise it may result in loss of
control or vehicle rollover due to
failure to operate this vehicle
correctly and resu lt in death or
serious injury.
●If driving for a long distance, on
rough roads, or at high speeds,
stop the vehicle now and then
during the trip to make sure the
cargo remains in its place.
●Do not exceed 176.4 lb. (80 kg)
cargo weight on the roof lug-
gage carrier.
NOTICE
■When loading cargo on the
roof luggage carrier (if
equipped)
Be careful not to scratch the sur-
face of the moon roof (if
equipped) or the panoramic moon
roof (if equipped).