2021 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual (in English)

1854-1. Before driving
4
Driving
Vehicles without towing pack-
ageFront GAWR
Rear GAWR
Vehicles with towing packageFront GAWR
Rear GAWR
■TWR (Trailer Weight Rating)
The maximum allowable gross
trailer weight. The gross trailer
weight is the sum of the trailer
weight and the weight of the cargo in the trailer.
TWR is calculated assuming
base vehicle with one driver,
one front passenger, towing
package (if available), hitch and
hitch systems (if required).
Additional optional equipment, pas-
sengers and cargo in the vehicle
will reduce the trailer weight rating
so as not to exceed GCWR, GVWR
and GAWR.
Vehicles with towing package: If the
gross trailer weight exceeds 3000
lb. (1360 kg), it is recommended to
use a trailer with 2 or more axles.
Vehicles without towing pack-
age
(With brakes)
Vehicles with towing package(With brakes)
A
B
A
B
A
A

1864-1. Before driving
■Unbraked TWR (Unbraked
Trailer Weight Rating)
The trailer weight rating for tow-
ing a trailer without a trailer ser-
vice brake system.
(Without brakes)
■Tongue Weight
The load placed on the trailer
hitch ball. ( P.188)
Vehicles without towing pack-
age
Vehicles with towing package 
The gross trailer weight must
never exceed the TWR
described below.
Without towing package
1500 lb. (680 kg)
With towing package
3500 lb. (1590 kg)
 The gross combination weight
must never exceed the
GCWR described below.
Without towing package
Vehicles without Dynamic Torque
Vectoring AWD system: 6110 lb.
(2770 kg)
Vehicles with Dynamic Torque Vec-
toring AWD system: 6205 lb. (2815
kg)
With towing package
8205 lb. (3725 kg)
 The gross vehicle weight
must never exceed the
GVWR indicated on the Certi-
fication Regulation Label.
 The gross axle weight on
each axle must never exceed
the GAWR indicated on the
Certification Regulation Label.
A
Weight limits

1874-1. Before driving
4
Driving
If the gross trailer weight is
over the unbraked TWR,
trailer service brakes are
required.
 Vehicles with towing package:
If the gross trailer weight is
over 2000 lb. (907 kg), a sway
control device with sufficient
capacity is required.
Confirm that the gross trailer
weight, gross combination
weight, gross vehicle weight,
gross axle weight and tongue
weight are all within the limits.
■GCWR*
Without towing package
Vehicles without Dynamic
Torque Vectoring AWD system:
6110 lb. (2770 kg)
Vehicles with Dynamic Torque
Vectoring AWD system: 6205 lb.
(2815 kg)
With towing package
8205 lb. (3725 kg)
*: These models meet the tow-vehi- cle trailering requirement of SAE
International per SAE J2807.
■TWR*
Without towing package
1500 lb. (680 kg)
With towing package
3500 lb. (1590 kg)
*: These models meet the tow-vehi- cle trailering requirement of SAE
International per SAE J2807.
■Unbraked TWR*
1000 lb. (450 kg)
*: These models meet the tow-vehi-cle trailering requirement of SAE
International per SAE J2807.
 A recommended tongue
weight varies in accordance
with the types of trailers or
towing as described below.
 To ensure the recommended
values shown below, the
trailer must be loaded by
referring to the following
instructions.
• Tongue Weight
The gross trailer weight should be
distributed so that the tongue
weight is 9% to 11%.
(Tongue weight /Gross trailer
weight x 100 = 9% to 11%)
Vehicles without towing pack-
age
Gross trailer weight
GCWR, TWR and
Unbraked TWR
Trailer Tongue Weight
A

1884-1. Before driving
Tongue weight
Vehicles with towing packageGross trailer weight
Tongue weight
The gross trailer weight, gross
axle weight and tongue weight
can be measured with platform
scales found at a highway
weighing station, building supply
company, trucking company,
junk yard, etc.
Trailer hitch assemblies have
different weight capacities.
Toyota recommends the use of
Toyota hitch/bracket for your
vehicle. For details, contact your
Toyota dealer.
 If you wish to install a trailer
hitch, contact your Toyota
dealer.
 Use only a hitch that con-
forms to the gross trailer
weight requirement of your
vehicle.
 Follow the directions supplied
by the hitch manufacturer. 
Lubricate the hitch ball with a
light coating of grease.
 Remove the hitch ball when-
ever you are not towing a
trailer. Remove the trailer
hitch if you do not need it.
After removing the hitch, seal
any mounting holes in the
vehicle body to prevent entry
of any substances into the
vehicle.
Use the correct trailer ball for
your application.
Hitch
B
A
B
:$51,1*
■Hitch
Trailer hitch asse mblies have dif-
ferent weight capacities estab-
lished by the hitch manufacturer.
Even though the vehicle may be
physically capable of towing a
higher weight, the operator must
determine the maximum weight
rating of the particular hitch
assembly and never exceed the
maximum weight rating specified
for the trailer-hitch. Exceeding the
maximum weight rating set by the
trailer-hitch manufacturer can
cause an accident resulting in
death or serious personal injuries.
NOTICE
■When installing a trailer hitch
Use only the position recom-
mended by your Toyota dealer.
Do not install the trailer hitch on
the bumper; this may cause body
damage.
Selecting trailer ball (vehi-
cles with towing package)

1894-1. Before driving
4
Driving
Trailer ball load rating
Matches or exceeds the gross
trailer weight rating of the trailer.
Shank length
Protrudes beyond the bottom of the
lock washer and nut by at least 2
threads.
Shank diameter
Matches the ball mount hole diame-
ter size.
Ball diameter
Matches the size of the trailer cou-
pler. Most couplers are stamped
with the required tr ailer ball size.
Weight carrying ball position:
43.3 in. (1100 mm)
Hitch receiver pin hole posi-
tion: 38.1 in. (969 mm)
■Matching trailer ball height to
trailer coupler height
No matter wh ich class of tow hitch
applies, for a m ore safe trailer
hookup, the trailer ball setup must
be the proper height for the coupler
on the trailer.
Coupler
Trailer ball
Trailer classTypical trailer ball size
IV2 5/16 in.
II and III2 in.
I1 7/8 in.
A
B
C
D
Positions for towing hitch
receiver and hitch ball
A
B
A
B

1904-1. Before driving
Please consult your dealer
when installing trailer lights, as
incorrect installation may cause
damage to the vehicle’s lights.
Please take care to comply with
your state’s laws when installing
trailer lights.
Your vehicle will handle differ-
ently when towing a trailer. Help
to avoid an accident, death or
serious injury, keep the follow-
ing in mind when towing:
Speed limits for towing a
trailer vary by state or prov-
ince. Do not exceed the
posted towing speed limit.
 Toyota recommends that the
vehicle-trailer speed limit is 65
mph (104 km/h) on a flat,
straight, dry road. Do not
exceed this limit, the posted
towing speed limit or the
speed limit for your trailer as
set forth in your trailer owner’s
manual, whichever is lowest.
Instability of the towing vehi-
cle-trailer combination (trailer
sway) increases as speed increases. Exceeding speed
limits may cause loss of con-
trol.
 Before starting out, check the
trailer lights, tires and the
vehicle-trailer connections.
Recheck after driving a short
distance.
 Practice turning, stopping and
reversing with the trailer
attached in an area away
from traffic until you become
accustomed to the feel of the
vehicle-trailer combination.
 Reversing with a trailer
attached is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the
bottom of the steering wheel
and move your hand to the
left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the
right to move the trailer to
right. (This is generally oppo-
site to reversing without a
trailer attached.) Avoid sharp
or prolonged turning. Have
someone guide you when
reversing to reduce the risk of
an accident.
 As stopping distance is
increased when towing a
trailer, vehicle-to vehicle dis-
tance should be increased.
For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of
speed, allow at least one
vehicle and trailer length.
 Avoid sudden braking as you
may skid, resulting in the
trailer jackknifing and a loss of
Connecting trailer lights
NOTICE
■Do not directly splice trailer
lights
Do not directly splice trailer lights.
Directly splicing trailer lights may
damage your vehicle’s electrical
system and cause a malfunction.
Trailer towing tips

1914-1. Before driving
4
Driving
vehicle control. This is espe-
cially true on wet or slippery
surfaces.
 Avoid jerky starts or sudden
acceleration.
 Avoid jerky steering and
sharp turns, and slow down
before making turn.
 Note that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be
closer than the vehicle wheels
to the inside of the turn. Com-
pensate by making a wider
than normal turning radius.
 Slow down before making a
turn, in cross winds, on wet or
slippery surfaces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can
destabilize the trailer.
Take care when passing other
vehicles. Passing requires
considerable distance. After
passing a vehicle, do not for-
get the length of your trailer,
and be sure you have plenty
of room before changing
lanes.
 To maintain engine braking
efficiency and charging sys-
tem performance when using
engine braking, do not put the
transmission in D. If in the S
mode, the transmission shift
range position must be in 6 or
lower.
 Instability happens more fre-
quently when descending
steep or long downhill grades. Before descending, slow
down and downshift. Do not
make sudden downshifts
while descending steep or
long downhill grades.
 Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or applying the
brakes too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to
overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.
 Due to the added load of the
trailer, your vehicle’s engine
may overheat on hot days (at
temperatures over 85°F
[30°C]) when driving up a long
or steep grade. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge
indicates overheating, imme-
diately turn off the air condi-
tioning (if in use), pull your
vehicle off the road and stop
in a safe spot. ( P.670)
 Always place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle’s and
the trailer’s wheels when
parking. Apply the parking
brake firmly, and put the
transmission in P. Avoid park-
ing on a slope, but if unavoid-
able, do so only after
performing the following:
1 Apply the brakes and keep
them applied.
2 Have someone place wheel
blocks under both the vehi-
cle’s and trailer’s wheels.

1924-1. Before driving
3When the wheel blocks are in
place, release the brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb
the load.
4 Apply the parking brake
firmly.
5 Shift into P and turn off the
engine.
 When restarting after parking
on a slope:
1 With the transmission in P,
start the engine. Be sure to
keep the brake pedal
depressed.
2 Shift into a forward gear. If
reversing, shift into R.
3 If the parking brake is in man-
ual mode, release the park-
ing brake. ( P.205)
4 Release the brake pedal, and
slowly pull or back away from
the wheel blocks. Stop and
apply the brakes.
5 Have someone retrieve the
blocks.
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped
with any new power train compo-
nents (such as an engine, transmis-
sion, differential or wheel bearing),
Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer unt il the vehicle has
been driven for over 500 miles (800
km).
After the vehicle has been driven for
over 500 miles (800 km), you can
start towing. However, for the next
500 miles (800 km), drive the vehi-
cle at a speed of less than 45 mph
(72 km/h) when towing a trailer, and avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a traile
r, your vehicle
will require more fr equent mainte-
nance due to the additional load.
(See “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner ’s Manual Sup-
plement”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the
towing ball and bracket after
approximately 600 miles (1000
km) of tra iler towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds,
passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.)
can adversely affect handling of
your vehicle and t railer, causing
instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to contr ol trailer sway-
ing by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator
pedal immediately but very gradu-
ally to reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not
apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction
with the steering or brakes, your
vehicle and trailer should stabilize (if
enabled, Trailer Sway Control can
also help to stabilize the vehicle and
trailer.).
●After the trailer swaying has
stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occu-
pants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer. Make sure the load has not
shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is
appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle.
Make sure the vehicle is not over-
loaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the