2021 TOYOTA RAV4 brake

2004-2. Driving procedures
Some electrical components such
as the audio system can be used.
“ACCESSORY” will be displayed
on the multi-information display.
3ON
All electrical com ponents can be
used.
“IGNITION ON” will be displayed on
the multi-inform ation display.
*: If the shift lever is in a position
other than P when turning off the
engine, the engine switch will be
turned to ACC, not to OFF.
■Auto power off function
If the vehicle is left in ACC for more
than 20 minutes or ON (the engine
is not running) for more than an
hour with the shift lever in P, the
engine switch will automatically turn
to OFF. However, this function can-
not entirely prevent battery dis-
charge. Do not leave the vehicle
with the engine switch in ACC or ON
for long periods of time when the
engine is not running.
If the engine is stopped with the
shift lever in a position other than P, the engine switch will
not be turned to OFF but instead
be turned to ACC. Perform the
following procedure to turn the
switch to OFF:
1
Check that the parking brake
is set.
2 Shift the shift lever to P.
3 Check that “ACCESSORY” is
displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display and then
press the engine switch
shortly and firmly.
4 Check that “ACCESSORY”
or “IGNITION ON” on the
multi-information display is
off.
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
●Do not leave the engine switch
in ACC or ON for long periods of
time without the engine running.
●If “ACCESSORY” or “IGNITION
ON” is displayed on the multi-
information display, the engine
switch is not in OFF. Exit the
vehicle after turning the engine
switch to OFF.
When stopping the engine
with the shift lever in a
position other than P
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not stop the engine when the
shift lever is in a position other
than P. If the engine is stopped in
another shift lever position, the
engine switch will not be turned to
OFF but instead be turned to
ACC. If the vehicle is left in ACC,
battery dischar ge may occur.

2024-2. Driving procedures
While the engine switch
is in ON and the brake pedal
depressed
*, shift the shift lever
while pushing the shift release
button on the shift knob.
Shift the shift lever while
pushing the shift release button
on the shift knob.
Shift the shift lever nor-
mally.
When shifting the shift lever
between P and D, make sure that
the vehicle is completely stopped.
*: For the vehicle to be able to be
shifted from P, the brake pedal
must be depresse d before the
shift release button is pushed. If
the shift release button is pushed first, the shift lock will not be
released.
■Shift lock system
The shift lock syste m is a system to
prevent accidental operation of the
shift lever in starting.
The shift lever can be shifted from P
only when the engi ne switch is in
ON, the brake pedal is depressed
and the shift release button is
pushed.
■If the shift lever cannot be
shifted from P
First, check whether the brake pedal
is being depressed.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted
even though the brake pedal is
depressed and the shift release but-
ton is pushed, the re may be a prob-
lem with the shift lock system. Have
the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer immediately.
The following steps may be used as
an emergency measure to ensure
that the shift lev er can be shifted.
Releasing the shift lock:
1 Pull the parking brake switch to
check that the parking brake is
set. ( P.205)
2 Turn the engine switch to OFF.
3 Depress the brake pedal.
4 Pry the cover up with a flathead
screwdriver or equivalent tool.
To prevent damage to the cover,
cover the tip of the screwdriver
with a rag.
5 Press and hold the shift lock
override button and then push
the button on the shift knob.
Shifting the shift lever

2034-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
The shift lever can be shifted
while both buttons are pressed.
 P.355, 361
When the shift lever is in the S
position, the shift lever can be
operated as follows: 1
Upshifting
2 Downshifting
The selected shift range, from S1 to
S8 will be display ed on the multi-
information display.
The initial shift range in S mode
is set automatically to 4, 5 or 6
according to vehicle speed.
However, the initial shift range
may be set to 3 if AI-SHIFT has
operated while the shift lever
was in the D position. ( P.201)
■S mode
●You can choose from 8 levels of
accelerating force and engine
braking force.
●A lower shift range will provide
greater accelerating force and
engine braking force than a higher
shift range, and t he engine revolu-
tions will also increase.
●To prevent the e ngine from over-
revving, upshifting may automati-
cally occur.
●To protect the automatic transmis-
sion, a function is adopted that
automatically selects a higher shift
range when the fluid temperature
is high.
●When the shift range is 7 or lower,
holding the shift lever toward “+”
sets the shift range to 8.
WARNING
■To prevent an accident when
releasing the shift lock
Before pressing the shift lock
override button, make sure to set
the parking brake and depress the
brake pedal.
If the accelerator pedal is acci-
dentally depressed instead of the
brake pedal when the shift lock
override button is pressed and the
shift lever is shifted out of P, the
vehicle may suddenly start, possi-
bly leading to an accident result-
ing in death or serious injury.
Selecting the driving
mode and snow mode (if
equipped)
Changing shift ranges in
S mode

2054-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
burned out.
■If the turn signals stop flashing
before a lane change has been
performed
Operate the lever again.
■To discontinue flashing of the
turn signals during a lane
change
Operate the lever in the opposite
direction.
■Using the manual mode
The parking brake can be set
and released manually.
Parking brake indicator light
(U.S.A.)
Parking brake indicator light
(Canada)
Parking brake switch indica-
tor
1 Pull the switch to set the
Parking brake
The parking brake can be
set or released automati-
cally or manually. In auto-
matic mode, the parking
brake can be set or released
automatically according to
shift lever operation. Also,
even in automatic mode, the
parking brake can be set or
released manually.
Operating instructions
A
B
C

2064-2. Driving procedures
parking brake.
The parking brake indicator light
and parking brake switch indicator
will turn on.
Pull and hold the parking brake
switch if an emergency occurs and
it is necessary to operate the park-
ing brake while driving.
2Push the switch to release
the parking brake.
• Operate the parking brake switch
while depressing the brake pedal.
• Parking brake automatic release function ( P.207)
Make sure that t he parking brake
indicator light and parking brake
switch indicator turn off.
If the parking brake indicator
light and parking brake switch
indicator flash, operate the
switch again. ( P.644)
■Turning the automatic
mode on
While the vehicle is stopped,
pull and hold the parking brake
switch until a buzzer sounds and
a message is shown on the
multi-information display.
When the automatic mode is
turned on, the parking brake
operates as follows. 
When the shift lever is shifted
from P, the parking brake will
be released, and the parking
brake indicator light and park-
ing brake switch indicator will
turn off.
 When the shift lever is shifted
to P, the parking brake will be
set, and the parking brake
indicator light and parking
brake switch indicator will turn
on.
Operate the shift lever with the
vehicle stopped and the brake
pedal depressed.
■Turning the automatic
mode off
While the vehicle is stopped and
depressing the brake pedal,
press and hold the parking
brake switch until a buzzer
sounds and a message is
shown on the multi-information
display.
■Parking brake operation
●When the engine switch is not in
ON, the parking brake cannot be
released using the parking brake
switch.
●When the engine switch is not in

2074-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
ON, automatic mode (automatic
brake setting and releasing) is not
available.
■Parking brake automatic
release function
The parking brake will be released
automatically when the accelerator
pedal is slowly depressed under the
following conditions:
●The driver’s door is closed
●The driver is wearing the seat belt
●The shift lever is in a forward or
reverse position.
●The malfunction in dicator lamp or
brake system warning light is not
illuminated
If the automatic release function
does not operate, release the park-
ing brake manually.
■If “Parking Brake Temporarily
Unavailable” i s displayed on
the multi-information display
If the parking brake is operated
repeatedly over a short period of
time, the system may restrict opera-
tion to prevent overheating. If this
happens, refrain from operating the
parking brake. Nor mal operation will
return after about 1 minute.
■If “Parking Brake Unavailable”
is displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display
Operate the parking brake switch. If
the message does not disappear
after operating the switch several
times, the system may be malfunc-
tioning. Have the vehicle inspected
by your Toyota dealer.
■Parking brake operation sound
When the parking brake operates, a
motor sound (whirring sound) may
be heard. This does not indicate a
malfunction.
■Parking brake indicator light
●Depending on the engine switch
position/mode, the parking brake
indicator light will turn on and stay on as described below:
ON: Comes on until the parking
brake is released.
Not in ON: Stays
on for approxi-
mately 15 seconds.
●When the engine switch is turned
off with the parking brake set, the
parking brake i ndicator light will
stay on for about 15 seconds. This
does not indicate a malfunction.
■When the parking brake switch
malfunctions
Automatic mode (automatic brake
setting and releas ing) will be turned
on automatically.
■Parking the vehicle
 P.171
■Parking brake engaged warning
buzzer
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is
driven with the parking brake
engaged. “Parking Brake ON” is dis-
played on the multi-information dis-
play (with the vehicle reaching a
speed of 5 km/h [3 mph]).
■If the brake system warning
light comes on
 P.638
■Usage in winter time
 P.371
WARNING
■When parking the vehicle
Do not leave a child in the vehicle
alone. The parking brake may be
released unintentionally by a child
and there is the danger of the
vehicle moving that may lead to
an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.
■Parking brake switch
Do not set any objects near the
parking brake switch. Objects
may interfere with the switch and
may lead the parking brake to
unexpectedly operate.

2084-2. Driving procedures
Press the brake hold switch to
turn the brake hold system on
The brake hold standby indicator
(green) comes on. While the
system is holding the brake, the
brake hold operated indicator (yel-
low) comes on.
■Brake hold system operating
conditions
The brake hold system cannot be
turned on in the following condi-
tions:
●The driver’s door is not closed.
NOTICE
■When parking the vehicle
Before you leave the vehicle, shift
the shift lever to P, set the parking
brake and make sure that the
vehicle does not move.
■When the system malfunc-
tions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place
and check the warning messages.
■When the parking brake can-
not be released due to a mal-
function
Driving the vehicl e with the park-
ing brake set will lead to brake
components overheating, which
may affect braking performance
and increase brake wear. Have
the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer imme diately if this
occurs.
Brake Hold
The brake hold system
keeps the brake applied
when the shift lever is in D,
S or N with the system on
and the brake pedal has
been depressed to stop the
vehicle. The system
releases the brake when the
accelerator pedal is
depressed with the shift
lever in D or S to allow
smooth start off.
Enabling the system
A
B

2094-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
●The driver is not wearing the seat
belt.
If any of the conditions above are
detected when the brake hold sys-
tem is enabled, the system will turn
off and the brake hold standby indi-
cator light will go o ff. In addition, if
any of the conditions are detected
while the system is holding the
brake, a warning buzzer will sound
and a message will be shown on the
multi-information display. The park-
ing brake will then be set automati-
cally.
■Brake hold function
●If the brake pedal is left released
for a period of about 3 minutes
after the system has started hold-
ing the brake, the parking brake
will be set automat ically. In this
case, a warning buzzer sounds
and a message is shown on the
multi-informat ion display.
●To turn the syste m off while the
system is holding the brake, firmly
depress the brake pedal and
press the button again.
●The brake hold function may not
hold the vehicle wh en the vehicle
is on a steep inclin e. In this situa-
tion, it may be necessary for the
driver to apply the brakes. A warn-
ing buzzer will sound and the
multi-informatio n display will
inform the driver of this situation. If
a warning message is shown on
the multi-information display, read
the message and follow the
instructions.
■When the parking brake is set
automatically while the system
is holding the brakes
Perform any of the following opera-
tions to release the parking brake:
●Depress the accelerator pedal.
(The parking brake will not be
released automatic ally if the seat
belt is not fastened.)
●Operate the parking brake switch
with the brake pedal depressed. Make sure that the parking brake
indicator light goes off. (
P.205)
■When an inspection at your
Toyota dealer is necessary
When the brake hold standby indi-
cator (green) does not illuminate
even when the brake hold switch is
pressed with the brake hold system
operating conditions met, the sys-
tem may be malf unctioning. Have
the vehicle inspected at your Toyota
dealer.
■If “Brake Hold Malfunction
Press Brake to Deactivate Visit
Your Dealer” or “Brake Hold
Malfunction Visit Your Dealer”
is displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display
The system may be malfunctioning.
Have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer.
■Warning messages and buzzers
Warning messages and buzzers are
used to indicate a system malfunc-
tion or to inform the driver of the
need for caution. If a warning mes-
sage is shown on the multi-informa-
tion display, read the message and
follow the instructions.
■If the brake hold operated indi-
cator flashes
 P.643
WARNING
■When the vehicle is on a
steep incline
When using the br ake hold sys-
tem on a steep incline, exercise
caution. The brake hold function
may not hold the vehicle in such a
situation.