2021 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual (in English)

5857-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
■Coolant selection
Only use “Toyota Super Long Life
Coolant” or a similar high quality
ethylene glycol based non-silicate,
non-amine, non-nitrite, and non-
borate coolant with long-life hybrid
organic acid technology.
U.S.A.:
“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” is
a mixture of 50% coolant and 50%
deionized water. (Minimum tem-
perature: -31°F [-35°C])
Canada:
“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” is
a mixture of 55% coolant and 45%
deionized water. (Minimum tem-
perature: -44°F [-42°C])
For more details about coolant, con-
tact your To yota dealer.
■If the coolant level drops within
a short time of replenishing
Visually check the radiators, hoses,
engine/power control unit coolant
reservoir caps, drain cock and water
pump.
If you cannot find a leak, have your
Toyota dealer, t est the cap and
check for leaks in the cooling sys-
tem.
Check the radiator and con-
denser, and clear away any for-
eign objects.
If either of the above parts is
extremely dirty or you are not
sure of their condition, have
your vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer.
■Checking fluid level
The brake fluid level should be
between the “MAX” and “MIN”
lines on the tank.
WARNING
■When the engine is hot
Do not remove the engine coolant
reservoir cap.
The cooling system may be under
pressure and may spray hot cool-
ant if the cap is removed, causing
serious injuries, such as burns.
NOTICE
■When adding coolant
Coolant is neither plain water nor
straight antifreeze. The correct
mixture of water and antifreeze
must be used to provide proper
lubrication, corrosion protection
and cooling. Be sure to read the
antifreeze or coolant label.
■If you spill coolant
Be sure to wash it off with water to
prevent it from damaging parts or
paint.
Checking the radiator and
condenser
WARNING
■When the engine is hot
Do not touch the radiator or con-
denser as they may be hot and
cause serious injuries, such as
burns.
■When the electric cooling fan
is operating
Do not touch the engine compart-
ment.
With the engine switch in ON, the
electric cooling fa n may automati-
cally start to run if the air condi-
tioning is on and/or the coolant
temperature is high. Be sure the
engine switch is off when working
near the electric cooling fan or
radiator grille.
Checking and adding the
brake fluid

5867-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■Adding fluid
1 Slide and lift up the rubber
strip to partly remove it as
shown.
2 Disconnect the claws and
remove the service cover. 3
Remove the reservoir cap.
4 Add brake fluid slowly while
checking the fluid level.
Make sure to check the fluid
type and prepare the necessary
item.
■Brake fluid can absorb moisture
from the air
Excess moisture in the brake fluid
can cause a dangerous loss of brak-
ing efficiency. Use only newly
opened brake fluid.
Fluid
type
F MV S S No .1 16 D OT 3 or
SAE J1703 bra ke fluid
F MV S S No .1 16 D OT 4 or
SAE J1704 bra ke fluid
ItemClean funnel
WARNING
■When filling the reservoir
Take care as brake fluid can harm
your hands and eyes and damage
painted surfaces.
If fluid gets on your hands or in
your eyes, flush t he affected area
with clean water immediately.
If you still experi ence discomfort,
see a doctor.

5877-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
Check the battery as follows.
■Battery exterior
Make sure that the battery termi-
nals are not corroded and that
there are no loose connections,
cracks, or loose clamps.
Terminals
Hold-down clamp
■Before recharging
When recharging, t he battery pro-
duces hydrogen ga s which is flam-
mable and explosive. Therefore,
observe the following precautions
before recharging:
●If recharging wi th the battery
installed on the vehicle, be sure to
disconnect the ground cable.
●Make sure the power switch on
the charger is off when connecting
and disconnecting the charger cables to the battery.
■After recharging/reconnecting
the battery (vehicles with smart
key system)
The engine may not start. Follow the
procedure below to initialize the sys-
tem.
1 Shift the shift lever to P.
2 Open and close any of the doors.
3 Restart the engine.
●Unlocking the doors using the
smart key system may not be pos-
sible immediately after reconnect-
ing the battery. If this happens,
use the wireless remote control or
the mechanical key to lock/unlock
the doors.
●Start the engine with the engine
switch in ACC. T he engine may
not start with th e engine switch
turned off. However, the engine
will operate normally from the sec-
ond attempt.
●The engine switch mode is
recorded by the vehicle. If the bat-
tery is disconnected and recon-
nected, the vehi cle will return the
engine switch mode to the status
it was in before t he battery was
disconnected. Make sure to turn
off the engine switch before dis-
connecting the battery. Take extra
care when connecting the battery
if the engine switch mode prior to
the battery being disconnected is
unknown.
If the engine will no t start even after
multiple attempts, contact your
Toyota dealer.
NOTICE
■If the fluid level is low or high
It is normal for the brake fluid level
to go down slightly as the brake
pads wear out or when the fluid
level in the accumulator is high.
If the reservoir needs frequent
refilling, there ma y be a serious
problem.
Checking the battery
A
B

5887-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
If any washer does not work or
the warning message appears
on the multi-information display,
the washer tank may be empty.
Add washer fluid.
WARNING
■Chemicals in the battery
A battery contains poisonous and
corrosive sulfuric acid and may
produce hydrogen gas which is
flammable and explosive. To
reduce the risk of death or serious
injury, take the following precau-
tions while working on or near the
battery:
●Do not cause sparks by touch-
ing the battery terminals with
tools.
●Do not smoke or light a match
near the battery.
●Avoid contact with eyes, skin
and clothes.
●Never inhale or swallow electro-
lyte.
●Wear protective safety glasses
when working near the battery.
●Keep children away from the
battery.
■Where to safely charge the
battery
Always charge the battery in an
open area. Do not charge the bat-
tery in a garage or closed room
where there is not sufficient venti-
lation.
■Emergency measures regard-
ing electrolyte
●If electrolyte gets in your eyes
Flush your eyes with clean
water for at least 15 minutes
and get immediate medical
attention. If possible, continue
to apply water with a sponge or
cloth while traveling to the near-
est medical facility.
●If electrolyte gets on your skin
Wash the affected area thor-
oughly. If you fee l pain or burn-
ing, get medical attention
immediately.
●If electrolyte gets on your
clothes
It can soak through clothing on
to your skin. Imm ediately take
off the clothing and follow the
procedure above if necessary.
●If you accidentally swallow elec-
trolyte
Drink a large quantity of water
or milk. Get emergency medical
attention immediately.
■When there is insufficient bat-
tery fluid
Do not use if ther e is insufficient
fluid in the battery. There is a pos-
sible danger that the battery may
explode.
NOTICE
■When recharging the battery
Never recharge the battery while
the engine is running. Also, be
sure all accessories are turned
off.
Adding the washer fluid

5897-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
Check if the treadwear indica-
tors are showing on the tires.
Also check the tires for uneven
wear, such as excessive wear
on one side of the tread.
Check the spare tire condition
and pressure if not rotated.New tread
Worn tread
Treadwear indicator
The location of treadwear indicators
is shown by a “TWI” or “ ” mark,
WARNING
■When adding washer fluid
Do not add washer fluid when the
engine is hot or running as
washer fluid contains alcohol and
may catch fire if spilled on the
engine, etc.
NOTICE
■Do not use any fluid other
than washer fluid
Do not use soapy water or engine
antifreeze instead of washer fluid.
Doing so may cause streaking on
the vehicle’s painted surfaces, as
well as damaging the pump lead-
ing to problems of the washer
fluid not spraying.
■Diluting washer fluid
Dilute washer flui d with water as
necessary.
Refer to the freezing tempera-
tures listed on the label of the
washer fluid bottle.
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in
accordance with mainte-
nance schedules and tread-
wear.
Checking tires
A
B
C

5907-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
etc., molded into the sidewall of
each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear
indicators are showing on a tire.
■When to replace your vehicle’s
tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●The treadwear indicators are
showing on a tire.
●You have tire damage such as
cuts, splits, cracks deep enough
to expose the fabric, and bulges
indicating internal damage.
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or can-
not be properly repaired due to
the size or location of a cut or
other damage.
If you are not sure, consult with your
Toyota dealer.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be
checked by a qualified technician
even if it has seldom or never been
used or damage i s not obvious.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the number given by
dividing the maximum load by 1.10
of the replacement tire is greater
than 1/2 of the Gross Axle Weight
Ratings (GAWR) of e ither the front
axle or the rear a xle, whichever is
greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification
Regulation Label. For the maximum
load of the tire, see the load limit at
maximum cold tire inflation pressure
mentioned on the sidewall of the
tire. ( P.690)
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed perfor-
mance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Since
summer tires do not have the same
traction performance as snow tires,
summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow-covered or icy
roads. For driving on snow-covered
roads or icy roads, the use of snow
tires is recommended. When install-
ing snow tires, be sure to replace all
four tires.
●All season tires
All season tires are designed to pro-
vide better traction in snow and to
be adequate for driving in most win-
ter conditions as well as for use
year-round. All season tires, how-
ever, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow
tires in heavy or loose snow. Also,
all season tires fall short in accelera-
tion and handling performance com-
pared with summer tires in highway
driving.
●Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads
or icy roads, we recommend using
snow tires. If you need snow tires,
select tires of the same size, con-
struction and load capacity as the
originally installed tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original
equipment, make sure your snow
tires also have radi al construction.
Do not install studded tires without
first checking local regulations for
possible restrictions. Snow tires
should be installed on all wheels.
(  P.371)

5917-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
■If the tread on snow tires wears
down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as
snow tires is lost.
Rotate the tires in the order
shown.
To equalize tire wear and extend
tire life, Toyota recommends that
tire rotation is carried out at the
same interval as tire inspection.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pres-
sure warning system after tire rota-
tion. (if equipped)
Front
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing
tires
Observe the following precautions
to prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause dam-
age to parts of the drive train as
well as dangerous handling char-
acteristics, which may lead to an
accident resulting in death or seri-
ous injury.
●Do not mix tires of different
makes, models or tread pat-
terns.
Also, do not mix tires of remark-
ably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire si zes other than
those recommende d by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently con-
structed tires (radial, bias-belted
or bias-ply tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season
and snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have been
used on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not
know how they were used previ-
ously.
●Do not tow if your vehicle has a
compact spare tire installed.
NOTICE
■Driving on rough roads
Take particular care when driving
on roads with loose surfaces or
potholes.
These conditions may cause
losses in tire inflation pressure,
reducing the cush ioning ability of
the tires. In addition, driving on
rough roads may cause damage
to the tires themselves, as well as
the vehicle’s wheels and body.
■If tire inflation pressure of
each tire becomes low while
driving
Do not continue driving, or your
tires and/or wheels may be
ruined.
Tire rotation
A

5927-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■When rotating the tires (vehi-
cles with tire pressure warning
system)
Make sure that the engine switch is
OFF. If the tires are rotated while
the engine switch i s in ON, the tire
position informa tion will not be
updated. If this accidentally occurs,
either turn the engine switch to OFF
and then to ON, or initialize the sys-
tem after checking that the tire pres-
sure is properly adjusted.
Your vehicle is equipped with a
tire pressure warning system
that uses tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters to detect
low tire inflation pressure before
serious problems arise.
 If the tire pressure drops
below a predetermined level,
the driver is warned a screen
display
* and by a warning
light. ( P.644)
*: Vehicles with tire inflation pres-
sure display function only
 Vehicles with tire inflation
pressure display function
only: The tire pressure
detected by the tire pressure
warning system can be dis-
played on the multi-informa-
tion display. ( P.85)
The illustration used is intended
as an example, and may differ
from the image that is actually
displayed on the multi-informa-
tion display.
■Routine tire inflation pressure
checks
The tire pressure warning system
does not replace routine tire inflation
pressure checks . Make sure to
check tire inflation pressure as part
of your routine o f daily vehicle
checks.
■Tire inflation pressure*
*
: Vehicles with tire inflation pres-
sure display function only
●It may take a few minutes to dis-
play the tire inflation pressure
after the engine switch is turned to
ON. It may also take a few min-
utes to display the tire inflation
pressure after infl ation pressure
has been adjusted.
●Tire inflation pressure changes
with temperature. The displayed
values may also be different from
the values measured using a tire
pressure gauge.
■Situations in which the tire
pressure warning system may
not operate properly (if
equipped)
●In the following cases, the tire
pressure warning system may not
operate properly.
• If non-genuine Toyota wheels are
used.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is not an OE (Original
Equipment) tire.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is not of the specified size.
• Tire chains, etc. are equipped.
Tire pressure warning
system (if equipped)