2021 TOYOTA RAV4 PLUG-IN HYBRID tow

3145-1. Before driving
34 mm (1.3 in.)
412 mm (16.2 in.)
332 mm (13.1 in.)
370 mm (14.6 in.)
570 mm (22.4 in.)
601 mm (23.7 in.)
1073 mm (42.2 in.)
Your vehicle will handle differently
when towing a trailer. In order to
avoid accident, d eath or serious
injury, keep the following in mind
when towing:
■Checking connections
between trailer and lights
Stop the vehicle and check the
operation of the connection
between the trailer and lights after
driving for a brief period as well as
before starting off.
■Practicing driving with a cou -
pled trailer
 Get the feel for turning, stopping
and reversing with the trailer
coupled by practicing in an area
with no or light traffic.
 When reversing with a coupled
trailer, hold the section of the
steering wheel nearest to you
and rotate clockwise to turn the
trailer left or co unterclockwise to
turn it right. Always rotate a little
at a time to prevent steering
error. Have someone guide you
when reversing to lessen the risk
of an accident.
■Increasing vehicle-to-vehicle
distance
At a speed of 10 km/h (6 mph), the
distance to the vehicle running
ahead of you should be equivalent
to or greater th an the combined
length of you r vehicle and trailer.
Avoid sudden braking that may
cause skidding. Otherwise, the
vehicle may spin out of control. This
is especially true when driving on
wet or slippery road surfaces.
D
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F
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NOTICE
■When the rear bumper strength -
ening material is aluminum
Ensure the steel bracket part does not
come directly in contact with that
area.
When steel and aluminum come into
contact, there is a reaction similar to
corrosion, which will weaken the sec - tion concerned and may result in
damage. Apply a rust inhibitor to parts
that will come in contact when attach - ing a steel bracket.
Guidance

315
5
5-1. Before driving
Driving
■Sudden acceleration/steering
input/cornering
Executing sharp turns when towing
may result in the trailer colliding
with your vehicle. D ecelerate well in
advance when approaching turns
and take them slowly and carefully
to avoid sudden braking.
■Important points regarding
turning
The wheels of the tr ailer will travel
closer to the inside of the curve
than the wheels of the vehicle. To
make allowance for this, take the
turns wider than you would nor -
mally do.
■Important points regarding
stability
Vehicle movement resulting from
uneven road surfaces and strong
crosswinds will affect handling. The
vehicle may also be rocked by
passing buses or large trucks. Fre -
quently check behind when moving
alongside such vehicles. As soon
as such vehicle movement occurs,
immediately start to decelerate
smoothly by slowly applying the
brakes. Always steer the vehicle
straight ahead while braking.
■Passing other vehicles
Consider the total combined length
of your vehicle and trailer and
ensure that the vehicle-to-vehicle
distance is sufficient before execut -
ing lane changes.
■Transmission information
To maintain engine braking effi -
ciency, when using engine braking,
do not use the transmission in D.
( →P.321)
■If the hybrid system overheats
Towing a loaded trailer up a long,
steep incline in temperatures
exceeding 30°C (85°F) may result
in the hybrid system overheating. If
the high coolant temperature warn -
ing light indicates that the hybrid
system is overheating, turn the air
conditioning off immediately, leave
the road and stop the vehicle in a
safe place. ( →P.611)
■When parking the vehicle
Always place wheel chocks under
the wheels of both the vehicle and
trailer. Firmly set the parking brake
and shift the shift lever to P.
■Break-in schedule
Toyota recommends that vehicles fitted
with new power train components
should not be used for towing trailers for the first 800 km (500 miles).
■Maintenance
●Maintenance must be performed more frequently when using the vehicle for
towing due to the greater weight bur -
den placed on the vehicle compared to normal driving.
●Retighten all bolts securing the hitch - ing ball and bracket after towing for
approximately 1000 km (600 miles).
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factor s (crosswinds, pass- ing vehicles, rough roads, etc.) can
adversely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing instability.

3165-1. Before driving
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer swaying by
turning the steering wheel. • Begin releasing the accelerator pedal
immediately but very gradually 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 occupants
out of the vehicle. • Check the tires of t he vehicle and the
trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer. Make sure the load has not shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is appro -
priate, if possible. • Check the load in the vehicle.
Make sure the vehicle is not overloaded
after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the
speed at which trailer swaying occurred
is beyond the limit of your particular
vehicle-trailer combination. Drive at a
lower speed to pre vent instability.
Remember that swaying of the towing
vehicle-trailer increases as speed
increases.

325
5
5-2. Driving procedures
Driving
■S mode
●You can choose from 6 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
the engine revolutions will also increase.
●To prevent the eng ine from over-rev- ving, upshifting may automatically
occur when the shif t range is 3 or
lower.
●When the shift range is 4 or lower,
holding the shift le ver toward “+” sets the shift range to 6.
■Downshifting restriction warning
buzzer
To help ensure safe ty and driving per- formance, downshifting operation may
sometimes be restricted. In some cir -
cumstances, downshifting may not be possible even when the shift lever or
paddle shift switches (if equipped) is
operated. (A buzze r will sound twice.)
■If the “S” indicator does not come on or the “D” indicator is displayed
even after shifting t he shift lever to
S
This may indicate a malfunction in the transmission system. Have the vehicle
inspected by any authorized Toyota
retailer or Toyota authorized repairer, or any reliable repairer immediately. (In
this situation, the transmission will oper -
ate in the same manner as when the shift lever is in D.)
1 Right turn
2 Lane change to the right (move
the lever partway and release it)
The right hand signals will flash 3 times.
3 Lane change to the left (move
the lever partway and release it)
The left hand signals will flash 3 times.
4 Left turn
■Turn signals can be operated when
The power switch is in ON.
■If the indicator flashes faster than
usual
Check that a light b ulb in the front or rear turn signal lights has not burned
out.
Turn signal lever
Operating instructions

333
5
5-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Driving
■Automatic headlight leveling sys -
tem
The level of the headl ights is automati-
cally adjusted accord ing to the number
of passengers and the loading condition of the vehicle to ens ure that the head-
lights do not interfe re with other road
users.
■12-volt battery- saving function
In order to prevent the 12-volt battery of
the vehicle from discharging, if the light
switch is in po sition when the
power switch is turn ed to OFF, the 12- volt battery-saving function will operate
and automatically turn off all the lights
after approximate ly 20 minutes.
When any of the following are per -
formed, the 12-volt b attery-saving func-
tion is canceled once and then reactivated. All the lights will turn off
automatically 20 minutes after the 12-
volt battery-savin g function has been reactivated:
●When the headlight switch is operated
●When a door is opened or closed
■If “Headlight System Malfunction
Visit Your Dealer” is displayed on the multi-information display
The system may be malfunctioning.
Have the vehicle i nspected by any authorized Toyota retailer or Toyota
authorized repairer, or any reliable
repairer.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. light s ensor sensitivity)
can be changed.
(Customizable features: →P.637)
1With the headlights on, push the
lever away from you to turn on
the high beams.
Pull the lever towar d you to the center
position to turn the high beams off.
2 Pull the lever toward you and
release it to flash the high
beams once.
You can flash the hi gh beams with the
headlights on or off.
This system allows the headlights
to be turned on for 30 seconds
when the power switch is turned to
OFF.
Pull the lever to ward you and
release it with the light switch is in
after turning the power switch
to OFF.
Pull the lever towar d you and release it
again to turn off the lights.
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis - charge
Do not leave the lights on longer than
necessary when the hybrid system is not operating.
Turning on the high beam
headlights
Extended Headlight Lighting
system

3365-3. Operating the lights and wipers
equal to those of headlights, tail lights
or fog lights • When headlights or t ail lights of vehi-
cles ahead are turned off, dirty,
changing color, or not aimed properly • When the vehicle is hit by water,
snow, dust, etc. from a preceding
vehicle • When driving through an area of inter -
mittently changing brightness and
darkness • When frequently and repeatedly driv-
ing ascending/descending roads, or
roads with rough, bumpy or uneven surfaces (such as stone-paved roads,
gravel roads, etc.)
• When frequently and repeatedly tak - ing curves or driving on a winding
road
• There is a highly reflective object ahead of the vehicle, such as a sign or
mirror
• The back of a vehicle ahead is highly reflective, such as a container on a
truck
• The vehicle’s headlights are damaged or dirty, or are n ot aimed properly
• The vehicle is listi ng or titling due to a
flat tire, a trailer being towed, etc. • The high beams and low beams are
repeatedly being switched between in
an abnormal manner • The driver believes that the high
beams may be causing problems or
distress to other drivers or pedestrians nearby
• The vehicle is used in a territory in
which vehicles travel on the opposite side of the road o f the country for
which the vehicle is approved, for
example using a vehicle designed for right-hand traffic in a left-hand traffic
territory, or vice versa
• When going through the Straits of
Dover
■If “Headlight System Malfunction Visit Your Dealer” is displayed on
the multi-information display
The system may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle i nspected by any
authorized Toyota retailer or Toyota
authorized repairer, or any reliable
repairer.
■Switching to the high beams
Push the lever away from you.
The Automatic High Beam indicator will
turn off and the h eadlight high beam
indicator will turn on.
Pull the lever to its original position to
activate the Automa tic High Beam sys-
tem again.
■Switching to the low beams
Press the Automatic High Beam
switch.
The Automatic High Beam indicator will
turn off.
Press the switch to activate the Auto-
matic High Beam system again.
Turning the high beams
on/off manually

337
5
5-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Driving
■Temporarily switching to the
low beams
Pull the lever towa rd you and then
return it to its or iginal position.
The high beams are on while the lever
is pulled toward you, however, after the
lever is returned to its original position,
the low beams remain on for a certain
amount of time. Afte rwards, the Auto-
matic High Beam w ill be activated
again.
■Temporarily switching to the low
beams
It is recommended to switch to the low
beams when the high beams may cause
problems or distress to other drivers or pedestrians nearby.
1 Turns the front and rear
fog lights off
2 Turns the front fog lights
on
3 Turns both front and rear
fog lights on
Releasing the switch ring returns it to
.
Operating the switch ring again turns
only the rear fog light off.
■Fog lights can be used when
Front fog lights: The headlights or the
front position lights are turned on.
Rear fog light: The fr ont fog lights are
turned on.
Fog light switch
The fog lights offer improved
visibility in difficult driving
conditions, such as in rain and
fog.
Operating procedure

3565-5. Using the driving support systems
WARNING
■Limitations of the pre-collision
system
●The driver is solely responsible for safe driving. Always drive safely,
taking care to observe your sur -
roundings. Do not use the pre- collision system
instead of normal braking opera -
tions under any circumstances.
This system will not prevent colli - sions or lessen collision damage or
injury in every situation. Do not
overly rely on thi s system. Failure to do so may lead to an accident,
resulting in death or serious injury.
●Although this system is designed to
help avoid a collision or help reduce
the impact of the collision, its effec - tiveness may change according to
various conditions, therefore the
system may not alw ays be able to achieve the same level of perfor -
mance.
Read the following conditions care - fully. Do not over ly rely on this sys-
tem and always drive carefully.
• Conditions under which the system may operate even if there is no pos -
sibility of a collision: →P.359
• Conditions under which the system may not operate properly: →P.360
●Do not attempt to test the operation of the pre-collision system yourself.
Depending on the objects used for
testing (dummies, cardboard objects imitating detectable objects,
etc.), the system m ay not operate
properly, possibly leading to an accident.
■Pre-collision braking
●When the pre-collision braking
function is operating, a large
amount of braking force will be applied.
●If the vehicle is stopped by the operation of the pre-collision brak -
ing function, the p re-collision brak-
ing function operation will be canceled after approximately 2 sec -
onds. Depress the brake pedal as
necessary.
●The pre-collision braking function
may not operate if certain opera - tions are performed by the driver. If
the accelerator pedal is being
depressed strongly or the steering wheel is being turned, the system
may determine that the driver is tak -
ing evasive action and possibly pre - vent the pre-col lision braking
function from operating.
●In some situations, while the pre-
collision braking function is operat -
ing, operation of the function may be canceled if the accelerator pedal
is depressed strongly or the steer -
ing wheel is tur ned and the system determines that the driver is taking
evasive action.
●If the brake pedal is being
depressed, the system may deter -
mine that the driv er is taking eva- sive action and possibly delay the
operation timing of the pre-collision
braking function.
■When to disable the pre-colli -
sion system
In the following situations, disable the
system, as it may not operate prop-
erly, possibly leading to an accident resulting in death or serious injury:
●When the vehicle is being towed
●When your vehicle is towing
another vehicle
●When transporting the vehicle via truck, boat, train or similar means of
transportation
●When the vehicle is raised on a lift
with the hybrid system on and the
tires are allowed to rotate freely