2021 TOYOTA RAV4 PLUG-IN HYBRID heater

4TABLE OF CONTENTS
6-1. Using the air conditioning
system and defogger
Automatic air conditioning sys -
tem.................................... 452
Remote Air Conditioning System
.......................................... 460
Heated steering wheel/Front
seat heaters/Front seat heaters
and ventilators/Rear seat heat -
ers..................................... 462
6-2. Using the interior lights
Interior lights list .................. 465
6-3. Using the storage features
List of storage features ....... 468
Luggage compartment features
.......................................... 472
6-4. Using the other interior fea -
tures
Other interior features ......... 476
7-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the
vehicle exterior ................. 488
Cleaning and protecting the
vehicle interior .................. 491
7-2. Maintenance
Maintenance requirements . 494
7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precau -
tions .................................. 496
Hood ................................... 498
Positioning a floor jack ........ 499
Engine compartment........... 501
12-volt battery ..................... 506
Tires .................................... 509
Tire inflation pressure ......... 529
Wheels ................................ 530
Air conditioning filter ........... 532
Cleaning the DC/DC Converter
air intake vent and filter .... 536
Wiper insert replacement .... 539
Electronic key battery ......... 543
Checking and replacing fuses
.......................................... 545
Light bulbs .......................... 548
8-1. Essential information
Emergency flashers ............ 560
If your vehicle has to be stopped
in an emergency ............... 560
If the vehicle is trapped in rising
water ................................. 561
8-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle needs to be towed
.......................................... 563
If you think something is wrong
.......................................... 566
If a warning light turns on or a
warning buzzer sounds..... 568
If a warning message is dis -
played ............................... 578
If you have a flat tire (vehicles
without spare tire) ............. 582
If you have a flat tire (vehicles
with spare tire) .................. 593
6Interior features
7Maintenance and care
8When trouble arises

19Pictorial index
VSC OFF switch ............................................................................ P.439
Front seat heater switches*.......................................................... P.463
Front seat heater/seat ventilator switches*................................ P.463
Parking brake switch ........................................... ......................... P.326
Applying/releasing............................................. .............................. P.326
Precautions against winter season .............................. ................... P.446
Warning buzzer/message ......................................... .............. P.574, 578
Brake hold switch .. ....................................................................... P.329
AUTO EV/HV mode switch ......................................... .................... P.86
EV/HV mode selection switch .................................... .................... P.86
Driving mode select switch..................................... ..................... P.434
Trail Mode switch .............................................. ............................ P.435
*: If equipped
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I

20Pictorial index
■Interior (Left-hand drive vehicles)
SRS airbags ..................................................................................... P.39
Floor mats..................................................... ................................... P.32
Front seats........ ............................................................................. P.270
Rear seats ..................................................... ................................. P.271
Head restraints ................................................ .............................. P.276
Seat belts ..................................................... .................................... P.35
Console box .................................................... .............................. P.469
Inside lock buttons ............................................ ........................... P.208
Cup holders .................................................... ............................... P.470
Assist grips ................................................... ................................ P.484
Rear seat heater switches ...................................... ...................... P.463
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K

27Pictorial index
VSC OFF switch ............................................................................ P.439
Front seat heater switches*.......................................................... P.463
Front seat heater/seat ventilator switches*................................ P.461
Parking brake switch ........................................... ......................... P.326
Applying/releasing............................................. .............................. P.326
Precautions against winter season .............................. ................... P.446
Warning buzzer/message ......................................... .............. P.574, 578
Brake hold switch .. ....................................................................... P.329
AUTO EV/HV mode switch ......................................... .................... P.86
EV/HV mode selection switch .................................... .................... P.86
Driving mode select switch..................................... ..................... P.434
Trail Mode switch .............................................. ............................ P.435
*: If equipped
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I

28Pictorial index
■Interior (Right-hand drive vehicles)
SRS airbags ..................................................................................... P.39
Floor mats..................................................... ................................... P.32
Front seats........ ............................................................................. P.270
Rear seats ..................................................... ................................. P.271
Head restraints ................................................ .............................. P.276
Seat belts ..................................................... .................................... P.35
Console box .................................................... .............................. P.469
Inside lock buttons ............................................ ........................... P.208
Cup holders .................................................... ............................... P.470
Assist grips ................................................... ................................ P.484
Rear seat heater switches ...................................... ...................... P.463
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K

902-1. Plug-in hybrid system
Moreover, as fuel consumption is
also reduced when in HV mode, the
regenerative braking system can be
used effectively.
■Regenerative braking
In the following situations, kinetic energy is converted to electric energy and
deceleration force can be obtained in
conjunction with the recharging of the hybrid battery (traction battery).
●The accelerator pedal is released while driving with the shift lever in D or
S.
●The brake pedal is depressed while
driving with the shift lever in D or S.
■EV driving range
●The EV driving range is displayed on
the multi-information display.
( →P.181)
●The EV driving range changes in
accordance with the charge status of the hybrid battery ( traction battery),
the speed of the vehicle, etc.
●Even if there is enough charge
remaining in t he hybrid battery (trac-
tion battery), EV driving may be can- celed and both gasoline engine and
electric motor are used depending on
the situation. ( →P.90)
■EV indicator
The EV indicator comes on when the vehicle is driven usin g only the electric
motor (traction moto r) or the gasoline
engine is stopped.The on/off operation of the EV indicator can be changed.
( →P.186)
■After EV mode has switched to HV
mode due to low hybrid battery (traction battery) charge
If the hybrid battery ( traction battery) is
regenerated by driving continuously down a long slope, the EV driving range
etc. will be displaye d on the multi-infor-
mation display and EV mode will be automatically switched to.
If EV mode is not switched to even
though EV driving range is being dis - played, EV mode can be switched to by
pressing the EV/HV mode selection
switch.
■Gasoline engine operation in EV mode or AUTO EV/HV mode
Even if there is a su fficient amount of
electricity remaining in the hybrid battery (traction battery) and EV driving range
( →P.181) is being displayed on the
multi-information display, EV driving (driving using only the electric motor)
may be canceled and both gasoline
engine and electric motor are used depending on the situation (EV driving
will be returned to automatically after EV
driving becomes possible again).
EV driving may be canceled automati -
cally in the follo wing circumstances*1:
●When vehicle speed is more than
approximately 135 km/h (84 mph).
●When power is needed temporarily,
for example when the accelerator
pedal is depressed firmly or when
accelerating suddenly.*2
●When the temperatu re of the hybrid
system is high. The vehicle has been left in the sun,
driven on a hill, driven at high speeds,
etc.
●When the temperatu re of the hybrid
system is low.
●When the heater is switched on when
the outside temperature is below
about -10°C (14°F).
●When the windshield defogger switch
is pressed. ( →P.453)
●When the system determines that the

101
2
2-1. Plug-in hybrid system
Plug-in hybrid system
to EV mode or AUTO EV/HV
mode after leaving the freeway.
( →P.86)
 Turn the “A/C” switch off when it
is not needed. Doing so can help
reduce excessive e lectricity and
fuel consumption.
In summer: When the ambient tem -
perature is high, use the recirculated air
mode. Doing so will help to reduce the
burden on the air co nditioning system
and reduce electricity and fuel con -
sumption as well.
In winter: Avoid excessive and unnec-
essary use of the heater. Usage of the
heated steering w heel (if equipped)
( →P.462) and seat heaters (→P.463)
are effective.
 Using the Remote Air Condition-
ing System ( →P.460) while the
AC charging cable is connected
to the vehicle can reduce elec -
tricity consumption immediately
after starting off by operating air
conditioning mainly using elec -
tricity from an external power
source.
 When setting the charging
schedule, setting the charging
mode to “Departure” and “Cli -
mate Prep” to on can reduce
electricity consumption immedi -
ately after starting off by operat -
ing air conditioning before
charging is completed. ( →P.144)
Make sure to check the tire inflation
pressure frequen tly. If there is
improper tire inflation pressure in
the tires, the EV driving range will
become shorter, and fuel consump-
tion when in HV mode will increase.
Also, as snow tires can cause large
amounts of friction, their use on dry
roads can lead to increased fuel
and electricity consumption.
Carrying heavy luggage will lead to
poor fuel economy. Avoid carrying
unnecessary lugga ge. Installing a
large roof rack will also cause poor
fuel economy.
Since the gasoline engine starts up
and cuts out automatically, warm -
ing up is not necessary.
Air conditioning
Checking tire inflation pres -
sure
Luggage
Warming up before driving

103
2
2-1. Plug-in hybrid system
Plug-in hybrid system
■When starting off, depress the
accelerator pedal smoothly to
accelerate
As a guide, acce lerate up to
approximately 20 km/h (12mph) in
the first 5 seconds.
Electrical and fuel efficiency can be
improved just by using the ECO
Accelerator Guidance displayed on
the multi-informat ion display and
taking care to start off gently.
( →P.182)
When the driving mode is set to Eco
drive mode, depressing the accelerator
pedal generates smooth torque that
makes it easier to operate the accelera -
tor gently.
■Maintain sufficient vehicle-to-
vehicle distance and do not
accelerate or decelerate
unnecessarily
Try to maintain a fixed speed while
driving. Driving at a short vehicle-
to-vehicle distance will result in
repeating wasteful acceleration and
deceleration, which will worsen the
electrical and fuel efficiency.
■Release the accelerator pedal
early before stopping the vehi -
cle, such as at a traffic light
The regenerative brake will operate
to convert the kinetic energy of the
vehicle into electrical energy, which
will charge the hyb rid battery (trac-
tion battery).
The regeneration status can be
checked from the Hybrid System
Indicator. ( →P.177)
When the brake pedal is depressed
lightly during deceleration, the
regeneration amount increases,
enabling more electrical energy to
be recovered.
If the brake pedal is depressed too
strongly, the recovered amount indica -
tor will reach the maximum level and
the upper limit of the recoverable
energy will be exceeded. Therefore, be
sure to operate the brake pedal early.
■Use the air co nditioning sys-
tem appropriately, and also
utilize the heated steering
wheel (if equipped) and seat
heaters
In EV mode, the vehicle is cooled
and heated by electrical energy.
(Except in extremely cold tempera -
tures of approximately -10°C (14°F)
or less.)
Preventing excessive cooling or
heating of the vehicle will reduce
power consumption and improve
electrical efficiency.
The heated steering wheel (if
equipped) and seat heaters are effi -
cient heating device that directly
warm the body using less electric
power.
When used together with the air condi -
tioning system, a low temperature set-
ting can be used to improve electrical
and fuel efficiency.
■Check the tire pressure
If the tire pressure is lower than the
specified value, i t will worsen the
electrical and fuel efficiency.