2023 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID steering

3936-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Brake pedal
• Does the brake pedal move
smoothly?
• Does the brake pedal have
appropriate
clearance from
the floor?
• Does the brake pedal have the
correct amount
of free play?
Brakes
• The vehicle should not pull to
one side when
the brakes are
applied.
• The brakes should work
effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel
spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get
too close to the
floor when the
brakes are
applied.
Head
restraints
• Do the head restraints move
smoothly and
lock securely?
Indica-
tors/buzzers
• Do the indica-tors and buzzers
function prop-
erly?
ItemsCheck points
Lights
• Do all the lights come on?
• Are the head- lights aimed cor-
rectly?
Parking brake
• Does the park-ing brake oper-
ate normally?
• When parked on a slope and the
parking brake is
on, is the vehicle
securely
stopped?
Seat belts
• Do the seat belts operate
smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be
damaged.
Seats
• Do the seat con-trols operate
properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steer-ing wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steer- ing wheel have
the correct
amount of free
play?
• There should not be any strange
sounds coming
from the steer-
ing wheel.
ItemsCheck points

4497-1. Essential information
7
When trouble arises
1Steadily step on the brake
pedal with both feet and
firmly depress it.
Do not pump the brake pedal
repeatedly as this will increase the
effort required to slow the vehicle.
2Shift the shift lever to N.
If the shift lever is shifted to N
3 After slowing down, stop the
vehicle in a safe place by the
road.
4 Stop the hybrid system.
If the shift lever cannot be
shifted to N
3 Keep depressing the brake
pedal with both feet to reduce
vehicle speed as much as
possible.
4 Perform the following proce-
dure to stop the hybrid sys-
tem:
Vehicles without smart key
system
Turn the power s witch to ACC.
Vehicles with smart key sys-
tem
Press and hold the power switch for
2 consecutive seconds or more, or
press it briefly 3 times or more in
succession.
5Stop the vehicle in a safe
place by the road.
If your vehicle has to
be stopped in an emer-
gency
Only in an emergency, such
as if it becomes impossible
to stop the vehicle in the
normal way, stop the vehi-
cle using the following pro-
cedure:
Stopping the vehicle
WARNING
■If the hybrid system has to be
turned off while driving
●Power assist for the steering
wheel will be lost, making the
steering wheel heavier to turn.
Decelerate as much as possible
before turning off the hybrid sys-
tem.
●Vehicles without smart key sys-
tem: Never atte mpt to remove
the key, as doing so will lock the
steering wheel.

4527-2. Steps to take in an emergency
When using a flat-bed truck to
transport the vehicle, use tire
strapping belts. Refer to the
owner’s manual of the flat-bed
truck for the tire strapping
method.
In order to suppress vehicle
movement during transporta-
tion, set the parking brake and
turn the power switch off.
If a tow truck is not available in
an emergency, your vehicle may
be temporarily towed using
cables or chains secured to the
emergency towing eyelets. This
should only be attempted on
hard surfaced roads for short
WARNING
■When towing the vehicle
Be sure to transport the vehicle
with all four wheels raised off the
ground. If the vehicle is towed
with the tires contacting the
ground, the drivetrain or related
parts may be damaged, the vehi-
cle may fly off the truck, or elec-
tricity generated by the operation
of the motor may cause a fire to
occur depending on the nature of
the damage or malfunction.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
vehicle when towing using a
wheel-lift type truck
●Vehicles without smart key sys-
tem: Do not tow the vehicle from
the rear when th e power switch
is in the “LOCK” position or the
key is removed. The steering
lock mechanism is not strong
enough to hold the front wheels
straight.
●When raising the vehicle,
ensure adequate ground clear-
ance for towing at the opposite
end of the raised vehicle. With-
out adequate clearance, the
vehicle could be damaged while
being towed.
■Towing with a sling-type
truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck
to prevent body damage.
Using a flatbed truck
Emergency towing (vehi-
cles with towing eyelet)

4537-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
distances at under 18 mph (30
km/h).
A driver must be in the vehicle to
steer and operate the brakes.
The vehicle’s wheels, drive
train, axles, steering and brakes
must be in good condition.
To have your vehicle towed by
another vehicle, the towing eye-
let must be installed to your
vehicle. Install the towing eyelet
using the following procedure.
1Take out the wheel nut
wrench and towing eyelet.
( P.472)
2 Using a flathead screw-
driver, remove eyelet cover
( ), and then remove eyelet
cover ( ).
To protect the bodywork, place a
rag between the screwdriver and
the vehicle body as shown in the
illustration.
3Insert the towing eyelet into
the hole and tighten partially
by hand.
4 Tighten down the towing eye-
let securely using a wheel nut
wrench or hard metal bar.
5 Securely attach cables or
chains to the towing eyelet.
Take care not to damage the vehi-
cle body.
6Enter the vehicle being towed
and start the hybrid system.
Turn off the Parking Support Brake
function (if equipped): P.314
If the hybrid system does not start,
turn the power switch to ON.
7 Shift the shift lever to N and
release the parking brake.
Turn automatic mode off. ( P.232)
When the shift lever cannot be
shifted: P.228
Emergency towing proce-
dure (vehicles with towing
eyelet)
A
B

4547-2. Steps to take in an emergency
■While towing
If the hybrid system is off, the power
assist for the brakes and steering
will not function, making steering
and braking more difficult.
■Wheel nut wrench (if equipped)
Wheel nut wrench is installed in the
tool bag in luggage compartment.
(  P.472)
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions. Failure to do so may result
in death or serious injury.
■While towing (vehicles with
towing eyelet)
●When towing using cables or
chains, avoid sudden starts, etc.
which place excessive stress on
the towing eyelets, cables or
chains. The towing eyelets,
cables or chains may become
damaged, broken debris may hit
people, and cause serious dam-
age.
●Vehicles without smart key sys-
tem: Do not turn the power
switch to the “LOCK” position.
There is a possibility that the
steering wheel is locked and
cannot be operated.
■Installing towi ng eyelets to
the vehicle (vehicles with
towing eyelets)
Make sure that towing eyelets are
installed securely. If not securely
installed, towing eyelets may
come loose during towing.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
vehicle during emergency
towing (vehicles with towing
eyelet)
Do not secure cables or chains to
the suspension components.

4587-2. Steps to take in an emergency
■SRS warning light
■ABS warning light
■Electric power steering system warning light (warning
buzzer)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates a malfunction in:
The SRS airbag system;
 The front passenger o ccupant classification
system; or
 The seat belt pretensioner system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
Indicates a malfunction in:
 The ABS; or
 The brake assist system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(Red)
(Yellow)
Indicates a malfunction in the EPS (Electric
Power Steeri ng) system
 Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer immediately.

4647-2. Steps to take in an emergency
■Electric power steering system
warning light (warning buzzer)
When the 12-volt battery charge
becomes insufficien t or the voltage
temporarily drops, the electric power
steering system warning light may
come on and the warning buzzer
may sound.
■When the tire pressure warning
light comes on (vehicles with
tire pressure warning system)
Inspect the tires to check if a tire is
punctured.
If a tire is punctured: P.471
If none of the tires are punctured:
Turn the power swi tch to OFF then
turn it to ON.
Check if the tire pressure warning
light comes on or blinks.
If the tire pressure warning light
blinks for approximately 1 minute
then stays on
There may be a malfunction in the
tire pressure warning system. Have
the vehicle insp ected by your
Toyota dealer immediately.
If the tire pressure warning light
comes on
1 After the temperature of the tires
has lowered suff iciently, check
the inflation pressure of each tire
and adjust them to the specified
level.
2 If the warning light does not turn
off even after several minutes
have elapsed, check that the
inflation pressure of each tire is
at the specified level and perform
initialization. ( P.414)
■The tire pressure warning light
may come on due to natural
causes (vehicles with tire pres-
sure warning system)
The tire pressure warning light may
come on due to natural causes such
as natural air leaks and tire inflation
pressure changes caused by tem-
perature. In this case, adjusting the tire inflation pressure will turn off the
warning ligh
t (after a few minutes).
■When a tire is replaced with a
compact spare tire (vehicles
with tire pressure warning sys-
tem)
The compact spare tire is not
equipped with a tire pressure warn-
ing valve and tran smitter. If a tire
goes flat, the tire pressure warning
light will not turn off even though the
flat tire has been replaced with the
spare tire. Replace the spare tire
with the standard tire and adjust the
tire inflation pressure. The tire pres-
sure warning light will go off after a
few minutes.
■Conditions that the tire pres-
sure warning system may not
function properly (vehicles with
tire pressure warning system)
 P.412
WARNING
■If a warning light comes on or
a warning buzzer sounds
when a warning message is
shown on the multi-informa-
tion display
*
Check and follow the message
shown on the multi-information
display.
Failure to do so may result in
death or serious injury.
*: Warning lights illuminate in red
or yellow and the warning
buzzer beeps once or sounds
continuously.

4657-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
WARNING
■When the electric power
steering system warning light
comes on
When the light comes on yellow,
the assist to the power steering is
restricted. When the light comes
on red, the assist to the power
steering is lost and handling oper-
ations of the steering wheel
become extremely heavy.
If the steering wheel becomes
heavier than usual when operat-
ing, hold firmly and operate using
more force than usual.
■If the tire pressure warning
light comes on (vehicles with
tire pressure warning system)
Be sure to observe the following
precautions. Failure to do so
could cause a loss of vehicle con-
trol and result in death or serious
injury.
●Stop your vehicle in a safe
place as soon as possible.
Adjust the tire inflation pressure
immediately.
●If the tire pressure warning light
comes on even after tire infla-
tion pressure adjustment, it is
probable that y ou have a flat
tire. Check the tires. If a tire is
flat, change it with the spare tire
and have the flat tire repaired by
the nearest Toyota dealer.
●Avoid abrupt maneuvering and
braking. If the vehicle tires dete-
riorate, you could lose control of
the steering wheel or the
brakes.
■If a blowout or sudden air
leakage should occur (vehi-
cles with tire pressure warn-
ing system)
The tire pressure warning system
may not activate immediately.
■Maintenance of the tires
(vehicles with tire pressure
warning system)
Each tire, includi ng the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inflated to
the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufac-
turer on the vehicle placard or tire
inflation pressure label (tire and
load information label). (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size
than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label [tire and load infor-
mation label], you should deter-
mine the proper tire inflation
pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a
tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS-tire pressure warning sys-
tem) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale (tire pressure
warning light) w hen one or more
of your tires is s ignificantly under-
inflated. Accord ingly, when the
low tire pressure te lltale (tire pres-
sure warning light) illuminates,
you should stop and check your
tires as soon as possible, and
inflate them to the proper pres-
sure. Driving on a significantly
under-inflated tire causes the tire
to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire
tread life, and may affect the vehi-
cle’s handling and stopping abil-
ity.
Please note that the TPMS (tire
pressure warning system) is not a
substitute for proper tire mainte-
nance, and it is the driver’s
responsibility to m aintain correct
tire pressure, even if under-infla-
tion has not reached the level to
trigger illumination of the TPMS
low tire pressure te lltale (tire pres-
sure warning light).