2023 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID Owners Manual

4076-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
The 12-volt battery is located in
the right-hand side of luggage
compartment.
■Before recharging
When recharging, the 12-volt bat-
tery produces hydrogen gas which
is flammable and explosive. There-
fore, observe the following precau-
tions before recharging:
●If recharging with the 12-volt bat-
tery 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 12-volt battery.
■After recharging/reconnecting
the 12-volt battery (vehicles
with smart key system)
●Unlocking the doors using the
smart key system may not be pos-
sible immediately after reconnect-
ing the 12-volt battery. If this
happens, use the wireless remote
control or the mechanical key to
lock/unlock the doors.
●Start the hybrid system with the
power switch in ACC. The hybrid
system may not start with the
power switch turned off. How-
ever, the hybrid system will oper- ate normally from the second
attempt.
●The power switch mode is
recorded by the vehicle. If the 12-
volt battery is reconnected, the
vehicle will return the power
switch mode to the status it was in
before the 1
2-volt battery was dis-
connected. Make sure to turn off
the power switch before discon-
nect the 12-volt battery. Take
extra care when connecting the
12-volt battery if the power switch
mode prior to discharge is
unknown.
If the hybrid system will not start
even after multiple attempts at all
methods above, contact your
Toyota dealer.
12-volt battery
Location
WARNING
■Chemicals in the 12-volt bat-
tery
The 12-volt battery contains poi-
sonous 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
precautions while working on or
near the 12-volt battery:
●Do not cause sparks by touch-
ing the 12-volt battery terminals
with tools.
●Do not smoke or light a match
near the 12-volt battery.
●Avoid contact with eyes, skin
and clothes.
●Never inhale or swallow electro-
lyte.
●Wear protective safety glasses
when working near the 12-volt
battery.
●Keep children away from the
12-volt battery.

4086-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
1Open the deck board
( P.359)
2 Disengage the 12 claws and
pull the luggage side cover to
remove it.
When installing the luggage side
cover, make sure that the claws are
installed securely.
Make sure that the 12-volt bat-
tery terminals are not corroded
and that there are no loose con-
nections, cracks, or loose
clamps.
WARNING
■Where to safely charge the
12-volt battery
Always charge the 12-volt battery
in an open area. Do not charge
the 12-volt battery in a garage or
closed room where there is insuf-
ficient ventilation.
■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 trav-
eling to the nearest medical facil-
ity.
●If electrolyte gets on your skin
Wash the affected area thor-
oughly. If you feel pain or burning,
get medical attention immediately.
●If electrolyte gets on your
clothes
It can soak through clothing on to
your skin. Immediately 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 12-
volt battery fluid
Do not use if there is insufficient
fluid in the 12-volt battery. There
is a possible danger that the 12-
volt battery may explode.
NOTICE
■When recharging the 12-volt
battery
Never recharge t he 12-volt bat-
tery while the hybrid system is
operating. Also, be sure all acces-
sories are turned off.
Removing the 12-volt bat-
tery cover
Exterior

4096-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Terminals
Hold-down clampCheck 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,
A
B
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in
accordance with mainte-
nance schedules and tread-
wear.
Checking tires
A
B
C

4106-3. 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.507)
■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.334)

4116-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
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 t he 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 sizes 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 cushioning 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

4126-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■When rotating the tires (vehi-
cles with tire pressure warning
system)
Make sure that the power switch is
OFF. If the tires are rotated while
the power switch is in ON, the tire
position informa tion will not be
updated. If this accidentally occurs,
either turn the power 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 by a
screen display and a warning
light. ( P.462)
 The tire pressure detected by
the tire pressure warning sys-
tem can be displayed on the
multi-information display.
( P.105)
The illustration used is intended
as an example, and may differ
from the image that is actually
displayed on the multi-informa-
tion display.
With 7-inch display: With 12.3-inch 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
●It may take a few minutes to dis-
play the tire inflation pressure
after the power 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 mea-
sured using a tire pressure gauge.
■Situations in which the tire
pressure warning system may
not operate properly
●In the following cases, the tire
pressure warning system may not
Tire pressure warning
system (if equipped)

4136-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
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.
• An auxiliary-supported run-flat tire
is equipped.
• If a window tint that affects the
radio wave signals is installed.
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehicle, particularly around the
wheels or wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is extremely higher than the speci-
fied level.
• If wheels without tire pressure warning valves a nd transmitters
are used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warning valves and transmitters is
not registered in the tire pressure
warning computer.
●Performance may be affected in
the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power
plant, gas station , radio station,
large display, airpo rt or other facil-
ity that generates strong radio
waves or electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or
other wireless communication
device
If tire position information is not cor-
rectly displayed due to the radio
wave conditions, the display may be
corrected by driving and changing
the radio wave conditions.
●When the vehicle is parked, the
time taken for the warning to start
or go off could be extended.
●When tire inflation pressure
declines rapidly for example when
a tire has burst, the warning may
not function.
■Warning performance of the tire
pressure warning system
The warning of the tire pressure
warning system w ill change in
accordance with the conditions
under which it was initialized. For
this reason, the system may give a
warning even if th e tire pressure
does not reach a low enough level,
or if the pressure is higher than the
pressure that was adjusted to when
the system was initialized.
When replacing tires or wheels,
tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters must also be
installed.
When new tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters are
installed, new ID codes must be
registered in the tire pressure
warning computer and the tire
pressure warning system must
be initialized. ( P.417)
■When replacing the tires and
wheels
If the ID code of the tire pressure
warning valve and tr ansmitter is not
registered, the tire pressure warning
system will not work properly. After
driving for about 20 minutes, the tire
pressure warning light blinks for 1
minute and stays on to indicate a
system malfunction.
Installing tire pressure
warning valves and trans-
mitters (if equipped)

4146-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■The tire pressure warning
system must be initialized
in the following circum-
stances:
 When rotating the tires. 
When changing the tire.
 After registering the ID codes.
( P.417)
When the tire pressure warning
system is initialized, the current
tire inflation pressure is set as
the benchmark pressure.
■How to initialize the tire
pressure warning system
(with 7-inch display)
1 Park the vehicle in a safe
place and stop the hybrid
system for 20 minutes or
more.
Initialization cannot be performed
while the vehicle is moving.
2Adjust the tire inflation pres-
sure to the specified cold tire
inflation pressure level.
( P.502)
Make sure to adjust the tire pres-
sure to the specifie d cold tire infla-
tion pressure level. The tire
pressure warning system will oper-
ate based on this pressure level.
3Start the hybrid system.
4 Press or of the meter
control switches on the steer-
ing wheel and select .
5 Press or of the meter
control switches, select
“Vehicle Settings” and then
press and hold .
6 Press or of the meter
control switches, select
“TPWS” and then press .
NOTICE
■Repairing or replacing tires,
wheels, tire pressure warn-
ing valves, transmitters and
tire valve caps
●When removing or fitting the
wheels, tires or the tire pressure
warning valves and transmit-
ters, contact your Toyota dealer
as the tire pr essure warning
valves and transmitters may be
damaged if not handled cor-
rectly.
●Make sure to install the tire
valve caps. If the tire valve caps
are not installed, water could
enter the tire pressure warning
valves and the tire pressure
warning valves could be bound.
●When replacing ti re valve caps,
do not use tire valve caps other
than those specified.
The cap may become stuck.
■To avoid damage to the tire
pressure warning valves and
transmitters
When a tire is repaired with liquid
sealants, the tire pressure warn-
ing valve and transmitter may not
operate properly. If a liquid seal-
ant is used, conta ct your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible. After
use of liquid sealant, make sure to
replace the tire pressure warning
valve and transmitter when repair-
ing or replacing the tire. ( P.413)
Initializing the tire pres-
sure warning system (if
equipped)