2023 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID Stop the Vehicle in a Safe Place

261-1. For safe use
1-1.For safe use
Use only floor mats designed
specifically for vehicles of the
same model and model year as
your vehicle. Fix them securely
in place onto the carpet.
1Insert the retaining hooks
(clips) into the floor mat eye-
lets.
2 Turn the upper knob of each
retaining hook (clip) to secure
the floor mats in place.
Always align the marks . The shape of the retaining hooks
(clips) may differ from that shown in
the illustration.
Before driving
Observe the following
before starting off in the
vehicle to ensure safety of
driving.
Installing floor mats
A
:$51,1*
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so may cause the
driver’s floor mat to slip, possibly
interfering with t
he pedals while
driving. An unexpectedly high
speed may result or it may
become difficult to stop the vehi-
cle. This could lead to an acci-
dent, resulting in death or serious
injury.
■When installing the driver’s
floor mat
●Do not use floor mats designed
for other models or different
model year vehicles, even if
they are Toyota Genuine floor
mats.
●Only use floor mats designed
for the driver’s seat.
●Always install the floor mat
securely using the retaining
hooks (clips) provided.
●Do not use two or more floor
mats on top of each other.
●Do not place the floor mat bot-
tom-side up or upside-down.

281-1. For safe use
Make sure that all occupants are
wearing their seat belts before
driving the vehicle. (P.30)
Use a child restraint system
appropriate for the child until the
child becomes large enough to properly wear the vehicle’s seat
belt. (
P.50)
Make sure that you can see
backward clearly by adjusting
the inside rear view mirror (if
equipped), Digital Rear-view
Mirror (if equipped) and outside
rear view mirrors properly.
( P.170, 172, 181)
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so m ay result in
death or serious injury.
●Do not adjust the position of the
driver’s seat while driving.
Doing so could cause the driver
to lose control of the vehicle.
●Do not place a cushion between
the driver or passenger and the
seatback. A cushion may pre-
vent correct pos ture from being
achieved, and reduce the effec-
tiveness of the seat belt and
head restraint.
●Do not place anything under the
front seats.
Objects placed under the front
seats may become jammed in
the seat tracks and stop the
seat from locking in place. This
may lead to an accident and the
adjustment mechanism may
also be damaged.
●Always observe the legal speed
limit when driving on public
roads.
●When driving over long dis-
tances, take regular breaks
before you start to feel tired.
Also, if you feel tired or sleepy
while driving, do not force your-
self to continue driving and take
a break immediately.
Correct use of the seat
belts
Adjusting the mirrors

321-1. For safe use
Move the height adjuster up and
down as needed until you hear a
click.
The pretensioners help the seat
belts to quickly restrain the
occupants by retracting the seat
belts when the vehicle is sub-
jected to certain types of severe
frontal or side collision or a vehi-
cle rollover.
The pretensioners do not activate
in the event of a minor frontal
impact, a minor side impact or a
rear impact.
■Replacing the belt after the pre-
tensioner has been activated
If the vehicle is involved in multiple
collisions, the pretensioner will acti-
vate for the first collision, but will not
activate for the second or subse-
quent collisions.
WARNING
■Adjustable shoulder anchor
Always make sure the shoulder
belt is positioned across the cen-
ter of your shoulder. The belt
should be kept away from your
neck, but not falling off your
shoulder. Failure to do so could
reduce the amount of protection in
an accident and cause death or
serious injuries in the event of a
sudden stop, sudden swerve or
accident.
Seat belt pretensioners
(front and outboard rear
seats)
WARNING
■Seat belt pretensioners
Observe the following precautions
to reduce the risk of injury in the
event of sudden braking, sudden
swerving or an accident.
Failure to do so may cause death
or serious injury.
●Do not place anything, such as
a cushion, on the front passen-
ger’s seat.
Doing so will disperse the pas-
senger’s weight, which prevents
the sensor from detecting the
passenger’s weight properly. As
a result, the seat belt preten-
sioner for the fr ont passenger’s
seat may not activate in the
event of a collision.
●If the pretensioner has acti-
vated, the SRS warning light will
come on. In that case, the seat
belt cannot be used again and
must be replaced at your Toyota
dealer.

721-4. Hybrid system
■Charging the 12-volt battery
 P.487
■After the 12-volt battery has dis-
charged or when the terminal
has been removed and installed
during replace, etc.
The gasoline engine may not stop
even if the vehicle is being driven by
the hybrid battery (traction battery).
If this continues for a few days, con-
tact your To yota dealer.
■Sounds and vibrations specific
to a Hybrid Electric Vehicle
There may be no engine sound or
vibration even though the vehicle is
able to move with the “READY” indi-
cator is illuminate d. For safety,
make sure to shift the shift lever to P
and apply the parking brake when
parked.
The following sounds or vibrations
may occur when the hybrid system
is operating and are not a malfunc-
tion:
●Motor sounds may be heard from
the engine compartment.
●Sounds may be heard from the
hybrid battery (traction battery)
under the rear seats when the
hybrid system starts or stops.
●Relay operating sounds such as a
snap or soft clank will be emitted
from the hybrid battery (traction
battery), under the rear seats,
when the hybrid system is started
or stopped.
●Sounds from the hybrid system
may be heard when the back door
is open.
●Sounds may be heard from the
transmission when the gasoline
engine starts or stops, when driv-
ing at low speeds, or during idling.
●Engine sounds may be heard
when accelerating sharply.
●Sounds may be heard due to
regenerative braking when the
brake pedal is dep ressed or as
the accelerator pedal is released.
●Vibration may be felt when the
gasoline engine starts or stops.
●Cooling fan sounds may be heard
from the air intake vent under the
rear seat.
■Maintenance, repair, recycling,
and disposal
Contact your Toyota dealer regard-
ing maintenance, repair, recycling
and disposal. Do n ot dispose of the
vehicle yourself.
When driving with the gasoline
engine stopped, a sound, which
changes in accordance with the
driving speed, will be played in
order to warn people nearby of
the vehicle’s approach. The
sound will stop when the vehicle
speed exceeds approximately
22 mph (35 km/h).
■Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Sys-
tem
In the following cases, the Acoustic
Vehicle Alerting System may be dif-
ficult for surrounding people to hear.
●In very noisy areas
●In the wind or the rain
Also, as the Acoust ic Vehicle Alert-
ing System is installed on the front
of the vehicle, it may be more diffi-
cult to hear from the rear of the vehi-
cle compared to the front.
■If “Proximity Notification Sys-
tem Malfunction Visit Your
Dealer” is displayed on the
multi-information display
The system may be malfunctioning.
Have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer.
Acoustic Vehicle Alerting
System

972-1. Instrument cluster
2
Vehicle status information and indicators
onds, and then release it once
the odometer begins flashing.
Updating is complete once the
odometer flashes for approximately
5 seconds and th en the display
returns to normal.
■Outside temperature display
●In the following si tuations, the cor-
rect outside tempe rature may not
be displayed, or the display may
take longer than normal to
change.
• When stopped, or driving at low speeds (less than 12 mph [20
km/h])
• When the outside temperature has changed suddenly (at the
entrance/exit of a garage, tunnel,
etc.)
●When “--” or “E” is displayed, the
system may be malfunctioning.
Take your vehicle to your Toyota
dealer.
●Displays the outside temperature
within the range of -40°F (-40°C)
to 122°F (50°C).
●When the outside temperature is
approximately 37°F (3°C) or
lower, the indicator will flash
for approximately 10 seconds,
then stay on.
■Liquid crystal display
 P.105
■Customization
Settings (e. g. meter display) can be
changed on the screen of the
multi-informat ion display. (P.110)
Switches the items of the odom-
eter, trip meter A and trip meter
B by pressing the “ODO TRIP”
switch.
When the trip meter is dis-
played, pressing and holding the
switch will reset the trip meter.
WARNING
■The information display at
low temperatures
Allow the interior of the vehicle to
warm up before using the liquid
crystal information display. At
extremely low temperatures, the
display monitor may respond
slowly, and display changes may
be delayed.
For example, there is a lag
between the driver’s shifting and
the new shift range appearing on
the display. This lag could cause
the driver to downshift again,
causing rapid and excessive
engine braking and possibly an
accident resulting in death or
injury.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
engine and its components
The engine may be overheating if
the engine coolant temperature
gauge is in the red zone (“H”). In
this case, immediately stop the
vehicle in a safe place, and check
the engine after it has cooled
completely. ( P.490)
Using the “ODO TRIP”
switch

1042-1. Instrument cluster
■Display items
 Odometer
Displays the total distance the vehi-
cle has been driven.
Trip meter A/trip meter B
Displays the distan ce the vehicle
has been driven si nce the meter
was last reset. Trip meters A and B
can be used to record and display
different distances independently.
 Distance until next engine oil
change
Displays the distan ce the vehicle
can be driven until an oil change is
necessary.
■Changing the display
Each time the “ODO TRIP”
switch is pressed, the displayed item will be changed.
When the trip meter is dis-
played, pressing and holding the
switch will reset the trip meter.
The brightness of the instrument
panel lights can be adjusted.
1
Brighter
2 Darker
■Brightness of the meter lights
(day mode and night mode)
The brightness of the meter lights
can be adjusted individually.
In the following si tuations, the
meters changes between day mode
and night mode.
●Day mode: When the tail lights are
off or when the ta il lights are on
but the surrounding area is bright
●Night mode: When the tail lights
For example, there is a lag
between the driver’s shifting and
the new gear number appearing
on the display. This lag could
cause the driver to downshift
again, causing rapid and exces-
sive engine braking and possibly
an accident resulting in death or
injury.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
engine and its components
The engine may be overheating if
the engine coolant temperature
gauge is in the red zone (H). In
this case, immed iately stop the
vehicle in a safe place, and check
the engine after it has cooled
completely. ( P.490)
Odometer and trip meter
display
Changing the instrument
panel light brightness

2144-1. Before driving
long downhill grades.
 Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or applying the
brakes too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to
overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.
 Due to the added load of the
trailer, your vehicle’s hybrid
system may overheat on hot
days (at temperatures over
85°F [30°C]) when driving up
a long or steep grade. If the
engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating,
immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull
your vehicle off the road and
stop in a safe spot. ( P.490)
 Always place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle’s and
the trailer’s wheels when
parking. Apply the parking
brake firmly, and put the
transmission in P. Avoid park-
ing on a slope, but if unavoid-
able, do so only after
performing the following:
1 Apply the brakes and keep
them applied.
2 Have someone place wheel
blocks under both the vehi-
cle’s and trailer’s wheels.
3 When the wheel blocks are in
place, release the brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb
the load. 4
Apply the parking brake
firmly.
5 Shift into P and turn off the
hybrid system.
 When restarting after parking
on a slope:
1 With the transmission in P,
start the hybrid system. Be
sure to keep the brake pedal
depressed.
2 Shift into a forward gear. If
reversing, shift into R.
3 If the parking brake is in man-
ual mode, release the park-
ing brake. ( P.231)
4 Release the brake pedal, and
slowly pull or back away from
the wheel blocks. Stop and
apply the brakes.
5 Have someone retrieve the
blocks.
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped
with any new power train compo-
nents (such as an engine, transmis-
sion, differential or wheel bearing),
Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer until the vehicle has
been driven for over 500 miles (800
km).
After the vehicle has been driven for
over 500 miles (800 km), you can
start towing. However, for the next
500 miles (800 km), drive the vehi-
cle at a speed of less than 45 mph
(72 km/h) when towing a trailer, and
avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a traile r, your vehicle
will require more fr equent mainte-
nance due to the additional load.

2154-1. Before driving
4
Driving
(See “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Sup-
plement”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the
towing ball and bracket after
approximately 600 miles (1000
km) of trailer towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds,
passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.)
can adversely affect handling of
your vehicle and trailer, causing
instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer sway-
ing by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator
pedal immediately but very gradu-
ally to reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not
apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no ext reme 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 occu-
pants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer. Make sure the load has not
shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is
appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle.
Make sure the vehicle is not over-
loaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the
speed at which tr ailer swaying
occurred is beyond the limit of your
particular vehicle-trailer combina-
tion. Drive at a lower speed to pre-
vent instability . Remember that swaying of the towing vehicle-trailer
increases as speed increases.