2023 TOYOTA RAV4 parking brake

2004-1. Before driving
3When 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
engine.
 When restarting after parking
on a slope:
1 With the transmission in P,
start the engine. 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.213)
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 unt il 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.
(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 tra iler towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds,
passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.)
can adversely affect handling of
your vehicle and t railer, causing
instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to contr ol 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 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 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

2034-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
4-2.Driving procedures
1Pull the parking brake switch
to check that the parking
brake is set. ( P.213)
The parking brake indicator will
come on.
2 Check that the shift lever is
set in P.
3 Firmly depress the brake
pedal.
4 Turn the engine switch to
START to start the engine.
■If the engine does not start
The engine immobilizer system may
not have been deactivated. ( P.70)
Contact your Toyota dealer.
■When the steering lock cannot
be released
When starting the engine, the
engine switch may seem stuck in
OFF. To free it, turn the key while
turning the steerin g wheel slightly
left and right.
■When “Check Fuel Cap” is dis-
played on the multi-information
display
 P.232
OFF (“LOCK” position)
The steering wheel is locked and
the key can be re moved. (The key
can be removed only when the shift
lever is in P.)
ACC (“ACC” position)
Engine (ignition)
switch (vehicles with-
out smart key system)
Starting the engine
WARNING
■When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sit-
ting in the driver’s seat. Do not
depress the accelerator pedal
while starting the engine under
any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident
resulting in dea th or serious
injury.
NOTICE
■When starting the engine
●Do not crank the engine for
more than 30 seconds at a time.
This may overheat the starter
and wiring system.
●Do not race a cold engine.
●If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, have
your vehicle checked by your
Toyota dealer immediately.
Changing the engine
switch positions
A
B

2044-2. Driving procedures
Some electrical components such
as the audio system can be used.
ON (“ON” position)
All electrical components can be
used.
START (“START” position)
For starting the engine.
■Turning the key from ACC to
OFF
1 Shift the shift lever to P.
2 Push in the key and turn it to
OFF.
■Key reminder function
A buzzer sounds if the driver’s door
is opened while the engine switch is
in OFF or ACC to remind you to
remove the key.
1 Pull the parking brake switch
to check that the parking
brake is set. ( P.213)
The parking brak e indicator will
come on.
2 Check that the shift lever is
set in P.
3 Firmly depress the brake
pedal.
and a message will be dis-
played on the multi-information dis-
play.
If it is not displ ayed, the engine
cannot be started.
4 Press the engine switch
shortly and firmly.
When operating the engine switch,
one short, firm press is enough. It is
not necessary to press and hold the
switch.
The engine will crank until it starts
or for up to 30 seconds, whichever
is less.
Continue depressing the brake
pedal until the engine is completely
started.
The engine can be started from any
WARNING
■Caution when driving
Do not turn the engine switch to
OFF while driving. If, in an emer-
gency and you must turn the
engine off while the vehicle is
moving, turn the engine switch
only to ACC to stop the engine.
An accident may result if the
engine is stopped while driving.
(  P.440)
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not leave the engine switch in
ACC or ON for long periods of
time without the engine running.
C
D
Engine (ignition)
switch (vehicles with
smart key system)
Performing the following
operations when carrying
the electronic key on your
person starts the engine or
changes engine switch
modes.
Starting the engine

2064-2. Driving procedures
1Stop the vehicle completely.
2 If the parking brake is in man-
ual mode, set the parking
brake. ( P.213)
Check the parking brake indicator
is illuminated.
3 Shift the shift lever to P.
4 Press the engine switch
shortly and firmly.
The engine will stop, and the meter
display will be extinguished.
5Release the brake pedal and
check that “ACCESSORY” or
“IGNITION ON” is not shown
on the multi-information dis-
play.
■Automatic engine shut off fea-
ture
●The vehicle is equipped with a
feature that automatically shuts off
the engine when the shift lever is
in P with the engine running for an
extended period.
●The engine will automatically shut
off after approximately 1 hour if it
has been left running while the
shift lever is in P.
●The timer for the automatic engine
shut off feature will reset if the brake pedal is depressed or if the
shift lever is in a position other
than P.
●After the vehicle
is parked, if the
door is locked with the door lock
switch ( P.123) from the inside
or the mechanical key ( P.475)
from the outside , the automatic
engine shut off feature will be dis-
abled. The timer for the automatic
engine shut off feature will be re-
enabled if the driver’s door is
opened.
NOTICE
■Symptoms indicating a mal-
function with the engine
switch
If the engine switch seems to be
operating somewhat differently
than usual, such as the switch
sticking slightly, there may be a
malfunction. Contact your Toyota
dealer immediately.
Stopping the engine
WARNING
■Stopping the engine in an
emergency
●If you want to stop the engine in
an emergency while driving the
vehicle, press and hold the
engine switch for more than 2
seconds, or press it briefly 3
times or more in succession.
(  P.440)
However, do not touch the
engine switch while driving
except in an emergency. Turn-
ing the engine off while driving
will not cause loss of steering or
braking control, but the power
assist to these systems will be
lost. This will make it more diffi-
cult to steer and brake, so you
should pull over and stop the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to
do so.
●If the engine switch is operated
while the vehicle is running, a
warning message will be shown
on the multi-information display
and a buzzer sounds.
●When restarting the engine after
an emergency shutdown, shift
the shift lever to N and press the
engine switch shortly and firmly.

2074-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
Modes can be changed by
pressing the engine switch with
brake pedal released. (The
mode changes each time the
switch is pressed.)“ACCESSORY”
“IGNITION ON”
1 OFF
*
The emergency flashers can be
used.
The multi-information display will
not be displayed.
2ACC
Some electrical components such
as the audio sys tem can be used.
“ACCESSORY” will be displayed
on the multi-information display.
3 ON
All electrical components can be
used.
“IGNITION ON” will be displayed on
the multi-information display.
*: If the shift lever is in a position
other than P when turning off the
engine, the engine switch will be
turned to ACC, not to OFF.
■Auto power off function
If the vehicle is left in ACC for more
than 20 minutes or ON (the engine
is not running) for more than an
hour with the shift lever in P, the
engine switch will automatically turn
WARNING
■When parking
Exhaust gases include harmful
carbon monoxide (CO), which is
colorless and odorless. Observe
the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause
exhaust gases to enter the vehicle
and may lead to an accident
caused by light-headedness, or
may lead to death or a serious
health hazard.
●If the vehicle is in a poorly venti-
lated area or a closed area,
such as a garage, stop the
engine.
●Do not leave the vehicle with
the engine running for a long
time. If such a situation cannot
be avoided, park the vehicle in
an open space and ensure that
exhaust fumes do not enter the
vehicle interior.
●Do not leave the engine running
in an area with snow build-up,
or where it is snowing. If snow-
banks build up around the vehi-
cle while the engine is running,
exhaust gases may collect and
enter the vehicle.
Changing engine switch
modes
A
B

2084-2. Driving procedures
to OFF. However, this function can-
not entirely prevent battery dis-
charge. Do not leave the vehicle
with the engine switch in ACC or ON
for long periods of time when the
engine is not running.
If the engine is stopped with the
shift lever in a position other
than P, the engine switch will
not be turned to OFF but instead
be turned to ACC. Perform the
following procedure to turn the
switch to OFF:
1Check that the parking brake
is set.
2 Shift the shift lever to P.
3 Check that “ACCESSORY” is
displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display and then
press the engine switch
shortly and firmly.
4 Check that “ACCESSORY”
or “IGNITION ON” on the
multi-information display is
off.
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
●Do not leave the engine switch
in ACC or ON for long periods of
time without the engine running.
●If “ACCESSORY” or “IGNITION
ON” is displayed on the multi-
information display, the engine
switch is not in OFF. Exit the
vehicle after turning the engine
switch to OFF.
When stopping the engine
with the shift lever in a
position other than P
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not stop the engine when the
shift lever is in a position other
than P. If the engine is stopped in
another shift lever position, the
engine switch will not be turned to
OFF but instead be turned to
ACC. If the vehicle is left in ACC,
battery dischar ge may occur.

2104-2. Driving procedures
While the engine switch
is in ON and the brake pedal
depressed
*, shift the shift lever
while pushing the shift release
button on the shift knob.
Shift the shift lever while
pushing the shift release button
on the shift knob.
Shift the shift lever nor-
mally.
When shifting the shift lever
between P and D, make sure that
the vehicle is completely stopped.
*: For the vehicle to be able to be
shifted from P, the brake pedal
must be depresse d before the
shift release button is pushed. If
the shift release button is pushed first, the shift lock will not be
released.
■Shift lock system
The shift lock syste m is a system to
prevent accidental operation of the
shift lever in starting.
The shift lever can be shifted from P
only when the engi ne switch is in
ON, the brake pedal is depressed
and the shift release button is
pushed.
■If the shift lever cannot be
shifted from P
First, check whether the brake pedal
is being depressed.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted
even though the brake pedal is
depressed and the shift release but-
ton is pushed, the re may be a prob-
lem with the shift lock system. Have
the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer immediately.
The following steps may be used as
an emergency measure to ensure
that the shift lev er can be shifted.
Releasing the shift lock:
1 Pull the parking brake switch to
check that the parking brake is
set. ( P.213)
2 Turn the engine switch to OFF.
3 Depress the brake pedal.
4 Pry the cover up with a flathead
screwdriver or equivalent tool.
To prevent damage to the cover,
cover the tip of the screwdriver
with a rag.
5 Press and hold the shift lock
override button and then push
the button on the shift knob.
Shifting the shift lever

2114-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
The shift lever can be shifted
while both buttons are pressed.
 P.310, 315
When the shift lever is in the S
position, the shift lever can be
operated as follows: 1
Upshifting
2 Downshifting
The selected shift range, from S1 to
S8 will be displayed on the multi-
information display.
The initial shift range in S mode
is set automatically to 4, 5 or 6
according to vehicle speed.
However, the initial shift range
may be set to 3 if AI-SHIFT has
operated while the shift lever
was in the D position. ( P.209)
■S mode
●You can choose from 8 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 t he engine revolu-
tions will also increase.
●To prevent the e ngine from over-
revving, upshifting may automati-
cally occur.
●To protect the automatic transmis-
sion, a function is adopted that
automatically selects a higher shift
range when the fluid temperature
is high.
●When the shift range is 7 or lower,
holding the shift lever toward “+”
sets the shift range to 8.
WARNING
■To prevent an accident when
releasing the shift lock
Before pressing the shift lock
override button, make sure to set
the parking brake and depress the
brake pedal.
If the accelerator pedal is acci-
dentally depressed instead of the
brake pedal when the shift lock
override button is pressed and the
shift lever is shifted out of P, the
vehicle may suddenly start, possi-
bly leading to an accident result-
ing in death or serious injury.
Selecting the driving
mode and snow mode (if
equipped)
Changing shift ranges in
S mode