2023 TOYOTA RAV4 steering

3254-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
4-6.Driving tips
Use fluids that are appropriate
to the prevailing outside tem-
peratures.
• Engine oil
• Engine coolant
• Washer fluid
Have a service technician
inspect the condition of the
battery.
 Have the vehicle fitted with
four snow tires or purchase a
set of tire chains for the front
tires.
*
Ensure that all tires are the same
size and brand, and that chains
match the size of the tires.
*: Tire chains cannot be mounted
on vehicles with 235/55R19 tires.
Winter driving tips
Carry out the necessary
preparations and inspec-
tions before driving the
vehicle in winter. Always
drive the vehicle in a man-
ner appropriate to the pre-
vailing weather conditions.
Pre-winter preparations
WARNING
■Driving with snow tires
Observe the following precautions
to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so m ay result in a
loss of vehicle control and cause
death or serious injury.
●Use tires of the specified size.
●Maintain the recommended
level of air pressure.
●Do not drive in excess of 75
mph (120 km/h), regardless of
the type of snow tires being
used.
●Use snow tires on all, not just
some wheels.
■Driving with tire chains
(except 235/55R19 tires)
Observe the following precautions
to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so may result in the
vehicle being unable to be driven
safely, and may cause death or
serious injury.
●Do not drive in excess of the
speed limit specifi ed for the tire
chains being used, or 30 mph
(50 km/h), whichever is lower.
●Avoid driving on bumpy road
surfaces or over potholes.
●Avoid sudden acceleration,
abrupt steering, sudden brak-
ing and shifting operations that
cause sudden engine braking.
●Slow down sufficiently before
entering a curve to ensure that
vehicle control is maintained.
●Do not use LTA (Lane Tracing
Assist) system.
NOTICE
■Repairing or replacing snow
tires (vehicles with tire pres-
sure warning system)
Request repairs or replacement of
snow tires from your Toyota
dealer or legitimate tire retailers.
This is because the removal and
attachment of snow tires affects
the operation of the tire pressure
warning valves and transmitters.

3294-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
road, please observe the follow-
ing precautions to ensure your
driving enjoyment and to help
prevent the closure of areas to
off-road vehicles:
Drive your vehicle only in
areas where off-road vehicles
are permitted to travel.
 Respect private property. Get
owner’s permission before
entering private property.
 Do not enter areas that are
closed. Honor gates, barriers
and signs that restrict travel.
 Stay on established roads.
When conditions are wet,
driving techniques should be
changed or travel delayed to
prevent damage to roads.
■Additional information for off-
road driving
For owners in U.S. mainland,
Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information per-
taining to driving your vehicle off-
road, consult the following organiza-
tions: • State and Local Parks and Recre-
ation Departments
• State Motor Vehicle Bureau
• Recreational Vehicle Clubs
• U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
WARNING
■Off-road driving precautions
Always observe t he following pre-
cautions to minim ize the risk of
death, serious injury or damage to
your vehicle:
●Drive carefully when off the
road. Do not take unnecessary
risks by driving in dangerous
places.
●Do not grip the steering wheel
spokes when driving off-road. A
bad bump could jerk the wheel
and injure your hands. Keep
both hands and especially your
thumbs on the ou tside of the
rim.
●Always check your brakes for
effectiveness immediately after
driving in sand, mud, water or
snow.
●After driving through tall grass,
mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc.,
check that there is no grass,
bush, paper, rags, stone, sand,
etc. adhering or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such
matter from the underbody. If
the vehicle is used with these
materials trapped or adhering to
the underbody, a breakdown or
fire could occur.

331
5
5
Interior features
Interior features
5-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
Manual air conditioning sys- tem ............................ 332
Automatic air conditioning system ....................... 338
Heated steering wheel/seat heaters/seat ventilators.................................. 345
5-2. Using the interior lights Interior lights list .......... 348
5-3. Using the storage features List of storage features 350
Luggage compartment fea- tures .......................... 354
5-4. Using the other interior features
Other interior features . 359
Garage door opener.... 370

3445-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
3Close the vent*
*: If equipped (center air outlets
only)
Rear
1 Direct air flow to the left or
right, up or down
2 Open the vent
3 Close the vent*: If equipped
WARNING
■To not interrupt the wind-
shield defogger from operat-
ing
Do not place anything on the
instrument panel which may cover
the air outlets. Otherwise, air flow
may be obstructed, preventing the
windshield defoggers from defog-
ging.
Heated steering
wheel*/seat heat-
ers*/seat ventilators*
 Heated steering wheel
Warm up the grip of the steer-
ing wheel
 Seat heaters
Warm up the seat upholstery
 Seat ventilators
Maintain good ventilation by
pulling air through the seat
upholstery
WARNING
■To prevent minor burn inju-
ries
Care should be taken if anyone in
the following categories comes in
contact with the steering wheel or
seats when the heater is on:
●Babies, small children, the
elderly, the sick and the physi-
cally challenged
●Persons with sensitive skin
●Persons who are fatigued
●Persons who have taken alco-
hol or drugs that induce sleep
(sleeping drugs, cold remedies,
etc.)

3455-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
Turns the heated steering wheel
on/off
The indicator light comes on when
the heated steering wheel is oper-
ating.
■Operation condition
The engine switch is in ON.
Front
Turns the seat heaters on/off 1
High temperature
2 Low temperature
When the seat heater is on, the
indicator illuminates on the seat
heater switch.
When not in use, put the switch
in the neutral position. The indi-
cator will turn off.
Rear
Turns the seat heaters on/off
The indicator light comes on
when the seat heater is operat-
ing.
■Operation condition
The engine switch is in ON.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
seat heaters and seat ventila-
tors
Do not put heavy objects that
have an uneven surface on the
seat and do not stick sharp
objects (needles, nails, etc.) into
the seat.
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not use the functions when the
engine is not running.
Heated steering wheel
Operating the seat heat-
ers

3525-3. Using the storage features
Driver’s side
Front passenger’s side
Front of console
Vehicles with wireless charger:
 P.362
WARNING
■Items unsuitable for storing
Do not store items heavier than
0.4 lb. (0.2 kg).
Doing so may cause the auxiliary
box to open and the items inside
may fall out, resulting in an acci-
dent.
Open trayWARNING
■Items unsuitable for the open
tray
Observe the following precautions
when putting items in the open
tray. Failure to d o so may cause
items to be thrown out of the tray
in the event of s udden braking or
steering. In these cases, the items
may interfere with pedal operation
or cause driver distraction, result-
ing in an accident.
●Do not store ite ms in the tray
that can easily shift or roll out.
●Do not stack items in the tray
higher than the tray’s edge.
●Do not put items in the tray that
may protrude over the tray’s
edge.

3836-1. Maintenance and care
6
Maintenance and care
NOTICE
■When using an automatic car
wash (vehicles with rain-
sensing windshield wipers)
Set the wiper switch to off posi-
tion.
If the wiper switch is in “AUTO”,
the wipers may operate and the
wiper blades may be damaged.
■When using a high pressure
car wash
●When washing the vehicle, do
not let water from the high-pres-
sure washer directly hit the
camera or the area around the
camera. Due to th e shock from
the high pressure water, it is
possible that the device may not
operate normally.
●Do not spray water directly on
the radar which is equipped
behind the radar sensor cover.
Otherwise it may cause the
device to be damaged.
●Do not bring the nozzle tip close
to boots (rubber or resin manu-
factured cover), or connectors
or the following parts.
The parts may be damaged if
they come into contact with
high-pressure water.
• Traction related parts
• Steering parts
• Suspension parts
• Brake parts
●Keep the cleaning nozzle at
least 11.9 in. (30 cm) away from
the vehicle body. Otherwise
resin section, such as moldings
and bumpers, may be deformed
and damaged. Also, do not con-
tinuously hold the nozzle in the
same place.
●Do not spray the lower part of
the windshield continuously. If
water enters the air conditioning
system intake located near the
lower part of the windshield, the
air conditioning system may not
operate correctly.
●Do not wash the underside of
the vehicle using a high pres-
sure car washer.

3906-2. Maintenance
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?
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?
ItemsCheck points
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.
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors
• Do the doors operate
smoothly?
Engine hood
• Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks
• There should not be any signs of
fluid leakage
after the vehicle
has been parked.
ItemsCheck points