2023 TOYOTA RAV4 PLUG-IN HYBRID Owners Manual

423
5
5-6. Driving tips
Driving
Perform the following according to
the driving conditions:
 Do not try to forcibly open a win-
dow or move a wiper that is fro-
zen. Pour warm water over the
frozen area to melt the ice. Wipe
away the water immediately to
prevent it from freezing.
 To ensure proper operation of
the climate control system fan,
remove any snow that has accu-
mulated on the air inlet vents in
front of the windshield.
 Check for and remove any
excess ice or snow that may
have accumulated on the exte-
rior lights, outside rear view mir-
rors, windows, vehicle’s roof,
chassis, around the tires or on
the brakes.
 Remove any snow or mud from
the bottom of your shoes before
getting in the vehicle.
Accelerate the vehicle slowly, keep
a safe distance between you and
the vehicle ahead, and drive at a
reduced speed suitable to road
conditions.
 Turn automatic mode of the
parking brake off. Otherwise, the
parking brake may freeze and
not be able to be released auto-
matically.
Also, avoid using the following as the
parking brake may operate automati-
cally, even if automatic mode is off.
• Brake hold system
 Park the vehicle and shift the
shift lever to P without setting the
parking brake. The parking brake
may freeze up, preventing it from
being released. If the vehicle is
parked without setting the park-
ing brake, make sure to block the
wheels. Failure to do so may be
dangerous because it may cause
the vehicle to move unexpect-
edly, possibly leading to an acci-
dent.
 When the parking brake is in
automatic mode, release the
parking brake after shifting the
shift lever to P. ( P.321)
 If the vehicle is parked without
setting the parking brake, con-
firm that the shift lever cannot be
moved out of P.
 If the vehicle is left parked with
the brakes damp in cold tem-
peratures, there is a possibility of
the brakes freezing.
Before driving the vehicle
When driving the vehicle
When parking the vehicle
WARNING
■When parking the vehicle
When parking the vehicle without
applying the parking brake, make sure to chock the wheels. If you do not chock the wheels, the vehicle may
move unexpectedly, possibly result- ing in an accident.

4245-6. Driving tips
Vehicles with 225/60R18 tires
Use the correct tire chain size when
mounting the tire chains. Chain size
is regulated for each tire size.
Side chain:
3 mm (0.12 in.) in diameter
10 mm (0.39 in.) in width
30 mm (1.18 in.) in length
Cross chain:
4 mm (0.16 in.) in diameter
14 mm (0.55 in.) in width
25 mm (0.98 in.) in length
Vehicles with 235/55R19 tires
Tire chains cannot be mounted.
Snow tires should be used instead.
Regulations regarding the use of
tire chains vary depending on loca-
tion and type of road. Always check
local regulations before installing
chains.
■Tire chain installation
Observe the following precautions when installing and removing chains:
●Install and remove tire chains in a safe location.
●Install tire chains on the front tires only. Do not install tire chains on the rear tires.
●Install tire chains on front tires as tightly as possible. Retighten chains
after driving 0.5 - 1.0 km (1/4 - 1/2 mile).
●Install tire chains following the instruc-tions provided with the tire chains.
■Consumption of fuel and electricity
In cold temperatures, resistance of the
parts of a vehicle (transmission, tires, etc.) generally increases, resulting in increase of energy consumption. As a
result, fuel economy is likely to decrease.
Consumption of fuel and electricity of
this vehicle is also likely to become worse in cold temperatures.
Selecting tire chains
Regulations on the use of
tire chains (except
235/55R19 tires)
A
B
C
D
E
F
NOTICE
■Fitting tire chains
The tire pressure warning valves and transmitters may not function cor-rectly when tire chains are fitted.

425
5
5-6. Driving tips
Driving
 Specific design characteristics
give it a higher center of gravity
than ordinary passenger cars.
This vehicle design feature
causes this type of vehicle to be
more likely to rollover. And, utility
vehicles have a significantly
higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles.
 An advantage of the higher
ground clearance is a better view
of the road allowing you to antici-
pate problems.
 It is not designed for cornering at
the same speeds as ordinary
passenger cars any more than
low-slung sports cars are
designed to perform satisfactorily
under off-road conditions. There-
fore, sharp turns at excessive
speeds may cause the vehicle to
rollover.
When driving your vehicle off-road,
please observe the following pre-
Utility vehicle precau-
tions
This vehicle belongs to the
utility vehicle class, which has
higher ground clearance and
narrower tread in relation to
the height of its center of grav-
ity to make it capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-
road applications.
Utility vehicle feature
WARNING
■Utility vehicle precautions
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of death, serious injury or damage to your vehi-cle:
●In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-son is significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt.
Therefore, the driver and all pas- sengers should always fasten their seat belts.
●Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-vers, if at all possible.
Failure to operate this vehicle cor- rectly may result in loss of control or vehicle rollover causing death or
serious injury.
●Loading cargo on the roof luggage
carrier (if equipped) will make the center of the vehicle gravity higher. Avoid high speeds, sudden starts,
sharp turns, sudden braking or abrupt maneuvers, otherwise it may result in loss of control or vehicle
rollover due to failure to operate this vehicle correctly.
●Always slow down in gusty cross-winds. Because of its profile and higher center of gravity, your vehi-
cle is more sensitive to side winds than an ordinary passenger car. Slowing down will allow you to have
better control.
●Do not drive horizontally across
steep slopes. Driving straight up or straight down is preferred. Your vehicle (or any similar off-road vehi-
cle) can tip over sideways much more easily than forward or back-ward.
Off-road driving

4265-6. Driving tips
cautions to ensure your driving
enjoyment and to help prevent the
closure of areas to off-road vehi-
cles:
 Drive your vehicle only in areas
where off-road vehicles are per-
mitted to travel.
 Respect private property. Get
owner’s permission before enter-
ing 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 tech-
niques should be changed or
travel delayed to prevent dam-
age to roads.
WARNING
■Off-road driving precautions
Always observe the following precau- tions to minimize the risk of death, serious injury or damage to your vehi-
cle:
●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 outside of the rim.
●Always check your brakes for effec-tiveness 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 break-
down or fire could occur.
●When driving off-road or in rugged
terrain, do not drive at excessive speeds, jump, make sharp turns, strike objects, etc. This may cause
loss of control or vehicle rollover causing death or serious injury. You are also risking expensive damage
to your vehicle’s suspension and chassis.
NOTICE
■To prevent the water damage
Take all necessary safety measures to ensure that water damage to the hybrid battery (traction battery),
hybrid system or other components does not occur.
●Water entering the engine compart-
ment may cause severe damage to the hybrid system.
●Water entering the hybrid transmis-sion will cause deterioration in transmission quality. The malfunc-
tion indicator may come on, and the vehicle may not be drivable.
●Water can wash the grease from wheel bearings, causing rusting and premature failure, and may
also enter the hybrid transaxle case, reducing the gear oil’s lubri-cating qualities.

427
5
5-6. Driving tips
Driving
NOTICE
■When you drive through water
If driving through water, such as when
crossing shallow streams, first check the depth of the water and the bottom of the riverbed for firmness. Drive
slowly and avoid deep water.
■Inspection after off-road driving
●Sand and mud that has accumu- lated around brake discs may affect braking efficiency and may damage
brake system components.
●Always perform a maintenance
inspection after each day of off- road driving that has taken you through rough terrain, sand, mud,
or water.

4285-6. Driving tips

6
429
6
Interior features
Interior features
6-1. Using the air conditioning
system and defogger
Automatic air conditioning sys-
tem ................................. 430
Remote Air Conditioning Sys-
tem ................................. 438
Heated steering wheel/Front
seat heaters/Front seat heat-
ers and ventilators/Rear seat
heaters ........................... 440
6-2. Using the interior lights
Interior lights list................ 443
6-3. Using the storage features
List of storage features ..... 445
Luggage compartment fea-
tures ............................... 449
6-4. Using the other interior fea-
tures
Other interior features....... 453

4306-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
6-1.Using the a ir c onditioning sys te m and de fog ger
Automatic mode switch
Left-hand side temperature control switch
Right-hand side temperature control switch
“DUAL” switch
“OFF” switch
Windshield defogger switch
Rear window and outside rear view mirror defoggers switch
Blower customization switch
Fan speed decrease switch
Fan speed increase switch
Airflow mode control switch
Outside/recirculated air mode switch
Front seat concentrated airflow mode (S-FLOW) switch
“A/C” switch
The illustration is for left-hand drive vehicles. The button positions are
reversed for right-hand drive vehicles.
Automatic air conditioning system
Air outlets and fan speed are automatically adjusted according to
the temperature setting.
Air conditioning controls
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N