Toyota RAV4: Off-road driving
When driving your vehicle off-road, please observe the following 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 pertaining to driving your vehicle off-road, consult the following organizations.
●State and Local Parks and Recreation Departments
●State Motor Vehicle Bureau
●Recreational Vehicle Clubs
●U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
CAUTION
■Off-road driving precautions
Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk of death or
serious personal 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 outside 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, water, 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.
●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
engine or other components does not occur.
●Water entering the engine air intake will cause severe engine damage.
●Water entering the automatic transmission will cause deterioration in shift
quality, locking up of your transmission accompanied by vibration, and
ultimately
damage.
●Water can wash the grease from wheel bearings, causing rusting and premature
failure, and may also enter the differentials, transmission and
transfer case, reducing the gear oil’s lubricating qualities.
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 stream for firmness. Drive
slowly and avoid deep water.
■Inspection after off-road driving
●Sand and mud that has accumulated 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. For
scheduled maintenance information, refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.
Off-road vehicle feature
● 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, u ...Cargo and luggage
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Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Selection of reverse gear is
prevented
when the vehicle is travelling in excess
of 24km/h (15mph). Never attempt to
engage reverse gear while the vehicle is
in forward mo ...
Bluetooth® Hands-Free Phone System (if so equipped)
- Use a phone after stopping your
vehicle in a safe location. If you
have to use a phone while driving,
exercise extreme caution at all
times so full attention may be given
to vehicle op ...
Removing the towing eye
Loosen the towing eye and unscrew it.
Attach cover 1 to the bumper and press until it
engages.
Place the towing eye in the vehicle tool kit.
...