Toyota RAV4 (XA40) 2013-2018 Owners Manual: If the vehicle becomes stuck
Carry out the following procedures if the tires spin or the vehicle becomes stuck in mud, dirt or snow:
- Stop the engine. Set the parking brake and shift the shift lever to p.
- Remove the mud, snow or sand from around the stuck tire.
- Place wood, stones or some other material to help provide traction under the tires.
- Restart the engine.
- Awd models: activate all-wheel drive lock mode.
- Shift the shift lever to d or r and release the parking brake. Then, while exercising caution, depress the accelerator pedal.
When it is difficult to free the vehicle
Turn off trac and/or vsc if these functions are hampering your attempts to free the vehicle.
Press 
to turn off trac.
2Wd models
Awd models
Caution
When attempting to free a stuck vehicle
If you choose to push the vehicle back and forth to free it, make sure the surrounding area is clear to avoid striking other vehicles, objects or people.
The vehicle may also lunge forward or lunge back suddenly as it becomes free. Use extreme caution.
When shifting the shift lever
Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed.
This may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of the vehicle that may cause an accident resulting in death or serious injury.
Notice
To avoid damaging the transmission and other components
- Avoid spinning the wheels and depressing the accelerator pedal more than necessary.
- If the vehicle remains stuck even after these procedures are performed, the vehicle may require towing to be freed.
If your vehicle overheats
The following may indicate that your vehicle is overheating.
The high engine coolant temperature warning light Comes
on or a loss of engine power is experienced. (For example, the
vehicl ...
Other materials:
Front passenger occupant classification system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger occupant
classification system. This system detects the conditions of
the front passenger seat and activates or deactivates the
front passenger airbag and seat cushion airbag in the front
passenger side.
System components
SRS warning light
Driver's ...
Shifting the shift lever
Vehicles without a smart key system
While the engine switch is in the
“on” position, move the shift
lever with the brake pedal depressed.
When shifting the shift lever between p and d, make sure that the
vehicle is completely stopped.
Vehicles with a smart key system
While the en ...
On-vehicle inspection
Check fan and generator v belt
Visually check the drive belt for excessive wear,
frayed cords, etc.
If any defect has been found, replace the drive belt.
Hint:
Cracks on the rib side of a drive belt are considered
acceptable.
If the drive belt has chunks missing from the r ...
