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:
Vsc warning light does not come on
Description
Refer to the description of "vsc warning light remains on" (see page bc-139).
Wiring diagram
Refer to the vsc warning light circuit (see page bc-140).
Inspection procedure
Notice:
When replacing the abs and traction actuator, perform the zero point
calibration (see page ...
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
1. Pull the parking brake switch
to check that the parking
brake is set.
The parking brake indicator will
come on.
2. Check that the shift lever i ...
Reporting safety defects
for u.S. Owners
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately
inform the national highway traffic safety administration
(nhtsa) in addition to notifying toyota motor sales, u.S.A., Inc.
(Toll-free: 1-800-331-4331).
If nhtsa re ...
