Toyota RAV4 (XA50) 2019-2026 Owners Manual: Trailer towing tips

Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. Help to avoid an accident, death or serious injury, keep the following in mind when towing:

• Speed limits for towing a trailer vary by state or province.

  Do not exceed the posted towing speed limit.

• Toyota recommends that the vehicle-trailer speed limit is 65 mph (104 km/h) on a flat, straight, dry road. Do not exceed this limit, the posted towing speed limit or the speed limit for your trailer as set forth in your trailer owner's manual, whichever is lowest.

  Instability of the towing vehicle- trailer combination (trailer sway) increases as speed increases. Exceeding speed limits may cause loss of control.

• Before starting out, check the trailer lights, tires and the vehicle-trailer connections.

  Recheck after driving a short distance.

• Practice turning, stopping and reversing with the trailer attached in an area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the feel of the vehicle-trailer combination.
• Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and requires practice. Grip the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to move the trailer to right. (This is generally opposite to reversing without a trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or prolonged turning. Have someone guide you when reversing to reduce the risk of an accident.
• As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to vehicle distance should be increased.

  For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of speed, allow at least one vehicle and trailer length.

• Avoid sudden braking as you may skid, resulting in the trailer jackknifing and a loss of vehicle control. This is especially true on wet or slippery surfaces.
• Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
• Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before making turn.
• Note that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. Compensate by making a wider than normal turning radius.
• Slow down before making a turn, in cross winds, on wet or slippery surfaces, etc.

Increasing vehicle speed can destabilize the trailer.

• Take care when passing other vehicles. Passing requires considerable distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget the length of your trailer, and be sure you have plenty of room before changing lanes.
• To maintain engine braking efficiency and charging system performance when using engine braking, do not put the transmission in D. If in the S mode, the transmission shift range position must be in 6 or lower.
• Instability happens more frequently when descending steep or long downhill grades.
• Before descending, slow down and downshift. Do not make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long downhill grades.
• Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the brakes too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and result in reduced braking efficiency.
• Due to the added load of the trailer, your vehicle's engine may overheat on hot days (at temperatures over 85ºF [30ºC] ) when driving up a long or steep grade. If the engine coolant temperature gauge indicates overheating, immediately turn off the air conditioning (if in use), pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot.
• Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle's and the trailer's wheels when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly, and put the transmission in P. Avoid parking on a slope, but if unavoidable, do so only after performing the following:

1. Apply the brakes and keep them applied.

2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle's and trailer's wheels.

3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release the brakes slowly until the blocks absorb the load.

4. Apply the parking brake firmly.

5. Shift into P and turn off the engine.

• When restarting after parking on a slope:

1. With the transmission in P, start the engine. Be sure to keep the brake pedal depressed.

2. Shift into a forward gear. If reversing, shift into R.

3. If the parking brake is in manual mode, release the parking brake.

4. Release the brake pedal, and slowly pull or back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply the brakes.

5. Have someone retrieve the blocks.

■Break-in schedule

If your vehicle is new or equipped with any new power train components (such as an engine, transmission, differential or wheel bearing), Toyota recommends that you do not tow a trailer until the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km).

After the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km), you can start towing. However, for the next 500 miles (800 km), drive the vehicle at a speed of less than 45 mph (72 km/h) when towing a trailer, and avoid full throttle acceleration.

■Maintenance

• If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will require more frequent maintenance due to the additional load.

  (See "Scheduled Maintenance Guide" or "Owner's Manual Supplement".)

• Retighten the fixing bolts of the towing ball and bracket after approximately 600 miles (1000 km) of trailer towing.

■If trailer sway occurs

One or more factors (crosswinds, passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.) can adversely affect handling of your vehicle and trailer, causing instability.

• If trailer swaying occurs:
  • Firmly grip the steering wheel.

    Steer straight ahead.

    Do not try to control trailer swaying by turning the steering wheel.

  • Begin releasing the accelerator pedal immediately but very gradually to reduce speed.

    Do not increase speed. Do not apply vehicle brakes.

If you make no extreme correction with the steering or brakes, your vehicle and trailer should stabilize (if enabled, Trailer Sway Control can also help to stabilize the vehicle and trailer.).

• After the trailer swaying has stopped:
  • Stop in a safe place. Get all occupants out of the vehicle.
  • Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
  • Check the load in the trailer.

    Make sure the load has not shifted.

    Make sure the tongue weight is appropriate, if possible.

  • Check the load in the vehicle.

    Make sure the vehicle is not overloaded after occupants get in.

If you cannot find any problems, the speed at which trailer swaying occurred is beyond the limit of your particular vehicle-trailer combination.

Drive at a lower speed to prevent instability. Remember that swaying of the towing vehicle-trailer increases as speed increases.