Get In case of an emergency -> If you have a flat tire Guide for Toyota Rav4 SUV Second Generation (2001-2005)

’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

If you have a flat tire—

6. After the engine coolant temperature

has cooled to normal, again check the

coolant level in the reservoir. If neces-

sary, bring it up to half full again. Seri-

ous coolant loss indicates a leak in the

system. You should have it checked as

soon as possible at your Toyota dealer.

1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping

a straight line. Move cautiously off the

road to a safe place well away from

the traffic. Avoid stopping on the center

divider of a highway. Park on a level

spot with firm ground.

D Stop the vehicle on

a

level firm

ground, firmly set the parking brake

and put the transmission in “P”

(automatic) or reverse (manual).

Block the wheel diagonally opposite

to the one being changed if neces-

sary.

2. Stop the engine and turn on your

emergency flashers.

D Make sure to set the jack properly

in the jack point. Raising the ve-

hicle with jack improperly posi-

tioned will damage the vehicle or

may allow the vehicle to fall off the

jack and cause personal injury.

3. Firmly set the parking brake and put

the transmission in “P” (automatic) or

reverse (manual).

4. Have everyone get out of the vehicle

on the side away from traffic.

5. Read the following instructions thor-

oughly.

D Never get under the vehicle when

the vehicle is supported by the jack

alone.

CAUTION

D Use the jack only for lifting your

vehicle during wheel changing.

When jacking, be sure to observe the

following to reduce the possibility of

personal injury:

D Do not raise the vehicle with some-

one in the vehicle.

D When raising the vehicle, do not

place any objects on top of or un-

derneath the jack.

D Follow jacking instructions.

D Do not put any part of your body

under the vehicle supported by the

jack. Otherwise, personal injury may

occur.

D Raise the vehicle only high enough

to remove and change the tire.

D Do not start or run the engine while

your vehicle is supported by the

jack.

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—Required tools and spare

tire

NOTICE

Do not continue driving with a de-

flated tire. Driving even a short dis-

tance can damage a tire and wheel

beyond repair.

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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

1. Get the required tools and spare

tire.

Tool bag (in the right side box of lug-

gage compartment)

Jack (under the right front seat)

Spare tire (on the back door)

To prepare yourself for an emergency, you

should familiarize yourself with the use of

the jack, each of the tools and their stor-

age locations.

Clearances

Full spare tire cover

To remove the jack, move the seat to the

rear−most position and turn the jack joint

by hand.

To remove: Turn the joint in direction 1

until the jack is free.

To store: Turn the joint in direction 2 until

the jack is firmly secured to prevent it

flying forward during a collision or sudden

braking.

Half spare tire cover

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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

—Blocking the wheel

To remove the spare tire on the back

door:

1. Remove the spare tire cover.

Full spare tire cover—Unhook the latch

handle which is on the bottom of the cov-

er. Pull up the cover by grasping the

clearances on both sides between the

cover and latch handle base.

Half spare tire cover—Pry off the center

cover and loose the nut with wheel nut

wrench, then remove the spare tire cover.

2. Turn the hold−down nuts counterclock-

wise with the wheel nut wrench and

remove them.

2. Block the wheel diagonally opposite

the flat tire to keep the vehicle from

rolling when it is jacked up.

When storing the spare tire, put it in place

and secure it to prevent it from flying

forward during a collision or sudden brak-

ing.

When blocking the wheel, place a wheel

block in front of one of the front wheels

or behind one of the rear wheels.

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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

—Loosening wheel nuts

—Positioning the jack

CAUTION

Never use oil or grease on the bolts

or nuts. The nuts may loose and the

wheels may fall off, which could cau-

se a serious accident.

3. Loosen all the wheel nuts.

4. Position the jack at the following

jack points.

Always loosen the wheel nuts before rais-

ing the vehicle.

1

Front suspension cross member rear

mounting

Turn the wheel nuts counterclockwise to

loosen. To get maximum leverage, fit the

wrench to the nut so that the handle is

on the right side, as shown above. Grab

the wrench near the end of the handle

and pull up on the handle. Be careful that

the wrench does not slip off the nut.

2

Rear suspension arm

Make sure the jack is positioned on a

level and solid place.

Do not remove the nuts yet—just unscrew

them about one−half turn.

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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

—Raising your vehicle

—Changing wheels

CAUTION

Never get under the vehicle when the

vehicle is supported by the jack

alone.

5. After making sure that no one is in

the vehicle, raise it high enough so

that the spare tire can be installed.

6. Remove the wheel nuts and change

tires.

Lift the flat tire straight off and put it

aside.

Remember you will need more ground

clearance when putting on the spare tire

than when removing the flat tire.

Roll the spare wheel into position and

align the holes in the wheel with the bolts.

Then lift up the wheel and get at least the

top bolt started through its hole. Wiggle

the tire and press it back over the other

bolts.

To raise the vehicle, insert the jack handle

into the jack (it is a loose fit) and turn it

clockwise. As the jack touches the vehicle

and begins to lift, double−check that it is

properly positioned.

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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

—Reinstalling wheel nuts

CAUTION

Never use oil or grease on the bolts

or nuts. Doing so may lead to over-

tightening the nuts and damaging the

bolts. The nuts may loose and the

wheels may fall off, which could cau-

se a serious accident. If there is oil

or grease on any bolt or nut, clean

it.

Before putting on wheels, remove any cor-

rosion on the mounting surfaces with a

wire brush or such. Installation of wheels

without good metal−to−metal contact at the

mounting surface can cause wheel nuts to

loosen and eventually cause a wheel to

come off while driving.

7. Reinstall all the wheel nuts finger

tight.

Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-

ward) and tighten them as much as you

can by hand. Press back on the tire back

and see if you can tighten them more.

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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

—Lowering your vehicle

—Stowing flat tire

9. Install the flat tire and spare tire

cover on the back door.

CAUTION

D When lowering the vehicle, make

sure all portions of your body and

all other persons around will not be

injured as the vehicle is lowered to

the ground.

CAUTION

Make sure flat tire and spare tire cov-

er are securely in place in their stor-

age location to reduce the possibility

of personal injury during a collision

or sudden braking.

D Have the wheel nuts tightened by

torque wrench at 103 N·m (10.5

kgf·m, 76 ft·lbf), as soon as pos-

sible after changing wheels. Other-

wise, the nuts may loosen and the

wheels may fall off, which could

cause a serious accident.

Install the full spare tire cover by the

following procedure:

8. Lower the vehicle completely and

tighten the wheel nuts.

Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to

lower the vehicle.

Use only the wheel nut wrench and turn

it clockwise to tighten the nuts. Do not

use other tools or any additional leverage

other than your hands, such as a hammer,

pipe or your foot. Make sure the wrench

is securely engaged over the nut.

Tighten each nut a little at a time in the

order shown. Repeat the process until all

the nuts are tight.

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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

1. Insert the hooks under the guides to

the upper slots and lower the cover.

Guides

2. Push both sides of the cover and set

the cover by hooking the 4 inside pro-

trusions.

Check that the 2 hooks and 4 protrusions

are securely attached.

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’03 Rav4_U (L/O 0208)

—After changing wheels

If your vehicle becomes stuck

10. Check the air pressure of the re-

placed tire.

If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,

mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt

to rock the vehicle free by moving it

forward and backward.

Adjust the air pressure to the specification

designated on page 258 in Section 8. If

the pressure is lower, drive slowly to the

nearest service station and fill to the cor-

rect pressure.

CAUTION

Do not attempt to rock the vehicle

free by moving it forward and back-

ward if people or objects are any-

where near the vehicle. During the

rocking operation the vehicle may

suddenly move forward or backward

as it becomes unstuck, causing injury

or damage to nearby people or ob-

jects.

Do not forget to reinstall the tire inflation

valve cap as dirt and moisture could get

into the valve core and possibly cause air

leakage. If the cap is missing, have a new

one put on as soon as possible.

11. Restow all the tools and jack secure-

ly.

3. Lock the latch handle which is on the

bottom of the cover.

As soon after changing wheels as pos-

sible, tighten the wheel nuts to the torque

specified on page 258 in Section 8 with

a torque wrench. Have a technician repair

the flat tire.

Check that the cover is securely in place.

CAUTION

Before driving, make sure all the

tools and jack are securely in place

in their storage location to reduce the

possibility of personal injury during a

collision or sudden braking.

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In case of an emergency -> If you have a flat tire for Your Toyota Rav4 SUV Second Generation (2001-2005)

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