Toyota RAV4 EE Owner's Manual page 433

When encountering flooded roads
Do not drive on a road that has flooded
after heavy rain etc. Doing so may cause
serious damage to the vehicle.
NOTICE
Driving on a flooded road may cause
the engine to stall as well as cause
serious vehicle malfunctions such as
shorts in electrical components and
engine damage from water immersion.
In the event that you drive on a
flooded road and the
flooded, be sure to have any autho-
rized Toyota dealer or repairer, or
another duly qualified and equipped
professional check brake function,
changes in quantity and quality of oil
and fluid used for the engine, trans-
axle, transfer (four−wheel drive mod-
els), differential (four−wheel
models), etc. and lubricant condition
for the propeller shaft (four−wheel
drive models), bearings and suspen-
sion joints (where possible) and the
function of all joints and bearings.
RAV4_EE
STARTING AND DRIVING
Off−road driving precautions
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of death or
serious personal injury or damage to
your vehicle:
Drive carefully when off the road.
D
Do not take unnecessary risks by
driving in dangerous places.
Do not grip the steering wheel
D
spokes when driving off−road. A
bad bump could jerk the wheel and
vehicle is
injure your hands. Keep both hands
and especially your thumbs on the
outside of the rim.
Always check your brakes for effec-
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tiveness immediately after driving in
sand, mud, water or snow.
After driving through tall grass,
D
drive
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 under-
body. If the vehicle is used with
these materials trapped or adhered
to the underbody, a breakdown or
fire could occur.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-
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son is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. Therefore, the driver and all
passengers should fasten their seat
belts whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing.
When driving off−road or in rugged
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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.
423
CAUTION
Finish