1997 Toyota RAV4 Owners Manual - Page 119

Brake pad wear limit indicators Luggage stowage precautions When stowing luggage or cargo in the vehicle, observe the following: S Put luggage or cargo in the trunk when at all possible. Be sure all items are secured in place. S Be careful to keep the vehicle balanced. Locating the weight as far forward as possible helps maintain balance. S For better fuel economy, do not carry unneeded weight. S Never allow anyone to ride in the luggage compartment. It is not designed for passengers. They should ride in their seats with their seat belts properly fastened. Otherwise, they are much more likely suffer serious bodily injury, in the event of sudden braking or a collision. S Do not place anything on the flattened seat, or it may slide forward during braking. S Do not drive with objects left on top of the instrument panel. They may interfere with the driver's field of view. Or they may move during sharp vehicle acceleration or turning, and impair the driver's control of the vehicle. In an accident they may injure the vehicle occupants. The brake pad wear limit indicators on your disc brakes give a warning noise when the brake pads are worn to where replacement is required. If you hear a squealing or scraping noise while driving, have the brake pads checked and replaced by your Toyota dealer as soon as possible. Expensive rotor damage can result if the pads are not replaced when necessary. ! CAUTION S To prevent luggage or packages from sliding forward during braking, do not stack anything in the luggage compartment higher than the seatbacks. Keep luggage or packages low, as close to the floor as possible. NOTICE Do not load the vehicle beyond the vehicle capacity weight specified in Part 8. 115