2002 Toyota RAV4 Owners Manual - Page 138

Off-road vehicle precautions This vehicle belongs to the utility vehicle class. In general, utility vehicles have a higher ground clearance and narrower tread in relation to the height of its center of gravity to make it capable of performing in a wide variety of off-road applications. Specific design characteristics give it a higher center of gravity than ordinary passenger cars. This vehicle design feature causes this type of vehicle to be more likely to rollover. Therefore, ordinary utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other types of vehicles. An advantage of the higher ground clearance is a better view of the road allowing you to anticipate problems. It is not designed for cornering at the same speeds as ordinary passenger cars any more than low-slung sports cars designed to perform satisfactorily under off-road conditions. Therefore, sharp turns at excessive speeds may cause rollover. However, your RAV4 EV is an electric vehicle. It has heavy traction batteries under the floor. So the ground clearance is not so high. Avoid off-road driving because it may damage the traction batteries. Your Toyota is an electric vehicle, so avoid driving through water so deep as to have the battery pack, motor, controller and so on flooded. Further, it is not suitable for off-road driving as compared with ordinary off-road vehicles. When it is unavoidable to drive off-road or in rugged terrain, observe the following precautions to minimize the damage to the traction batteries equipped under the floor. CAUTION Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk of serious personal injury or damage to your vehicle: D In a rollover crash, an unbelted person 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 moving. 130