Towing a Rav 4 Auto Trans

I wish I had saved the info from back in 2003. Apparently Toyota was having tranny problems after they published the instructions. Owners were not following the speed or time regulations. But actually Toyota had other problems with those trannies. Something to do with the computer. We will be towing to Q this year so I will be the test bed! When you tow your Rav does the odometer accumulate miles? How did you wire the lights?

Moisheh

moisheh wrote:
Page 173: Dinghy towing. BTW: never trust just an online manual. Some vehicles need to have certain options to be towable. The manual that comes with a vehicle is the best bet. Or call the mfr. with your VIN. I know a fellow who bought a used Chev PU and that particular model was NOT towable. My manual is for a Canadian vehicle and is different but still has the same dinghy towing section. I even called Toyota and they said that it was OK to tow if you follow the guidelines. I installed a Blue OX baseplate. Not an easy install. I am stymied as to how to install toad wiring. In order to access the tail lights you have to remove all the plastic side panels. They are held on with clips and are 17 years old and probably brittle. Car only has 50,000 miles and I don't want to damage anything. Might go for wireless lights.

Moisheh

Apologies for the delay in getting back to this. I somehow missed your reply.

I wonder what Toyota changed from the 2001 to 2002 RAV's since they both use the same U140F transmission. The 2002 RAV4 manual specifically states for dinghy towing with an automatic tranny, "NOTICE Do not tow your vehicle with four wheels on the ground. This may cause serious damage to your vehicle." I towed our 2002 RAV4 over 30,000 miles with a REMCO lube pump installed and never had any tranny problems, so it'll be interesting to see how you make out with no pump on the same transmission.

Page 173: Dinghy towing. BTW: never trust just an online manual. Some vehicles need to have certain options to be towable. The manual that comes with a vehicle is the best bet. Or call the mfr. with your VIN. I know a fellow who bought a used Chev PU and that particular model was NOT towable. My manual is for a Canadian vehicle and is different but still has the same dinghy towing section. I even called Toyota and they said that it was OK to tow if you follow the guidelines. I installed a Blue OX baseplate. Not an easy install. I am stymied as to how to install toad wiring. In order to access the tail lights you have to remove all the plastic side panels. They are held on with clips and are 17 years old and probably brittle. Car only has 50,000 miles and I don't want to damage anything. Might go for wireless lights.

Moisheh

moisheh wrote:
I think you both misunderstood my post. I do not need a pump. My manual states that it can be towed behind a MH with no pump required!

Moisheh

Where in your manual did you find the reference to 4-down towing the automatic AWD model RAV for a couple of hundred miles?

The 2001 RAV4 Owners Manual is available online here:

2001 Toyota RAV4 Owners Manual

The emergency towing section starts on page 195 and I haven't found anything indicating the car can be towed 4-down other than a section on page 197 regarding towing with a chain or cable at very low speeds for very short distances.

Car models that were once considered by manufacturers as towable, and then not towable in a later model year even though there were no engineering changes, the policy change had to do with frequency of drivetrain warranty claims and associated costs to the manufacturer (this drove Honda to finally say CR-V only, although most model lines shared the same automatic transmission).

At 17 years old and 80,000 km, you no longer need to worry about anything you do towing it making the warranty invalid, all the risk is yours. From a financial viewpoint, that risk is minimal, because of the low market value.

What is the Toyota RAV 4 transmission number that allowed you to travel thousands of miles without problems?

Be very careful! After lots of research using the FMCA Dinghy Towing guides and reading owners manuals, I bought a 2011 Ford Escape XLT (4WD) to tow behind my Winnebago Sightseer. The owners manual says that for "Recreational Towing" I have to lower the trans fluid, unlock the steering, put it in neutral and start it every 6 hours to circulate fluid and cool the transmission.
In May 2017 my wife and I made a 2600 mile trip with no problems with the dinghy. IN August 2017 we went 300 miles and the transmission started slipping. I was towing it back home when the transmission started smoking, and the engine wouldn't start! It may be that the transmission was just ready to fail anyways. I got it rebuilt ($33oo with 3 yr unlimited warranty)) and didn't tow it again until last week. NEVER AGAIN!
Last week I only made it 200 miles from home when another car on the hwy let us know that the car was smoking! The trans was smoking again, locked in neutral and would not start. I called the trans shop that did the rebuild and called a tow truck to take it to a local trans shop in Springfield IL for warranty. DL Transmissions in Cape Girardeau MO is refusing to honor the warranty because it was being towed. They say that they have documentation from Ford that says it can't be dinghy towed. My owners manual says it can!

OK ~~ on the reverse of my answer to your question, Were looking at a2002 that could be towed 4 down naked. Then the 2003 came out and had to go thru what I posted earlier. Was told Toyota changed it as TOO many Big Rigs were driving too many miles ~ too many hours. Would be OK if travelled 200=225 miles ~ Stopped put on the brake and ran it thru the gears. Lost the 'umbilicus on a steep drieway and screech alarm came on Lights etc etc worked just the pump detached 'local yokel' wzs not someone wanted working on our stuff. Called Remco installer he called Remco ~ Told us same thing 200-225 stop & run the gears. Heck the dogs had to stop anyway. Worked for us. Sometimes the alarm goes a little screwy so we un doit and do the 200-225. Over 14 years & no problem to date. Give it your best. K

The manual only specifies an Auto Trans. It is AWD. I was really shocked when I found that in the manual. Toyota does not often refer to dinghy towing. They just say you cannot tow the vehicle 4 wheels down in an emergency. The manual gives specific instructions: tranny in neutral, key in Acc ( even notes that this is very important to keep the steering wheel unlocked) Then goes on with miles limitation and max. speed. Almost like Toyota thought they could increase sales but the following year decided it was not worth it.

Moisheh

Is your RAV4 AWD or FWD. I think that may make difference. Does the manual make any statement either way?