Is it possible to extend the foot pedals on a 2021 RAV4 for a short person?

Blue25` said:

I took an AARP class and when the prof said the driver should be way back from the steering wheel in case the air bags deploy, it did scare me. I had a car where I could extend the pedals and that was great. Am I missing something in the book? Does the RAV4 have this capability or not? If not, what else could I do?

Thanks!!

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Foryota said:

You can get pedal extenders installed by some shops but need to have a doctor sign off on it. The extenders and other gear must only be used when absolutely necessary as there are implications for vehicle control and for insurance liability. With a telescoping wheel and adjustable seat, there’s less need (typically) for pedal extensions. Are you quite short, or is your reach compromised (or do you have a belly like mine? [emoji846]). these are all factors in determining the need for assistive devices. Yes we should sit farther back from the airbags, but remember too that your RAV has a two-stage bag which deploys with different force/speed based on many factors, chief among them being whether the person is wearing a seatbelt.

Hope you find a solution which works for you, but do talk with a conversion shop (the wheelchair van conversions) or a mechanic before doing anything.


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Thanks for this info. It's my legs that are short. I have a six way driver's seat that I can raise but right now I have to pretty much depress the pedals with my toes, unless I have the seat forward til my body is touching the steering wheel.
I will go by a good auto place here next time I'm out. Thanks for that idea.

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Blue25` said:

I took an AARP class and when the prof said the driver should be way back from the steering wheel in case the air bags deploy, it did scare me. I had a car where I could extend the pedals and that was great. Am I missing something in the book? Does the RAV4 have this capability or not? If not, what else could I do?

Thanks!!

Click to expand...

FKHeath said:

I would guess that your problem is short legs more than short arms. As others have said, the airbag force in the RAV4 depends on various factors; one of those factors, not mentioned, is the weight of the driver.

You don't need to worry about the airbag force when the seat is all the way forward. Toyota takes that into account when they design the car, thus is is safe when the seat is all the way forward.

If, however, you have a problem reaching the pedals even when the seat is all the way forward, you may have to find a way to move the seat further forward. I am very tall and find the leg room in the RAV4 less than is comfortable for me, I came up with a way to move the seat further back: Extending the front seat on the RAV4 for tall people . This could me changed to mover the seat further forward by just reversing the plates you see in the pictures.

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