Driving on the freeway in 3rd gear in an automatic transmission vehicle

Except for using a lot more gas, and adding a bit to the wear and tear on the engine, no damage has been done. In the long run, this will make no real difference in the life of your engine, but just in case this resulted in some extra oil consumption during the early break-in process for the engine, I strongly suggest that you take the time today to check the dipstick.

If the oil level has dropped, be sure to replenish the oil with the correct spec oil. I believe that your engine takes 5W-20 oil, but the oil filler cap will give you the correct information.

The most important thing that a car owner can do for his vehicle on an ongoing basis is to personally do an under-hood check of all fluids every few weeks, and maintain it at least as well as Toyota specifies. Try to become as familiar with the car as possible by reading the Owner’s Manual.

Part of becoming familiar with the vehicle includes actually knowing what type of engine you have under the hood. Unless you have the only Rav-4 in the entire world with this engine, it is NOT at V-4. There may be a V-6 engine under the hood, or it may be an I-4, but you most definitely do not have a V-4!