2016 Toyota RAV4 (UK) auto folding mirror module
- oldmanwith
- Apr 28
- 6 min read
As a sidenote, this module would likely work on other cars so the module wiring and function would apply but you'd need to find your own vehicle related info.
Bought my RAV4 in 2024, happy enough with it but something that irritated was that while it has power folding mirrors they don't unfold automatically on unlock and fold automatically on lock. Not sure why this is, it's not a selectable option or anything like that and there must be an actual reason behind it because previously I had a 2020 Ford Ranger and it was exactly the same.
With the Ranger I bought an aftermarket plug in module that made the function work so when I got the RAV4 I went looking for the same thing. There were references to a folding mirror module specific to 2016 RAV4 on both Ebay and Amazon but no stock on either. However, there were generic auto folding mirror modules and they were relatively cheap (I paid £9.35 for mine) so I thought it was worth trying one to see if I could make it work.
This is the one I got from Ebay, they no longer stock it but a search for "Auto folding mirror module" brings up results for between £10 and £15 (April2025)
Having got it, as is often the case the instructions (see below) seemed a bit ambiguous so the first thing I did was wire it up on a prototype board to try and figure what it did. It has 9 wires and here is my translation of what the drawing says. Original text from the sheet is in italics:
Yellow ACC ON Induction input (+) This needs to be connected to an accessory* or ignition* switched signal. When the ignition is on it prevents the module from folding the mirrors in if you have something like speed related auto door locking. Because getting up to say 5mph and the mirrors folding in could be... inconvenient.
Grey Switch OFF of side mirror (+) This connects to the mirror fold switch, mine is on the dash to the right of the steering column but I've seen others in the centre console near the gearshift. It connects to the mirror fold output of the switch. You cut the original wire from it (and connect it elsewhere further on).
White Switch ON of side mirror (+) Likewise this connects to the mirror fold switch on the mirror unfold output which again you cut the original wire from.
Black Ground (-) This connects to the vehicle chassis or a ground wire. On mine there's a ground point in the drivers kick panel.
Red 12v (+) This needs to be a permanent 12v live. I note on the rav4world.com forum that somebody suggests the current draw for the module is quite high so some care is needed in where this is picked up. More discussion later.
Green Door open signal of actuator (+) This actually connects to a "door unlock" signal.
Blue Door close signal (+) This actually connects to a "door lock" signal.
Orange Output for close side mirror (+) This connects to the previously cut wire from the mirror fold output of the mirror fold button. It gives a pulse of a few seconds to power the unfold function.
Brown output for open side mirror (+) This connects to the previously cut wire from the mirror unfold output of the mirror fold button. It gives a pulse of a few seconds to power the unfold function.
A basic description of the function is as follows: With it connected as above, as long as the fold / unfold button is in "unfold" and the Acc / Ign* is off, unlocking the car sends a signal to the module that puts a pulse to the unfold function to unfold the mirrors. Locking the car does the opposite and the mirrors fold.
Once the accessory or ignition is switched on, the module ignores the unlock and lock signal and the mirrors stay where they're set. As above this ensures that the mirrors don't fold in unexpectedly as your car locks itself as you drive away.
If the fold / unfold button is in "fold" the mirrors will stay folded and the module won't do anything.
For reference, Acc is usually the first position of the keyswitch in your car which powers up some of the ancillaries like radio etc. Ign is usually the second position where the engine related functions switch on. On a pressbutton start it's similar. Just pressing the button without depressing the brake brings the Acc on. A further press brings on Ign.
Having clarified all that, I then needed to figure how to apply it to my car so I headed off down a google search trail. And there's quite a few results and they're often quite different depending on where in the world the author is writing from and what year (maybe even what model) they are referring to.
Mine is a 2016 RAV4 2.0 Icon TSS according to the sales documentation.
It has a 2 litre petrol (gasoline) engine and the allegedly questionable CVT gearbox.
It's UK market so it has the steering wheel in the right position (right as iss right hand and also of course correct... Insert comment frenzy here). It's NOT a hybrid, as far as I can tell it i one of the last models built before the change to hybrid.
Predominantly I found results on toyotaownersclub.com and rav4world.com
None of it is my info so most of it I can't vouch for
Here's some links:
This is the link that was probably most use for me Auto mirror folding | Toyota RAV4 Forums
The picture below is exactly the layout of the lock unlock connector on my RAV4 but the problem is the wiring on the Ebay module was not the same, nonetheless it was a start.
Using a combination of the information from KTL and the responses from Kurtilgo (the two major posters on that particular link) and the sketch above which I already had from somewhere but also appears in the above post I figured the following:
The mirror fold / unfold button is here to the right of the steering column. The whole panel down to the bonnet (hood) release comes off toward the camera with a sharp pull.
I removed this connector, the light green and mid green wires at the left end are the fold / unfold signals which I cut and routed through the module. Fully left is pin 24 (light green) for mirrors unfold. Next is pin 23 (mid green) for mirrors fold. Then pin 22 (light blue) which is an Acc feed
Here's a slightly better pic from above with the wires connected
I then secured the module to the back of this panel and fed the remaining wires down behind it to the kick panel area. The refitted connector is over to the left with the joins soldered and heat shrunk. Sorry, didn't get a very good pic. I then refitted the panel and moved to the kick panel area below.
The lock unlock signals, a constant power feed and a ground are in the area behind the kick panel in the drivers footwell. In the recess to the rear, just to the right of the accelerator pedal theres a thumb turn nut. Undo that and the panel pulls off. It's trapped at the bottom by the trim along the bottom but it'll pull out from under.
The connector I needed is the white one to the left of the yellow connector. On checking it, on mine the wiring is exactly the same as the sketch shown further up
You can see it disconnected in this pic. From left to right as you see it we ignore pin 12 (at the left end). Pin 11 is a black wire for the unlock signal. Pin 10 is a black wire for the lock signal and pin 9 is a 12v live constant. The ground wire connects to the earthing tab that you see bolted to the chassis on the right.
One last thing, in the RAV4World.com post, KTL was of the opinion that the module draws about 12 amps and so was worried about where the feed would be picked up. In this pic you can see the display on my ammeter which is showing 1.61. I had it set to display the peak current draw from repeated operations and 1.61 amps was as much as it ever did. Absolutely not disagreeing with KTL who comes across as knowing quite a bit about these but my point would be, if you have access to an ammeter it's always a good call to understand what load is being added to a system.
And that's it. On my YouTube video you can see it working (ooh the excitement)
As I unlock, either with the keyfob or the touch sensor on the door handle, immediately the mirrors unfold.
As I lock, immediately the mirrors fold.
If I need to fold the mirrors while I'm in the car for some kind of tight space I can use the mirror fold / unfold button but I have to remember to set it back to unfold after or the module won't work.
As I drive away and the doors auto-lock it has no effect on the mirrors.
£10 and a couple of hours well spent.
If you want to see the instructions that came with the module they're here
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