Toyota Rav4 Garage Door Opener: Does It Have One?

When it’s scorching hot outside or raining cats and dogs, the last thing you want is to have to get out of your car to open your garage door. If you have a convenient FOB for your garage door, you’re already one step ahead of the game. But the Toyota Rav4 offers a convenient tech feature that can put you two steps ahead.

If your Toyota Rav4 is equipped with a digital rearview mirror complete with a HomeLink Universal Transceiver you can access your garage door remotely through your Rav4. This system also allows you to access other security systems like electronic gates and sensors from the front seat of your car.

Yes, Toyota has done it again. Not only did they create the Toyota Rav4 as the first-ever compact crossover SUV so that affordable and reliable cars were suddenly available to everyone looking for something suitable, but Toyota also continue to impress drivers with their innovative technology seen in devices like the digital rearview mirror.

Keep reading to discover more!

Does the Toyota Rav4 have a Garage Door Opener?

Some upper trim levels of the Toyota Rav4 come equipped with a standard or optional digital rearview mirror with a HomeLink universal transceiver device that can connect drivers to their garage door among other devices.

In short, yes, some Toyota Rav4 trims have a garage door opener through the connected HomeLink device installed in your Rav4 digital mirror.

Which Toyota Rav4 Trims Have a Garage Door Opener?

Although it’s not necessarily called a garage door opener, the HomeLink universal transceiver system is mainly used for having access to the garage.

Here are the Rav4 trims that come with the optional Digital rearview mirror and HomeLink universal transceiver for an additional cost:

• Rav4 XLE Premium
• Rav4 XLE Premium Hybrid
• Rav4 TRD Off-Road

Here are the trims that come standard with the digital rearview mirror connected with Toyota’s HomeLink universal transceiver system:

• Rav4 XSE
• Rav4 Limited
• Rav4 Limited Hybrid

What is the HomeLink Universal Transceiver?

Designed by Gentex and partnering up with multiple brands to provide useful and convenient connected services, HomeLink Connect connects drivers to their homes while in the front seat of their car.

Gentex has HomeLink connected services installed in over 80 million cars in the US!

In the Toyota Rav4 you can connect up to three radio-frequency-controlled devices to your car so that with just a touch of a button inside the car, you can control your chosen devices.

Activate your garage door when it’s raining, turn the house lights on when it’s dark, and connect to other devices in your home with the HomeLink connected app on your smartphone that allows you access to your whole house if you choose.

You can use the HomeLink app to turn your thermostat on before you get home so the house is comfortably warm before you get in. Technology is getting better every year and we’re excited to see what’s next!

If you want more information about the HomeLink Universal system you can take a look at their website here.

What Else Can You Use the HomeLink Universal Transceiver For?

Other than opening and closing your garage door with the push of a button on your digital review mirror, this nifty device has multiple other features that make it an ideal feature.

The digital mirror is used for improving and enhancing the driver’s review vision, while the HomeLink transceiver is used to connect drivers to electricals in their homes. Basically, the Toyota Rav4 can be connected to your smartphone and your home for optimal convenience.

Here are some of the features of the digital mirror:

• Increases field of vision with a wide-angle camera
• Improves sight with high definition
• Excellent visibility
• Eliminates glare of headlights in the rear
• Increases nighttime clarity
• Optimizes drivers rea- view by eliminating obstructions and distractions in the cargo

With the implementation of a digital rearview mirror, you can completely load the cargo space of your car and still have perfect visibility behind you on the road.

Here is what you can do with your HomeLink Universal Transceiver system:

• Connect to your garage door
• Connect to selected porch lights
• Connect to your gate entrance
• Home security systems
• Electric door locks
• Music devices

It is completely up to the driver what gets connected, feel free to get creative.

How Does the HomeLink Universal Transceiver Work?

If you haven’t heard of the HomeLink universal transceiver yet that Toyota has implemented in their Rav4 models this might all sound like a futuristic sci-fi movie to you. We promise you it’s real life and Toyota is getting life right with convenient features like this.

Here is how Toyota’s Homelink universal transceiver works:

1. Reset your home link device so you can get started on connecting with your chosen system (garage door, driveway gate entrance, etc.)
2. To do this, you need to press the two outer buttons on the ceiling just above the mirror, number one and three, until a light starts blinking rapidly
3. Grab and hold your remote garage door FOB not more than two inches away from the rearview mirror
4. Press and hold the open button on your remote garage door FOB until a green light starts flashing rapidly
5. When the light stops flashing, (It may take 10 – 15 seconds for the green light to stop flashing) you need to select the number (one, two, or three) you want to connect your garage door to and press and hold the button for at least two to three seconds
6. It’s time to test out your new garage door opener

There are three buttons available for HomeLink connection, you can choose to use two of them to open and close the garage door or you can use them for anything else you like. It’s there to get connected!

If you’d like a video demonstration, we recommend taking a look at this Down East Toyota tutorial on the Toyota Rav4 2019 for further clarification on how to set up your HomeLink connections or this 2020/2021 video of the Rav4 for a more updated tutorial from Toyota Belleville.

So, what are the benefits of this nifty tech feature?

How often do you leave your garage door FOB inside the house? How many garage door FOBs do you have per household? There’s two benefits right there.

Another benefit of the HomeLink Universal Transceiver is safety. If you’re coming home late at night and haven’t left the front house light on, as you approach the driveway in your car you can switch your front (electric) lights on from inside your vehicle for your peace of mind.

What Other Toyota Models Use the HomeLink Universal Transceiver?

Toyota install advanced safety and convenient technology features in all of their cars. They are, after all, one of the top-leading car manufacturers in the world and the Rav4 has helped them to get there.

Some other Toyota models that have also gained access to the HomeLink connection feature are the:

• Toyota 4Runner
• Toyota Avalon
• Toyota Prius
• Toyota Corolla
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota land Cruiser

Conclusion

While the Toyota Rav4 doesn’t necessarily have a garage door opener, the Universal HomeLink Transceiver is designed for connecting your car to specific electrical elements of your home. You get to choose what they are.

You can connect your garage door, which is what most people use this convenient feature for or you can connect to your porch lights, your electric gate, whatever you like.

Some dealerships even call it the HomeLink universal garage door opener.