CSR

Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

22

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid have filed 22 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2021 and May 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 17 of them (77%). The typical failure was reported at 35,000 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

23V865000 · December 20, 2023

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 999,901 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 22.

AIR BAGS 17 77%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 9%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 5%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 5%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 5%
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM 1 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 5%
VISIBILITY 1 5%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 12.

2021 2024 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 8,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle failed to stop while the brake pedal was depressed which resulted in the contact crashing into two parked vehicles where it eventually came to a stop after crashing into a curb. The contact was also concerned that the air bags failed to deploy. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic and then towed again to a local dealer where it was awaiting diagnosis. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

NHTSA complaint 11431988. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LOCK
I bought the car new in July 2021. All four door locks stopped working around May 2023. In June 2023, I only got one of the four door lock assembly’s replaced. And it’s very expensive to get all four fixed. Now, in May of 2026, I am experiencing the same issue with the lock assembly that was replaced in June 2023. There are so many complaints online about the door locks stopping work. I feel like this should be an urgent recall that needs to be addressed. Huge safety issue.

NHTSA complaint 11738189. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available .

NHTSA complaint 11657600. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11656524. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11648719. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11648134. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11640570. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 13 5
2019 22 3
2018 15 0
2017 14 0

Other 2021 Toyota models

Every Toyota on this site — 272 vehicles, 370 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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