CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2021 Toyota Venza Hybrid

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

Owners have filed 188 safety complaints about the 2021 Toyota Venza Hybrid with the US government. Of those, 15 describe a crash, 12 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the exterior lighting.

The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers, named in 74 complaints, 39% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 5,500 miles, the median across the 15 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers November 2020 to August 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

188 complaints on file

188

Complaints

15

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

12

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints fell 33% year on year: 16 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 24 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
VISIBILITY/WIPER 74 · 39%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 42 · 22%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 16 · 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 · 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 14 · 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 12 · 6%
ENGINE 11 · 6%
SERVICE BRAKES 11 · 6%
POWER TRAIN 9 · 5%
AIR BAGS 7 · 4%
STRUCTURE 7 · 4%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 · 3%
0 31 62

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 188.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 74.

80 60 40 20
20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026 , the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2021 Toyota VENZA HYBRID, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.5%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL:BULBS

22V033000 · January 26, 2022

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021 Venza Hybrid vehicles. Water may enter the rear turn signal LED lights, allowing condensation to form on the circuit board, and causing a short circuit. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
A short circuit can cause dimming or failure of the rear turn signals and hazard lights, reducing the vehicle's visibility to other drivers and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace both rear turn signal LED bulbs and replace the rear turn signal light assembly as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 18, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available by June 30, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TB01/22TA01.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 41,544 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

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.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

SERVICE BRAKES

2 injured · crash · towed

as I attempted to turn left in the parking lot of a strip mall with several restaurants, my engine suddenly revved and accelerated and despite pumping the brakes several times I could not slow it down or stop it. As a result I slammed into a concrete berm, kept going and crashed through the glass doors of a coffee shop/restaurant, continued on and the car did not stop until it hit a metal counter. Fortunately I was not hurt, nor did I kill anyone, although I was told two workers went to the hospital with bruises and lacerations on their legs. Since I was unable to stop the car, not only was my life at risk, but anyone who crossed my path or who was in the coffee shop could have been

NHTSA complaint 11474269, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

On 17th June 2023, while returning home on the WA-9/SR-9 NB, I stopped at the red light where WA-2 was crossing. My wife was sitting with me in the car. One Subaru rammed me from behind. This road has a speed limit of 55 Miles per hour and is a single-lane state highway. The rear was damaged heavily. I lost control of the vehicle, went into the SB lane, and saw a car approaching me from the opposite direction. I looked right and saw a little space between the car ahead of me and the vehicle ahead of it. I turned right without hitting those two cars and entered the roadside ditch damaging the front. In both cases, the airbag was not deployed, first the ramming from behind and then going into

NHTSA complaint 11532610, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2 injured · crash · towed

The crash occurred at 2:50 PM on January 10, 2024 while pulling our 2021 Toyota Venza into a diagonal parking space on a slight upgrade. The vehicle surged over the curb, across the sidewalk and into a brick wall with gas pipelines attached to it. As this was happening, the driver yelled, “I don’t know what’s happening.” The car then rebounded onto the sidewalk and was turned off quickly because of a gas smell. We exited the vehicle and tried to keep people away from the scene because of the smell. The passenger had great difficulty getting out of the car because the passenger side door was blocked by a tree in the median. The Fire Department cleared the area, the police interviewed both

NHTSA complaint 11576503, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS

1 injured · crash · towed · 15 miles

OUR CAR IMPACTED WITH ANOTHER AS WE TRIED TO ENTER THE HIGHWAY FROM A SHORT MERGE LANE. THE OTHER CAR ENTERED IN FRONT OF US FROM THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AFTER WE PASSED A STOP SIGN IN THE MERGE LANE; THE OTHER CAR THEN STOPPED SHORT BEFORE ENTERING THE HIGHWAY, JUST AS WE WERE SPEEDING UP THE ENTER THE HIGHWAY. A SENSOR SOUNDED IN OUR CAR, WE SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES, AND THE TWO CARES COLLIDED. THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT OF OUR VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED; THE REAR DRIVE SIDE OF THE OTHER CAR WAS DAMAGED. DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT IN OUR CAR OPERATED NORMALLY. PASSENGER SIDE SEATBELT IN OUR CAR LOOSENED INSTEAD OF TIGHTENED; PASSENGER HIT HEAD ON DASHBOARD AS BRAKES WERE HIT OR IMPACT HAPPENED (WE WERE GOING

NHTSA complaint 11407404, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
low‑beam headlights/headlight assembly issues. Moisture getting in, corrosion of prongs that connect to the headlight assembly. Dimming lights once assembly was replaced. Condensation in the headlights. Some bulbs work while others don't.

NHTSA complaint 11755427. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The center console has cracked and has sharp corners causing an increased risk of injury. Also may cause one to jerk the wheel if placing their elbow down and not expecting the sharp corner. No accident occurred as of yet, but could if someone else were to be driving my car and place their arm down on the center console. I have to place my arm down a certain way to avoid getting poked. Just wanted to report this as I am not sure if other owners have reported similar issue with their center console developing sharp edges. Would probably be similar to NHTSA campaign number 26V368000

NHTSA complaint 11749249. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear passenger side window exploded (shattered) while driving on the Hardy Toll Road in [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11749273. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
My 2021 VENZA has had an issue with the airbag light coming on. The SRS Airbag Malfunction notification is on when starting the vehicle. Within the first year of having the car I paid to have the system checked and the tensioner and airbag replaced. Three months later the light came back on. I was told the seatbelt got twisted again. Other vehicles under Toyota have active recalls on Airbag issues currently with this manufacturer. I believe this make and model should be included. I am currently having to pay another diagnostic fee in 2026 after only having the preowned vehicle two years to figure out why the SRS malfunction notification has come back on. Of course the light has come on when

NHTSA complaint 11735141, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
This just showed in my 2021 Toyota Venza. I heard that this is is common issue for all Toyota but was not corrected .

NHTSA complaint 11734838. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash

While driving under normal conditions and driving into my driveway on Thursday, March 19, I experienced a sudden and temporary loss of braking ability. When I applied the brake pedal, the vehicle did not decelerate as expected. This resulted in a collision with a residential fence at low speed. There were no warning lights or prior indications of a braking issue before the incident. The loss of braking appeared to be momentary, but significant enough to prevent me from stopping the vehicle in time. The vehicle has been regularly maintained and had no known prior brake issues although there are times when the brakes skip when traction is involved. There are also sudden issues with the

NHTSA complaint 11729686, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota Venza Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 25 2 —
2023 21 2 —
2022 42 0 —

Other 2021 Toyota models

Highlander 497 RAV4 382 Corolla 185 Camry 155 RAV4 Prime 98 Tacoma 78 Sienna Hybrid 38 4Runner 35

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Toyota on this site — 279 vehicles, 372 recall campaigns and 4 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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst