2021 Toyota Venza Problems & Owner Complaints

Visibility/Wiper 74

“A large crack appeared on the windshield of my 2021 Toyota Venza. Due to this being a safety issue when driving the vehicle, so I looked into having it repaired by a local shop. When the Venza was taken to the repaired, the repair shop notified me that the issue didn't originate from a rock/chip. The issue was with the windshield or the windshield installation. After a quick Google search, it came to my attention that this is a frequent issue with this year and make. There are class action lawsuits about this issue. This needs to be addressed by Toyota.”
NHTSA complaint #11713374, 2025

“Spontaneous crack in the windshield without any external mechanixal force, such as rock, hale, or any other foreign body.”
NHTSA complaint #11661931, 2025

“I bought this vehicle when new in 2021 and I started to see people complain about the quality of the windshield and how they were getting cracks from rocks on it. I’m [XXX] , and never had a windshield replaced in my life. After seeing people post this, I added windshield coverage to my car. Last year I had a rock hit my windshield and it cause a small star like crack. Right away I called the insurance company and was able to take care of it that day. Few days ago I hear another rock ding. Had nobody in front of me but think it was from the car on the side of me kicked it up. Some time passed…”
NHTSA complaint #11647211, 2025

Unknown Or Other 41 2 crash 2 injury

“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…”
NHTSA complaint #11474269, 2022 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“I was parking my car in a parking lot very slowly (1 mile/hr, or less). My foot was on the break paddle, and I just turned into a parking spot. Suddenly, I heard huge acceleration noise and the car surged forward so rapidly, so powerfully on its own, and totally lost control. Then the break did not work at all. There are bushes in front of the parking spot and it is on top of a retaining wall with side walk road below. The crazy lost controlled car run through the bushes and jumped down from the top of the retaining way onto the side walk road. It hit the railing of the side road and then slo…”
NHTSA complaint #11560798, 2023 · crash

“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, 2026

Electrical System 14 2 crash 2 injury

“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 b…”
NHTSA complaint #11576503, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“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…”
NHTSA complaint #11729686, 2026 · crash

“Primary Control/Head Unit Failure - I can no longer access any of the electronic functions of the vehicle due to the computer screen failure. The back up camera works, but when the vehicle is in drive, it's nothing but a strobing light trying to connect. It's a safety concern most at night due to the constant strobe effect coming across the screen every 3 seconds. It draws your attention from the road and/or gives you the impression that something is coming to hit you from the passenger side. Yes, the vehicle has been inspected and diagnosed by Toyota. Toyota is unwilling to admit their hea…”
NHTSA complaint #11699429, 2025

Exterior Lighting 13

“I just purchased as 2021 Toyota Venza Limited. The headlight on low beam cast a odd shaped shadow. It is very distracting and often makes you think something is in front of the car. The issue dissappears when headlight are switched to high beam. This is very unsafe and deserves a recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11621547, 2024

“HELP! I just purchased a pre-owned Toyota Venza 2021 Limited. I like the car but I went out tonight for the first time at dark and used the head lamps. Something's wrong! The low beams don't shine far enough down the road, there is a distinct cut off between dark and light, like you are looking under a shade. Plus there are dark spots in the light near the edge, especially on the left side and they follow the headlights while you are driving. It is so distracting and dangerous. I swerved a couple of times because I thought there was an animal in the road. The stark cut off between light and da…”
NHTSA complaint #11541313, 2023

“You just cannot see with these headlights. I cannot drive the car at night. No crashes but we live in the country with no added light and these light don’t work. This is a proble since we bought the car a year ago.”
NHTSA complaint #11497161, 2022

Service Brakes 13 6 crash 3 injury

“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…”
NHTSA complaint #11474269, 2022 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“As I was pulling in slowly (going about 2 miles or less) to a perpendicular parking spot at my apartment complex, I took my foot off the accelerator to brake. And all the sudden my car lunged forward and rapidly accelerated forward on its own. It was completely terrifying to have the car take over. The car jumped the curb and went over a hill. I couldn't stop the car and I crashed head on into a two story garage. I saw a "MALFUNCTION" on the dashboard and the air bags did not deploy. I injured my back, neck and right arm. My new car that only has 9K miles on it was completely totaled. Vehicle…”
NHTSA complaint #11479261, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“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…”
NHTSA complaint #11729686, 2026 · crash

Vehicle Speed Control 12 5 crash 5 injury

“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 b…”
NHTSA complaint #11576503, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“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…”
NHTSA complaint #11474269, 2022 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“As I was pulling in slowly (going about 2 miles or less) to a perpendicular parking spot at my apartment complex, I took my foot off the accelerator to brake. And all the sudden my car lunged forward and rapidly accelerated forward on its own. It was completely terrifying to have the car take over. The car jumped the curb and went over a hill. I couldn't stop the car and I crashed head on into a two story garage. I saw a "MALFUNCTION" on the dashboard and the air bags did not deploy. I injured my back, neck and right arm. My new car that only has 9K miles on it was completely totaled. Vehicle…”
NHTSA complaint #11479261, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Fuel/Propulsion System 11

“I am submitting this complain regarding my 2021 Toyota Venza, which has developed a serious defect involving the fuel system. Although my vehicle is fairly new, I began experiencing problems with the fuel door not opening properly. Initially, I could not access the fuel cap, which left me unable refuel in a timely manner. Soon after, I noticed additional fueling issues: while attempting to refuel, the gas pump would repeatedly shut off and stop the fueling process. After taking the vehicle for inspection, it was determined that the actuator responsible for controlling the fuel door and…”
NHTSA complaint #11688955, 2025

“When accelerating from a stopped position, the car fails to go forward. This incident has occurred six times and often seems to be at the worst times, such as pulling into a busy road from a stop sign. The car will start to accelerate and stop with no response from the gas pedal for 3-5 seconds. There have almost been a couple of accidents with this vehicle because of this issue. No check engine light or any light at all came on in the car when this incident occurred. This vehicle has been taking to the dealership and the problem has been mentioned to them, however with no codes to read for th…”
NHTSA complaint #11586267, 2023

“On three separate occassions, when applying the gas pedal, the car did not immediately accelerate. One time I was pulling out across two lanes of traffic and the accelerator was to the floor and nothing happened for about 5 seconds. The last time happened today, 11/3/23, leaving a gas station entering traffic. I hit the gas pedal and it was 3/4 the way down before the car moved which, once again, could have caused a accident pulling out into traffic. I took the car into Jones Junction with the complaint and they could not find any issues after allegedly checking the fuel pump. Online other ind…”
NHTSA complaint #11553376, 2023

Engine 10 1 crash

“On May 30, 2023 at approx. 11:30am I was leaving the car wash located at 2330 Olympic Hwy. N. Shelton Washington. The automatic bar pushed me through the car wash to the end where it left you. There was a slight grade downwards to the highway (Olympic Hwy. N.) I touched the gas peddle slightly and the car surged forward across the SB lane where a car traveling SB had to slam on its brakes to avoid a collision. My car continued across to the NB lane where it struck a vehicle in the drivers side rear quarter panel. I had slammed on the brakes but not quick enough to avoid the collision. Th…”
NHTSA complaint #11538730, 2023 · crash

“This report covers 2 events for the same problem. The first occurred in the spring of 2025 and I did not document the date or time. The second one occurred on November 10, 2025 @ about 10:15 a.m. (1) Last spring my wife was driving the Venza up the street to our residence going a slow rate of speed. As she approached the house, she took her foot off on the gas and coasted toward the left curb so she could back into our driveway. At that point, car suddenly surged forward and accelerated toward the curb. My wife rapidly applied the brake and averted any problem. (2) The second event…”
NHTSA complaint #11699198, 2025

“Vehicle at operating temperature, running, in gear and at a stop. Making a left turn into traffic. I release the brake and apply the accelerator, the car rolls out into traffic but no power, I press more and more until it is 100% throttle, all the way to the floor. Then after about 5 seconds the vehicle moves forward. Complete loss of response/power for 5 seconds. Thankfully no traffic coming. This happens a second time with the same circumstances, different location. Press the accelerator, no response, sudden loss of all power, then after 5 seconds it responds. This time there is traffic comi…”
NHTSA complaint #11634640, 2025

Power Train 9 1 crash 1 injury

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that upon entering her garage at a low rate of speed, her brake pedal failed to operate as needed. The vehicle independently accelerated and crashed through the garage drywall and struck a water line. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. There were two unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact suffered back, head, and neck pain and sought medical attention from her doctor. A police report was filed. The contact's dry wall and water line were damaged as a result of the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic wh…”
NHTSA complaint #11508916, 2023 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“This report covers 2 events for the same problem. The first occurred in the spring of 2025 and I did not document the date or time. The second one occurred on November 10, 2025 @ about 10:15 a.m. (1) Last spring my wife was driving the Venza up the street to our residence going a slow rate of speed. As she approached the house, she took her foot off on the gas and coasted toward the left curb so she could back into our driveway. At that point, car suddenly surged forward and accelerated toward the curb. My wife rapidly applied the brake and averted any problem. (2) The second event…”
NHTSA complaint #11699198, 2025

“Vehicle at operating temperature, running, in gear and at a stop. Making a left turn into traffic. I release the brake and apply the accelerator, the car rolls out into traffic but no power, I press more and more until it is 100% throttle, all the way to the floor. Then after about 5 seconds the vehicle moves forward. Complete loss of response/power for 5 seconds. Thankfully no traffic coming. This happens a second time with the same circumstances, different location. Press the accelerator, no response, sudden loss of all power, then after 5 seconds it responds. This time there is traffic comi…”
NHTSA complaint #11634640, 2025

Air Bags 7 6 crash 5 injury

“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…”
NHTSA complaint #11532610, 2023 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“I was involved in a no fault accident when an SUV slammed into the back of my Toyota Venza at full speed and pushed me into the left guardrail of the bridge we were driving on. Neither the front airbags or the driver (left) side airbags deployed.”
NHTSA complaint #11667971, 2025 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“As I was pulling in slowly (going about 2 miles or less) to a perpendicular parking spot at my apartment complex, I took my foot off the accelerator to brake. And all the sudden my car lunged forward and rapidly accelerated forward on its own. It was completely terrifying to have the car take over. The car jumped the curb and went over a hill. I couldn't stop the car and I crashed head on into a two story garage. I saw a "MALFUNCTION" on the dashboard and the air bags did not deploy. I injured my back, neck and right arm. My new car that only has 9K miles on it was completely totaled. Vehicle…”
NHTSA complaint #11479261, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Structure 7

“Indeed, I recently encountered a concerning issue with my 2021 Toyota Venza. The problem manifested in mid-July, during the process of preparing to enter my vehicle. To my dismay, the door refused to open. Despite my repeated attempts to use the keyless entry system, the door stubbornly remained closed. Consequently, I was compelled to resort to using my key fob, which presented its own challenges. While I would not typically express such frustration, the safety implications of this issue are significant and have become quite inconvenient for me. As a physically disabled individual, I rely on…”
NHTSA complaint #11685220, 2025

“Windshield broke for no reason.long Crack across bottom of Windshield.”
NHTSA complaint #11626244, 2024

“While driving we noticed a line in the windshield. After inspection we realized that the line is actually a crack. It started at the base in the right corner (passenger side). No rocks or any impact with any objects.”
NHTSA complaint #11441751, 2021

Forward Collision Avoidance 5 1 crash

“I was on the highway, no ice on the road, in a construction zone, going about 50mph. The cars in front of me stopped completely, and the light to warn me to "Brake" came on the dashboard to engage the brakes, but the emergency braking system failed to engage the brakes and slow down the car. I also pushed on the brakes, but nothing happened, the car did not seem to slow down at all, like I had no brakes. I kept going and crashed into the vehicle in front of me. It's like the brakes did not work and the automatic braking did not work either. There was a complete system brake failure. Also,…”
NHTSA complaint #11507719, 2023 · crash

“A small crack appeared on the windshield driver side of vehicle. I have no recollection of any items or debris hitting the car and damaging it. I then searched online and found there have been many registered instances of this specific car model windshield (2021 and newer) either easily cracking or seemingly cracking under no impact.”
NHTSA complaint #11556181, 2023

“2021 Toyota Venza while being driven while merging onto the highway, the vehicle lost all braking power causing my wife to almost cash into the car in front of her. The vehicle was moving between 50 to 55 miles per hour. Once the vehicle was pulled over, the dash was displaying these error messages: Pre-Collision System Malfunction; Braking Power Low/Visit your Dealer; Check Engine; and Secondary Collision Brake System Malfunction. This caused my wife to be stranded on the side of the highway. The vehicle has 24,811 miles on it. The vehicle had to be towed to the Toyota dealership. This is the…”
NHTSA complaint #11484848, 2022

Steering 5 2 crash 1 injury

“It was raining, I was driving in the far left lane next to the center divider. I noticed the car in front of me drive through a significant collection of water that was the width of the entire lane. I was unable to switch lanes, so I slowed down and went through the water as well. As soon as my Venza came to the collection of water, my steering wheel locked up. I was unable to direct the car in the opposite direction of the pull. I was not able to move the steering wheel at all. The car continued to go in it’s own direction, despite me pumping the brakes. The Venza spun out, hit another car be…”
NHTSA complaint #11477342, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Forward collision avoidance; automatic emergency braking; adaptive cruise control; I pulled into a straight-ahead handicapped parking slot to park, going about 1-3mph . There was a handicapped sign in front of me on a newly installed steel pole. I pulled in within inches of the pole. When I tried to engage the brakes, the braking system failed to engage the brakes and slow down the car. The car instead accelerated and would have broken through a store front had the pole not stopped it. I also pushed on the brakes, but nothing happened, the car did not seem to slow down at all, like I had no b…”
NHTSA complaint #11509304, 2023 · crash

“Left side of my heated steering overheated and burned through the leather.”
NHTSA complaint #11718224, 2026

Visibility 5

“The infotainment system is not consistently working. It is the 12.5 screen-based system that enables the control of numerous features including air conditioning/heating, audio (all radio and satellite radio), backup camera feed, and map/gps display. I see that there is a recall for this system for some Toyota models, however I have not yet received a notification, and I am assuming that it is because my car is a 2021 model. Not having this display makes navigation difficult (as the screen will just turn off suddenly) and control of the cabin environment impossible (i.e. I struggle turning on t…”
NHTSA complaint #11698720, 2025

“2021 TOYOTA VENZA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO THE WINDSHIELD DESIGN CAUSING A BLIND SPOT.”
NHTSA complaint #11481133, 2022

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that on two separate occasions the front windshield cracked. The contact stated that the first time he noticed the crack was ten days after the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the windshield was replaced however, the contact stated that the second time his wife was seated on the passenger side when she noticed that the windshield started to crack. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer had taken photos of the windshield and sent them to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The man…”
NHTSA complaint #11481201, 2022

Back Over Prevention 2

“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, 2026

“The infotainment system is not consistently working. It is the 12.5 screen-based system that enables the control of numerous features including air conditioning/heating, audio (all radio and satellite radio), backup camera feed, and map/gps display. I see that there is a recall for this system for some Toyota models, however I have not yet received a notification, and I am assuming that it is because my car is a 2021 model. Not having this display makes navigation difficult (as the screen will just turn off suddenly) and control of the cabin environment impossible (i.e. I struggle turning on t…”
NHTSA complaint #11698720, 2025

Lane Departure 2

“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, 2026

“2021 Toyota Venza Steering assist feature creates a safety hazard. The steering assist works with the cruise control and lane departure. When on, it appears that the steering assist picks up its position or centers the vehicle in the lane from the nearest white line on the right side. It positions the vehicle approximately 12 to 18 inches from the right line position thus positioning the vehicle slightly right of the center of the lane. One is forced to fight the pull of the wheel to maintain a center lane position. This Steering Assist function creates the following problems: 1.Off-center to…”
NHTSA complaint #11437077, 2021

Seat Belts 2 1 crash 2 injury

“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 b…”
NHTSA complaint #11576503, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“Extremely loud seatbelt warning chimes created a hazardous situation by causing a severe distraction, preventing ability to hear traffic, and having no way to correct the situation. I had a near miss accident while trying to figure out what was wrong, and was forced to make a very dangerous stop on the side of a highway to correct the problem. The seatbelt warning chime was improperly triggered by a fault in Toyotas programming. A child briefly plugged their seatbelt into the 'wrong' receptacle in the rear seat. They quickly realized it was the wrong one and plugged it into the correct r…”
NHTSA complaint #11500065, 2022

Seats 1 1 injury

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact stated there was a default in the driver's seat and the lumbar function needed to be adjusted numerous times. The contact stated the bottom of the driver seat was not aligned properly with the steering column. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were pains in the driver's body that caused it to be pinned to the right while driving. The contact received medical treatments for the pains. The vehicle was not diagnosed and it was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11476375, 2021 · 1 injury(ies)

Suspension 1

“The connection to the starter is loose, makes ticking sounds on start. Bad connection to the battery car won't start.”
NHTSA complaint #11459034, 2021