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2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 4 of 99 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports

What owners actually said

99 reports
Mileage unknown · Dec 28, 2022
Unknown Or Other

Husband and I bought our 2021 RAV4 Prime from Toyota last Jan, brand new and I’ve had no complaints. On Dec 27, 2022 we were running errands and all of a sudden our sunroof EXPLODED. It sounded like a gun went off right in between us and then showered us with glass residue. There were no cars around us so we immediately pull int…

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Husband and I bought our 2021 RAV4 Prime from Toyota last Jan, brand new and I’ve had no complaints. On Dec 27, 2022 we were running errands and all of a sudden our sunroof EXPLODED. It sounded like a gun went off right in between us and then showered us with glass residue. There were no cars around us so we immediately pull into a parking lot and notice the glass exploded up and out. We took our car immediately to a Toyota dealership within half a mile—they contacted the main Toyota office with our situation and Toyota insisted it must’ve been from road debris hitting the sunroof and then the internal cabin pressure caused the glass to go up/out. However, we were driving with our sunroof tilted up and our windows down so that would’ve been impossible as internal pressure was equilibrated with outside the vehicle. Additionally the tension point was located directly under our roof rack so would’ve been impossible for debris to hit it at that point since it would’ve been protected by the roof rack itself. There was no other damage done to our car. Toyota is not helping us with this situation and we are having to use insurance. After reading other similar incidences, I was shocked how many others have experienced this on Toyota nation, Reddit, and NHTSA. It’s dangerous and is a safety concern for drivers, passengers and other vehicles on the road specifically the loud explosion sound itself, the risk for glass residue to impair vision of the driver and glass shards flying off the roof and hitting other vehicles on the road.

NHTSA ODI #11499197

Mileage unknown · Dec 5, 2022
Fuel/propulsion System

Fuel tank does not appear to fill completely. After 10-11 gallons, the liquid may spill. In addition, fuel range on dashboard only registers 410-440 miles after filling. Because tank volume is 14.5 gallons and hybrid mileage is 38 mpg, this indicates only about 11 gallons in tank. Complete fuel fill should register over 500 mile…

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Fuel tank does not appear to fill completely. After 10-11 gallons, the liquid may spill. In addition, fuel range on dashboard only registers 410-440 miles after filling. Because tank volume is 14.5 gallons and hybrid mileage is 38 mpg, this indicates only about 11 gallons in tank. Complete fuel fill should register over 500 miles, even allowing for a reserve.

NHTSA ODI #11496031

Mileage unknown · Nov 9, 2022
Unknown Or Other

The sunroof shatter while I was driving.

NHTSA ODI #11492860

Mileage unknown · Oct 28, 2022
Unknown Or Other

My 21 rav4 prime has started by ITSELF on at least 6 different occasions I understand that my key fob has the ability to remotely start the car if a button sequence is pressed. This might be a good feature, but unfortuantely this happens by accident when my keys are in my pocket. I am unaware of this occurring until I walk i…

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My 21 rav4 prime has started by ITSELF on at least 6 different occasions I understand that my key fob has the ability to remotely start the car if a button sequence is pressed. This might be a good feature, but unfortuantely this happens by accident when my keys are in my pocket. I am unaware of this occurring until I walk into my enclosed garage and find the car running. It was not started intentionally by me. I do not get any text or warning through the connected toyota app. This is a safety risk as the car can run in the garage generating carbon monoxide which can permiate through the house As I mentioned earlier, this has happened at least 6 times on different days, so it is repeatable. I have a call into the dealer. I have spoken to toyota customer support and they told me there is no way to disable the remote start. There are no warning lights or messages that the car is running. I believe that this is a significant safety hazzard to ones health and life. I have a few suggestions 1 have a disable remote FOB start as an option through setup 2 when the car starts remotely send an alert to the toyota app or text msg to let the owner know the status. 3 have the horn sound

NHTSA ODI #11491332

Mileage unknown · Oct 18, 2022
Unknown Or Other

I was driving my 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime on the freeway. As I was exiting the freeway there was a LOUD explosion in my car that scared the hell out of my friend and I, almost causing me to get into an accident. I pulled over and got out to see what happened. As I walked around the car I checked the tires, which were fine. I did n…

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I was driving my 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime on the freeway. As I was exiting the freeway there was a LOUD explosion in my car that scared the hell out of my friend and I, almost causing me to get into an accident. I pulled over and got out to see what happened. As I walked around the car I checked the tires, which were fine. I did not see anything (it was dark). I could not see the roof (I am short) and the moonroof shade was closed. I got in the car and started driving again and my friend said she could hear crackling, so I pulled into a parking lot. We got out again, and my friend looked up on the top of the car and could see the moonroof had exploded. The glass was cracked around the outer edge. There was no mark where a rock would have hit it. There were no debris marks anywhere, and we did not hear anything hit it. It was an explosion that you could feel. There was absolutely no warning. I took the car in the next day to the dealer and the service agent told to come back on Monday, which is today. The service agent at the dealership agreed that there were no marks, or dings where a rock hit it. He agreed that it looked like it exploded the way it was cracked all around the outer edge of the glass. Late this afternoon they called to tell me that there is a "quality control" person coming tomorrow to look at it so they can decide whether they will honor their warranty. I also purchased the "bumper to bumper" extended warranty when I bought the car, less than a year ago. I always keep the moonroof shade open. Fortunately, I had it closed at that time or we would have at least gotten cut. I usually have my grandson in the back seat and there are glass shards in the back seat and in his car seat. If he had been in the car, my grandson would have gotten cut.

NHTSA ODI #11489696

Mileage unknown · Oct 17, 2022
Unknown Or Other

While driving on the freeway, suddenly we heard a loud noise and then felt particles dropping on us. While attempting to assess what happened in and outside of the vehicle, we noticed the sunroof/moonroof shattered and small shards of glass were everywhere. The loud sound and attempt to assess the situation could have caused an …

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While driving on the freeway, suddenly we heard a loud noise and then felt particles dropping on us. While attempting to assess what happened in and outside of the vehicle, we noticed the sunroof/moonroof shattered and small shards of glass were everywhere. The loud sound and attempt to assess the situation could have caused an accident. We were not passing under anything like a bridge and could determine no cause for the breaking of the glass. Afterward when I could safely pull over so we could clean the glass out of the vehicle, we found no rock or other debris in my vehicle that did not belong. Only shards of glass in our hair, on our bodies, and everywhere in the car, sticking into our skin and making one passenger bleed slightly.

NHTSA ODI #11489636

31,386 miles · Sep 13, 2022
Tires

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 equipped with Dunlop Tire, Tire Line: Grandtrek PT20, Tire Size: 225/60/R18, DOT Number: V4H0. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving to her destination. The …

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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 equipped with Dunlop Tire, Tire Line: Grandtrek PT20, Tire Size: 225/60/R18, DOT Number: V4H0. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that three of 4 tires needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the four tires. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 31,386.

NHTSA ODI #11484288

Mileage unknown · Aug 7, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceCrash

After proceeding from a red light, the vehicle rear ended a semi. The Automatic Emergency Braking system did not engage. Although the Forward Collision Warning worked by giving me visual/sound alerts, it has a tendency to be delayed. Richland County City of Mansfield Police Inspected the vehicle Report number: 22-017305

NHTSA ODI #11478059

Mileage unknown · Jul 30, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceCrashInjury

May 29 2022 I parked my new RAV4 PRIME EV on an incline and left the vehicle running to keep the a/c cold & radio playing. The car was securely parked atop an incline facing up the incline while still running. While the vehicle sat idle I walked my dog waiting to clean up after him. He was taking a long time so I decided to tur…

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May 29 2022 I parked my new RAV4 PRIME EV on an incline and left the vehicle running to keep the a/c cold & radio playing. The car was securely parked atop an incline facing up the incline while still running. While the vehicle sat idle I walked my dog waiting to clean up after him. He was taking a long time so I decided to turn off the vehicle. I walked over to the running vehicle in park, opened the driver door and pressed the off button to turn the vehicle off. This caused the vehicle to roll backwards down the incline while in the park position making a loud click noise. It made the click noise when initially it powered off and attempted to relax into the park position but did not catch, it clicked and began a roll backwards down the hill. I was caught in the driver's door jam and was dragged down the hill along with vehicle. While picking up speed it also made an audible clicking noise that witnesses recall coinciding with the increase in speed the noise increased in intensity. The vehicle dragged me stuck in the door jam into a busy 4 lane roadway where the driver door & my body met impact with a car resulting in the RAV4 rolled on my foot, ankle and leg resulting in severe damage. The impact was at the driver door where I was pinned causing the door to hyperextend. The RAV4 couldn't be moved once stopped due to a safety feature not allowing shifting out of park while the driver door was sensed open. I was pinned for 20 minutes+ under the front driver side wheel. The RAV4 needed to be jacked up to free me. I've since had 4 major surgerys. I paid out pocket 6k to repair the RAV4s cosmetic damage. Toyota they sent a tech to analyze the ECM which confirmed rolling backwards in park but due to my admission of reaching into the running vehicle and pressing off, I was told to refer to my owner manual. They gave excerpts citing "ready" position which is anytime the vehicle is on even accessory mode it's in the "ready" not to operate from outside the vehicle. Unsafe

NHTSA ODI #11476650

Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2022
Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness

Harness strap frayed below car seat base pad where strap is not visible or accessible during routine use. Discovered during cleaning of the seat. This weakens the harness and puts the child at risk. Car seat has not been inspected. Manufacturer has not responded to warranty claim.

NHTSA ODI #11468101

Official recalls

4

23V478000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:dc/dc Converter

Jul 12, 2023

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2022 RAV4 Prime and 2022 Lexus NX450h+ plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles. The electric current rectifying module contained within the DC-DC converter may have been damaged during production, which can result in an electrical short-circuit.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A short circuit can cause the DC-DC converter to overheat, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to charge their vehicles when the ambient air temperature is below or expected to drop below 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). Dealers will replace the DC-DC converter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2023. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB07/23LB01.

23V041000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:hybrid Management:power Control Unit/module (hpcu)

Feb 2, 2023

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021 RAV4 Prime Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. During certain cold weather driving conditions, while driving in EV Mode, the hybrid vehicle control engine control unit (HEV ECU) software may cause the hybrid system to shut down if the accelerator is rapidly pressed to further accelerate the vehicle, resulting in a stall.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the HEV ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 27, 2023. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TA01.

22V239000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc):control Module:software

Apr 13, 2022

Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The Skid Control ECU software may not turn on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system when the vehicle is restarted after the driver has disabled the VSC system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the Skid Control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA03. Lexus' number for this recall is 22LA01.

20V698000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

Nov 12, 2020

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021 RAV4 Prime vehicles. The headlight aiming caps may have been improperly closed, allowing for horizontal adjustment of the headlight beam. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Adjusting the horizontal headlight beam can increase glare, reducing the visibility of an oncoming driver or the vehicle operator, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will close the aiming caps on the headlights, free of charge. The recall began January 6, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA15.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion 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.