This not problem
2021 Toyota RAV4
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota RAV4 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 258.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAV4 years →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: 72 of 385 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 125 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
385 reportsThe driver side mirror hit a mailbox and all of the skirt air bags were deployed. Why was this? This should not have happened I need an explanation as to why my air bags deployed with a side mirror hit. The mirror is still attached to the car the glass was just cracked.
A warning message came up that the HYBRID SYSTEM MALFUNCTION contact dealer. This was confirmed by the dealer. According to the dealer and message boards at various web sites, the Hybrid System Malfunction is NOT uncommon. To fix the problem, a wire harness must be replaced with a replacement cost of $2000-$4000. When I asked wh…
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A warning message came up that the HYBRID SYSTEM MALFUNCTION contact dealer. This was confirmed by the dealer. According to the dealer and message boards at various web sites, the Hybrid System Malfunction is NOT uncommon. To fix the problem, a wire harness must be replaced with a replacement cost of $2000-$4000. When I asked what changes have been made to the replacement part to address the corrosion problem, the response was there might be a new coating but we do live in New Hampshire.
The contact owns a 2021 TOYOTA RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, and attempting to stop the vehicle to let other vehicle enter they respective residence, an unexpected truck crashed into the rear area of the vehicle. The contact stated the impact pulled the vehicle forward which led him to cra…
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The contact owns a 2021 TOYOTA RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, and attempting to stop the vehicle to let other vehicle enter they respective residence, an unexpected truck crashed into the rear area of the vehicle. The contact stated the impact pulled the vehicle forward which led him to crash the other vehicle in front of his. The contact stated the airbags failed to deploy. The contact sustained a neck, knees and back injuries which required medical attention. The contact stated the injuries led him being disabled from work since eight months. The vehicle was towed by the police and repaired by the the insurance. A police report was filed. 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 and confirmed that parts are not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact notified the manufacturer of the failure, however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
Engine maintenance light came on saying to go to dealer at 35,000 miles. The coolant bypass valve needs to be replaced in order to prevent the engine from overheating. Our repair shop coordinated with the dealership who admitted that they commonly see this issue on RAV4 and Corolla models, though there is no recall currently in …
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Engine maintenance light came on saying to go to dealer at 35,000 miles. The coolant bypass valve needs to be replaced in order to prevent the engine from overheating. Our repair shop coordinated with the dealership who admitted that they commonly see this issue on RAV4 and Corolla models, though there is no recall currently in place.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. 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 manufa…
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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I was parked with the car running and an alert came on the dashboard that states SRS Airbag System Malfunction Visit your dealer. Toyota stated that my car is not part of their airbag recall. I believe my car should be included in the recall.
Fuel pressure line leaking gas
I received an error message “Engine stopped, steering power low” after driving an hour in the rain, sat in my car for about 20 mins with wipers on, engine began to jerk aggressively then shut off. I could not gas it or move the car. I let the car sit after being towed, it ran fine as if nothing happened. I got a battery test and…
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I received an error message “Engine stopped, steering power low” after driving an hour in the rain, sat in my car for about 20 mins with wipers on, engine began to jerk aggressively then shut off. I could not gas it or move the car. I let the car sit after being towed, it ran fine as if nothing happened. I got a battery test and it was at 100% charge according to Autozone. The check engine light, battery light and steering light came on. No prior indications of this problem.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that he was stopped on a residential street waiting for a person to return their vehicle out of a driveway when his vehicle was crashed from behind by another vehicle. The contact stated that the impact of the crash moved his vehicle and he crashed into the rear end of anot…
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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that he was stopped on a residential street waiting for a person to return their vehicle out of a driveway when his vehicle was crashed from behind by another vehicle. The contact stated that the impact of the crash moved his vehicle and he crashed into the rear end of another vehicle that was in front. The contact stated that the air bags did not inflate and that he hit his chest on the steering wheel. The contact stated that his knees hit the bottom of the dashboard. The contact stated that he sustained bruising to his chest and had fractured the knee cap of his left leg as well as injury to his neck. The contact was transported to an emergency room by ambulance. The contact stated that the police were on the scene and had written a report. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to a collision repair facility and that the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that he was advised by the repair facility that his vehicle did not have either a passenger or driver's side air bag. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.
Official recalls
123V865000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification
Dec 20, 2023
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
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.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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