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.
2021 Toyota Venza Hybrid
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Venza Hybrid 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: 15 of 188 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.
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Exterior Lighting complaints
16 reportsI 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.
Head lights! Dangerous. They have blind-spots due to equipment blocking full light vision. This is my 2nd report to you. I have not gotten a response. I think this should be looked into immediately. I don't care to drive at night because of this blind-spot. Yes, I have reported this to Toyota and they could not do anything…
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Head lights! Dangerous. They have blind-spots due to equipment blocking full light vision. This is my 2nd report to you. I have not gotten a response. I think this should be looked into immediately. I don't care to drive at night because of this blind-spot. Yes, I have reported this to Toyota and they could not do anything about it because they it from the new type of light bulbs. Please review, research and respond. Thank you.
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…
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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 dark is like a straight line and the shadows are ridiculous! How could this design have passed safety tests! This makes me sea sick and scared bc I can't see more than 15 - 20' ahead of me! Very very dangerous! Please recall this stupid design!
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.
Both left and right headlights on this car cast a dark "shadow" on the road in front of the car when driving at night. It only occurs when the headlights are on low beam, the high beam headlights are normal. Each headlight casts 2 shadows, for a total of 4, which can be seen about 100 feet in front of the car. They are very d…
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Both left and right headlights on this car cast a dark "shadow" on the road in front of the car when driving at night. It only occurs when the headlights are on low beam, the high beam headlights are normal. Each headlight casts 2 shadows, for a total of 4, which can be seen about 100 feet in front of the car. They are very distracting at all times, but especially when the car is driven around a corner; it appears something is running across the road in front of the car. When I have pointed it out to passengers in the car, everyone remarks that it is very distracting and odd. I told the folks in the service department at the dealership I bought the car from about it, and they turned the headlights on and pulled the car up to a blank wall. I was with them and we could all clearly see the black shadows on the wall. It's like there are pieces of tape on the headlight lenses, but there isn't anything visible that would make these shadows. The service folks at the dealership just scratched their heads and said there was nothing they could do, and so the problem remains. This car is available for inspection at any time. There are no warning lamps or messages about the headlights. I bought this car new in May 2021 and noticed the problem right away. The dealership looked at it when we took it in for it's first oil change in February 2022, but they did not note it on the service receipt.
Rear turn signal location is not easily visible in many traffic situations when being followed in traffic. Signals get snow covered quickly and markers are not visible from the side views. Rear signals are located very low on the rear bumper. Signals are small in size. There is also a recall on the failure of the signal on some …
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Rear turn signal location is not easily visible in many traffic situations when being followed in traffic. Signals get snow covered quickly and markers are not visible from the side views. Rear signals are located very low on the rear bumper. Signals are small in size. There is also a recall on the failure of the signal on some of the 2021 Venzas that is concerning.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V033000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 dealer was not contacted. The manu…
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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V033000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V033000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 not made aware of…
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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V033000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had stated that the exterior lights were dim. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Headlights: They have a shadow blocking full view. They are not shining equally on both sides. Instead the beam drops off the field of vision abruptly and you now faced with a blind spot of darkness. Basically, if something or someone came out in front of you, you would not see them until it was too late. For instance, driving i…
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Headlights: They have a shadow blocking full view. They are not shining equally on both sides. Instead the beam drops off the field of vision abruptly and you now faced with a blind spot of darkness. Basically, if something or someone came out in front of you, you would not see them until it was too late. For instance, driving in the neighbor alley without lighting, if a child, animal or ball came out in front of you, you would have no shadow or warning that you were about to come into contact with them. With other vehicles the light sprays off into the distance so you can see a wider field of vision. I find this extremely dangerous, unsafe for me and others! If I use my high beams the problem is solved but that is not a proper solution. I have spoken to Toyota dealer x2 and their answer is... That's the new LEDs. I have called Toyota Corp and they have registered my call. I truly believe this is a matter of urgency for the safety of human life.
Official recalls
222V239000 · 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.
22V033000 · Exterior Lighting:hazard Flashing Warning Lights; Exterior Lighting:turn Signal:bulbs
Jan 26, 2022
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
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.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Exterior Lighting:hazard Flashing Warning Lights
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."
Consequence: 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.
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.
Exterior Lighting:turn Signal:bulbs
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."
Consequence: 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.
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.
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
1DP22005 · 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.
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