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2021 Toyota Venza Hybrid

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

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: 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.

15 crash reports0 fire reports9 injury reports

Fuel/propulsion System complaints

14 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 15, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

Twice in the (almost a)year I’ve had the Venza I have gone to accelerate from a stop sign and the car started to go then the gas pedal went all the way to floor and nothing happened - then when I tried again the car accelerated as expected. The first time (@ approx 4000 miles) I was turning left with oncoming traffic (of semi t…

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Twice in the (almost a)year I’ve had the Venza I have gone to accelerate from a stop sign and the car started to go then the gas pedal went all the way to floor and nothing happened - then when I tried again the car accelerated as expected. The first time (@ approx 4000 miles) I was turning left with oncoming traffic (of semi truck plus others) coming and had it happened a few seconds later - I would have been in a serious accident. Second time was just over 10000 miles on 1/12/2021

NHTSA ODI #11447583

Mileage unknown · Oct 14, 2021
Fuel/propulsion System

I just purchased the 2021 Venza a week ago. I was not aware of the fuel tank issue with the RAV4. When I filled up my Venza I noticed that it was not filling up to the full 14.5 gallons as stated by Toyota. I would assume that there maybe some reserve gas in the tank. But had I not noticed this I would have attempted to continu…

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I just purchased the 2021 Venza a week ago. I was not aware of the fuel tank issue with the RAV4. When I filled up my Venza I noticed that it was not filling up to the full 14.5 gallons as stated by Toyota. I would assume that there maybe some reserve gas in the tank. But had I not noticed this I would have attempted to continue driving since I assumed that the tank has 3.5 gallons in reserves but I am uncertain. If this is the case anyone may become stranded or even worse run out of fuel on the freeway putting the people inside the vehicle in danger and causing life and death accidents. There is no documentation in the owners manual about the discrepancies between what Toyota states (14.5 gallons) and the 11 gallons that it takes when filling up at the gas station.

NHTSA ODI #11436748

2,504 miles · Mar 8, 2021
Fuel/propulsion System

FUEL GAUGE AND FUEL TANK DO NOT OPERATE PROPERLY, LIKE THE 2020 RAV 4 GAS TANK PROBLEM. ON 2/8/21 WHEN THE GAUGE INDICATED 1/2 TANK, I PUT IN 9.997 GAL OF GAS, SINCE THIS CAR ONLY HAS A 14 1/2 GAL TANK THE TANK MUST NOT HAVE BEEN 1/2 FULL. ON 2/14/21 THE GAUGE READ 2/3 , I PUMPED GAS AND THE PUMP SHUT OFF AT 1.1 GAL, I SLOWLY A…

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FUEL GAUGE AND FUEL TANK DO NOT OPERATE PROPERLY, LIKE THE 2020 RAV 4 GAS TANK PROBLEM. ON 2/8/21 WHEN THE GAUGE INDICATED 1/2 TANK, I PUT IN 9.997 GAL OF GAS, SINCE THIS CAR ONLY HAS A 14 1/2 GAL TANK THE TANK MUST NOT HAVE BEEN 1/2 FULL. ON 2/14/21 THE GAUGE READ 2/3 , I PUMPED GAS AND THE PUMP SHUT OFF AT 1.1 GAL, I SLOWLY ADDED GAS AS THE PUMP KEPT CLINKING OFF TILL I GOT A TOTAL OF 1.743 GAL OF GAS INTO THE TANK. I STARTED THE ENGINE AND THE GAS GAUGE STILL READ 2/3, SO I STARTED THE GAS PUMP AGAIN SLOWLY ADDED ANOTHER 1.287 GAL OF GAS. I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN AND THE GAUGE STILL READ 2/3 FULL. I LEFT THE GAS STATION AND AFTER DRIVING APPROX 4 MILES THE GAUGE SUDDENLY WENT UP ABOVE THE FULL MARK. I TALKED TO ONE PERSON AT THE LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE GAS TANK WAS THE SAME PART NUMBER AS THE ONES BEING REPLACED ON THE RAV4 HYBRIDS FOR THE PROBLEM OF THE TANKS NOT FILLING PROPERLY AND THE GAS GAUGE NOT OPERATING PROPERLY, BUT NOTHING CAN BE DONE UNTIL TOYOTA FINDS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM AND SENDS OUT INSTRUCTIONS TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PARTS. I THEN TALKED TO ANOTHER SUPERVISOR AT ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE 2021 VENZA HAS A BLADDER IN THE FUEL TANK AND THE ONLY WAY FOR IT TO FILL PROPERLY AND THE GAUGE TO WORK PROPERLY IS TO WAIT UNTIL THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 1/4 TANK OF GAS BEFORE FILLING WITH GAS. AFTER SPENDING OVER $42,000 FOR A NEW VEHICLE THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM CUSTOMERS SHOULD HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT. THE OTHER PROBLEM IS DUE TO THE GAUGE AND TANK PROBLEM THE MILES REMAINING DISPLAY IS ALWAYS WRONG.

NHTSA ODI #11399703

1,192 miles · Nov 26, 2020
Fuel/propulsion System

MY 2021 TOYOTA VENZA HYBRID LE CLAIMS TO HAVE A 14.5 FUEL TANK CAPACITY BY TOYOTA BUT MINE WILL ONLY FILL UP TO AROUND 11 GALLONS WHEN IT GETS TO EMPTY. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TWICE TO TOYOTA'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY CONFIRMED MY VEHICLE WAS ONLY FILING UP TO 11 GALLONS BUT THAT THIS WAS 'NORMAL AND PART OF THE DESIGN SINCE …

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MY 2021 TOYOTA VENZA HYBRID LE CLAIMS TO HAVE A 14.5 FUEL TANK CAPACITY BY TOYOTA BUT MINE WILL ONLY FILL UP TO AROUND 11 GALLONS WHEN IT GETS TO EMPTY. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TWICE TO TOYOTA'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY CONFIRMED MY VEHICLE WAS ONLY FILING UP TO 11 GALLONS BUT THAT THIS WAS 'NORMAL AND PART OF THE DESIGN SINCE IT HAS A RESERVE OF GAS.' HOWEVER, THE NEW TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRIDS ARE REPORTING THE SAME EXACT ISSUE WHICH TOYOTA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED. BOTH VEHICLES SHARE THE SAME ENGINE, HYBRID SYSTEM, AND SAME 14.5 FUEL TANK AND ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL MECHANICALLY. HOW COME IT'S AN ISSUE FOR THE RAV4 HYBRID AND NOT MY 2021 TOYOTA VENZA? EITHER WAY, MY TOYOTA IS NOT GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR THE RANGE THAT TOYOTA ADVERTISES ON A FULL TANK AND IS ONLY FILING UP TO 11 GALLONS. I UNDERSTAND MOST CARS WILL LET YOU GET TO A GAS STATION IF YOU EVER GET TO EMPTY, BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT MOST CARS WILL FILL UP VERY CLOSE TO WHAT THE TANK CAPACITY IS ADVERTISED TO BE. SO EITHER THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER IS LYING BECAUSE IT WILL TELL ME 11 MILES DISTANCE TO EMPTY WHEN THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON OR TOYOTA LIED TO ME, BOTH ARE TELLING ME TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. THIS CAN BE UNSAFE FOR SOMEONE WHO PURCHASES THE VEHICLE AND BELIEVES THAT THEY HAVE A 14.5 FUEL TANK AND ARE LEFT STRANDED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS ONLY FILLING UP TO 11 GALLONS. I'M GETTING 42 MILES PER GALLON SO THOSE EXTRA 3.5 GALLONS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT EXIST CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IF YOU AREN'T SURE IF YOU'LL GET TO YOUR DESTINATION OR BE LEFT ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY WHICH CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BECAUSE TOYOTA ISN'T ADDRESSING THIS FOR MY VENZA.

NHTSA ODI #11376424

Official recalls

2

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.

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

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.