2021 Toyota VENZA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2021 Toyota VENZA has 234 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.9x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is visibility problems (34% of all complaints), specifically: very small rock hit front windshield, which cracked soon after purchase. i might be willing to rack this up to bad luck, but there are several others that have posted online about the exact same scenario, see toyotanation forum https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/windshield-repair.1695878/ as well .

16 crash reports 12 injuries

234

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.9x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

VISIBILITY

79 complaints

34%

• Very small rock hit front windshield, which cracked soon after purchase. I might be willing to rack this up to bad luck, but there are several others that have posted online about the exact same scenario, see ToyotaNation forum https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/windshield-repair.1695878/ as well
• Vehicle 2 weeks old; small pebble (pea size) hit windshield centered on passenger vision (approx 80% from left to right) ; crack starts to form in windshield to left of driver vision (approx 10% from left to right) starting at the bottom in the black trim section - nowhere near pebble impact; over
• Faulty front windshield cracked without any known damage.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“Very small rock hit front windshield, which cracked soon after purchase. I might be willing to rack this up to bad luck, but there are several others that have posted online about the exact same scenario, see ToyotaNation forum https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/windshield-repair.1695878/ as well ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

39 complaints

17%

• Small rock hit windshield causing it to immediately crack 12” long and in an arc. In 55 years driving never had this occurrence. Checked website and apparently there are quite a few incidents of the same size of crack and arc happening in 2021 Venza. Wondered if there is a manufacturers defect with
• 1 month after buying vehicle i heard as if a rock hit the car. I assume that’s what happened but i did not see it hit. When i got home, i saw a chip in the lower edge of the passenger side (in the black part of the glass) on the windshield. There have been no appointments to repair, but 6 weeks afte
• An object, possibly a rock, flew up from the road and caused a chip in the windshield that turned into a crack from the far left side of the windshield to the middle. I have had several other vehicles in the past that rocks have hit the windshield and no damage was done.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“Small rock hit windshield causing it to immediately crack 12” long and in an arc. In 55 years driving never had this occurrence. Checked website and apparently there are quite a few incidents of the same size of crack and arc happening in 2021 Venza. Wondered if there is a manufacturers defect with ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

14 complaints

• The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to open or start. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle with some assistance and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that there
• 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 wi
• The connection to the starter is loose, makes ticking sounds on start. Bad connection to the battery car won't start.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to open or start. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle with some assistance and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that there ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

LIGHTING

13 complaints

• The venzas headlights, while on low beam only, have 2 shadows or blobs in the drivers view. It is very distracting especially while turning or cornering. It appears as if things are running out in front of the car. The issue is discussed by Venza owners on the Toyota nation blog. https://www.toyotan
• The headlights when they are in low beam have shadows. They are a distraction and sometimes it seems like something is in front. They decrease visibility. No No
• Re: Complaint, rear turn signals Purchase new Toyota Venza on 8/12/21. Several complaints with the vehicle after a couple of days after driving. Programming and setting up all of the features is very complicated and the instructional manual does not match the vehicle. The dealership was unable to s

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“The venzas headlights, while on low beam only, have 2 shadows or blobs in the drivers view. It is very distracting especially while turning or cornering. It appears as if things are running out in front of the car. The issue is discussed by Venza owners on the Toyota nation blog. https://www.toyotan”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

13 complaints

• Pulling into a parking spot (under 5 mpg), brakes did not engage. Car drove up onto the sidewalk. Had to put car into reverse to avoid hitting the building. While in reverse, brakes would not engage as well had to turn off the vehicle to stop it after it hit the curb 20ft behind the vehicle. Had
• 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 d
• 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.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 6 crashes

“Pulling into a parking spot (under 5 mpg), brakes did not engage. Car drove up onto the sidewalk. Had to put car into reverse to avoid hitting the building. While in reverse, brakes would not engage as well had to turn off the vehicle to stop it after it hit the curb 20ft behind the vehicle. Had ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

LIGHTING(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 234 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
VISIBILITY: Very small rock hit front windshield, which cracked soon after purchase. I might be willing to rack this up to bad luck, but there are several others that have posted online about the exact same scenario, see ToyotaNation forum https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/windshield-repair.1695878/ as well
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: Small rock hit windshield causing it to immediately crack 12” long and in an arc. In 55 years driving never had this occurrence. Checked website and apparently there are quite a few incidents of the same size of crack and arc happening in 2021 Venza. Wondered if there is a manufacturers defect with
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Venza. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to open or start. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle with some assistance and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that there
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
LIGHTING: The venzas headlights, while on low beam only, have 2 shadows or blobs in the drivers view. It is very distracting especially while turning or cornering. It appears as if things are running out in front of the car. The issue is discussed by Venza owners on the Toyota nation blog. https://www.toyotan
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)