Issues with acceleration malfunctions, windshields, headlights, and faulty mirrors are the main cause of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
According to the manufacturer, the all-hybrid 2022 Toyota Venza ”raises the bar for SUVs.” Features they highlight include “an intuitive driving experience with smooth acceleration” and “predictable handling.” But owners are complaining about serious acceleration issues, unpredictable handling, and a highly compromised driving experience. Alarmingly, almost all of these problems are common to the 2021 model, which was the first “reimagined” version of the Venza since 2015.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2021
Complaints about the 2022 Toyota Venza to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) are varied and quite similar in terms of numbers. Those that stand out include forward collision issues, some of which are related to acceleration problems, and visibility concerns that relate to windshields chipping and cracking as well as cracking. Faulty mirrors and issues with headlights that attract shadows are also prevalent.
The components and systems listed on the NHTSA website are the engine, exterior lighting, forward collision avoidance, lane departure, powertrain, vehicle speed control, visibility, and visibility/wiper. The mirror problems are listed as being unknown or other issues.
While there are two separate NHTSA files, the 2022 Toyota Venza and the 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid SUV AWD, there is also mention of the Hybrid in the standard 2022 Toyota Venza list of complaints. So we have combined data from both here.
There is one recall that is filed under the standard Venza. One of the NHTSA complaints refers to what seems to be the same issue.
NHTSA Campaign Number 22V239000, dated April 13, 2023, covers an issue related to stability-control deactivating on startup. A total of 458,110 Toyota and Lexus vehicles are affected by the recall, including 2021-2022 Venzas. According to the recall, “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. “This deactivates the stability control system and increases the risk of a crash. The solution is for dealers to update the Skid Control ECU software, which they will do free of charge.
A complaint lodged by an owner from Michigan on October 13, 2022, prior to the recall, mentions a stability issue, blaming it on the safety features of the SUV. “There is a body roll, at high speed and cornering (the) vehicle feels unstable.”
Describing the lane keep feature as “finicky,” the complaint says that “keep assist” loses control and the SUV starts drifting to the left. It also pulls more to the left when cornering and doesn’t stay in the middle of the lane. “High speed cornering feels unstable and with DRCC (Dynamic Radar Cruise Control) acceleration and speed (it) doesn’t account for vehicle stability. I had to brake multiple times to make sure the vehicle stability was not compromised.”
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Engine | |
| Power Train | |
| Structure:body | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Electrical System |
Sudden acceleration is a significant problem with 2021 Toyota Venzas. 2022 owners are discovering that the problem hasn’t been fixed. Ironically, both models also share complaints about losing power and not being able to accelerate.
The Michigan owner mentioned above reports a combination of acceleration issues. The complaint states that the SUV will accelerate when the speed is set at 70 mph. But when increasing the speed to 80 mph, it sometimes begins slowing down if the driver takes his foot off the pedal. Sometimes the speed continues to increase when the car should start slowing down. “I had to force (the) brake due to safety concerns and (the) possibility of an accident with the vehicle” in front of the Venza. The complaint states that the owner was able to simulate this issue several times.
A 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid owner from Washington experienced sudden acceleration when pulling very slowly into a relative’s garage driveway “while my foot was still on the brake pedal. It crashed into the garage door at fairly high speed, severely damaging the vehicle’s front end. All (the) front airbags were deployed.”
Fortunately, nobody was injured. But the garage door was destroyed, and the two cars parked inside the garage were bumped a short distance forward resulting in multiple damage to their front and rear bumpers as well as their bodies. The wall inside the garage was also damaged. The complaint states that there was no alarm or warning, and Autobrake failed.
Another owner states that “on multiple occasions,” the Venza “does not accelerate when hitting the gas pedal after coming to a complete stop. I can press the pedal all the way to the ground but it is delayed by 3-5 seconds and just idles slowly into the intersection.”
This happens at critical times, for instance, “when turning onto streets where you need to accelerate quickly to avoid oncoming traffic on left turns.” Acceleration is also required to avoid getting “rear-ended when making right turns.” The dash lights don’t come on, the safety system does not engage, and there are no warning lights.
The Venza is less than a year old and has 7,000 miles. “I’ve seen several threads online of this exact issue happening on other 2021+ Venzas. The local Toyota dealer will not inspect without a $175 fee even though it passed the last safety check fully, is under warranty, and I’ve provided exact date/time stamps of when this occurs, and have dash-cam footage showing the conditions and delay in acceleration. Corporate Toyota is unresponsive to emails and calls as well. This is extremely dangerous and is going to cause an accident.”
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Usually identified as visibility/wiper problems, cracking windshields represent nearly half of the complaints made to the NHTSA about the 2021 Toyota Venza. The volume of complaints about the 2022 model isn’t nearly as big (yet), but the problems are exactly the same. Some windshields crack with the slightest impact, others crack spontaneously, while sometimes they pit and chip for no obvious reason. Ultimately, whatever the damage, it affects visibility.
Owners are livid because there’s no warranty cover. They say it happens too easily and it costs a lot to get the windshields repaired.
One morning, an owner from Colorado discovered the brand new Venza, with less than 10,000 miles, had “a huge crack in the windshield.” The complaint is that it’s going to cost between $1,000 and $1,600 to replace.
Another complaint states that a new 2022 Venza front windshield cracked twice within 3 months. The first time, while driving, ”a small rock or debris struck the front windshield, causing a 14-inch crack.” The auto glass company replaced the glass with an original (OEM) windshield even though it was not covered under warranty. At the time of the complaint, the second damaged windshield had not been repaired.
An owner from New York states that the windshield of their 7-month-old 2022 Venza with 5,020 miles has “excessive pitting and chipping.” This causes a visibility issue, especially when “the sun hits the windshield at a certain angle.”
Exterior lighting problems are another significant issue with the 2021 Toyota Venza. And they are no less of an issue with the 2022 model. In essence, shadows form especially when the headlights are in low beam or regular mode, which is a distraction that decreases visibility.
In a complaint filed specifically as an issue with a 2022 Venza Hybrid, an owner from Michigan expresses concern about “the safety of the headlights. When driving at night (especially in my rural area) there are shadows that are projected onto the road, trees, and shoulder of the road. They are very distracting and make you focus only on the shadows instead of the road. These shadows do disappear when the high beams are on, but continue to be an issue when the regular headlights are on.”
This, the complaint states, was also an issue, not only with the 2021 Venza, but also the 2021 Sienna. “One dealer dismissed my concerns and wasn’t even willing to look at the lights. The dealership I purchased it from is willing to look, but basically said that’s just the way the lights are. This is a huge safety issue and a complete design flaw. If I would have known of these lights, I would not have purchased this model.”
A complaint from an owner in Wisconsin is short and succinct. It states that when the shutter mechanism for the headlights is closed, “it causes a shadow across half of the field of vision.” This hampers the field of vision severely, and “causes serious safety concerns while driving at night.”
The same Michigan owner who complained about vehicle stability and faulty acceleration also complained about high frequency vibration of the external mirrors on the driver’s side. This happened at speeds over 45 mph and made it impossible to identify other vehicles and vehicle details. The complaint states that it was difficult to focus on the mirror. The owner wasn’t sure if the problem also affected the passenger side mirror.
This problem first occurred less than 5 days after the delivery date. According to the dealer, Toyota doesn’t have a solution. While Toyota confirmed the complaint, the owner states that the automaker was refusing to provide a replacement or actually acknowledge that there was a problem.
An owner from Pennsylvania also has a mirror-related complaint. But instead of vibrations, the external mirrors don’t open. He thought it might be a weather-related issue as the temperature outside at the time was 15 degrees or less. The problem is that “Pennsylvania and other states require outside mirrors for the deaf and hard of hearing.” He goes on to say that two dual mirrors are required, so if these don’t open, it places “disabled drivers, passengers, pedestrians and other drivers at risk. There should be a recall on vehicles with similar mirrors that automatically do not open.”
If you think you’ve got a lemon, Lemberg Law will be happy to assess your problems free of charge. There are always a few lemons that make it from the assembly line onto shop floors. And every year manufacturers, including Toyota, pay out a lot of money to lemon victims. This means that you will benefit from a buy-back, replacement, or a cash settlement if the circumstances warrant it.
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm that has helped many consumers get lemon cars out of their lives. By law, Toyota will have to pay any legal bills for a lemon case.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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