2022 Toyota Venza: Recalls, Complaints & California Lemon Law

Parked car sitting untouched, came out in the morning to a 2 foot wide spiderweb crack across the whole windshield. Saw through research that this is a common issue with Toyota Venzas of this year. TOYOTA refused to help or assist with this issue even though there was no impact and this is a repeated customer issue.

NHTSA #11725028

The front windshield developed a thin, foot-long crack at the bottom base of the windshield during the onset of the cold weather this winter. This issue inhibits visibility and compromises the integrity of the windshield. Message boards on the internet indicate that it has happen with this make and model of vehicle frequently.

NHTSA #11641154

There looks like 4 or 5 lines of top layer crack like stretch marks on the windshield in 3 different locations. It doesnt look like a normal crack when it was hit by a rock. And they are scratchy and scratching the windshield wiper blades.

NHTSA #11575165

Headlights cast a shadow at night — particularly to left. Vision obscured in shadow area and cannot see what is in road. As well, turning corners think something is in road because of shadow and want to pull away. This is definitely a hazard and has been reported on Toyota nation and seems to effect more than the venza and needs to be addressed because it is a safety issue. I bought the vehicle used on 2/23/24 and had no idea this was an issue has been reported but not fixed.

NHTSA #11577944

Headlight / Dashboard design of this vehicle is defective. With DRL lights only on, the dashboard fully lights up, misleading a driver into believing they have their headlights and taillights turned on. This kind of defective design is not limited to Toyota, can also be seen on many other Honda and Nissan vehicles. This needs to be addressed urgently, as many drivers drive without correct illumination at night, and they are a hazard to other drivers.

NHTSA #11569521

There is a black shadow/blotch/blob in the driver side headlight. This blob bounces with the headlights depending on road condition. It is extremely distracting when driving at night. I live in an area with minimal streetlights and am often on dark, country roads with abundant wildlife. This blob both obscures my vision and leads me to think there’s an animal on the road. I find the lack of clarity and the distraction hazardous. Yes, this problem has been confirmed by a dealer. No, there has not been an inspection by any of the parties mentioned. This problem has been an issue since purchase in October 2022.

NHTSA #11524739

Small rock flipped up by car in front of me, hitting the windshield. Windshield immediately cracked about 21". Have owned many cars with rock chipped windshields, but none have ever cracked immediately, or as badly, as this car! This pebble should have left maybe a small chip. Looked online, and other Venza owners are reporting the same thing. Glass or design is a problem.

NHTSA #11534420

The outside mirrors did not open, maybe weather related. The outside temperature registered 15 degrees or lower. In Pennsylvania and other states require outside mirrors for the deaf and hard of hearing. Two dual mirrors are required, placing disabled drivers, passengers, pedestrians and other drivers at risk. There should be a recall on vehicles with similar mirrors that automatically do not open. John Ramos

NHTSA #11498897

Front window screen cracked from bottom right corner to center.

NHTSA #11568228

Seems to be an issue with the rear hatch and the locking system. Without any recent rain or snow the locking system will get frozen and not close correctly or open correctly. We though the hatch was closed but it popped open while backing up. We had taken the car to the dealership. The issue has occured twice.

NHTSA #11711364

The Toyota part number 69030-53120, a front door lock assembly (Lock Assy, Fr Door), is a genuine part used across various 2022 Toyota models, including the RAV4 and Tacoma. Went to the dealer for a diagnoses with problems unlocking and locking my doors and it was deemed defective 0-69030-53120 LOCK ASSY, FR DOO SPCORD by a Toyota dealer. Both front doors don’t work the Lock Assy and it was detected at 38,000 miles approx.

NHTSA #11623093

The left head light has failed. As a result, these are the functionality issues I am experiencing: 1. Loss of power to power mirrors. This causes issues because the mirrors do not retract, and have to be manually adjusted before each drive session. They have folded in while driving, causing hazardous driving conditions without use of the mirrors. 2. Windshield wiper fluid dispenser has lost functionality, causing hazardous driving conditions because I am unable to remove debris and liquid that obstructs my vision while driving. 3. Windshield wipers will only work on one setting, being the fastest setting 4. Dash panel not displaying information such as temperature, trip information, and proper odometer readings. Low fuel notifications not showing properly. I almost ran out of fuel because I was unaware or actual fuel levels 5. Lift gate not opening from key fob 6. Neither headlight will operate in "bright" mode, despite only one head light being compromised. This is a major issues that has affected many Venza drivers. There are a multitude of reports on Reddit and other forums that discuss these issues. What's worse, is that Toyota has tied critical electrical components and functionality to a single headlight, which happens to be very costly to remedy (Over $1000k). There were no warnings present, just issues identified after the headlight failure, and these are only the ones I have discovered thus far. This needs to be recalled

NHTSA #11658511

On 1/1/25 around 5PM when it was getting dark, I was driving in my 2022 Toyota Venza LE on the highway in the rain when all of a sudden my left headlight off, windshield wipers stopped working and experienced a host of other electrical issues - engine temp doesn't read, apple carplay stopped talking to device, side mirrors lost power, traction control disabled. It was very dangerous as I lost visibility in heavy rain while on the highway. I was able to slowly drive the car home with hazard lights blinking all the way. There were no error messages leading up to the failure. Only my engine temp not being able to read when the engine was cold that morning. It quickly resolved once the engine warmed up. I drove my car to Toyota dealership in which they spent over a day isolating the issue to faulty headlight assembly sending error codes to the ECU and jamming other zones on the car. They unplugged the left headlight assembly and told me I was ok to drive home. Ultimately I asked for replacement of the headlight and the light was restored and all issues did not return. I no longer have the original headlight assembly for inspection. I made a forum post regarding this issue and 2 other recent venza owners have reached out to me with same behavior which prompted me to make this safety report.

NHTSA #11650945

The contact's companion leased a 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced unintended acceleration on several occasions. The contact stated that while in a drive-thru and slightly depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated unintendedly and crashed into a pole. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The contact's companion, who was occupying the front passenger's side seat sustained a broken sternum and eleven broken ribs and was hospitalized for four days. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was then towed to Mike's Auto Repair. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA). NHTSA #11642441

Three times now over the past 4 months, including an incident yesterday, when I try to accelerate from a stop, the car just rolls forward slowly as if in neutral, but there is zero acceleration power for about 5 seconds, and then it engages and accelerates like normal. There are no warning lights, no codes, no nothing at all, including acceleration power. The car acts as if everything is fine, but it doesn't accelerate at all for several seconds. Every time that this has happened has been when I was pulling out into traffic on a very busy road. I am about to call the dealership about this issue, but since there are no warning lights activated, there won't be any codes that will show up, and they won't be able to diagnose the problem. When I searched online, "Toyota Venza won't accelerate", there are at least a half dozen people in forums that I've found that have experienced the exact same issue, which hasn't been resolved because the car doesn't register any issues, so the dealership can't find any system codes indicating that there is a problem. I am incredibly concerned about this because the entrance to my neighborhood is on a steep incline, and I usually have to quickly accelerate onto the main road, which is very busy and has a blind curve on the left hand side. Random failure to accelerate is incredibly dangerous already, but at least twice a day every day I have to pull out of my neighborhood. I am very concerned that one of these acceleration failures will end up getting me or one of my family members seriously harmed or killed if this isn't addressed soon. Venzas are lesser known models, so there are limited numbers of them on the road, but this issue is a serious safety hazard that is going to get someone killed if not addressed, it's only a matter of time.

NHTSA #11573919

No acceleration from stop, sudden loss of power. I was stopped, coming out of a parking lot, getting ready to do a right turn onto a main road. I let go of the brake pedal, and when I applied pressure to the gas pedal, there was no acceleration, like the engine was stalled. The car crept forward slightly, but could not accelerate at any measurable speed. After about 3-4 seconds, it finally started accelerating as normal.

NHTSA #11573850

When driving in slowed traffic the car would not accelerate for 3-5 seconds. No warning lights appeared. I had slowed to 5mph and upon pressing the gas pedal the car had no response and put me in danger as all traffic around me accelerated and the Venza would not respond to gas pedal. I removed foot from pedal and tried again and after sustained gas pedal for 3 seconds the car slowly resumed movement.

NHTSA #11568784

On 29 Nov 2025 while braking at low speed (<10 mph) to park, my 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid suddenly lunged forward despite firm brake pedal application and no accelerator input. The vehicle accelerated on its own and struck a stationary pole causing front-end damage.

NHTSA #11702662

When I am at a stop, and the traffic opens for me to go, or the light turns green, I press on the accelerator and nothing happens. The car just rolls forward under no power or it just stays still. About 5 seconds after I'm slamming the gas pedal to get me out the lane of oncoming traffic, or holding up a light the car wakes up again and starts going no problem. This has happened multiple times in compromising situations, and it's going to cause an accident. I called the dealer and they said nothing is wrong with it. I have read multiple cases online of this exact issue. So, there is clearly something wrong with the car.

NHTSA #11700369

2022 Toyota Venza TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. On 11/8/2025 brakes did not engage while exiting a major highway. While the brake pedal was pushed to come to a complete stop at the stop light, vehicle did not stop, nor the braking system worked at all. The driver was left with two options: 1. cause a major accident with cars ahead of us. OR 2. hit the side of the road (the concrete curb) to avoid any major damage to peoples cars Infront of us, or perhaps a avoid a fatality either with us in Toyota Venza or other drivers on the road. There was no warning lights on the dashboard, simply the brakes failed us to come to a stop until we hit the concrete curb to come t a stop. Once we hit the concrete curb, we had to tow the vehicle to a mechanic to change the brakes, rotors and the lower control arm. After the impact from hitting the curb, the control arm was damaged and pushing rotors on the driver side, where the vehicle was undrivable from the control arm pushing and grinding into the rotors. See attached pictures. This is the second time it happened where the brakes did not get engage. First time braking system engaged after multiple attempts to stop the car, this time braked totally failed to stop the car. This is a 100% a safety issue where people life could be lost in matter of seconds from no fault of their own whatsoever, where brakes are supposed to engage at ALL the time no Exceptions. This accident was fully due to braking system failure on 2022 Toyota Venza. We also have 2024 Toyota Prius where sometime brakes make a clinging noise and do not engage until brakes are pumped multiple times, which could also cause a major accident and fatalities. I searched online and it seems other drivers to report same problem on Venza and other Toyotas, this could very well be a major Toyota manufacturing problem with braking system across their vehicle and an investigation and a recall must be issued before peoples lives are lost if no actions are taken and negligence prevails.

NHTSA #11698486

While attempting to cross a busy street, I picked an opening in the coming traffic to cross, released the brake to allow the car to start rolling slowing, but when I pressed the accelerator , I got no response from the car and no acceleration at all for about 3 seconds. Leaving me and my family stuck in the middle of the street with oncoming traffic just seconds away from hitting us. In the 3 seconds span, I tried pressing the accelerator several times until the car finally responded. The car remained ON the entire time. No errors or messages were displayed on any of the dashboards at any time. I have seen several similar stories in online forums with this model. Something is wrong and very dangerous.

NHTSA #11682744

We own a 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid and are having problems with it "lunging forward" when applying the brake. This has happened multiply times. The first is when I was pulling very slowly into the garage because the car just fits through the door having only inches to spare on either side of the side view mirrors. As I was lightly applying the brake, the car LUNGED FORWARD, the word BRAKE in bold red letters appeared on the dashboard (The Forward Collision Warning) and the car jerked to a stop by itself avoiding hitting the back wall. It happened in a split second. No damage, no injuries. Not so the second time. On Feb 13, 2025, we were going to a local business. My husband was in the front passenger seat. We pulled into the parking lot and I turned right into the parking space. As I lightly applied the brake, the car violently LUNGED FORWARD hitting the cement post supporting the building. "No Forward Collision Warning light this time".There was a loud bang noise and both the driver, upper and lower and passenger airbags were deployed. The seatbelts jolted us back to our seats and locked up. There was smoke and a nasty smell (from the airbags). This all happened in a split second. I couldn't open the door, so I had to crawl over the console with help from my husband to get out of the car. I was taken to the ER by ambulance to get x-rays of my chest which was badly bruised and my ankle which was also bruised. My husband escaped injuries but was in shock as well. Since this happened, we have done research on the Internet and found numerous complaints and instances of this same thing happening to drivers when gently applying the brakes, particularly in TOYOTA hybrid vehicles. Many people narrowly escaping severe injuries and death in similar situations. I guess it has to take a few fatalities for Toyota to do something about it. What a shame! The insurance co. totaled the car. We won't be getting another Toyota.

Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA). NHTSA #11643026

My wife and I stopped to get our mail at our community HOA mailboxes. I was driving. I stopped, set/engaged the brake hold button while my wife got the mail. She was about to get back in and suddenly the car lurched forward very rapidly and crashed into the neighborhood playground and the chain linked fence. I could not stop the acceleration and had to keep forcefully applying the brakes and the vehicle finally quit. I was able to steer to avoid some kids playing basketball. I could have injured my wife or others, it could have been very tragic. The 3 boys got out of the way and helped us afterwards picking up the car debris left all around. The damage happened very quickly. I felt such shock afterwards and trauma wondering what happened and what could have happened. The police did a report and took pictures, our insurance declared it a total loss. We have contacted Toyota and are waiting for someone to inspect it before it is hauled away. No warnings prior, the vehicle has worked well. As I managed to drive it home, we noticed a machanical error code after the fact.

NHTSA #11633567

At approximately [XXX] on Friday, [XXX], my wife was slowly pulling into a stripped parking place at Museum Hill's lower paved paved lot on [XXX], in Santa Fe, NM that has three levels when the car suddenly bolted up and over the concrete curb and up a short hill where it faced the fronts of two vehicles; the car stopped (possibly due to automatic braking systems) and rolled backwards into a small tree resting off of the pavement on soil, but against the curb. There is front end dislocation of the right fender and the passenger door hits the fender if trying to open it. The right front tire is broken and the alloy wheel is damaged. After a disagreement with a towing company, I backed the car over the curb and onto the pavement where I installed the spare. The car seemed to be OK to drive and my wife drove it home 3 miles away on back streets. The car's event data recorder was inspected by an employee of EAA from Denver in Toyota of Santa Fe's Dealership shop on [XXX] and the car driven. Toyota's report from their Legal Claims Analyst said that "pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal prior to the impact." My wife was going to her regularly scheduled lunch time support shift at the [XXX], was pulling into her regular parking area, and DID NOT press the accelerator to the floor causing this wreck. I believe that the power steering created a negative voltage drop that caused the concurrent calibration of the accelerator electronics to believe that full power was required at that instant. The safety of my wife was at risk, but no other person was nearby and damage to shrubbery was not consequential. This problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. However, several papers on the subject have been written by Ronald A. Belt, PhD of Plymouth, MN, the latest dated 20 July 2024. The only inspection of the vehicle was on [XXX] by Toyota's EEA Service. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA #11642860

Spontaneous windshield crack that has slowly spread across entire windshield. Driving with NO vehicles around and crack just appeared. Windshield is defective.

NHTSA #11615841

I am the primary driver of our 2022 Toyota Venza. On [XXX] I had just taken the car through the Splash automated car wash on [XXX] and I was navigating into an adjacent space for use of the vacuum cleaners. As I took my foot off the accelerator to put the vehicle into Park, it suddenly and unintentionally accelerated. It crossed the driveway entrance to the car wash, jumped a curb which was actually the top of retaining wall for the parking lot of the adjacent business, and sailed over the retaining wall into the parking lot which was over 2 feet lower than the level of the car wash. I was able to bring the car to a stop without hitting anything, but 3 tires were blown out and severe damage occurred to the underside and front end of the car (we are awaiting estimates of the damage to the car). The airbags did not deploy. I had a minor shoulder bruise from the seat belt but no other injury. The car is at an auto repair shop awaitinng estimates and adjuster inspection. No report has yet been filed with Toyota but we expect to file today. No independent service center or other inspection has been done yet. There was no warning system notification prior to the incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA #11592872

Grinding noise turning right at slow braking speeds.

NHTSA #11579153

There is an acceleration issue that only happens sporadically. From a stopped position (stop sign/stop light) when I let go of the break and start acceleration with the gas pedal, it doesn't work. Even if I press down more in the gas pedal, it merely creeps- as if it were in neutral. It happens with turns or going straight. I have no clue what could be causing it. The breaks still work, and the gas pedal starts working again after about approx 10 or 15 ft of rolling. When the gas begins working again its a smooth engagement- no jarring or revving. And it only happens sporadically, maybe 8 times since I bought it in 2022. I have had it looked over at the dealership twice and they found nothing and are not willing to fix this issue- as they say there isn't one. I worry greatly that this will result in a crash.

NHTSA #11567760

2022 Toyota Venza was purchased brand new in February 2022. Vehicle started to experience an issue in May 2023 with approximately 38k miles. Power lift gate struggles to close hatch/lift gate. Motor and struts make groaning noises. Vehicle out of warranty due to over 36k miles. Now power lift gate is groaning and grinding when shut as of October 2023 with 44k miles. Many reports of similar problems reported online by other owners of 2021 Toyota Venza and 2022 Toyota Venza. Toyota dealership and corporate says it a customer expense...out of warranty. $1700 bill for owner of 1 year old vehicle due to defective craftsmanship. Not sure power lift gate will be able to close in a few weeks or so.

NHTSA #11547749

WHEN DRIVING AFTER DARK IT LOOKS LIKE A SHADE GOT PULLED DOWN OVER 1/2 OF THE WINDSHIELD PLUS ANOTHER BLACK SPOT UNDER THAT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE HAD MANY COMPLAINTS. I HAD THEM ADJUST THE HEAdlamps up a little bit but now everyone is blinking brites at me and even pulling off the road the next thing will be a road rage driver. it is impossible to drive after dark without the brites on you can not see road signs because the headlamps aim down if you go down a hill all you see is a few feet ahead it is definately a severe safety concern toyota dealer said it was the way the headlight is designed and if they get enough complaints they might do something but right now my new car i bought is sitting in my garage because it is not d safe to drive except during the day i have had other people in the car and they all say the same thing (who pulled the shade down) its that bad

NHTSA #11536474

On multiple occasions, my 2022 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 is happening when turning onto streets where you need to accelerate quickly to avoid oncoming traffic on left turns, and to not get rear ended when making right turns. No dash lights come on, the safety system is not engaged, no warning lights. The Venza is less than a year old and has 7k 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.

NHTSA #11511657

My 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid experienced a sudden acceleration when I was pulling very slowly into my 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 front airbags were deployed. The garage door was destroyed and the two cars parked inside the garage were bumped a short distance forward resulting multiple damages to their front/rear bumpers and their bodies. The wall inside the garage was also damaged. No alarm/warnings were given and Autobrake completely failed to deploy.

NHTSA #11508256

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a small rock or debris struck the front windshield, causing a 14-inch crack. The contact stated that the failure recurred within less than 3 months. The auto glass company had previously replaced the front windshield with an OEM part. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,500.

NHTSA #11511611

I was almost involved in a reared collision. The vehicles pre-collision warning system did not activate. I later tested the system by approaching a stationary object and stopping suddenly. The system did not activate. The dashboard lights do not indicate that the system is deactivated. I discovered the defect this evening. Have not yet reported it to the Dealer. Filing this report because there are likely more of these vehicles out there.

NHTSA #11495567

High frequency vibration of the Driver side external mirror at speeds above 45 miles per hr. As a result it impossible to make out vehicles and vehicle details beyond 15 meter behind. It's hard to focus the eyes to mirror. Could be happening to passenger side to but undiscernible from driverside. Vehicle issue found less than 5 days from the date of delivery(1st Sep 2022). Toyota doesn't have a solution is what the dealer is saying trying to get replacement mirror. Issue had been confirmed Toyota refusing to provide replacement or acknowledgement of the problem. Problem with Toyota Safety sense DRCC, LDA, LTA, ETC. There is a body roll, at high speed and cornering vehicle feel unstable. During DRCC if the speed is set say at 70 miles, one has ability to accelerate more by pressing the accelerator. Say the speed is increased to 80 miles per hr. The car doesn't sometime start slowing down after taking foot off the pedal. Sometime the speed continues to increase where the car should start slowing down when pressing of the pedal stops. Had to force brake due to safety concerns and possibility of a accident with the vehicle at the front. Tested few times same behavior. The lane keep is finicky and many times just doesn't provide the visual confirmation at the gauge and misbehaves in cornering in a major way. Keep assist looses control and strat drifting to the left and the applied force tends to pull or force to the left the car left. Pull more to the left during cornering and the assist forces to the left on its own instead of staying in the middle of the lane. High speed cornering feels unstable and with DRCC acceleration and speed doesn't account for vehicle stability. Had to brake multiple times to make sure the vehicle stability is not compromised. There seems to some level of system issue that is not getting addressed though this is a tested platform.

NHTSA #11489135