Complaint volume
368 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Toyota RAV4 Complaints
368 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Toyota RAV4, grouped by component category.
368 Total complaints
45 Crash reports
7 Fire reports
28 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are air bags, unknown or other, structure. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 45 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 28 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 70 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 24,888 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to air bags, unknown or other, structure?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Toyota RAV4?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Toyota RAV4
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Toyota RAV4 complaints?
45 Crash
7 Fire
28 Injury
0 Fatality
36 Towed
25 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Toyota RAV4 complaint categories?
AIR BAGS 105
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 44
STRUCTURE 14
ENGINE 13
SEATS 13
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11
VISIBILITY 10
VISIBILITY/WIPER 10
SERVICE BRAKES 9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8
368 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that his wife had just parked the vehicle in front of the business and was about to move the shift gear lever to park(P), when the vehicle accelerated independently, jumped the cement parking block, and crashed into a tree, where it came to a stop. None of the air bags were deployed. The contact suffered minor injuries; had a bruise on the right breast, back pain, chest pain, and lower neck pain that did not require medical attention. The police were not notified. The vehicle was towed to a collision center, and the insurance company then towed to vehicle to another collision center where the vehicle was declared a total loss. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed | 23,000 |
| Oct 2025 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving on the freeway at normal speed, the glass sunroof shattered. There were no other cars around and we were out in the open, not driving under an overpass or anything. It was an 80 degree day, sunny and not windy. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | AIR BAGS | It's been a while since I bought the car, but there's still no solution to the manufacturing defect. I hope there will be a solution as soon as possible for my safety. If I drive and the airbag does not open, if I get seriously injured, who will be responsible? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Message "Voltage Abnormality Steering Power Low" was displayed several times while stopped at traffic lights and the auto stop/start engine feature was engaged. Took vehicle to dealership nothing was done since they could not replicate the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags). The contact had been calling the local dealer and was informed that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that approximately two years ago, the air bag warning illuminated and remained illuminated whenever the vehicle was started. The contact had since stopped anyone from sitting in the front passenger’s seat. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 85,000 |
| Oct 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | On May 1, 2025, my 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid displayed an SRS Airbag malfunction warning (Recall 23TA15). The passenger airbag was disabled, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. Toyota had announced this recall in December 2023, but I never received any notification. When I contacted Toyota on May 9, 2025, I was told there were no parts available and was even offered a $200 paid inspection instead of a free recall repair. My vehicle remained at the dealership from May until September 29, 2025, without any available remedy. During this period, I continued paying my auto loan and insurance for a car I could not use. Toyota also failed to disclose my right to a free rental vehicle; I only received temporary rentals (Camry, later Tacoma) after repeated demands, and they did not meet my transportation needs. While the airbag recall was still unresolved, a second safety recall (25TD01 – Rear Traction Motor Cable Corrosion) was announced in mid-September 2025. This meant my vehicle had two active safety recalls at the same time while in Toyota’s custody. Both defects were only repaired at the end of September and early October 2025. Toyota failed to notify me in time, delayed the remedy for nearly two years after the recall announcement, concealed rental rights, and allowed my vehicle to remain unsafe under multiple recalls for months. An independent arbitrator has already issued a repurchase decision, confirming Toyota’s responsibility. This demonstrates a systemic failure by Toyota to comply with recall and safety obligations.” | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | AIR BAGS | My 2021 Toyota RAV4 has been under airbag recall for over a year (starting around August 2023), and I have been unable to safely use my vehicle since then. Toyota has no estimated timeline for parts availability or repair, and the recall remains unresolved, they originally estimated October 2024, but that was nearly 1 year ago. Their provided timelines are now unreliable. I was provided a rental car, but it is not comparable to my RAV4 (smaller, less safe, lacks features like AWD and collision protection). Toyota has told me that if I accept the inferior rental, I will not be allowed to drive my own vehicle until the airbag is replaced — an indefinite period. I have contacted the dealer and Toyota Corporate repeatedly, but have been told there is no fix in the foreseeable future. Toyota has effectively deprived me of my own vehicle for more than 12 months, with no compensation, no buyback, and no acceptable substitute. This indefinite delay in addressing a critical safety defect (airbags) puts me and other owners at risk. I am submitting this complaint in hopes that NHTSA can hold Toyota accountable and accelerate a fix or require them to offer alternatives such as a buyback, permanent replacement, or compensation. The prolonged unavailability and loss of use of a vehicle due to a safety defect, especially with no viable end in sight, is unacceptable. Vehicle Info: - Year: 2021 - Make: Toyota - Model: RAV4 - VIN: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | AIR BAGS | I received notice of the recall for front passenger seat airbag sensors in Dec 2023, with assurances that it would be fixed by a certain quarter, which kept getting pushed out for almost 2 years now. I haven't received any further updates in the mail or email and had to call the dealer and Toyota directly to get any updates or info. They finally had an update that the remedy fix would happen in phases. I'm in CA and the last phase 8 which is estimated for Jan 2026. I do not have confidence that the fix will happen by then as these dates have continuously been delayed for 2 years. We've been driving our cars with a potentially unsafe situation for a long time. How will we as consumers really know when our car can be fixed? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | AIR BAGS | On 9/20, I started receiving a dashboard notification alerting me of an airbag system failure (see photo) - that was unable to be dismissed for longer than 15-20 seconds obstructing my odometer, speedometer and gas meter. On 9/23, I had an appointment and was informed my car needed a “clock spring assy”. My car is not driven frequently and not even four years old yet. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | AIR BAGS | The manufacturer has failed to provide a remedy in a timely manner. Toyota said a remedy would be ready October 2024. A year later, and there's no fix and no update to the remedy status. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have a carbon monoxide leak going on since I bought this vehicle. I have been complaining about noises I have been hearing from the drive train and got a diagnosis from the same dealer with well over 1k worth of work. This has caused me a lot of lost money since I have been from dr to dr and back and forth with the dealership and now I tested for carbon monoxide and it’s leaking into my vehicle the dealer keeps telling me it’s fine it need a tune up or evap system clean. I am not able to drive this car safely and I have permanent brain damages from the carbon monoxide gas | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | SEATS | My driver seat suddenly stopped working correctly when trying to move the seat forward or backward. It would make this lagging noise and feel like it was jumping. We had to keep the seat in the position that would be safe for me to sit in and operate the car effectively, but needed to get it fixed because my partner could not sit in the same position and operate the vehicle safely from that position. Took my car to the dealership and they found the track on the right side of the seat was inoperable and the whole bottom frame needed to be replaced. The tech could not produce a reason why this happened, simply saying it gave out. No messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. It happened quickly, one day it was working fine and the next it failed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1. My vehicle had a hybrid warnings and stopped running altogether, but the issue went away after clearing the codes. It came back at 105000mi, Toyota won't help with the $6000 repair. High Voltage Under Floor Cable and Traction Motor Cable on my vehicle (2021 Hybrid Rav4 XLE registered in Massachusetts) is affected by excessive and dangerous corrosion due to a Toyota design issue. 2. The vehicle could suddenly shut off at highway speeds per Matt with Service at Autofair Toyota Tewksbury. Sudden stoppage or deceleration may result in fatal collisions at speed. This failure also leads to fatally high-voltage energizing of the chassis and other frame components in some cases. 3. This is a known design flaw on Toyota hybrid, high-voltage cables/connectors, leading to excessive corrosion and dangerous failure of the hybrid system. There is an extended Toyota customer support program (CSP: 22TE09) valid through 8 years or 100000mi. I purchased the vehicle at 92,000mi but the dealership (CarFive Nashua, NH) and Toyota failed to inform me of this issue (a standard procedure per the CSP) so I could make an informed decision and perform preventative maintenance. Toyota did send me notice of an airbag recall after purchase, so I know they had my information. Now they have left me without options at 105000mi. 4. Yes. It has been inspected and the high voltage cable corrosion confirmed by Autofair Toyota Tewksbury (MA). Image from diagnosis video attached. 5. Warning messages in OBD2 screenshot attached. 6. I'm looking for Toyota to cover the repair for this issue; I've had to repair a valve head gasket and replace the AC system condenser already and this car is barely 4 years old. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure related to the recall. The manufacturer was not contacted. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | SUSPENSION | I went to get my car aligned and new tires as i noticed the rear tire was completely bald on the inside rear. I was advised by the tire shop that they cannot adjust the rear camber. So i took it to the dealership and they advised me that itis not adjustable and they would need to do another alignment and place shims to get the adjustment right. This was a brand new car when i got it. Always up to date on all the services. I also looked it up and its being said on a-lot of websites that a bunch of these vehicles was shipped out of alignment. They will not fix it without me paying for one of their mistakes because they say its maintenance. Maintenance is not modifying a vehicle to get the alignment correct. It has to be a safety issue because someone is going to have a tire fly apart because of tremendous early wear | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | AIR BAGS,SEATS | I've spoken with Toyota and confirmed that there is a chance my passenger airbag will not deploy. They have no remedy, and the expected date of resolution has been expired for 10 months. Their only recommended action is to not have a passenger ride in my vehicle! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | SEATS | Driver's side electronic seat malfunctioning and stopped working not allowing the seat to go forward or backward for the driver. The car only has 24,337 miles on it as of 08/26/2025. I purchased the car from Green Toyota in Springfield, Illinois in 2021. The dealership tells me the seat and tracks all have to be replaced at a cost of over $2,100.00. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | AIR BAGS | According to the recall which was first stated on 12/20/23, as of today, 8/22/25 Toyota has not provided a remedy and my car is not safe to carry a passenger! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | VISIBILITY | Vehicle has both rear view mirror distortion (assembly mirror face on both sides) vibrate causing distortion deeming outside rear view mirrors useless and hazardous. Toyota issued a technical service bulletin for 2019-2021 Toyota RAV4 models but refuses to pay for this safety defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | STRUCTURE | The component that failed/malfunctioned is the rear hatch. The hinges seem to have misaligned and result in the rear hatch not closing properly. Safety is put at risk because the vehicle notifies the driver through a beep system that the rear door is not fully closed properly and does not shut off until forcefully closed manually. The problem has been produced both by the dealership at an AutoNation and an independent autobody repair shop. The vehicle/component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, representatives, or others besides the ones mentioned in the previous sentence. There were no apparent symptoms or problems prior to the failure. The misalignment appeared approximately two years after the original purchased from the dealership and is an ongoing issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | AIR BAGS | Airbags did not deploy after head on collision. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | AIR BAGS | My 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (VIN: [your VIN]) has an open safety recall 23V865 for the passenger airbag. Toyota has not provided a remedy yet, and the vehicle is unsafe to transport a front passenger. Toyota estimated a fix by Q3 2024, but as of now no remedy is available. I am concerned about the ongoing safety risk and delay. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | ENGINE | The vehicle has never been in an accident and has been garage kept. There were 5 pinholes in the radiator that were slowly dripping over time. My radiator fluid went so low my car overheated and had to be taken in for repair. No warning until there was no radiator fluid left and overheated and had to pull over on the highway. Radiator was cracked in 5 places. 4 year old car, less than 55,000 miles. Confirmed and repaired by an independent service center. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |