2013 Toyota Venza problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (7) · Service Brakes (7) · Air Bags (7)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Venza model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
37 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain 2021-04-13 · campaign 21V257000 · 279,040 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2009-2015 Venza vehicles. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) wiring may become damaged with regular use of the driver-side door.
Risk: Damaged wires may cause the air bag sensor to become inoperable, preventing the deployment of the side and curtain air bags on the driver side and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver-side front door wire harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TB01/21TA01.
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2013-10-17 · campaign 13V442000 · 802,769 vehicles
Defect: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser may become clogged causing water to accumulate at the bottom of the air conditioning condenser unit housing. The accumulated water may then leak through a seam in the housing onto the air bag control module potentially resulting in a short circuit of the module.
Risk: A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will seal the air conditioning condenser unit housing and install a protective cover on the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Equipment:other:labels 2013-04-09 · campaign 13V123000 · 7,525 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicl
Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Seats 2013-01-16 · campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Service bulletins (339)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Electrical System 2025-06-13 · T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · Service Campaign
the air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. the procedures outlined in this service bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Showing the 6 most recent of 339 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-19 · Exterior Lighting · 🔥 fire“upon approaching my vehicle and unlocking it, the drivers side mirror courtesy light wire caught on fire and started smoking. my safety and the safety of others was put at risk because had i not been there my entire car could have caught on fire as well as any thing or anyone around or in my vehicle. no one has inspected the vehicle at this time. t…”
2025-12-12 · Back Over Prevention“the contact owns a 2013 toyota venza. the contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. the dealer was made aware of the failure. the contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure description; however, the vin was n…”
2025-11-15 · Unknown Or Other“when the vehicle stability control (vsc) light comes on, it also cuts power to the engine even when the car is moving at full highway speed. this can pose a great danger when crossing bridges or anytime while driving the vehicle in traffic. …”
2025-03-05 · Fuel/Propulsion System“fuel pump fail causing the car to stall out going 75 miles an hour on the highway …”
2023-11-26 · Unknown Or Other“2013 venza pasenger side and back leak very bad when it rains …”
2023-10-06 · Air Bags“subject: formal complaint regarding potential safety issue - 2009-2015 toyota venza models dear national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa), i am writing to formally report a potential safety concern related to the 2009-2015 toyota venza models. the issue pertains to a discernible creaking sound originating from the turn signal stalk w…”
2023-10-04 · Structure:body“sunroof/moonroof assembly leaks heavily in rain, makes cracking sound over bumps dealer/manufacturer will not fix, they want $4600 to repair…”
2022-06-23 · Vehicle Speed Control“i complained to a toyota dealer about this problem in 6-2017. the took it for a road test and the car did not do it and it did not record a code. so they could not find a solution. intermittently and without warning the electronic link between the gas pedal and the engine is inoperative for 3-5 seconds. during this period the car is not under pow…”
2021-10-22 · Seat Belts · 40,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 toyota venza. the contact stated when starting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. additionally, the passenger’s side seat belt warning light remained illuminated with a passenger in the seat. the contact stated that the driver’s side and passenger’s side air bags seat belts warni…”
2021-09-15 · Steering“both front lower control arms were cracked. dealer kept old parts. these parts help control the steering to the wheels. the cracks were confirmed by the dealer only. the car was not inspected by any other entities. there were no warning indicators, the problem was founded during a routine multipoint inspection.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.