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2021 Toyota RAV4

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota RAV4 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 258.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 72 of 385 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 125 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

46 crash reports7 fire reports29 injury reports

What owners actually said

385 reports
Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2024
Engine

Coolant Bypass Valve failed.

NHTSA ODI #11580299

Mileage unknown · Mar 20, 2024
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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue an…

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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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11578552

39,706 miles · Mar 19, 2024
Service Brakes

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Primacy MXV4, Tire Size: 225/65/R17, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while having routine maintenance at the local dealer, the contact was informed that the driver's side and passenger's front tire threads were at 3 on the inside and 4 on the…

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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Primacy MXV4, Tire Size: 225/65/R17, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while having routine maintenance at the local dealer, the contact was informed that the driver's side and passenger's front tire threads were at 3 on the inside and 4 on the outside. While depressing the brake pedal, an abnormal noise was detected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The tire mileage was approximately 45,419. The approximate failure mileage was 39,706.

NHTSA ODI #11578195

56,000 miles · Mar 18, 2024
Air BagsCrashInjury

The contact owned a 2021 Toyota RAV-4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle collided with a deer, and the front driver-side and knee air bags were deployed along with the front passenger-side air bag. The contact stated that the air bags were deployed with excessive force. The contact was un…

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The contact owned a 2021 Toyota RAV-4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle collided with a deer, and the front driver-side and knee air bags were deployed along with the front passenger-side air bag. The contact stated that the air bags were deployed with excessive force. The contact was unaware of any warning lights before the collision. The driver sustained a left leg injury with bruising. The contact stated that she declined transportation by ambulance but did visit a walk-in clinic. The front passenger was not injured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was deemed a total loss. The failure was not diagnosed by the dealer. The contact stated that while cleaning the vehicle an unknown part was found on the front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the part was greasy and had an inner spinning mechanism, the contact believes the part detached from the knee air bag causing leg injury. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

NHTSA ODI #11578106

36,000 miles · Mar 18, 2024
Tires

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 equipped with Firestone Tires, Tire Line: Destination LE2, Tire Size: 225/65/R17, DOT Number: 8X2Y-DE8. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle experienced abnormal shaking and vibration. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who discovered that all four…

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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 equipped with Firestone Tires, Tire Line: Destination LE2, Tire Size: 225/65/R17, DOT Number: 8X2Y-DE8. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle experienced abnormal shaking and vibration. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who discovered that all four tires were out of round and had experienced tread separation. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA ODI #11578100

Mileage unknown · Mar 13, 2024
Lane DepartureSteeringCrash

On February 14, 2024, I was driving to pick up a friend who needed a ride to an appointment. I had the lane correction feature on while I was driving on the interstate. When I exited the interstate, I traveled on a two-lane road that becomes narrow as it travels along a downhill slope. This road has a steep ravine on the righ…

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On February 14, 2024, I was driving to pick up a friend who needed a ride to an appointment. I had the lane correction feature on while I was driving on the interstate. When I exited the interstate, I traveled on a two-lane road that becomes narrow as it travels along a downhill slope. This road has a steep ravine on the right side of the road caused by rainwater runoff. There are reflector signs cemented into the road along the steep drop off. Because there was no oncoming traffic, I crossed the center line avoiding getting too close to the edge. When I did so, the lane correction feature activated, pulling the car hard into the signs along the road. As a result, the entire right side of the car received extensive damage. I was fortunate not to have lost control of the vehicle and gone through the signs into the ditch. My first reaction was to think that I had lost a wheel or had a tire blow out for the car to have jerked so hard to the right. When I stopped, I saw that this was not the case. I have since read that there have been many instances where the auto lane correction has caused other accidents like mine, some of which have been more severe. It is unfortunate that I have the inconvenience of getting the damages fixed and an accident being reflected in my insurance as a result. However, I feel fortunate that I was driving the car and not one of my children who may have lost control. I am glad the signs were securely installed to keep me from rolling into the ditch. I feel most blessed that nobody was injured. What if I had swerved to avoid a person walking on the road instead of the signs posted there? There was not a police report taken on this accident. It was reported to the dealer and insurance company who referred me to Caliber Collision for repairs where it is currently. There were no warning lights prior to the incident.

NHTSA ODI #11577218

Mileage unknown · Mar 4, 2024
Unknown Or OtherVisibility/wiper

1. most recent. 03/01/2024 sunroof spontaneously exploded during my drive to work. broken glass fell on me as I drove. No bad weather. nothing hit it. just spontaneous explosion. 2. older claim. about a year of having purchased the car the front windshield cracked while parked at work. like the other incident no accident. I had …

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1. most recent. 03/01/2024 sunroof spontaneously exploded during my drive to work. broken glass fell on me as I drove. No bad weather. nothing hit it. just spontaneous explosion. 2. older claim. about a year of having purchased the car the front windshield cracked while parked at work. like the other incident no accident. I had that fixed. but the wipers do not work properly. Toyota charged me to have them check but did not fix it. to this day they only work at medium or maximum speed. wipers do not work on low or intermittent. after doing some research on the internet and YouTube it seems that this is becoming common with this model car.

NHTSA ODI #11575343

Mileage unknown · Mar 1, 2024
Structure

- Hinges could tear off and cause door to collapse on someone standing underneath - Hinges could tear off while vehicle is in motion and into traffic - Hinges could tear off while vehicle is motion and objects in the rear could go into traffic - The struts/actuators could fail while the gate is up and it could collapse on someon…

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- Hinges could tear off and cause door to collapse on someone standing underneath - Hinges could tear off while vehicle is in motion and into traffic - Hinges could tear off while vehicle is motion and objects in the rear could go into traffic - The struts/actuators could fail while the gate is up and it could collapse on someone standing underneath

NHTSA ODI #11574907

Mileage unknown · Feb 29, 2024
Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

The front passenger door started to "not unlock" when using the keys or door buttons to unlock it, you would have to manually unlock the passenger door by reaching across from the driver's side of the car. For about a week, that was happening, then that same door started to "not lock" using the key fob, handle or door buttons, …

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The front passenger door started to "not unlock" when using the keys or door buttons to unlock it, you would have to manually unlock the passenger door by reaching across from the driver's side of the car. For about a week, that was happening, then that same door started to "not lock" using the key fob, handle or door buttons, so both locking and unlocking could only be done manually. Then the most concerning incident, while driving and while a passenger was seated in the front seat, upon rounding a corner (moving less than 20 mph) in a very busy town full of parked cars and pedestrians, the closed front passenger door flung open while the vehicle was turning and moving, almost striking a pedestrian and parked car. The passenger was able to safely close the door, but this would have been impossible had there only been a driver in the car at the time. The door had been shut properly, and there were no indicator lights that the door was not fully closed. The door also "auto-locks" when moving, so there were multiple failures of the lock/door system when this occurred. The car was on the road more than 5 minutes when this happened with absolutely no warnings until the door flung open and the car made lots of warning noise at this point. We called the dealer and made an appointment and on the day of the appointment the locks magically started working again. The dealer just charged us $90 to perform a "lock diagnostic" to which they said there are no issues found. Well, let me just say, I feel a door randomly opening in a moving vehicle is a major safety problem and it is a grave concern for me to drive or ride in this car when I am not sure when or if this is going to reoccur at any given moment.

NHTSA ODI #11574711

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2024
Air BagsCrashInjury

There was a stalled vehicle in a traffic lane. The vehicle ahead of me was a large that hit the stalled vehicle. I couldn’t see what he hit but he came to a dead stop and I couldn’t avoid him. My problem is that the airbag under the dashboard on the driver side hit my shin with such force that it caused an abrasion that di…

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There was a stalled vehicle in a traffic lane. The vehicle ahead of me was a large that hit the stalled vehicle. I couldn’t see what he hit but he came to a dead stop and I couldn’t avoid him. My problem is that the airbag under the dashboard on the driver side hit my shin with such force that it caused an abrasion that didn’t seem bad at first but developed into a wound requiring a large hematoma and surgery to remove it and to have skin graft.

NHTSA ODI #11573991

Official recalls

1

23V865000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Dec 20, 2023

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Toyota RAV4 problems