2023 Toyota Venza Hybrid

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.

My wife owns this Toyota Venza. On October 9, 2024, I took the vehicle to the dealership for maintenance and all regular checkups passed. No sensor lights nor problem lights were on during the incident. On October 16, 2024 my wife was parking in a spot to pick up the mail in our community's mailbox. She pressed the brake and tried to park the vehicle when suddenly the motor accelerated over the parking lines on its own to a small hill continuously. My wife tried to press the brake multiple times with no success and the motor continued accelerating on its own. My wife turned the steering wheel to the right to avoid running into the hill or flipping the vehicle over. Once turned, the vehicle continued accelerating crossing over a neighborhood street and finally crashing into a neighbor's wall. Once it crashed the wall, all air bags were deployed and the vehicle rebounded back into the street where my wife was eventually able to shift it into parking. Once parked, the vehicle wouldn't start or move at all. Thankfully, there were no fatalities but my wife crashed into a wall and had to be taken to the hospital to be treated for the bruises in her legs and body from the air bag impact. Additionally, our community is gated and thankfully there is little traffic but this problem in a main road or highway could easily injure or kill people. We reported the accident to the local police and filed a report with them. We also notified insurance of the crash and have started a repair claim but the vehicle has not been inspected for any damages or problems. We have video recording of the incident which we will use for insurance and can provide as part of this complaint.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to park the vehicle and with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. As a result, the driver collided with another parked vehicle ahead, lightly damaging the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 1,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated without warning as the accelerator pedal was released. As a result of the failure, the contact crashed into the rear end of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle resumed normal operation after the failure. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer where they were unable to duplicate the failure. The contact was initially informed that the event data recorder did not record the accident. The contact was later informed that the vehicle control history showed that the vehicle's brake pedal was released and that the accelerator pedal was applied before the accident, the contact disputed the finding. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 2,600.

While driving on the interstate the volume on the radio went to full max volume, blasting in our ears, scaring us and in a frantic mode tried to shut it off with no avail almost could have caused an accident. None of the controls on the panel or steering wheel would turn it off. Finally after numerous attempts in a frantic manner was able to power off the audio. Controls wouldn’t respond until I did a reboot the next day.

When the headlights are on Low, not High beam, there is a dark horizontal round area and vertical streak (shadow) in the illuminated area in front of the vehicle. The dark area looks like an a large dark basket ball. It is only the left headlight. This shadow area prevents full illumination of the roadway on the left side of the of the vehicle. This also is a distraction and causes the driver's eyes to drift to the dark areas and further degrades nighttime driving safety. Per Toyota Forum, this problem is across the board for the Toyota vehicles, not just mine. When the lights are on Low and you hold a paper in front of the left light, the dark streak is easily seen.

Head on collision driving 40-45 MPH - a Mercedes pulled out in front of me and I slammed into their vehicle. My air bags did not deploy nor was there auto braking system. The crash indicator also did not call the police. My car is totaled. There is no way this vehicle is not part of your recent recalls. I was injured by the seat belt and have chest pain- this could have been avoided had my air bags deployed

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while his wife was driving out of the garage at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was shifted into drive (D); however, his wife's foot slipped off the brake pedal and the vehicle crashed into their residence. The contact stated that the forward collision sensing system failed to operate. No injury was sustained. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and dispatched a third-party engineer to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 86.