The 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 518,644 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 138 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2022 RAV4 Prime and 2022 Lexus NX450h+ plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles. The electric current rectifying module contained within the DC-DC converter may have been damaged during production, which can result in an electrical…
Consequence
A short circuit can cause the DC-DC converter to overheat, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire.
Remedy
Owners are advised not to charge their vehicles when the ambient air temperature is below or expected to drop below 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). Dealers will replace the DC-DC converter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2023. Owners may contact Toyota's customer…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021 RAV4 Prime Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. During certain cold weather driving conditions, while driving in EV Mode, the hybrid vehicle control engine control unit (HEV ECU) software may cause the hybrid system to shut down if the accelerator is…
Consequence
An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the HEV ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 27, 2023. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TA01.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)22V2390002022-04-13458,110 affected
Defect
Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The Skid Control ECU software may not turn on the Vehicle Stability…
Consequence
Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the Skid Control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA03. Lexus' number for this recall is 22LA01.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING20V6980002020-11-12413 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021 RAV4 Prime vehicles. The headlight aiming caps may have been improperly closed, allowing for horizontal adjustment of the headlight beam. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard…
Consequence
Adjusting the horizontal headlight beam can increase glare, reducing the visibility of an oncoming driver or the vehicle operator, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will close the aiming caps on the headlights, free of charge. The recall began January 6, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA15.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Observed arcing noises and strong electrical fire smell upon plugging in l2 evse charging cable. Mil lit, hybrid vehicle charging system codes active; vehicle refused to charge afterwards. Self-diagnosed and repaired defective 6.6 kw onboard charger. See pics of clear arcing damage withing…”
“Observed arcing noises and strong electrical fire smell upon plugging in l2 evse charging cable. Mil lit, hybrid vehicle charging system codes active; vehicle refused to charge afterwards. Self-diagnosed and repaired defective 6.6 kw onboard charger. See pics of clear arcing damage withing…”
“Observed arcing noises and strong electrical fire smell upon plugging in l2 evse charging cable. Mil lit, hybrid vehicle charging system codes active; vehicle refused to charge afterwards. Self-diagnosed and repaired defective 6.6 kw onboard charger. See pics of clear arcing damage withing…”
“Front driver side and front passenger side door actuator has failed. Locks are non responsive to key fob or interior master switch. The door locks have to be manually unlocked with the key or by the individual in the vehicle. It is a complete safety hazard. My local toyota dealer has quoted me…”
“Something needs to be done because toyota is stalling on sending out a critical safety component that has been recalled in thousands of vehicles. It is the hv floor wire connector, when the corrosion is beyond repair, the parts have been back ordered for months. Toyota and dealerships are not…”
“Sunroof exploded while driving down the freeway. Covering the occupants in glass, including the driver, this caused cuts from glass shards. This is a known issue to toyota. They decided not to do a recall. They are lucky that the sunroof exploding did not cause a fatal accident.”
“Random windshield crack that appeared out of no where when leaving work. 4 hour time span of video shows no foul play, nobody was mowing the yard. No way anything hit it - I confirmed. Crack started to expand up and out both ways. Can run my finger along the entire crack without any surface…”
“The vehicle generated an error message "plug in charging system malfunction" warning on the dash. The remedy is a toyota t-sb-0021-21 which requires a software upgrade to fix the air fan sensor reading to the charging unit. This is only considered part of the 60 month/60,000 mile power train…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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