The 2021 Toyota RAV4 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 999,901 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 505 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS23V8650002023-12-20999,901 affected
Defect
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…
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…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
124
28crashes1fires34injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
70
3crashes2fires4injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
44
3crashes5fires3injuries
ENGINE
36
3fires
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
21
1crashes1fires
SERVICE BRAKES
20
7crashes3injuries
VISIBILITY/WIPER
19
1crashes2injuries
POWER TRAIN
18
1crashes
STEERING
18
3crashes1injuries
SEATS
16
Total complaints505
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The front driver-side door lock and opener (actuator) stopped working using the key fob and needs to be manually locked from the inside. When I try to access the door after manually locking driver side and using my key fob for the remaining 3 locks, the unit won't automatically open. This causes a…”
“Was driving on 4 lane hwy and it was raining and my wipers stopped working mid-way on windshield, I had to find a safe place to pull off road and inspect the problem I tried turning car off and back on and wipers would still not work. I drove another 3 miles or so to the toyota dealership luckily…”
“Water sloshing around inside the passenger door after rain or car wash. If you pull at the seal a little bit, water pours out. This has happened a few times now in the last year of owning the car. The rear seatbelt sensor also goes off randomly, when no one is sitting in the back seat.”
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota rav4. The contact was traveling at approximately 50 mph directly behind a van in the same lane of traffic. The van suddenly made an emergency avoidance maneuver to bypass a stationary vehicle completely stopped in the lane. Despite the attempt, the van rear-ended the…”
“Upon taking my 2021 rav4 hybrid in for the rear traction motor cable corrosion recall (25td01) on 5/7/2026, I was told there are no parts, no estimated arrival time, and therefore not even a rough estimate for a timeframe of repair. I was told that no one would inspect or evaluate the part in…”
“Upon taking my 2021 rav4 hybrid in for the rear traction motor cable corrosion recall (25td01) on 5/7/2026, I was told there are no parts, no estimated arrival time, and therefore not even a rough estimate for a timeframe of repair. I was told that no one would inspect or evaluate the part in…”
“Upon taking my 2021 rav4 hybrid in for the rear traction motor cable corrosion recall (25td01) on 5/7/2026, I was told there are no parts, no estimated arrival time, and therefore not even a rough estimate for a timeframe of repair. I was told that no one would inspect or evaluate the part in…”
“Gear shift makes noise when moving it, as in you can actually hear the gears/electrical equipment moving and making noise when going from park to drive. The keyless entry when the fob is near, just doesn't work well from the drivers side... I can stand there trying to allow it to unlock and it…”
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 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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