NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 507 owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota RAV4 (including the hybrid).
5Safety recalls
507Owner complaints
59Complaints citing a crash
8Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags, electrical system, stability control, and exterior lighting. Most-reported area: air bags (147 complaints, 29%; median mileage when it happened: 30,000). Includes the RAV4 Hybrid and the plug-in hybrid (sold as the RAV4 Prime for 2021 to 2024).
5 safety recalls for the 2021 Toyota RAV4
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
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.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
NHTSA listings: RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID. Toyota campaign 23TA15, 23LA03.
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 short-circuit.
Risk: A short circuit can cause the DC-DC converter to overheat, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB07/23LB01.
NHTSA listing: RAV4 PRIME. Toyota campaign 23TB07/23LB01.
Electrical system
Feb 2, 2023
propulsion system · hybrid management · power control unit/module (hpcu)
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 rapidly pressed to further accelerate the vehicle, resulting in a stall.
Risk: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
NHTSA listing: RAV4 PRIME. Toyota campaign 23TA01.
Stability control
Apr 13, 2022
control module · software
Fails federal standard 126 (electronic stability control)
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 Control (VSC) system when the vehicle is restarted after the driver has disabled the VSC system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
NHTSA listing: RAV4 PRIME. Toyota campaign 22TA03, 22LA01.
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 number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
NHTSA listing: RAV4 PRIME. Toyota campaign 20TA15.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 507 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 RAV4. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Air bags147 · 29%
Median 30,000 miles at failure (23 reports)
Electrical system86 · 17%
Engine44 · 9%
Fuel and propulsion system39 · 8%
Brakes38 · 7%
Forward collision avoidance27 · 5%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (16); adaptive cruise control (8)
Powertrain27 · 5%
Unknown or other99 · 20%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Toyota RAV4 recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2021 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 RAV4 drew the most (437) and the 2021 drew 198.
Owner complaints
2021: 507 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota RAV4
Model year
Complaints
2016
257
2017
321
2018
346
2019
900
2020
647
2021
507
2022
171
2023
226
2024
204
2025
102
2026
32
Safety recalls
2021: 5 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota RAV4
Model year
Recalls
2016
3
2017
3
2018
3
2019
8
2020
6
2021
5
2022
3
2023
3
2024
4
2025
4
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Toyota RAV4 HYBRID SUV AWD
Rollover risk 15.5%
Toyota RAV4 PRIME SUV AWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Toyota RAV4 SUV AWD
Rollover risk 15.5%
Toyota RAV4 SUV FWD
Rollover risk 15.9%
Questions
What are the most common 2021 RAV4 problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: air bags (147), electrical system (86), engine (44). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2021 Toyota RAV4 safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2021 Toyota RAV4 earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my RAV4 has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: RAV4, RAV4 HYBRID, RAV4 PRIME.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.