2009 Toyota Venza Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Aug 15, 2026 · 173 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Venza years
Far more complaints than other years 1st of 7 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 173 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota Venza. That is the most of any Venza model year in the database (7 years). The most reported problem area is vehicle speed control (36 complaints, 21%), typically at around 7,000 miles. Complaints mention 18 crashes, 3 fires, 16 injuries. There are 8 safety recalls covering this model year.

Toyota Venza
2021 Toyota Venza Hybrid Limited in Titanium Glow, model code AXUH85L. 2.5-liter I4 with 176hp (A25A-FXS), 3NM+4NM, 4WD. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2009 Toyota Venza problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Vehicle Speed Control36 · ~7,000 mi
Electrical System20 · ~75,600 mi
Seats20 · ~70,000 mi
Power Train19 · ~4,400 mi
Unknown or Other18 · ~60,000 mi
Service Brakes17 · ~45,872 mi
Air Bags14 · ~72,800 mi
Steering13 · ~68,000 mi
Visibility/wiper13 · ~64,623 mi
Visibility11 · ~55,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Vehicle Speed Control3621%7,000——
Electrical System2012%75,600——
Seats2012%70,000——
Power Train1911%4,400——
Unknown or Other1810%60,000——
Service Brakes1710%45,872——
Air Bags148%72,800——
Steering138%68,000——
Visibility/wiper138%64,623——
Visibility116%55,000——
Structure85%73,812——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic74%850——
Engine and Engine Cooling53%19,000——
Engine42%72,900——
Exterior Lighting42%99,000——
Wheels42%32,314——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)32%50,000——
Seat Belts32%60,000——
Service Brakes, Electric32%6,000——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility21%4,100——
Traction Control System21%18,750——
Equipment11%1,200——
Fuel/propulsion System11%24,630——
Latches/locks/linkages11%20,000——
Suspension11%———
Tires11%32,116——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2010, with 43 complaints
2009: 9200992010: 43432011: 122011122012: 442013: 9201392014: 20202015: 192015192016: 10102017: 6201762018: 10102019: 7201972020: 442021: 7202172022: 222023: 3202332024: 442025: 2202522026: 22

n = 173 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2009 Toyota Venza recalls (8)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:side/window:curtainApr 13, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V257000 · 279,040 vehicles

Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2009-2015 Venza vehicles. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) wiring may become damaged with regular use of the driver-side door.

Risk: Damaged wires may cause the air bag sensor to become inoperable, preventing the deployment of the side and curtain air bags on the driver side and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver-side front door wire harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TB01/21TA01.

Seats:front assembly:seat heater/coolerJun 2, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V396000 · 7,749 vehicles

Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

Seats:front assembly:seat heater/coolerNov 19, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V743000 · 3,233 vehicles

Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

Seats; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactiveJan 16, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles

Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Exterior lighting:brake lights:switchMar 7, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V091000 · 186,798 vehicles

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2009 camry vehicles manufactured from july 1, 2008, through february 28, 2009, and model year 2009-2011 venza vehicles manufactured from october 20, 2008, through january 4, 2011. During assembly of the contact-type stop lamp switch, silicone grease may have come in contact with the surface of the switch which could cause contact resistance. If this occurs, warning lamps could illuminate, a no start condition could result, the shift lever may not shift from the â“park┠position, or the vehicleâ’s brake lights could become inoperative.

Risk: Inoperative brake lights would not warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 12, 2012. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Equipment:other:labelsFeb 3, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V035000 · 271,417 vehicles

Problem: Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.

Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.

Equipment:other:labelsFeb 3, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V036000 · 153,418 vehicles

Problem: Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedalJan 27, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V023000 · 1,126,915 vehicles

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 highlander, model year 2009-2010 corolla, venza and matrix passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat. This recall is an expansion of a campaign of 3.8 million other toyota vehicles announced in 2009 for the same issue (see 09v-388).

Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.

Fix: Toyota will modify or replace the accelerator pedals on the subject vehicles. Floor surface modifications are also being considered and will be included for any model for which it is deemed appropriate. Initially, dealers will be instructed on how to reshape the accelerator pedal for the repair. As replacement parts with the same shape as the modified pedal become available, they will be made available to the dealers for the repair. Customers who have had the pedal reshape remedy completed will have the opportunity to receive a new pedal if they desire, after replacement pedals become available. In addition, toyota will replace any toyota all-weather floor mat in a subject vehicle with a newly designed mat, free of charge. For those customers who have the previous design all-weather floor mat but do not need or want the newly designed all-weather floor mat, toyota will recover the previous design all-weather floor mat and reimburse its price. The safety recall began march 30, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

1) Passenger airbag isn’t measuring weight properly. Airbag safety message says airbag is off when seat is occupied. 2) Driver’s side seat heater is not working. The light registers that it is on, but it’s not. 3) Other I cannot describe

Air Bags · received Aug 15, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11757219

I just bought this car and discovered that the steering system is actually unsafe; the vehicle makes noises and vibrates at the steering column.

Steering · received May 23, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11739659

1) Brakes consistently 'softer' than normal. Sometimes require pumping the pedal to stop at all. Can be difficult to start car, brake pedal may not move at all to get starter button to light up. **Every time after sitting over night, when the car starts the pedal 'mushes' to the floor. It must be…

Service Brakes · received May 5, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11658926

While driving, the computer seemed to short out, going blank on the cars display, and all guages failed. The car kpet driving, but I lost power steering and brakes. It was difficult to control the car while getting to the side of the road. Once there, I turned the car off to see if things would…

Electrical System · received Jan 24, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11638196

Hello, I issue this complaint because my 2009 Venza interior started smelling like smoke. It went on for a bit thinking it may be something outside the vehicle. I then realized the smell was coming from the seat I was sitting on. I've read online about this problem and its seems this is a problem…

Seats · received Nov 19, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11626280

Other Toyota Venza years

2010 Venza →

YearComplaintsRecalls
2015 Venza281
2014 Venza311
2013 Venza594
2012 Venza254
2011 Venza596
2010 Venza799
20091738

See all Toyota Venza problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.

Similar Toyota models

Embed this 2009 Toyota Venza badge on your site

Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Toyota Venza?

Owners most often report vehicle speed control, electrical system, seats problems. The top one, vehicle speed control, accounts for 36 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2009 Toyota Venza?

Yes, 8 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2009 Toyota Venza a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Venza model years, the 2009 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.