2012 Toyota Venza Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Venza years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 7th of 7 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 25 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Venza. That ranks 7th out of 7 Venza model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (9 complaints, 36%), typically at around 60,000 miles. Complaints mention 6 crashes, 6 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 25owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 6complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Toyota Venza problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 9 | 36% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 24% | 58,436 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 6 | 24% | 90,871 | — | — |
| Structure | 5 | 20% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 4% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 4% | 47,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 4% | 2,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 4% | 10,588 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 4% | 39,118 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 4% | 39,118 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 4% | 25,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Toyota Venza recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:side/window:curtain
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.
Equipment:appliance:air conditioner; air bags; electrical system
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser may become clogged causing water to accumulate at the bottom of the air conditioning condenser unit housing. The accumulated water may then leak through a seam in the housing onto the air bag control module potentially resulting in a short circuit of the module.
Risk: A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will seal the air conditioning condenser unit housing and install a protective cover on the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Seats; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
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.
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.
On Dec. 17, 2023, shortly after 12:00 p.m.,I was driving my Toyota Venza on the highway under normal when the STEERING KNUCKLE suddenly fractured. This unexpected failure caused the vehicle to lose steering control, leading to a serious traffic accident. I inspected that part and found that the…
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the airbags warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V257000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the…
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Venza. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V257000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair…
The contact owned a 2012 TOYOTA VENZA. The contact stated while her husband was driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle traveling in front of them came to an abrupt stop. In an effort to avoid the vehicle, the contact's husband jumped a curb and hit a light post. The front driver and passenger airbags…
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Venza. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V257000 (Air Bags) however, the part for the repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified of the issue and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware…
Other Toyota Venza years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 Venza | 28 | 1 |
| 2014 Venza | 31 | 1 |
| 2013 Venza | 59 | 4 |
| 2012 | 25 | 4 |
| 2011 Venza | 59 | 6 |
| 2010 Venza | 79 | 9 |
| 2009 Venza | 173 | 8 |
See all Toyota Venza problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Toyota Venza?
Owners most often report air bags, unknown or other, visibility/wiper problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 9 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Toyota Venza?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 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 2012 has far fewer complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.