low‑beam headlights/headlight assembly issues. Moisture getting in, corrosion of prongs that connect to the headlight assembly. Dimming lights once assembly was replaced. Condensation in the headlights. Some bulbs work while others don't.
Toyota Venza Hybrid headlights problems
26 of the 278 owner complaints about the Toyota Venza Hybrid describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 26
- worst model year
- 2021
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
The front headlight developed condensation with zero evidence of a hit or accident. Additionally, the car randomly loses power when going from a stop to acceleration, leaving me in the middle of an intersection with no power for about 3-5 seconds
The left head light has failed. As a result, these are the functionality issues I am experiencing: 1. Loss of power to power mirrors. This causes issues because the mirrors do not retract, and have to be manually adjusted before each drive session. They have folded in while driving, causing hazardous driving conditions without use of the mirrors. 2. Windshield wiper fluid dispenser has lost functionality, causing hazardous driving conditions because I am unable to remove debris and liquid that obstructs my vision while driving. 3. Windshield wipers will only work on one setting, being the fastest setting 4. Dash panel not displaying information such as temperature, trip information, and proper odometer readings. Low fuel notifications not showing properly. I almost ran out of fuel because I was unaware or actual fuel levels 5. Lift gate not opening from key fob 6. Neither headlight will operate in "bright" mode, despite only one head light being compromised. This is a major issues that has affected many Venza drivers. There are a multitude of reports on Reddit and other forums that discuss these issues. What's worse, is that Toyota has tied critical electrical components and functionality to a single headlight, which happens to be very costly to remedy (Over $1000k). There were no warnings present, just issues identified after the headlight failure, and these are only the ones I have discovered thus far. This needs to be recalled
On 1/1/25 around 5PM when it was getting dark, I was driving in my 2022 Toyota Venza LE on the highway in the rain when all of a sudden my left headlight off, windshield wipers stopped working and experienced a host of other electrical issues - engine temp doesn't read, apple carplay stopped talking to device, side mirrors lost power, traction control disabled. It was very dangerous as I lost visibility in heavy rain while on the highway. I was able to slowly drive the car home with hazard lights blinking all the way. There were no error messages leading up to the failure. Only my engine temp not being able to read when the engine was cold that morning. It quickly resolved once the engine warmed up. I drove my car to Toyota dealership in which they spent over a day isolating the issue to faulty headlight assembly sending error codes to the ECU and jamming other zones on the car. They unplugged the left headlight assembly and told me I was ok to drive home. Ultimately I asked for replacement of the headlight and the light was restored and all issues did not return. I no longer have the original headlight assembly for inspection. I made a forum post regarding this issue and 2 other recent venza owners have reached out to me with same behavior which prompted me to make this safety report.
When driving at night using low beams a shadow is cast by the headlights. The shadow is on the driver's side approximately 100 feet in front of the vehicle, at the 11:00 position. This gives the impression that someone or something is entering the path of the vehicle causing the driver to brake or swerve to avoid a collision. This endangers the occupants of the vehicle and others on the roadway. If the driver grows accustomed to this and "learns" not to pay attention to this area of his/her path it endangers those who enter this area.
I just purchased as 2021 Toyota Venza Limited. The headlight on low beam cast a odd shaped shadow. It is very distracting and often makes you think something is in front of the car. The issue dissappears when headlight are switched to high beam. This is very unsafe and deserves a recall.
drivers side low beam projects a dark spot within view, causing a shadow that is disconcerting and distracting while driving at night. Headrest notches for the rear passenger and rear driver side seats are machined improperly, causing them to lift completely out of the seat unless latched at the very lowest setting. Notches are on opposite sides of the same pole.
Head lights! Dangerous. They have blind-spots due to equipment blocking full light vision. This is my 2nd report to you. I have not gotten a response. I think this should be looked into immediately. I don't care to drive at night because of this blind-spot. Yes, I have reported this to Toyota and they could not do anything about it because they it from the new type of light bulbs. Please review, research and respond. Thank you.
When driving at night with headlights on low beam the driver’s side headlight casts a distracting shadow on the road. Not only does this shadow prevent full illumination of the roadway, limiting visibility on the driver’s side, but the shadow can also make it look like an obstacle might be in the road. This shadow is not there when the bright lights are on. I have had this vehicle since Dec. 15, 2023 & I have had two different Toyota service departments check this out. They both told me there is no fix for the shadow. I also spoke with Toyota Corporation by phone to report the problem. They told me there is no program in place to address the issue. I have seen multiple reports of this problem on the Toyota Nation website stating this problem has existed for three years.
Headlights cast a shadow at night — particularly to left. Vision obscured in shadow area and cannot see what is in road. As well, turning corners think something is in road because of shadow and want to pull away. This is definitely a hazard and has been reported on Toyota nation and seems to effect more than the venza and needs to be addressed because it is a safety issue. I bought the vehicle used on 2/23/24 and had no idea this was an issue has been reported but not fixed.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: hazard flashing warning lights
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021 Venza Hybrid vehicles. Water may enter the rear turn signal LED lights, allowing condensation to form on the circuit board, and causing a short circuit. 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
- A short circuit can cause dimming or failure of the rear turn signals and hazard lights, reducing the vehicle's visibility to other drivers and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace both rear turn signal LED bulbs and replace the rear turn signal light assembly as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 18, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available by June 30, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TB01/22TA01.
Recall number 22V033000 · Recall details
Questions about the Toyota Venza Hybrid headlights
Which Toyota Venza Hybrid years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (12 complaints), 2022 (8 complaints) and 2023 (3 complaints).
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