Toyota Venza Hybrid sudden acceleration problems

Filed Apr 6, 2026 · VA

While pulling up to a curb to park in residential community, my car suddenly accelerated. It came to a stop after 15’ when I hit the brakes. Fortunately nothing or no one was in front of me. No more incidents have occurred. No warning msgs or lights. No other symptoms. Having dealer diagnose this week.

Filed Dec 3, 2025 · Driver assistance · LA · crash

On 29 Nov 2025 while braking at low speed (<10 mph) to park, my 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid suddenly lunged forward despite firm brake pedal application and no accelerator input. The vehicle accelerated on its own and struck a stationary pole causing front-end damage.

Filed Nov 13, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · OR

This report covers 2 events for the same problem. The first occurred in the spring of 2025 and I did not document the date or time. The second one occurred on November 10, 2025 @ about 10:15 a.m. (1) Last spring my wife was driving the Venza up the street to our residence going a slow rate of speed. As she approached the house, she took her foot off on the gas and coasted toward the left curb so she could back into our driveway. At that point, car suddenly surged forward and accelerated toward the curb. My wife rapidly applied the brake and averted any problem. (2) The second event occurred on November 10, 2025 @ 10:15 a.m. My wife was starting to park at a parking lot in the Tanasbourne Town Center. She was going to back into a parking spot so she drove forward going slightly left. Then, with the car still in drive, the car surged forward. She quickly stepped on the brake and the car stopped abruptly. (She was angling the car and was about ready to stop and put the car in reverse when this happened) Again, with her quick response braking, she was able to avert hitting person or thing. As to which component or system failed, there appears to be a random malfunction of sensors or perhaps the CPU...something that is calling for full throttle when the gas petal is not pushed. The safety risk is possible harm to the driver, outside property, or the worse situation would be harm to pedestrians that might be in the way of the car. We have not been able to reproduce the problem. The same maneuvers have been repeated 100's of times without incident. As of this writing, the vehicle is being taken to the Toyota dealer to have the oil changed and at that time they will be asked to do a thorough inspection of the systems that might cause this, check for any recorded malfunctions, etc. To the best of our knowledge, there were no warning lamps or messages that appeared.

Filed Oct 19, 2025 · Acceleration · CA

As I attempted to park in a stall in the parking garage, I turned the steering wheel to the right and aligned the vehicle in preparation to back into the stall. In the split second that I took my foot off the accelerator to put it on the brake pedal in preparation to switch gears, the vehicle surged forward rapidly. I slammed on the brake as hard as I could, fearful that it would hit the car in the stall ahead. Maybe that's an indication that the Emergency Braking System failed, too. I don't know whether it stopped me or me slamming on the brake, but I was within 18 inches of the vehicle in the stall ahead of me. It truly scared me, which is what caused me to search for whether this was a known issue for 2021 Venzas and found that others have had this issue occur.

Filed Sep 15, 2025 · Acceleration · 15,000 miles · OH · crash

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Venza Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and crashed into the rear of another parked vehicle. No injuries were reported, and no police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. A manufacturer's investigator came to the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The contact was informed that the Black Box information did not indicate that a vehicle malfunction had occurred during the crash. The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced a second similar failure while driving 5 MPH, the accelerator pedal erroneously extended to the floor, and the vehicle began to unintentionally accelerate. The contact was able to press the brake pedal and safely stop the vehicle. The cause of the failures was not determined. The failure mileage was 15,000.

Filed Apr 7, 2025 · Driver assistance · OK · crash · 4 injuries

Purchased used from Metro Ford on 12-31-2024 with 16,689 miles. Was out of town until March 1 so I did not insure or drive the car until March. I had only driven it a few times before the accident happened. At first I started noticing that the car did not respond immediately when the gas pedal was pressed. I thought it was me being unfamiliar with how the new car worked. On 3-26-2025 I had pulled into a parking space in front of a building and all of a sudden the car surged forward unexpectedly even without me pressing the pedal leading to me crashing through the glass windows into the building. No warning lights were on. The car had two known issue with Unintended Acceleration and throttle delay yet no recall has been issued. My safety and the safety of 15 others was a risk and the crash did result in injuries. The building was full of students and clients and they were hurt along with major property damage to the building. State Farm declared the car was a total loss due to all the damage to my car and we have no idea the amount of damage done to the building. The business had to be closed for repairs and they are still closed. I have filed a product liability claim with Toyota case number 250407002330. Toyota will get with State Farm to see if an inspection can be made of the car as I have transferred ownership to State Farm as of April 4, 2025. The car was picked up by State Farm on April 5, 2025. I just discovered the known issue with the car this weekend so I do not think an inspection was done other than the body shop estimate.

Filed Feb 16, 2025 · Brakes, Engine · DE · crash · 1 injury

We own a 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid and are having problems with it "lunging forward" when applying the brake. This has happened multiply times. The first is when I was pulling very slowly into the garage because the car just fits through the door having only inches to spare on either side of the side view mirrors. As I was lightly applying the brake, the car LUNGED FORWARD, the word BRAKE in bold red letters appeared on the dashboard (The Forward Collision Warning) and the car jerked to a stop by itself avoiding hitting the back wall. It happened in a split second. No damage, no injuries. Not so the second time. On Feb 13, 2025, we were going to a local business. My husband was in the front passenger seat. We pulled into the parking lot and I turned right into the parking space. As I lightly applied the brake, the car violently LUNGED FORWARD hitting the cement post supporting the building. "No Forward Collision Warning light this time".There was a loud bang noise and both the driver, upper and lower and passenger airbags were deployed. The seatbelts jolted us back to our seats and locked up. There was smoke and a nasty smell (from the airbags). This all happened in a split second. I couldn't open the door, so I had to crawl over the console with help from my husband to get out of the car. I was taken to the ER by ambulance to get x-rays of my chest which was badly bruised and my ankle which was also bruised. My husband escaped injuries but was in shock as well. Since this happened, we have done research on the Internet and found numerous complaints and instances of this same thing happening to drivers when gently applying the brakes, particularly in TOYOTA hybrid vehicles. Many people narrowly escaping severe injuries and death in similar situations. I guess it has to take a few fatalities for Toyota to do something about it. What a shame! The insurance co. totaled the car. We won't be getting another Toyota.

Filed Feb 13, 2025 · Acceleration · 14,000 miles · WV · crash · 1 injury

The contact's companion leased a 2022 Toyota Venza Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced unintended acceleration on several occasions. The contact stated that while in a drive-thru and slightly depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated unintendedly and crashed into a pole. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The contact's companion, who was occupying the front passenger's side seat sustained a broken sternum and eleven broken ribs and was hospitalized for four days. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was then towed to Mike's Auto Repair. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

Filed Apr 25, 2024 · Acceleration · 1,000 miles · WA · crash

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to park the vehicle and with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. As a result, the driver collided with another parked vehicle ahead, lightly damaging the front of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 1,000.

Filed Apr 10, 2024 · Electrical · 2,600 miles · NJ · crash

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated without warning as the accelerator pedal was released. As a result of the failure, the contact crashed into the rear end of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle resumed normal operation after the failure. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer where they were unable to duplicate the failure. The contact was initially informed that the event data recorder did not record the accident. The contact was later informed that the vehicle control history showed that the vehicle's brake pedal was released and that the accelerator pedal was applied before the accident, the contact disputed the finding. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 2,600.