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What 375 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (375)Crash / fire / injury (53)Airbags (125)Electrical system (45)Engine (36)Visibility & wipers (30)Fuel system (24)Body & structure (21)Brakes (20)Steering (20)Transmission & drivetrain (19)Driver assistance (17)

30 of 375 complaints match · Visibility & wipers · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Aug 17, 2021Visibility & wipers

Defective windshield, visible distortion, Is available for inspection. (Brand new vehicle) Safety hazard to drive as I can't see properly through it, everything is blurry. Eyes can't focus - like looking through someone else's glasses! Makes me physically ill as well due to the continued eye fatigue/strain. I"m not sure it's even possible to drive it more than half an hour, I wouldn't risk it. Problem is confirmed by the dealer, both technicians that inspected said distortion is visible. Dealer said won't fix because "Every Rav currently on the lot has a defective windshield, most worse than yours"! Was told this was not their first complaint about the bad windshields. and if they did fix it I could end up worse off, because all the windshields are coming out defective currently, some with even worse "visible waves" in the glass. I had ordered the vehicle & put a deposit on it to hold, I didn't get to drive it till the paperwork was done and I was driving off the lot. Within 20 minutes problem was apparent.

NHTSA ODI 11429448

Jul 18, 2021Visibility & wipers

Rear windshield shattered on a parked car. We closed the passenger doors after getting in and the rear windshield started falling off in pieces

NHTSA ODI 11425320

Jun 3, 2021Visibility & wipers

Windshield Crack sitting in parking lot, nothing hit it( i.e. no rocks, no chips, no nothing). It broke randomly, radiating out from the bottom edge near wiper toward center of windshield. Yes, available for inspection upon request Could have happened when driving. It has not yet been confirmed by dealer (pending), insurance, or other third party The new vehicle was only 5 weeks old.

NHTSA ODI 11419505

Jan 3, 2021Visibility & wipers

THIS ISSUE HAPPENED ON 12/31/2020. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THIS EVENING. I CAME ONTO AN ONRAMP DURING MY DRIVE AND I BEGAN INCREASING MY SPEED TO 70MPH. AS I'M ACCELERATING I STARTED TO NOTICE A WHISTLING SOUND COMING FROM THE SUNROOF . I INSTANTLY ASSUMED THAT MY HUSBAND HAD ACCIDENTALLY OPENED THE SUNROOF AND HAD NOT CLOSED IT BACK UP ALL THE WAY. (WE HAVE NOT HAD THIS CAR VERY LONG AT ALL SO WE ARE STILL LEARNING WHICH BUTTONS DO WHAT.) AS I PULL BACK THE COVER I NOTICE THAT THERE ARE SHARDS OF GLASS FALLING ONTO MY LAP FROM THE SUNROOF. I WAS IN COMPLETE SHOCK AND PULLED OVER TO MAKE SURE I WAS NOT MISTAKEN. SURE ENOUGH THE SUNROOF HAD SHATTERED AND THERE WAS GLASS EVERYWHERE. I HAVE NO WAY OF EXPLAINING HOW THIS HAPPENED AND I AM VERY FRUSTRATED THAT I HAVE TO MAKE A CLAIM ON A CAR I HAVE HAD FOR MAYBE A MONTH AND A HALF AND EVEN MORE UPSET THAT I CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. I WAS ALSO SURPRISED THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THE SUNROOF!

NHTSA ODI 11386212

Oct 15, 2020Visibility & wipers

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE GLASS SUNROOF SUDDENLY EXPLODED. DURING THE FAILURE, THE SUNROOF WAS CLOSED. THE LOCAL DEALER VALLEY HIGH TOYOTA LOCATED AT 14612 VALLEY CENTER DR, VICTORVILLE, CA 92395 AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,500.

NHTSA ODI 11364557

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Working with the data? Download all 375 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2021 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid verdict →