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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)

2 of 375 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

May 28, 2022Transmission & drivetrainCrash

I was reversing. I exited vehicle The Car was either not in park or fully In park. I got something from the back seat, turned around and the car with drivers door wide open was barreling towards me. I barely managed to get into the car. I do not think tjr car was reversing when I reached into the backseat. It appeared like it was a delayed reaction. The car door was damaged as it hit the side of the garage. I am so grateful nobody got hurt. Do not want this to happen to anyone else. (I run and miraculously made it inside the car. Most would not have.

NHTSA ODI 11466557

Aug 2, 2021Transmission & drivetrainCrash

Me ([XXX]) and my 3 children went on a trip from July 25- July 30 to Sequoia National Park & Yosemite National Park . On Wednesday , July 28 around 1:30 pm we were at Yosemite Park and I pulled over to take some photos of the beautiful park(nature) . I made sure my children , the car and myself were in a correct parking spot , I put my RAV4 LE in Park position (P) and the car automatically put on the hand break and it makes a loud noise, letting me know it's safe . The RAV4 does not have a hand break like other cars , it only has a small pull button. Anyways the car was in Park position with the automatic break , I stepped out the vehicle and walked toward the front of the car and my RAV4 just stared to roll down and hit a tree . I ran inside the car to stop it but it was too late . The RAV4 had crashed into the tree with my 3 children, they were all asleep when it happen and lucky no one was hurt. The car has a alot of damages in the front area and on the drivers side . The dash was all lit up with messages saying system fail(Pre collision system) INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11427394

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 →