2012 Toyota Venza reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2012 Toyota Venza has 25 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 2 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Venza years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Curtain, Electrical system, and Labels.

2013 Toyota Venza — Photo by CEFICEFI, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (9 of 25), then Visibility and wipers (6) and Structure (5). Those filings include 6 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Venza has 59 complaints, 8 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Toyota Venza. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, side and window, curtain 2021-04-13 · NHTSA campaign 21V257000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall Electrical system 2013-10-17 · NHTSA campaign 13V442000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall Labels 2013-04-09 · NHTSA campaign 13V123000

Summary 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."

Remedy 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.

Recall air bags, frontal, inactive sensor control module 2013-01-16 · NHTSA campaign 13V014000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (25 total)

Air bags

Visibility and wipers

Structure

Engine

Fuel and propulsion system

Powertrain

Seat belts

Service brakes

Speed control

Steering

Visibility

Show 3 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"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,…"
Steering, Unknown or other · filed 2025-08-31
"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…"
Air bags · filed 2022-01-03
"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…"
Air bags · filed 2021-11-10
"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…"
Air bags · filed 2021-06-15
"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…"
Air bags · filed 2021-06-08

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Toyota Venza SUV AWD	4 stars	3 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2012 Toyota Venza SUV FWD	4 stars	3 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Venza	2.7L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	21	27	23 MPG	$2800
Venza	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	19	26	21 MPG	$3100
Venza all-wheel drive	2.7L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	20	25	22 MPG	$2950
Venza all-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	25	21 MPG	$3100

Specs and fitment

First generation (2012–2015), 2012–2015

Body styles Crossover SUV

Oil SAE 0W-20 (ILSAC GF-5); 2.7L 1AR-FE holds 4.6 qt with filter, 3.5L 2GR-FE holds 6.4 qt with filter

Tire size P245/55R19 (Type B), P245/50R20 (Type A)

Towing capacity 3,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 13V-442 covers certain 2012-2013 Venza vehicles (with 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, and Camry Hybrid) where a clogged air-conditioning condenser drain can let water reach the air bag control module and short it, disabling the air bags or causing inadvertent deployment and possibly interrupting power steering assist; dealers seal the condenser housing and add a protective cover on the module. Campaign 21V-257 covers certain 2009-2015 Venza vehicles in which repeated use of the driver-side front door can damage Supplemental Restraint System wiring so the driver-side side and curtain air bags may not deploy; Toyota’s recall numbers are 21TB01/21TA01, and dealers inspect and replace the door wire harness as needed.

Compare

Next year 2013 Toyota Venza See every Toyota Venza model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Toyota Venza reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Toyota Venza?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (9 of 25), then Visibility and wipers (6) and Structure (5). Those filings include 6 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Toyota Venza more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Venza has 59 complaints, 8 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Toyota Venza been recalled?

The 2012 Toyota Venza has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Toyota Venza?

Owners have filed 25 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Venza with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Toyota Venza get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Toyota Venza is 21.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does the Toyota Venza use?

First-generation models (2012-2017) call for SAE 0W-20 with engine-specific refill volumes in the owner’s manual; the 2021-2024 hybrid uses SAE 0W-16 with a 4.8-qt drain-and-refill capacity with filter.

Can the Toyota Venza tow a trailer?

Toyota advertised up to 3,500 lb towing on the first-generation Venza; the 2021-2024 hybrid press materials describe on-demand AWD but do not publish a trailer rating.

Is the Toyota Venza a hybrid?

Only the second-generation Venza sold in the U.S. from 2021 onward; 2012-2017 models used 2.7L four-cylinder or 3.5L V6 gasoline engines.