2013 Toyota Venza reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 59 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota Venza over 14 years — 8 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 10 Venza years on this site. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Curtain, Electrical system, and Labels.

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (12 of 59), then Electrical system (10) and Service brakes (10). Those filings include 13 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 12 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Venza has 25 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2014 has 31 complaints, 5 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

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 2013 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 (59 total)

Air bags

Electrical system

Service brakes

Structure

Engine

Speed control

Steering

Fuel and propulsion system

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Seats

Back-over prevention

Equipment

Exterior lighting

Fuel system, gasoline

Latches, locks, and linkages

Powertrain

Seat belts

Visibility

Visibility and wipers

Show 11 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Upon approaching my vehicle and unlocking it, the drivers side mirror courtesy light wire caught on fire and started smoking. My safety and the safety of others was put at risk because had I not been there my entire car…"
Electrical system, Exterior lighting · filed 2026-04-19
"The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer…"
Back-over prevention · filed 2025-12-12
"When the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) light comes on, it also cuts power to the engine even when the car is moving at full highway speed. This can pose a great danger when crossing bridges or anytime while driving…"
Unknown or other · filed 2025-11-15
"Fuel pump fail causing the car to stall out going 75 miles an hour on the highway"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-03-05
"2013 Venza pasenger side and back leak very bad when it rains"
Unknown or other · filed 2023-11-26

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Toyota Venza SUV AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2013 Toyota Venza SUV FWD	5 stars	4 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	20	26	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	26	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

Previous year 2012 Toyota Venza Next year 2014 Toyota Venza See every Toyota Venza model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Toyota Venza reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Toyota Venza?

Is the 2013 Toyota Venza more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Venza has 25 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2014 has 31 complaints, 5 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Toyota Venza been recalled?

The 2013 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 2013 Toyota Venza?

Owners have filed 59 complaints about the 2013 Toyota Venza with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Toyota Venza get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 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.