The Toyota Venza is a five-passenger SUV that Toyota made from 2008 through 2015. The crossover is getting new life in 2020 as a re-invented two-row hybrid-only vehicle. For first-generation owners, things were generally pretty good. Some owners, however, had some interesting complaints about thier Toyota Venza’s. 

No sunshine for Toyota Venza owners 

The number one complaint of Toyota Venza owners at CarComplaints.com had to do with the sunroof. This problem was rated by CarComplaints.com as “really awful”, mainly because the sunroof burst into hundreds of tiny pieces.

One Canadian driver was innocently driving down the road at about 65 miles per hour when suddenly, his sunroof exploded. The panic caused him to immediately pull over, and he was thankful no other drivers were around. 

When he took his 2013 Toyota Venza in to find out what went wrong, he was told that he wasn’t the first one to report the problem. However, Toyota Canada denied it was a manufacturer defect. It cost him $1,700 to fix, which he was not happy about. 

Another driver from Baton Rouge, Louisiana had the same problem. She and her husband were driving their 2012 Toyota Venza that only had 2,000 miles on it when the sunroof exploded for no apparent reason.

The husband was wearing a ball cap, otherwise she feared he may have been blinded by the bits of glass. She vowed never to drive on the interstate with her sunroof open ever again, and advised others to think twice before picking up a used Toyota Venza. 

Shaking steering

Another complaint from an owner of a 2009 Toyota Venza was a rattle in the steering. This problem occurred at an average of 65,650 miles. He complained that the steering rattled over every bump and turn in the road, making for a very uncomfortable and unstable driving experience. Unfortunately, his Venza was out of warranty, and the problem cost him $2,000 to repair.

An NBC News review from 2009 was also not impressed with the Toyota Venza’s steering. They complained the Venza’s electric power steering had almost zero feedback, was too light, and performed poorly at low speeds. They said Toyota didn’t even seem to try to calibrate the steering for a good driving experience.

The 2021 Toyota Venza

The current Toyota Venza has been reborn for 2021 in a brand-new form, a two-row, hybrid SUV. The midsize crossover is loaded with the latest hybrid technology, and powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine combined with 3 separate electric motors. It’s paired with a hybrid lithium-ion battery pack, and overall, the 2021 Venza will deliver a combined 40 miles per gallon.

Standout features of the latest Toyota Venza include an adjustable panoramic roof (hopefully free of its former shattering tendencies), Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, and standard all-wheel drive. It has modern good looks, with sleek headlights, and graceful lines. Available features include a 10-inch color heads-up display.

The 2021 Toyota Venza boasts high-end technology, both under the hood and behind the wheel. There’s a 7-inch LCD multi-information display that gives you all your information on power consumption, battery, and more, plus a 12.3-inch touchscreen.

This seamlessly links with Apple CarPlay to keep you on top of your day and give you access to all your music and apps. There’s also an optional digital rearview mirror.

The exploding sunroof and rattling steering were the main things that first-generation Toyota Venza owners have complained about, according to CarComplaints.com. However, the all-new hybrid Toyota Venza promises to be a whole new ballgame.