Most common 2009 Toyota Venza problems
Share of the 173 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Toyota Venza complaints by model year
Best Venza years: 2012, 2015, 2014. Years to avoid: 2009, 2010. Compare all years →
2009 Toyota Venza recalls (8)
Air bags › Side/window › Curtain
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.
Seats › Front assembly › Seat heater/cooler
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010…
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016.
Seats › Front assembly › Seat heater/cooler
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge.
Seats
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…
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.
Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2009 camry vehicles manufactured from July 1, 2008, through February 28, 2009, and model year 2009-2011 venza vehicles manufactured from October 20, 2008, through January 4, 2011.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 12, 2012. Owners May contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Gulf states Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between September 1, 2005 and June 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual.
Show 2 more recalls
Equipment › Other › Labels
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on May 27, 2010.
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 highlander, model year 2009-2010 corolla, venza and matrix passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Remedy: Toyota will modify or replace the accelerator pedals on the subject vehicles. Floor surface modifications are also being considered and will be included for any model for which it is deemed appropriate.
What 2009 Toyota Venza owners say
Speed control & acceleration all 36 →
I was sitting in the drive thru line of a fast food restaurant when the car took a sudden surge forward. I steered hard to keep from hitting the vehicle in front of me and manage to hit the bumper on right side doing over 1500 dollars in damage and swerved into another parked car doing damage to it also. The Venza had damage of more than six thousand dollars. The car has been repaired but I am afraid to drive it so it has been sitting in the carport since the day the repairs were finish. By the way that was the second incident of that kind in that car. There is something wrong with that car. Please investigate before someone is hurt or killed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while traveling at approximate speeds of 35mph and attempting a turn, the vehicle abnormally accelerated without warning. The contact confirmed his foot was not depressing the accelerator pedal when the failure occurred. The vehicle proceeded to crash into a concrete curb. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where an investigator was brought in to further assess the failure. The investigator attributed the failure to an extra all weather floor mat. One week after the crash, the contact received a recall letter (NHTSA campaign id number 10V023000) relating to the failure. The vehicle was being repaired by the dealer. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were approximately 7,000.
Brakes all 27 →
1) Brakes consistently 'softer' than normal. Sometimes require pumping the pedal to stop at all. Can be difficult to start car, brake pedal may not move at all to get starter button to light up. **Every time after sitting over night, when the car starts the pedal 'mushes' to the floor. It must be pumped to get any resistance. 2) Lack of reliable brakes poses real safety risk for everyone. I just had incident where I had difficulty stopping, nearly in accident. 3) One mechanic experienced lack of brakes when driving it, had to pump pedal to stop. 4) Multiple independent auto repair shops as well as local Toyota Dealer service have charged me thousands to repair, without success. 5) 6/27/23 warning light, 'check ABS', sensor unplugged by mechanic. Once master cylinder replaced, sensor reconnected. …
I was at a stop sign and I was on an incline and I let the brake go to press the gas and the car started to go backwards and i almost hit the car behind me and and press the gas to go forward. Now anytime I am on an incline during a stop and if I let go the brake the car goes backwards.
Windows, wipers & sunroof all 23 →
Driver's side sun visor will not stay in the up position, or in the visor position, but drops into an unsafe, visibility hampering and distracting location. Touching/feeling the plastic assembly where the visor connects to the support bar reveals that the assembly has failed. I find it interesting that Toyota has issued an advisory and will pay for this repair for camry's but not Venza's. I have a 2010 camry that I purchased on the same day as the Venza: July 31, 2009 and it's driver's side visor failed on July 31, 215 just one day after the Venza's (but with twice the mileage)! Hoping that NHTSA can convince Toyota to fix the much smaller quantity (compared to camry) of Venza's as well. I would replace it myself if the part wasn't so terribly overpriced ($179 !!!). …
When the drivers visor was pushed up out of the way something snapped and the visor would not stay up. It would only hang down obstructing my line of vision. I ended up driving from utah to az holding the visor up so I could see. I spent over $125 to install it myself. Two years later the same exact thing has happened to the passengers visor making it nearly impossible to see traffic coming from my right. I called power Toyota to get the part and was informed the following day it is on a national back order with no release date. When I contacted Toyota regarding this safety issue I was informed that visors are only covered for 3 years and offered no suggestions or reasons as to why the visors are unavailable. I hope my upcoming trip to tucson is not negatively affected by Toyota's faulty visors.
2009 Toyota Venza engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 21 / 29 / 24 |
| 2.7L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 20 / 28 / 23 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 19 / 26 / 22 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 18 / 25 / 21 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Toyota Venza a good car?
Based on 173 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Venza rates avoid: 3.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the Venza at the same age. It is one of the Venza years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 Toyota Venza?
The speed control & acceleration — 36 complaints, 21% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the brakes (27) and windows, wipers & sunroof (23).
How many recalls does the 2009 Toyota Venza have?
There are 8 recalls for the 2009 Toyota Venza, the most recent from April 13, 2021 (curtain). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Toyota Venza?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012, 2015 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2009 and 2010. See the full Toyota Venza years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 Toyota Venza problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 40,000 miles; 56% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.