What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Toyota Corolla problems by year
Owners have filed 9,721 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Corolla across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2009 for air bags complaints, 2010 for air bags complaints and 2005 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1992 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 2009, 2010, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1992, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 97211990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 20091410 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1487122 fires · 1163 injuries · 15 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 45kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 181Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 3 | 1 | Engine and cooling (8) | |
| 71 | 10 | 1 | Engine and cooling (15) | |
| 63 | 8 | 2 | Engine and cooling (22) | |
| 130 | 39 | 6 | Air bags (48) | |
| 172 | 65 | 8 | Air bags (69) | |
| 176 | 53 | 7 | Air bags (54) | |
| 128 | 30 | 6 | Air bags (32) | |
| 135 | 22 | 6 | Seat belts (38) | |
| 221 | 36 | 4 | Air bags (59) | |
| 154 | 23 | 4 | Tires (22) | |
| 144 | 22 | 5 | Engine and cooling (47) | |
| 132 | 32 | 4 | Engine and cooling (31) | |
| 113 | 27 | 5 | Air bags (23) | |
| 682 | 94 | 13 | Air bags (315) | |
| 460 | 68 | 13 | Air bags (222) | |
| 809 | 107 | 10 | Air bags (425) | |
| 804 | 105 | 10 | Air bags (432) | |
| 791 | 118 | 6 | Air bags (419) | |
| 297 | 70 | 6 | Air bags (128) | |
| 1410 | 175 | 13 | Air bags (539) | |
| 1183 | 136 | 17 | Air bags (407) | |
| 548 | 39 | 9 | Air bags (407) | |
| 402 | 31 | 5 | Air bags (341) | |
| 161 | 42 | 5 | Air bags (57) | |
| 167 | 43 | 2 | Air bags (38) | |
| 126 | 36 | 1 | Air bags (27) | |
| 105 | 32 | 1 | Air bags (25) | |
| 71 | 11 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (22) | |
| 26 | 8 | 3 | Air bags (7) | |
| 13 | 2 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (7) |
What fails on the 2009 Toyota Corolla
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 38% |
539 | 55 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 27% |
376 | 44 | Shop steering parts for the 2009 Toyota Corolla |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 14% |
192 | 64 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 6% |
83 | 8 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2009 Toyota Corolla |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 6% |
79 | 7 | Shop engine parts for the 2009 Toyota Corolla |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
70 | 24 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2009 Toyota Corolla |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 3% |
44 | 5 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 3% |
42 | 2 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2009 Toyota Corolla |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
The car steering wheel drags to the left while driving in a hilly curvy road. Sometimes the steering wheels gets stuck while driving and cannot move or operate.
-
Electric steering stopped working and all warning lights lit up. I shut off the car and restarted and returned home. Car is in the driveway since.
-
My air conditioner stopped working. I read up on this matter and found out that condenser is a problem with the 2005-2006 corolla and they suggested filing a complaint with this website so that you would be aware that there is a problem. Thanks!
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Toyota Corolla years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2009, 2010, 2005 carry the most filings on the Toyota Corolla. The 2009 alone has 1410 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Toyota Corolla problem?
On the 2009 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 539 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Corolla problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Corolla complaints that include mileage is about 45,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.