FaultScore

Worst years for a Toyota Corolla

Owners have filed 14,546 complaints about the Toyota Corolla with NHTSA across model years 1973 to 2026. More of them are about the airbags than anything else.

Avoid

2009 Toyota Corolla

1,770 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly airbags.

Cleanest on record

2023 Toyota Corolla

118 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Toyota Corolla year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2026 B 27 14 0 Other & Unspecified
2025 C 46 20 0 8,000 Brakes
2024 C 100 24 0 16,405 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2023 B 118 16 1 Other & Unspecified
2022 C 129 18 0 21,000 Electrical System
2021 D 253 31 3 11,500 Airbags
2020 D 395 35 2 8,190 Engine & Cooling
2019 D 290 40 3 10,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2018 D 196 33 6 17,874 Fuel & Propulsion
2017 D 279 67 3 13,192 Airbags
2016 D 310 104 3 24,999 Airbags
2015 D 309 104 3 26,500 Airbags
2014 D 382 104 3 33,000 Airbags
2013 D 269 62 1 25,000 Airbags
2012 D 496 54 1 34,415 Airbags
2011 F 690 71 3 30,000 Airbags
2010 F 1,582 217 16 6,300 Airbags
2009 F 1,770 276 16 24,450 Airbags
2008 D 378 95 1 39,871 Airbags
2007 F 984 165 10 44,530 Airbags
2006 F 971 163 12 59,276 Airbags
2005 F 972 145 5 69,656 Airbags
2004 D 560 85 3 58,000 Airbags
2003 F 860 143 11 85,000 Airbags
2002 C 141 38 1 62,000 Engine & Cooling
2001 C 163 39 3 67,500 Engine & Cooling
2000 C 177 35 7 72,000 Engine & Cooling
1999 C 188 30 5 70,000 Tires
1998 C 278 45 9 76,691 Airbags
1997 B 149 22 5 99,876 Seat Belts
1996 C 151 34 14 76,500 Airbags
1995 C 226 63 17 159,000 Airbags
1994 C 199 78 5 147,052 Airbags
1993 C 154 46 5 101,000 Airbags
1992 115 8 3 Engine & Cooling
1991 96 22 3 89,800 Engine & Cooling
1990 31 3 0 Engine & Cooling
1989 30 3 9 Engine & Cooling
1988 33 7 3 Seat Belts
1987 15 0 0 Acceleration & Cruise Control
1986 3 0 0 Seat Belts
1985 5 0 0 Transmission & Drivetrain
1984 8 1 0 Seat Belts
1983 1 0 0 Tires
1982 5 1 0 Acceleration & Cruise Control
1981 3 1 0 Brakes
1980 2 0 0 Transmission & Drivetrain
1979 3 0 0 Electrical System
1977 1 0 0 Engine & Cooling
1976 2 2 0 Child Seats
1973 1 0 0 Electrical System

What breaks on a Toyota Corolla

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Airbags 4,709 32.4%

Worst in 2009

Engine & Cooling 1,351 9.3%

Worst in 2009

Steering 1,193 8.2%

Worst in 2009

Worst in 2010

Worst in 2007

Brakes 858 5.9%

Worst in 2010

Worst in 2003

Worst in 2020

Body & Structure 473 3.3%

Worst in 2009

Seat Belts 431 3.0%

Worst in 1997

Worst in 2019

Worst in 2003

Suspension 267 1.8%

Worst in 2010

Tires 238 1.6%

Worst in 1999

Exactly what failed on a Toyota Corolla

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Frontal 314 24.6%
Body 266 20.8%
Engine 178 13.9%
Automatic Transmission 128 10.0%
Accelerator Pedal 87 6.8%
Door 74 5.8%
Retractor 72 5.6%
Exhaust System 67 5.3%
Emission Control 47 3.7%
Headlights 43 3.4%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Toyota Corolla, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 1995 peak 799 Aug 2026

Toyota Corolla problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Toyota Corolla

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.