209 of the
14,546 complaints filed about the Toyota Corolla
are about the lighting —
1% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 1996.
There is a shadow or "dark spot" observed in the LED low headlight beam. It is distracting while driving. The dark spot is distracting, sometimes you think an animal is coming into view, causing confusion. It is especially noticeable on totally dark roads in remote places.
NHTSA complaint #11747698 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Internal short within headlamp assembly causing the fuse to blow. Unrepairable, requires full replacement of part. Confirmed by MyAutoImports licensed Toyota repair center. Passenger side day running light, headlight, and brights are inoperative. Turn signal and front right indication light are still functioning. No warning prior to, but system warning came up after the short first occurred telling me to take into a dealer asap.
NHTSA complaint #11724658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Moisture and water got into the front head light causing it to go out . The blinker , low light and bright light on front driver went out while I was on the highway.
NHTSA complaint #11698825 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have a 2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback and the headlight went out. Instead of replacing the bulb Toyota has made it so you had to purchase the entire unit which is called a headlight assembly unit and that’s in the thousands of dollars the LED lights are supposed to last the lifetime of the car so it makes it really unsafe to drive at night Currently my passenger side light has gone out and like I said it’s in the thousands to replace it so I’m unfortunately not in a position where I can do that and now my driver side light is starting to flicker and starting to cut out. There’s no way to just replace a bulb you have to replace the entire unit which is in the thousands of dollars it makes it very unsafe to drive at night. And Toyota has stated that the LED lights should last the entire life of the vehicle if not longer.
NHTSA complaint #11694220 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I hit a deer going roughly 65mph on my way to work. The hit crushed the radiator into the engine, destroyed the airbox, folded the hood, and practically vaporized the headlight. The airbag, however, did not deploy- not in the wheel or in the side curtain. I wasn't injured but thought it was strange the because the crash totalled the car (~$16k of damage) and was at a high speed. The car had one accident prior, hitting a concrete pillar at a low speed (less than 10mph) and had been repaired two years earlier. I kept every maintainence record for the car and never had any airbag lights on or service done. Because the airbags didn't deploy, the car didn't initiate the Safety Connect call to 911 or anyone else. I recently saw Toyota settled with many owners of 2019 Corolla sedans but the hatch wasn't included, but I have (anecdotally) heard of similar stories from other hatch owners. I now own a 2023 Corolla hatch and feel a bit concerned the same issue could present.
NHTSA complaint #11687461 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the headlights failed to respond. There was a warning light illuminated that there was a failure with the front headlights. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was with the headlight; however, the dealer was not able to repair the headlights. The contact was then informed to take the vehicle to a friend of the dealer. The friend of the dealer confirmed the failure and was unable to repair the headlights. The friend suggested that the vehicle be taken to a Toyota dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the headlights were not the OEM headlights. The vehicle was diagnosed with connector failure and that the headlights needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,311.
NHTSA complaint #11656629 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving at night, there is a shadow in the headlight, that shines onto the road and makes driving at night difficult. This shadow looks like it comes from a tall screw or bolt in both headlights. The lights work correctly, but the shadow causes the driver to have a dark "spot" in the beam of light, which then makes it hard to see clearly while driving in dusk, or darkening circumstances. I took the vehicle in to the Toyota Dealer where I bought it and had them investigate this. They said they couldn't repair it, as it was part of the construction of the headlight itself. The Toyota repair people did see the shadow when the lights were turned on to face a wall in a darkened garage bay.
NHTSA complaint #11633441 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Front Windshields of the vehicle has more tinting to be within compliance. The same vehicle has tendency to follow certain vehicles all the time as per what I have experienced or see.
NHTSA complaint #11629704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I would like to raise a concern regarding the headlight shadow issue in the 2023 Toyota Corolla. Specifically, there are noticeable dark spots or shadows when using the low beams, which significantly obscure portions of the road during night driving. I believe this is a design flaw in the vehicle’s lighting system. My parents, aged [XXX] and [XXX] , have found this shadow effect to be particularly challenging, making it difficult and unsafe for them to drive at night. Additionally, I understand that many other 2023 Toyota Corolla owners have expressed similar complaints, which further suggests this issue is widespread and deserves attention. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11614122 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2024 Carola Hybrid Headlights create blind spot in front of the car at night at 50meters to 100m by Toyota engineer design (there is a corner designed into the line of sight of the headlight). Toyota customer care and the dealer maintenance manager is saying the design is safety tested and approved. It needs to be retested at night!!! This is a clear design defect. It is especially dangerous curving left & making left turns on two way back roads and highways. Have to turn on brights to see but that creates risk to other drivers.
NHTSA complaint #11571124 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I think headlights are really dim in night driving. On the flat road it’s okay but on the curvy and hilly turns you barely can see anything. It is either dim or the headlights are aim too low . you can’t see the road clearly and farther.
NHTSA complaint #11566890 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased this car new from Toyota. The first time I drove it at night the lights were not bright enough. You don't test drive them at night. They are OK if you are driving in the city where it is all lit up. On darker freeways and roads, the lights are horrible, even if the bright lights are on. I live in East San Diego, Blossom Valley, it is dangerous! I paid cash for this car, I took it to the dealership right away. They were rude to me, They said they were new led lights, bulbs can't be changed. When I'm turning it is dark. I've had a new car every 3 years, and never had horrible lighting. Toyota doesn't care.
NHTSA complaint #11563853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car shows that the vehicle needed to be serviced, in checking the Toyota app I saw there was a warning for the adaptive lighting system/electrical concern. The warning light had been on for some time, thinking I was due for regular maintenance like an oil change I had ignored it for a bit. Everytime I would start the car this warning would appear. I too the car in for service, they also did a 20k maintenance service and kept the car overnight overnight as they were unable to locate the issue same day. The following day I was advised they couldn't determine the issue and they cleared the code.
NHTSA complaint #11557458 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds at night, the left lane was blocked out by the headlights. There was a huge shadow obstructing the driver’s view. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine there was a failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was designed that way, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 3.
NHTSA complaint #11553192 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2024 Toyota Corolla SE Low beam headlights have shadows on the driver's side that hang down and obstruct the roadway especially on curves. This is very hazardous and only remedy is to switch to high beams. This issue causes me to either not be able to see the roadway adequately or blind oncoming traffic with high beams. This is an issue on my 2023 as well. Toyota has stated it is normal and as designed. I disagree. Not being able to adequately see the road with low beams is not normal. The problem is better or worse depending on orientation of the road. Shadows on Curves are much worse.
NHTSA complaint #11552508 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Low beam lights have a shadow that moves as car turns or goes up/down hills. When driving in dark back roads I see a line of shadow about 30’ ahead of me blacking out entire view. When high beams are on the shadow disappears. Bought car yesterday. Advised salesman. Will make appt to have it looked at. I have a video but it is failing to download.
NHTSA complaint #11548513 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Low beam headlights have shadows that prevent me from seeing all roadway at night. vehicle has presented at the dealership in 6/07/23, but they failed to correct this potentially safety hazard issue. The issue did cause me to hit a piece of wood in the HYW causing an accident with a result of 2 damage tires and 1ring. I will present the vehicle again in 10-11 -23, but in advance one of the guys told me. is something that they don't have nothing to do because is something normal in some corolla. that alert me to start my investigation. Now I can see, I don't are the only one with this problem. Is a new car.
NHTSA complaint #11548293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am making a complaint about my 2021 corolla SE because I am constantly running into issues that cost and are not my fault as to why these issues have come about. I bought my car in March 2021, in May 2021 my car hit a bump in the highway and cracked my rim and bust my tire. Luckily I have alloy and tire coverage so I did not have to come out of my pocket. Next, my two front tires are constantly wearing down on the inside of the tread making the wires be exposed and causing me to have a blow out or needing to replace my tires at least 4 to 5 times since I have had my car. My car only has 71,000 on it to need that many tires replaced. I go and get my car serviced where I purchased my car at the toyota dealer so If I needed and alignment or tires rotated they would have let me know that and the only time I was informed I needed an alignment was when I got all new tires. Then, in November of 2022 my front lighting sytem when completely out ( signals lights, blinkers, brake lights, etc. I went to get it checked on and the dealer made me feel as if I had an entire electrical issue going on with my car and I would have to pay $160 x2 in order for them to just figure out what was wrong with my practically new vehicle. They came back and explained it was only a fuse and the fuse is $5 but still attempted to charge me for diagnostics. After this encounter I had to be ugly just to not come out of pocket for a large sum. At that visit there was an "engine malfunction" light on as well that they did not mend and continues to blink to this date. Prior to my last servicing appointment last week my entire radio system went out ( backup camera, radio, gps system, bluetooth). I was told at the dealer that I would have to pay $160 for them to diagnose my issue and and then pay for the repair. I asked my service manager if there were any recalls on my car for these issues and he stated no but as for the 2022-2023 models there are recalls. I need help with this.
NHTSA complaint #11544433 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Low beam headlights have shadows that prevent me from seeing all of the roadway at night. Vehicle has been presented to multiple dealerships that have failed to correct this potentially dangerous issue. The last dealership stated it was "normal" and no fix is available. The issue did cause me to hit a tire on the interstate earlier this year and continues to make night driving hazardous. I will continue to present the issue to my Toyota dealer to have the issue fixed. Future updates will be provided on this issue.
NHTSA complaint #11544225 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.