2021 Toyota COROLLA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2021 Toyota COROLLA has 249 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.1x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (21% of all complaints), specifically: the contact owns a 2021 toyota corolla. the contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle when depressing on the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a building. the contact stated the "vehicle was needing to be serviced" warning light was illuminated. the air. ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 25 crash reports 20 injuries

249

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.1x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

AIR BAGS

52 complaints

21%

• The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle when depressing on the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a building. The contact stated the "vehicle was needing to be serviced" warning light was illuminated. The air
• While driving down a two-way street an oncoming car departed its lane resulting in an offset frontal collision on the driver's side. The driver's side airbag did not deploy, the seat belts did not pretention/lock and the pre-collision system did not engage brakes or alert the driver. The driver of
• Front end collision at 50mph with deer. No airbag deployment, car was totaled

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 12 crashes

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle when depressing on the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a building. The contact stated the "vehicle was needing to be serviced" warning light was illuminated. The air”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

37 complaints

15%

• AFTER PURCHASING MY COROLLA MY CAR POWERED DOWN. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT AND STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS WAS IN NOVEMBER 2020. ON 1/16/2021 I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, EVERYTHING JUST POWERED DOWN. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH T
• Got in the car this morning and the check engine light came on. Needed to get to work so started driving. About 5 minutes later car started shuttering and reduced engine power displayed. Had to do 20 MPH all the way to work. Did not make for a good morning. The lane keep assist and other safety feat
• The problem seems to occur when activating the Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) feature, as detailed next. During a recent trip, the car behaved in a potentially dangerous, life-threatening manner when the DRCC function was activated. Specifically, the car seems to increase the

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“AFTER PURCHASING MY COROLLA MY CAR POWERED DOWN. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT AND STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS WAS IN NOVEMBER 2020. ON 1/16/2021 I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, EVERYTHING JUST POWERED DOWN. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH T”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

34 complaints

14%

• ON 4 OCCASIONS, AFTER ENGAGING CRUISE CONTROL (65MPH) THE STEERING WHEEL WENT HARD AND IT APPEARED THAT THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OFF AND THE VEHICLE VEERED LEFT AND IT WOULD CREATE TO SMALL AMOUNT OF TORQUE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. AGAIN, ONLY WHEN I ENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL. VIN: [XXX] (THERE IS NO
• 1.EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM AT A SIGNAL LIGHT 2.TO CONTROL SUDDEN ACCELERATION, NEED TO PUSH BRAKES HARDER THAN A NON HYBRID CAR 3.IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION, IT GOES TOO FAST WITHOUT PUSHING THE GAS, THIS MAY CAUSE A CRASH MISSING EXTRA TIRE AND THE ACCESSORIES (JACK, LUG WRENCH, OT
• WHEN I PARKED MY CAR THE MORNING ON MARCH 22, THE TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND 50F. THERE WAS NO WINDSHIELD CRACK AT THIS TIME. WHEN I WENT TO GET MY CAR IN THE AFTERNOON ON MARCH 22, A FOOT LONG CRACK HAD FORMED ON MY WINDSHIELD. THE TEMPERATURE AT THIS TIME WAS AROUND 70F. HAD THIS HAPPENED W

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“ON 4 OCCASIONS, AFTER ENGAGING CRUISE CONTROL (65MPH) THE STEERING WHEEL WENT HARD AND IT APPEARED THAT THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OFF AND THE VEHICLE VEERED LEFT AND IT WOULD CREATE TO SMALL AMOUNT OF TORQUE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. AGAIN, ONLY WHEN I ENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL. VIN: [XXX] (THERE IS NO”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

21 complaints

• AFTER PURCHASING MY COROLLA MY CAR POWERED DOWN. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT AND STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS WAS IN NOVEMBER 2020. ON 1/16/2021 I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, EVERYTHING JUST POWERED DOWN. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH T
• Got in the car this morning and the check engine light came on. Needed to get to work so started driving. About 5 minutes later car started shuttering and reduced engine power displayed. Had to do 20 MPH all the way to work. Did not make for a good morning. The lane keep assist and other safety feat
• After bringing my 2021 Corolla into a certified mechanic that I personally trust is the most skilled and talented for Toyota brand, as a specialist for asian make vehicles. I was told that my unit was given a old battery despite the year of my vehicle. The safety of starting the engine was discover

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 3 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

19 complaints

• Car was in dealership twice in one week for jerking while driving dealership said it was abc and was so called “fixed” both times only had my car for a little bit back before I had to take it back . 3rd time in the same week my transmission went out on me while on the highway with young kids in the
• I was driving home from school, and while trying to change lanes on fairly busy road on a hill and my car with a CVT transmission stalled out and a check engine light appeared on my dash with a message reading “drive-start control malfunction”. While trying to limp the car home, the engine killed p
• Vehicle has numerous electrical/mechanical issues that seem to stem from an autonomous learning remote sensor. The problems include, but are not limited to 1. Seatbelt sticking on driver’s side, problem resolves itself, possibly after someone has had a good chuckle on satellite watching the driver s

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“Car was in dealership twice in one week for jerking while driving dealership said it was abc and was so called “fixed” both times only had my car for a little bit back before I had to take it back . 3rd time in the same week my transmission went out on me while on the highway with young kids in the ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 249 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
AIR BAGS: The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle when depressing on the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a building. The contact stated the "vehicle was needing to be serviced" warning light was illuminated. The air
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: AFTER PURCHASING MY COROLLA MY CAR POWERED DOWN. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT AND STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS WAS IN NOVEMBER 2020. ON 1/16/2021 I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, EVERYTHING JUST POWERED DOWN. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH T
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: ON 4 OCCASIONS, AFTER ENGAGING CRUISE CONTROL (65MPH) THE STEERING WHEEL WENT HARD AND IT APPEARED THAT THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OFF AND THE VEHICLE VEERED LEFT AND IT WOULD CREATE TO SMALL AMOUNT OF TORQUE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. AGAIN, ONLY WHEN I ENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL. VIN: [XXX] (THERE IS NO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: AFTER PURCHASING MY COROLLA MY CAR POWERED DOWN. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT AND STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS WAS IN NOVEMBER 2020. ON 1/16/2021 I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, EVERYTHING JUST POWERED DOWN. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH T
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)