IllustrationCONSUMER WAS SITTING AT A LIGHT WAITING TO PROCEED, VEHICLE WENT INTO REVERSE FROM DRIVE AND THEN POPPED INTO REVERSE. *AK
1996 Toyota Corolla
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Toyota Corolla do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 129.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Corolla years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 15 of 129 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
31 crash reports13 fire reports21 injury reports
Power Train complaints
4 reportsTRANSMISSION ON CAR FAILS WITHOUT ANY KIND OF WARNINGS. AT HIGH SPEEDS, IT DOES NOT ALLOW DRIVER ENOUGH TIME TO PULL-OVER. IN CASE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC THIS WILL BECOME A HUGE RISK FOR DRIVER AND OTHER CARS BEHIND. THIS WILL LIKELY CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. I WAS LUCKY BOTH TIMES SINCE THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC WHEN TRANSMISSION FAILED. MA…
Read full complaint
TRANSMISSION ON CAR FAILS WITHOUT ANY KIND OF WARNINGS. AT HIGH SPEEDS, IT DOES NOT ALLOW DRIVER ENOUGH TIME TO PULL-OVER. IN CASE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC THIS WILL BECOME A HUGE RISK FOR DRIVER AND OTHER CARS BEHIND. THIS WILL LIKELY CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. I WAS LUCKY BOTH TIMES SINCE THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC WHEN TRANSMISSION FAILED. MANUFACTURER HAS REFUSED A RE-PURCHASE. VEHICLE IS UNSAFE FOR DRIVING AND NEEDS TO GO THROUGH A THOROUGH INSPECTION.
REAR WHEEL BEARINGS FAILED.
CLUTCH ASSEMBLY FAILED, CLUTCH PAD IN FOR REPAIR, REPLACED THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA97015 · Turn Signal Failures
Opened Jul 22, 1997 · Closed Sep 21, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
There is no summary currently available