IllustrationNOISY BRAKES FOLLOWED BY BRAKES FADING. (QCAW)
1997 Toyota Corolla
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 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: 21 of 135 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.
- Seat Belts. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
22 crash reports5 fire reports16 injury reports
What owners actually said
135 reportsTHE STONE SHIELD STICKS UP ANY KIND OF DEBRIS ON THE BELTWAY. WHEN THE WIND IS BLOWING, MAINLY PLASTIC BAGS START TO BURN. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP. DEALER STATED THAT THE PROLBEM COULD NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *AK
TRANSMISSION/AXLE SHAFT MISADJUSTED, CAUSING CLUNKING NOISE.
SEAT BELT RETRACTORS STICK INTERMITTENTLY.
WHEN DRIVING 20 MPH THE VEHICLE SKIDDED ON ICE, CRASHED INTO A TREE HEAD-ON AND THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS. DAMAGE AMOUNTED TO THE FRONT END, TOTALLED $8,000. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK
THE SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE IS STUCK IN THE RETRACTOR. THIS WILL BE THE FORTH TIME THE BELT WILL NEED REPLACING SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE IN FEB OF 1997. *AK
DOOR RUBBER MOLD GUARD HAS NEVER BEEN ABLE TO BE INSTALLED DUE TO MISALIGNMENT.
SEAT BACK COLLAPSED DURING IMPACT CAUSING BACK AND NECK INJURY TO CONSUMER.
VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, CAUSE UNDETERMINED. *AK
VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED. CAUSE OF FIRE WAS A ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT.VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *AK
Official recalls
197V043001 · Air Bags
Mar 20, 1997
IF THE AIR BAG COMPUTER IN A SUBJECT VEHICLE EXPERIENCES A MECHANICAL SHOCK (I.E., RAPIDLY MOVING THE FRONT SEAT BACK AGAINST THE STOPS OR A SUDDEN RELEASE OF THE PARKING BRAKE) WITHIN A VERY SHORT TIME AFTER THE ENGINE IS STARTED, THE AIR BAG CAN DEPLOY INADVERTENTLY.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE AIR BAG COMPUTER.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.