IllustrationWHILE TRYING TO PUT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELTON IT WOULD NOT PULL FROM RETRACTOR. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
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 reportsINTERMITTENTLY DRIVER'S AND RIGHT REAR SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT FROM RETRACTORS. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S COST. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY, AND SPEED CONTROL TOOK OFF ON ITS OWN. SPEED CONTROL STARTED POPPYING AND THEN MILEAGE WENT UP TO 105. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING AT 35 MPH AND AS A RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT ANY TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
DRIVERS SEAT BELT GETS LOCKED EASILY. UNABLE TO PULL SEAT BELT OUT TO APPLY AT TIMES. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THE SEAT BELT WILL LOCK AND RESTRICT MOVEMENT. THERE IS NO PATTERN TO WHEN SEAT BELT LOCK AND WHEN IT WORKS. WHEN I BRING IT INTO A DEALER IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO WORK FINE AT THE TIME SO NO REPAIRS ARE MADE. THERE HAVE BE…
Read full complaint
DRIVERS SEAT BELT GETS LOCKED EASILY. UNABLE TO PULL SEAT BELT OUT TO APPLY AT TIMES. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THE SEAT BELT WILL LOCK AND RESTRICT MOVEMENT. THERE IS NO PATTERN TO WHEN SEAT BELT LOCK AND WHEN IT WORKS. WHEN I BRING IT INTO A DEALER IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO WORK FINE AT THE TIME SO NO REPAIRS ARE MADE. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS THAT THIS IS A DEFECT AND I FEEL IT SHOULD BE ADDRESS AS IT IS A LIABILITY ISSUE.*AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 72 MPH BRAKES LOCKED UP. VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOWDOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, THEN CAR WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 60MPH.*AK
THE GOODYEAR TIRE ON THE VEHICLE SEPERATED WHILE DRIVING, THE TREAD GOT CAUGHT UP INTO THE REAR AXLE CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL AND ACCIDENT. *MJS
IN RAIN BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH RESULTED IN A CRASH. WILL BE TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER. *AK *ML
NO TRUNK LIGHT FOR THE VEHICLE. YH
THE AIRBAGS WERE RECALLED MARCH OF 1997, I DO NOT KNOW IF WERE REPLACED OR THEY ARE THE ORIGINAL AIRBAGS. THEY DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THE ACCIDENT, AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MY OPTIONS. *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.