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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 →

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 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 14, 1999
Seat Belts

THE RIGHT REAR SEATBELT HAS FAILED TO RETRACT 4 SEPARATE TIMES, I HAVE CONTACTED MANUFACTURER, BUT RECEIVED MINIMAL HELP. I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT VEHICLES SAFETY AND AM PURSUING A LEMON LAW CASE AGAINST THEM. I HAVE EVEN MORE CONCERNS AFTER SEEING THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED THAT SEEM ALMOST IDENTICAL TO MY PROB…

Read full complaint

THE RIGHT REAR SEATBELT HAS FAILED TO RETRACT 4 SEPARATE TIMES, I HAVE CONTACTED MANUFACTURER, BUT RECEIVED MINIMAL HELP. I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT VEHICLES SAFETY AND AM PURSUING A LEMON LAW CASE AGAINST THEM. I HAVE EVEN MORE CONCERNS AFTER SEEING THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED THAT SEEM ALMOST IDENTICAL TO MY PROBLEMS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #714756

Mileage unknown · Nov 11, 1999
Structure

DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK SWITCH WAS INOPERABLE WHEN VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED AND WAS REPLACED BY DEALER AT THEIR COST. *AK

NHTSA ODI #714665

Mileage unknown · Nov 11, 1999
Seat Belts

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT LOCKS IN POSITION DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, DOES NOT RETRACT WHEN REMOVED AND OCCASIONALLY RETRACTOR LOCKS AND WILL NOT RELEASE BELT AT ALL

NHTSA ODI #714663

Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 1999
Seat Belts

DRIVER SIDE SHOULDER BELT WILL NOT DISENGAGE FROM THE RETRACTOR MECHANISM, HOWEVER,, AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS THE SEAT BELT WILL DISENENGAGE. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DTAILS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #851962

Mileage unknown · Sep 29, 1999
Visibility

WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY CONDITIONS WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL QUIT OPERATING,CASUING POOR VISIBILITY. *AK

NHTSA ODI #849050

Mileage unknown · May 12, 1999
Vehicle Speed ControlCrash

COMING TO A STOP AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKES,VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATE/ LUNGED FORWARD, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *AK

NHTSA ODI #837842

Mileage unknown · Apr 28, 1999
Visibility

DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE DOES NOT CONTAIN A REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER, WHICH CAUSING VERY POOR VISIBILITY FOR CONSUMER. MJS

NHTSA ODI #545253

Mileage unknown · Feb 16, 1999
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, AND SOMETIMES VEHICLE WON'T STOP AT ALL,. NEEDS TO APPLY EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. DEALER IS AWARE OF PROBLEM, BUT CANNOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ODI #834825

Mileage unknown · Feb 13, 1999
Seat Belts

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT PROPERLY, WOULD STICK WHEN PULLED OUT.

NHTSA ODI #781958

Mileage unknown · Feb 9, 1999
Air BagsCrash

CONSUMER HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE SIDE IMPACT AT APPROXIMATELY 25-30 MPH, DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED INJURIES . *AK

NHTSA ODI #833210

Official recalls

1

97V043001 · 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

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