IllustrationTHE CONSUMER'S SON WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH HE WAS INJURED BY COLLIDING WITH THE WINDSHIELD AS THE RESULT OF SEAT BELT FAILING, TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT. *YH
1998 Toyota Corolla
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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
60–25K
825–50K
1450–75K
1875–100K
11100–150K
7150K+
64 reports with mileage · 161 unknown
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 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
36 crash reports8 fire reports24 injury reports
Seat Belts complaints
17 reportsUPON BEING HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE ON PASSENGER SIDE, THE DRIVER SIDE SHOULDER HARNESS BOLT PULLED OUT CAUSING THE DRIVER TO BE THROWN ABOUT. *YH
DUE TO HEIGHT THE CONSUMER MUSH THE DRIVERS SEAT AS FAR BACK AS POSSIBLE FOR COMFORT, WHEN THE SEAT BELT IS RETRACTED IT TWIST 90% OF THE TIME AN CANNOT RETRACT CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS IS DUE TO THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF SPACE BETWEEN THE SEAT AND THE DOOR. NLM
WAS IN AN ACCIDENT GOING 45MPH A TRUCK RAN A STOP SIGN AND I HIT THEM IN THE SIDE MY SON WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND HIS SEAT CAUGHT WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKES BUT RELEASED WHEN WE HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE AIRBAG DEPLOYED BUT DID NOT INFLATE. THE SEATBELT ALSO RELEASED WHEN WE HIT THE DITCH. HE HIT HIS HEAD ON THE WINSHIELD 2 TIM…
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WAS IN AN ACCIDENT GOING 45MPH A TRUCK RAN A STOP SIGN AND I HIT THEM IN THE SIDE MY SON WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND HIS SEAT CAUGHT WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKES BUT RELEASED WHEN WE HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE AIRBAG DEPLOYED BUT DID NOT INFLATE. THE SEATBELT ALSO RELEASED WHEN WE HIT THE DITCH. HE HIT HIS HEAD ON THE WINSHIELD 2 TIMES AND IS NOW DEALING WITH POST CONCUSSION SYNDROME. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID THEY FOUND NO DEFECTS AND THAT THE SAFETY SYSTEM DID WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSE TO. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P185/65R14 )
AIRBAG AND SEATBELT LIGHTS COME ON INTERMITTENTLY, IN JULY OF 1999 THE FRONT AND RIGHT SEATBELT ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. *SLC
THE MIDDLE SEAT BELT IN THE REAR SEAT COMBINED LAP/SHOULDERHAS A BELT EXTENDER. THE LAP BELT COMES UP HIGHER THAN THE SIDE OF THE SEAT. SHOULDER STRAP DOES NOT LOCK SECURELY. DEALER SUGGESTS TO PUT THE CHILD IN THE SEAT ON THE SIDE BECAUSE THE CHILD SEAT CANNOT GO IN THE MIDDLE SEAT. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *…
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THE MIDDLE SEAT BELT IN THE REAR SEAT COMBINED LAP/SHOULDERHAS A BELT EXTENDER. THE LAP BELT COMES UP HIGHER THAN THE SIDE OF THE SEAT. SHOULDER STRAP DOES NOT LOCK SECURELY. DEALER SUGGESTS TO PUT THE CHILD IN THE SEAT ON THE SIDE BECAUSE THE CHILD SEAT CANNOT GO IN THE MIDDLE SEAT. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
REAR SEAT BELT DESIGN DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY WITH CHILD SAFETY SEAT. (QCAW)
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.