IllustrationAIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY DEALER UNABLE TO REMEDY PROBLEM AFTER SEVERAL REPAIR ATTEMPTS (ATTORNEY FOR CONSUMER). NLM
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
What owners actually said
225 reportsWHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE MADE A LEFT TURN IN FRONT OF THE CONSUMER VEHICLE, AND CONSUMER COULDN'T STOP AND HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE. NONE OF THE FOUR AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *AK
THE CAR SLOWS OR RUNS FASTER THAN WHAT THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWS. YH
THE AIR BAG LIGHT KEEPS LIGHTING UP, AND CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW THE REASON. PROBLEM HAS RESUMED AFTER REPAIR. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN 25 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE AIR BAG SENSOR WAS HIT, BUT DRIVER'S SIDE/PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
THE FUEL LINE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT RUPTURED OR DETACHED UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. AN INTENSE FIRE RESULTED. MY WIFE, BLAIR, ESCAPED WITHOUT INJURY. THE CAR WAS DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS.
PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR IS BAD CAUSING THE WARNING LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE.
NO SUMMARY.
DEFECTIVE AIRBAG SENSOR IS CAUSING THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO BLINK ON AND OFF, CAUSING A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD.DEALER HAS TIGHTENED A LOOSE SCREW THAT HOLDS SENSOR 6 TIMES, BUT DEFECT STILL OCCURS. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE DEFECT. *AK
VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE FRONT AND REAR SIDE AIRBAGS. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE AT THE PASSENGER REAR SIDE AT ABOUT 15 MPH, AND THE SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THE ACCIDENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.