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2021 Toyota Corolla

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota Corolla do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 129.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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: 25 of 185 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.

  • Air Bags. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

18 crash reports2 fire reports10 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

32 reports
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800 miles · Feb 16, 2021
Service BrakesUnknown Or OtherWheels

1.EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM AT A SIGNAL LIGHT 2.TO CONTROL SUDDEN ACCELERATION, NEED TO PUSH BRAKES HARDER THAN A NON HYBRID CAR 3.IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION, IT GOES TOO FAST WITHOUT PUSHING THE GAS, THIS MAY CAUSE A CRASH MISSING EXTRA TIRE AND THE ACCESSORIES (JACK, LUG WRENCH, OTHER TOOLS ETC) EVEN THOUGH THE…

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1.EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM AT A SIGNAL LIGHT 2.TO CONTROL SUDDEN ACCELERATION, NEED TO PUSH BRAKES HARDER THAN A NON HYBRID CAR 3.IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION, IT GOES TOO FAST WITHOUT PUSHING THE GAS, THIS MAY CAUSE A CRASH MISSING EXTRA TIRE AND THE ACCESSORIES (JACK, LUG WRENCH, OTHER TOOLS ETC) EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A SLOTTED PLACE HOLDER THERE. (SHAME ON TOYOTA FOR DOING THIS, TO ORDER A NEW KIT THIS WILL COST APPROX $1,500 PER MISSING KIT, IF YOU WERE TO ORDER INDIVIDUALLY, THIS CAN POTENTIALLY BE A SERIOUS PERSONAL SAFETY ISSUE IF YOU'RE IN A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD AND WAITING FOR TOW TRUCK VS QUICKLY CHANGE THE TIRE AND LEAVE) 4.CHEAP SOFT TIRES, GOT A SCREW WITHIN 2 MONTHS? CALLED TOYOTA , TOWING IS FREE, BUT YOU MUST PAY FOR THE FLAT REPAIR OR BUY A NEW TIRE (ABOUT $250) EVERY TIME THERE IS FLAT AS YOU DO NOT HAVE EXTRA TIRE, JACK, LUG WRENCH. (THIS CAN BE RACKETEERING - SHAME ON TOYOTA FOR DOING THIS) 5.2ND CAR (2021 HYBRID) CAME WITH THE LOW BRAKE FLUID LEVELS, CLOSE TO THE LOW/MIDDLE VS BRAND NEW CAR WITH NEW BRAKES, FLUID LEVEL SHOULD BE CLOSE TO MAXIMUM. (SHAME ON TOYOTA FOR DOING THIS AND PLAYING CHEAP, BESIDES SAFETY ISSUE) 6.TO REPAIR FLAT TIRE, THE AIR PUMP AND GLUE KIT IS A JOKE, THIS DOESN'T WORK - TOYOTA SHOULD PROVIDE NON-FLAT ABLE TIRES BEFORE THIS GENIUS MICKEY-MOUSE INVENTION. (SHAME ON TOYOTA FOR DOING THIS) *DT*JB

NHTSA ODI #11396391

Mileage unknown · Feb 3, 2021
SteeringUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

ON 4 OCCASIONS, AFTER ENGAGING CRUISE CONTROL (65MPH) THE STEERING WHEEL WENT HARD AND IT APPEARED THAT THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OFF AND THE VEHICLE VEERED LEFT AND IT WOULD CREATE TO SMALL AMOUNT OF TORQUE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. AGAIN, ONLY WHEN I ENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL. VIN: [XXX] (THERE IS NO "Y") (CHANGE "Y" TO "T". SOR…

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ON 4 OCCASIONS, AFTER ENGAGING CRUISE CONTROL (65MPH) THE STEERING WHEEL WENT HARD AND IT APPEARED THAT THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OFF AND THE VEHICLE VEERED LEFT AND IT WOULD CREATE TO SMALL AMOUNT OF TORQUE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. AGAIN, ONLY WHEN I ENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL. VIN: [XXX] (THERE IS NO "Y") (CHANGE "Y" TO "T". SORRY :-( INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #11394569

Official recalls

1

23V865000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Dec 20, 2023

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

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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