COMPONENT SPOTLIGHT

Toyota Corolla electrical problems

878 distinct owner reports with an electrical-system component in this snapshot.

Includes the electrical-system component and its detailed subcategories. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.

52 crash reports78 fire reports24 injury reports

Reports by model year

Recall and investigation columns show each year’s full history. A report naming several years can appear in more than one row.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

539 reports with mileage · 339 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 owners actually said

878 reports
2014 model year · 250,000 miles · Aug 5, 2019
Electrical SystemFire

WHEN I TURN ON THE FOG LIGHTS TO THE CAR I STARTED SMELLING A ELECTRICAL SMELL. STOPPED MY CAR AND SAW THE FRONT LEFT OF MY CAR ON FIRE AND SAW THE FOG LIGHT SMOKING. MY FIG LIGHT SWITCH IS ALSO IN THE WIPER CONTROL THAT WAS BEING RECALLED ON OTHER COROLLAS AND DONT KNOW IF THAT HAS AN EFFECT WITH THE WIPER CONTROL SHORTING OUT.…

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WHEN I TURN ON THE FOG LIGHTS TO THE CAR I STARTED SMELLING A ELECTRICAL SMELL. STOPPED MY CAR AND SAW THE FRONT LEFT OF MY CAR ON FIRE AND SAW THE FOG LIGHT SMOKING. MY FIG LIGHT SWITCH IS ALSO IN THE WIPER CONTROL THAT WAS BEING RECALLED ON OTHER COROLLAS AND DONT KNOW IF THAT HAS AN EFFECT WITH THE WIPER CONTROL SHORTING OUT. I PUT OUT FIRE AND TURNED OFF FOG LAMPS AND NO PROBLEM. BUT WHEN I TURN FOG LAMP ON I HAVE THE PROBLEM WHERE IT STARTS TO SMOKE THERE. *TR*JB

NHTSA ODI #11241843

2014 model year · 79,777 miles · Jul 18, 2019
Electrical System

BOTTOM HALF OF TOUCH SCREEN IS NOT WORKING

NHTSA ODI #11233197

2019 model year · 1,500 miles · Jul 4, 2019
Electrical System

NOTE: THIS IS FOR THE 2019 COROLLA HATCHBACK, NOT THE SEDAN. IT WOULD APPLY TO 2020 COROLLA SEDANS AS WELL, THOUGH, BUT NOT 2019 SEDANS. THE HOOD OVER THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO SUFFICIENTLY PREVENT GLARE ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, MAKING THE GAUGES DIFFICULT TO READ. SEE ATTACHED IMAGES, ONE SHOWING THE F…

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NOTE: THIS IS FOR THE 2019 COROLLA HATCHBACK, NOT THE SEDAN. IT WOULD APPLY TO 2020 COROLLA SEDANS AS WELL, THOUGH, BUT NOT 2019 SEDANS. THE HOOD OVER THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO SUFFICIENTLY PREVENT GLARE ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, MAKING THE GAUGES DIFFICULT TO READ. SEE ATTACHED IMAGES, ONE SHOWING THE FULL GLARE, ONE USING MY HAND TO EXTEND THE "HOOD" OF THE GAUGE CLUSTER AND PROVIDE SHADE FOR THE RIGHT HALF. HAPPENS IN MOTION OR WHEN STATIONARY, COMPLETELY DEPENDENT UPON DIRECTION OF THE CAR AND TIME OF DAY.

NHTSA ODI #11229432

2010 model year · 100,000 miles · Jul 3, 2019
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

DRIVER SIDE WINDOW SWITCH IS NOT WORKING GOOD. WHEN USING IT TO PULL DOWN DRIVER SIDE WINDOW IS BEING SCRATCHED UP DUE TO I THINK LACK OF LUBRICANT. WINDOW SWITCH WORKS BUT IS MAKING MARKS ON MY WINDO AND I AM SCARED IT WILL EVENTUALLY BREAK IT.

NHTSA ODI #11229278

2014 model year · 27,000 miles · Jul 2, 2019
Electrical System

AFTER JUST FIVE YEARS OF USE (AND ONLY 28,000 MILES), BOTH FRONT DOOR LOCKS HAVE QUIT WORKING. WE HAVE TO MANUALLY LOCK AND UNLOCK THE FRONT DOORS WITH THE KEY OR FROM THE INSIDE. THEY OCCASIONALLY WORK JUST OFTEN ENOUGH FOR US TO THINK THEY'RE WORKING AGAIN, THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO THE CAR AND FIND THE FRONT DOORS DIDN'T LOCK. …

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AFTER JUST FIVE YEARS OF USE (AND ONLY 28,000 MILES), BOTH FRONT DOOR LOCKS HAVE QUIT WORKING. WE HAVE TO MANUALLY LOCK AND UNLOCK THE FRONT DOORS WITH THE KEY OR FROM THE INSIDE. THEY OCCASIONALLY WORK JUST OFTEN ENOUGH FOR US TO THINK THEY'RE WORKING AGAIN, THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO THE CAR AND FIND THE FRONT DOORS DIDN'T LOCK. NOT ONLY IS THIS A BIG ANNOYANCE, BUT IT INCREASES THE RISK OF CAR THEFT AND MAKES IT HARD FOR US TO GET THE DOORS UNLOCKED WITH KIDS OR OTHER THINGS IN TOW. THIS IS WAY TOO EARLY FOR THIS EQUIPMENT TO BE FAILING.

NHTSA ODI #11229053

2014 model year · 51,000 miles · Jun 8, 2019
Electrical System

I HAVE THREE SEPARATE DOOR LOCK ACTUATERS THAT HAVE FAILED OR ARE FAILING ALL WITHIN A 2 MONTH PERIOD WITH ONLY 51000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER DOOR WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK UNLESS I MANUALLY FLIP THE SWITCH, AND THE FRONT LEFT DRIVER DOOR AND LEFT REAR PASSENGER DOOR INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK …

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I HAVE THREE SEPARATE DOOR LOCK ACTUATERS THAT HAVE FAILED OR ARE FAILING ALL WITHIN A 2 MONTH PERIOD WITH ONLY 51000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER DOOR WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK UNLESS I MANUALLY FLIP THE SWITCH, AND THE FRONT LEFT DRIVER DOOR AND LEFT REAR PASSENGER DOOR INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK WHEN I USE THE KEY FOB OR WHEN I SHIFT THE CAR INTO GEAR. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO KNOW IF THE CAR IS SECURED WHEN I PARK IT OR WHEN STARTING TO DRIVE, AND I AM CONCERNED IF THE REAR CHILD SAFETY LOCKS DO NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY NOW. I HAVE HAD THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN ROCHESTER MN CONFIRMED THE NEED FOR 3 DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS AND ARE ASKING FOR OVER $1400 FOR FIXING THEM. I AM IN TOUCH WITH TOYOTA NORTH AMERICA HOPING TO BE APPROVED FOR A "GOODWILL" FIX. DOING FURTHER RESEARCH ONLINE SHOWS TWO SEPARATE LAW FIRMS INVESTIGATING THIS ISSUE AS THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT UPTICK IN DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAILURES IN VARIOUS TOYOTA VEHICLES. I BELIEVE THEY ARE DEFECTIVE.

NHTSA ODI #11218624

2005 model year · 120,000 miles · May 22, 2019
Air BagsElectrical SystemService BrakesCrashInjury

AS I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT I BEGAN TO STEP ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO CRASH INTO A WALL CAUSING A MAJOR INJURIES TO MY BODY AND CAR. THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER START AND I HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO MY HOME UNTIL A MECHANIC CAME TO START THE CAR AND WE HAD NOTICED THAT WHEN THE CAR IS IN PA…

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AS I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT I BEGAN TO STEP ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO CRASH INTO A WALL CAUSING A MAJOR INJURIES TO MY BODY AND CAR. THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER START AND I HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO MY HOME UNTIL A MECHANIC CAME TO START THE CAR AND WE HAD NOTICED THAT WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK IT WILL KEEP GOING.

NHTSA ODI #11209389

2010 model year · Mileage unknown · May 14, 2019
Air BagsElectrical System

THIS RECALL HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF BUT IS NOT SHOWING ON THIS SITE.

NHTSA ODI #11207569

2012 model year · 112,000 miles · Apr 16, 2019
Air BagsElectrical System

AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON DASHBOARD AS WELL AS PASSENGER SEAT BELT LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY BEEPING TO BUCKLE SEAT BELT. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED MULTIPLE PARTS AND ISSUE CAME BACK AFTER 4 MONTHS. DEALER NOW IS CLAIMING THAT AIR BAG INFLATOR IS THE ISSUE. RECALLED PARTS WERE REPLACED PREVIOUSLY. DEALER DOES…

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AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON DASHBOARD AS WELL AS PASSENGER SEAT BELT LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY BEEPING TO BUCKLE SEAT BELT. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED MULTIPLE PARTS AND ISSUE CAME BACK AFTER 4 MONTHS. DEALER NOW IS CLAIMING THAT AIR BAG INFLATOR IS THE ISSUE. RECALLED PARTS WERE REPLACED PREVIOUSLY. DEALER DOES NOT SEEM TO BE 100% CERTAIN WHAT THE ISSUE IS AND IS REPLACING PARTS AT CUSTOMER'S EXPENSE.

NHTSA ODI #11196709

2014 model year · 136,000 miles · Apr 9, 2019
Electrical System

UPON STARTING MY VEHICLE I NOTICED THERE WAS NO POWER TO MY STEREO, CLOCK, DOME LIGHTS (FRONT AND BACK), KEYLESS ENTRY, POWER LOCKS, AND THE TPMS LIGHT IS SUDDENLY LIT. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANY BLOWN FUSES.

NHTSA ODI #11194914

Related Official recalls

3

95V195001 · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery

Oct 11, 1995

THE BATTERY CAN HAVE A DEFECTIVE WELD INSIDE THE POSITIVE AND/OR NEGATIVE TERMINAL ALLOWING THE CONNECTION INSIDE THE TERMINAL TO SEPARATE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN A NO-START CONDITION, OR A BATTERY EXPLOSION.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE DEFECTIVE BATTERIES.

94V220000 · Electrical System:wiring

Nov 8, 1994

AN UNUSED HARNESS CONNECTOR FOR POWER WINDOWS, POWER DOOR LOCKS AND SUNROOF WAS IMPROPERLY ROUTED UNDER THE FLOOR CARPET IN THE LEFT KICK PANEL. IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS WHERE LARGE AMOUNTS OF ROAD SALTS ARE USED, THE SALT WATER OR SNOW CARRIED INTO THE VEHICLE BY THE DRIVER'S SHOES CAN PENETRATE THE CARPET AND DRIP ONTO THE CONNECTOR RESULTING IN THE FORMATION OF A SALT BRIDGE BETWEEN THE TERMINALS.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS CAUSES AN ELECTRICAL SHORT INSIDE THE HARNESS, AND CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE UNUSED HARNESS CONNECTOR.

83V133000 · Electrical System:alternator/generator/regulator

Dec 8, 1983

VOLTAGE REGULATOR WHICH CONTROLS THE AMOUNT OF FLOW IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BETWEEN THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR, MAY HAVE MANUFACTURING ERRORS IN AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT. THE REGULATOR MAY OVERCHARGE THE BATTERY.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Not supplied

Remedy: DEALER WILL REPLACE THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR AT NO CHARGE.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

Related NHTSA investigations

1

PE87057 · Igniter Assembly Failure

Opened Sep 10, 1987 · Closed Mar 30, 1988

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System

SUMMARY: TOYOTA RECOVERED SOME FAILED IGNITION CONTROL MODULES FROM THEFIELD. INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT A SOLDER JOINT IN THE POWER TRANSISTOROF THE MODULE WAS SUBJECT TO FAILURE. BECAUSE THE PART IS AN EMISSIONRELATED COMPONENT A VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN WAS CONDUCTED.THE PREDOMINANT MODE OF FAILURE IS AN INABILITY TO START THE ENGINE,ALTHOUGH A STALLED CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.SINCE THE REPORTED OCCURENCE OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IS SMALL, AND THEREPAIR IS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN, THELIKLEHOOD OF FURTHER ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IS REMOTE.===