IllustrationANOTHER VEHICLE RAN STOP LIGHT AND RAN INTO CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
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 →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
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
Air Bags complaints
29 reportsCONSUMER S WAS DRIVING CAR ABOUT 25 MPH AND AIR BAG JUST DEPLOYED IN HER FACE, SHE WAS INJURED. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL IMPACT, SPEED APPROXIMATELY 35MPH, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT, INSURANCE COMPANY ESTIMATED DAMAGES $4,000.00, DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE CARPET IS LOOSE AROUND THE TRUNK RELEASE AND THE MAT SLIDES FORWARD, POSSIBLY THE CAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT. (QC-AW)
WHEN DRIVING 20 MPH THE VEHICLE SKIDDED ON ICE, CRASHED INTO A TREE HEAD-ON AND THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS. DAMAGE AMOUNTED TO THE FRONT END, TOTALLED $8,000. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK
DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO START VEHICLE UP, AND WHEN DRIVER TURNED ON THE IGNITION THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. DRIVER DID NOT MOVE VEHICLE OR HIT ANYTHING. THE VEHICLE WAS IN A PARK POSITION AND THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. *AK
FATHER WAS DRIVING HIT A ROUGH SPOT AND THE AIR BAG INFLATED. DRIVER THEN HIT A BRIDGE AND THE PASSAGER'S SIDE AIR BAG INFLATED AS WELL. *AK
AFTER TURNING THE IGNITION SWITCH THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BECOME FILLED WITH SMOKE. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE WAS PARKED, WENT TO RELEASE PARKING EMERGENCY BRAKE, PASSENGER'S AND DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING, NO IMPACT INVOLVED. *AK
Official recalls
197V043001 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.