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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 →
135Owner complaints

Model-year median: 129

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
172
1994176
1995129
1996135
1997225
1998155
1999145
2000
Compare all Corolla years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Seat Belts
38Air Bags
29Vehicle Speed Control
9Service Brakes, Hydraulic
8Electrical System
7
All reported categories
Structure
7Tires
7Power Train
6Steering
5Engine And Engine Cooling
4Visibility
4Fuel System, Gasoline
3Latches/locks/linkages
3Unknown Or Other
3Seats
2Suspension
2Wheels
2Child Seat
1Equipment
1Exterior Lighting
1Interior Lighting
1Service Brakes
1

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

Seat Belts complaints

38 reports
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Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2003
Seat Belts

SEAT BELT RETRACTORS STICKS CONSTANTLY. *NLM

NHTSA ODI #10013567

Mileage unknown · Nov 4, 2002
Seat Belts

DRIVER SEAT BELT WON'T COME OUT HAVE TO ACTUALLY BE MOVING AND APPLY BRAKE TO GET IT TO WORK. AM CURRENTLY TRING TO GET DEALER TO FIX. ALSO SEEMS TO LOCK WHEN DRIVING, BUT RELEASE WHEN BRAKE IS APPLIED. SECOND PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN BRAKING SUDEENLY. SOMETHING HIT TRANSMISSION CONTROL, PUTTING VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING. …

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DRIVER SEAT BELT WON'T COME OUT HAVE TO ACTUALLY BE MOVING AND APPLY BRAKE TO GET IT TO WORK. AM CURRENTLY TRING TO GET DEALER TO FIX. ALSO SEEMS TO LOCK WHEN DRIVING, BUT RELEASE WHEN BRAKE IS APPLIED. SECOND PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN BRAKING SUDEENLY. SOMETHING HIT TRANSMISSION CONTROL, PUTTING VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING. SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE WITHOUT DEPRESSING SAFETY BUTTON BUT DID. (POSSIBLY WAS HIT BY SOMETHING IN CAR?) DT

NHTSA ODI #769253

Mileage unknown · Nov 10, 2001
Seat Belts

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STICKS INTERMITTENTLY; AFTER SEVERAL PULLS ON BELT, SEAT BELT FINALLY GETS BUCKLED; ALWAYS, WHEN UNBUCKLING SEAT BELT, IT DOES NOT RETRACT FULLY INTO HOLDER. *AK

NHTSA ODI #754348

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2001
Seat Belts

WITH ALL THE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS THIS ITEM SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO A RECALL AS IT IS LAW TO DRIVE WITH A SEATBELT ON. *AK

NHTSA ODI #743133

Mileage unknown · Mar 16, 2001
Seat Belts

REAR LAP BELT BUCKLE CAME APART. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK THE REAR CENTER LAP BELT THAT HOLDS CHILD'S SAFETY SEAT FAILED. *YH

NHTSA ODI #883218

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2001
Seat Belts

WHILE TRYING TO PUT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELTON IT WOULD NOT PULL FROM RETRACTOR. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ODI #877698

Mileage unknown · Dec 26, 2000
Seat Belts

INTERMITTENTLY DRIVER'S AND RIGHT REAR SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT FROM RETRACTORS. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S COST. *AK

NHTSA ODI #876995

Mileage unknown · Sep 14, 2000
Seat Belts

DRIVERS SEAT BELT GETS LOCKED EASILY. UNABLE TO PULL SEAT BELT OUT TO APPLY AT TIMES. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THE SEAT BELT WILL LOCK AND RESTRICT MOVEMENT. THERE IS NO PATTERN TO WHEN SEAT BELT LOCK AND WHEN IT WORKS. WHEN I BRING IT INTO A DEALER IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO WORK FINE AT THE TIME SO NO REPAIRS ARE MADE. THERE HAVE BE…

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DRIVERS SEAT BELT GETS LOCKED EASILY. UNABLE TO PULL SEAT BELT OUT TO APPLY AT TIMES. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THE SEAT BELT WILL LOCK AND RESTRICT MOVEMENT. THERE IS NO PATTERN TO WHEN SEAT BELT LOCK AND WHEN IT WORKS. WHEN I BRING IT INTO A DEALER IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO WORK FINE AT THE TIME SO NO REPAIRS ARE MADE. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS THAT THIS IS A DEFECT AND I FEEL IT SHOULD BE ADDRESS AS IT IS A LIABILITY ISSUE.*AK

NHTSA ODI #731459

Mileage unknown · May 2, 2000
Seat Belts

I DO NOT FEEL THAT WHEN OR IF AN ACCIDENT EVER OCCURS TO THIS VEHICLE THAT THE SEAT BELTS WILL OPERATE CORRECTLY. THEY HAVE BEEN REPAIRED AND/OR REPLACED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND STILL THEY DO NOT RECOIL PROPERLY. I HAVE TO DRIVE MY FAMILY IN THIS VEHICLE EVERYDAY AND I'VE TRIED TO RETURN THE CAR TO THE DEALER BUT THEY WILL NOT …

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I DO NOT FEEL THAT WHEN OR IF AN ACCIDENT EVER OCCURS TO THIS VEHICLE THAT THE SEAT BELTS WILL OPERATE CORRECTLY. THEY HAVE BEEN REPAIRED AND/OR REPLACED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND STILL THEY DO NOT RECOIL PROPERLY. I HAVE TO DRIVE MY FAMILY IN THIS VEHICLE EVERYDAY AND I'VE TRIED TO RETURN THE CAR TO THE DEALER BUT THEY WILL NOT BE FAIR AND ARE TRYING TO FORCE ME TO PAY SEVERE PENALTIES. I'M NOT IN A FAVORIBLE POSITION IN THE LEASE. HOWEVER THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY BEARING ON THIS SEAT BELT SAFETY ISSUES THAT I'M SEEMINGLY FORCED TO LIVE (OR DIE) WITH.*AK

NHTSA ODI #722210

Mileage unknown · Feb 23, 2000
Seat Belts

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WILL NOT COME OUT OF HOLDER OFTEN, MUST PULL REPEATEDLY TO GET UNIT TO RELEASE. ONCE YOU GET THE SEAT BELT ON IT LOCKS OFTEN MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO TURN TO SEE REAR TRAFFIC. I HAVE BARELY AVOIDED ACCIDENTS 3 TIMES DUE TO THIS. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE BELT WILL LOCK. MY LIFE IS IN DANGER DRIVING THIS CA…

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DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WILL NOT COME OUT OF HOLDER OFTEN, MUST PULL REPEATEDLY TO GET UNIT TO RELEASE. ONCE YOU GET THE SEAT BELT ON IT LOCKS OFTEN MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO TURN TO SEE REAR TRAFFIC. I HAVE BARELY AVOIDED ACCIDENTS 3 TIMES DUE TO THIS. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE BELT WILL LOCK. MY LIFE IS IN DANGER DRIVING THIS CAR, TOYOTA SAYS THIS IS A SAFETY FEATURE AND I DON'T NEED TO TURN MY BODY IN ORDER TO SEE REAR TRAFFIC. SHELOR SAYS THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE PROBLEM. COME DRIVE THIS CAR AND YOU WILL SEE INSTANTLY. WHO CAN SOLVE THIS BEFORE I AM KILLED? *AK

NHTSA ODI #719153

Official recalls

1

97V043001 · 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Toyota Corolla problems

Toyota Corolla electrical problems →Toyota Corolla transmission problems →