IllustrationFILM ON WINDOWS CAUSE POOR VISIBILITY IN DIRECT SUN LIGHT.
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
What owners actually said
135 reportsBRAKES FAIL TO WORK WHEN AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. *AK
WITH THE A/C, POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING IN OPERATION AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED, INSTEAD OF STOPPING THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES.
A WATER LEAK FLOODED THE PASSENGER'S SIDE FLOOR IN THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING THE STEERING SHAFT TO RUST. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SEEN BY DEALER 3TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *AK *SLC
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
TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK, REPLACED TRANSMISSION LINE AND HOSE.
GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN.
WHEEL CYLINDER REPLACED DUE TO BRAKE LIGHT STAYING ON.
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT 60 MPH THE REAR AXLE ON DRIVER'S SIDE BROKE. OWNER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, BUT THE CAUSE IS UNCERTAIN. OWNER IS VERY CONCERNED FOR HER SAFETY. *AK
THE DRIVER'S SIDE 3-POINT SEAT BELT RETACTOR IS STUCK IN WHICH THE SEAT BELT WON'T BUCKLE WHICH WILL NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IF IN AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. *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.