IllustrationTHE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT AND THE REAR SEAT BELTS DID NOT RETRACT. THE DEALER WILL REPAIR AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. *AK *JB
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 reportsTHE DRIVER SEAT BELTS DID NOT RETRACT AFTER BEING RELEASED. *JB WHEN THE BELT DID WORK, IT WOULD LOCK TIGHT AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ONE TO LEAN FORWARD WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. *SC *JB
THE LOCKS WILL NO LONGER LOCK. WHEN YOU PUSH THE ELECTIC LOCK BUTTON THE LOCK WILL NOT GO DOWN ON THE DOORS. EXTREME SECURITY RISK. ALSO, THE SEAT BELTS IN THE FRONT OFTEN JAM NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT IN ITSELF.*AK
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. ?
THE AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFT LIGHT IN THE INTERIOR HAS BEEN OFF IN THE CAR SINCE I RECEIVED IT. I WAS TOLD BY MECHANICS THIS A A COMMON MANUFACTURE DEFECT WITH THIS VEHICLE AND SAFTEY HAZARD.*AK
FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT DISENGAGE FROM RETRACTOR. NOT ONLY IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE IN THIS (AND MOST) STATE(S) WITHOUT WEARING A SEAT BELT. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE HAVE BEEN REPORTED. I BELIEVE TOYOTA OWES IT TO THE CONSUMER TO REPAIR THIS UNSAFE AND ILLEGAL PROBLEM MANY DRIV…
Read full complaint
FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT DISENGAGE FROM RETRACTOR. NOT ONLY IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE IN THIS (AND MOST) STATE(S) WITHOUT WEARING A SEAT BELT. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE HAVE BEEN REPORTED. I BELIEVE TOYOTA OWES IT TO THE CONSUMER TO REPAIR THIS UNSAFE AND ILLEGAL PROBLEM MANY DRIVER'S ARE EXPERIENCING WITH THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE MAKE/MODEL.*AK
THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON. *NLM
THE CONSUMER WAS PARKED AT A GAS STATION WHEN THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. *NLM
THE CONSUMER TRIED TO AVOID HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE AND CRASHED, AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *JB
SEAT BELT RETRACTORS STICKS CONSTANTLY. *NLM
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.