IllustrationCONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN 25 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE AIR BAG SENSOR WAS HIT, BUT DRIVER'S SIDE/PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
1998 Toyota Corolla
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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
60–25K
825–50K
1450–75K
1875–100K
11100–150K
7150K+
64 reports with mileage · 161 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 to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
36 crash reports8 fire reports24 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
61 reportsPASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR IS BAD CAUSING THE WARNING LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE.
NO SUMMARY.
DEFECTIVE AIRBAG SENSOR IS CAUSING THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO BLINK ON AND OFF, CAUSING A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD.DEALER HAS TIGHTENED A LOOSE SCREW THAT HOLDS SENSOR 6 TIMES, BUT DEFECT STILL OCCURS. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE DEFECT. *AK
VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE FRONT AND REAR SIDE AIRBAGS. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE AT THE PASSENGER REAR SIDE AT ABOUT 15 MPH, AND THE SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THE ACCIDENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
AIR BAG LIGHT CONTINUALLY ILLUMINATING. MJS
AIR BAG LIGHT FAILED.
CONSUMER WAS IN AN ACCIDENT, HIT BY ANOTHER CAR WHILE GOING ABOUT 55MPH, DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, AND DRIVER WAS INJURED. *AK
THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF APPROX. 35 MPH, HIT THE DOOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY.
DRIVER WAS HIT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AT A CONSIDERABLE SPEED IN SUCH THAT THE DOOR WAS BENT AWAY FROM THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE, THE SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, AND DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE NECK AND LEFT SHOULDER (STRAINED MUSCLES AND LIGAMENTS).829522 DUP OF 781500; POSTED ON 09-07-1999. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.