IllustrationTHE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION AT 30-35 MPH, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY ON IMPACT RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES. NLM
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
What owners actually said
225 reportsWHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL POP OUT OF 5 TH GEAR INTO NEUTRAL INTERMITTENTLY. VEHICLE IS AT DEALERSHIP AT THIS TIME. PLEASE ADD FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
REAR STRUT ASSEMBLY FAILED. RUINED REAR TIRES AS WELL.*AK
HAD TO REPLACE POWER STEERING PRESSURE LINE AND RACK AND PINION THANKS TO DEFECTIVE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT.*AK
REAR END HITS THE GROUND WHEN GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS AND DIPS IN THE ROAD. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
BOTH FRONT AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITH A MOD-SPEED FRONT RIGHT CRASH BY ONCOMING VEHICLE. DRIVERS FRONT AIRBAG STARTED SMOLDERING EMITTING AN ACRID GRAY SMOKE (ELECTRICAL WIRING?) FROM THE BASE OF THE AIRBAG; STOPPED SMOKING WHEN DISCONNECTED BATTERY. PASSENGER AIRBAG BROKE FRONT WINDSHIELD WHEN IT DEPLOYED (HAD NO PASSENGER). ARE EIT…
Read full complaint
BOTH FRONT AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITH A MOD-SPEED FRONT RIGHT CRASH BY ONCOMING VEHICLE. DRIVERS FRONT AIRBAG STARTED SMOLDERING EMITTING AN ACRID GRAY SMOKE (ELECTRICAL WIRING?) FROM THE BASE OF THE AIRBAG; STOPPED SMOKING WHEN DISCONNECTED BATTERY. PASSENGER AIRBAG BROKE FRONT WINDSHIELD WHEN IT DEPLOYED (HAD NO PASSENGER). ARE EITHER OF THESE SITUATIONS COMMON/NORMAL WITH AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT? *AK
WHEN TRYING TO EXIT VEHICLE DOOR HANDLES ON DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS SIDE WILL NOT OPEN, CAN BE OPENED FROM OUTSIDE USING A KEY TO LOCK AND UNLOCK. HAD NOT TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP.*AK
AFTER BEING CUT OFF BY ANOTHER VEHICLEIT HIT FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF CAR, AND SIDE DOOR PANEL OF SECOND CAR AT 30MPH. UPON IMPACT, NEITHER FRONT NOR SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.*AK
THE INNER BEARING RACE WAS BROKEN PREMATURELY, AND THE FRONT WHEEL BEARING CASE HAD TO BE REPLACED. *YH
TIRE COLLAPSED WHILE IN MOVEMENT. *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.