IllustrationWHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT PUT CAR IN PARK AND VEHICLE JUMPED CURVE. SECOND TIME WHILE IN A PARKING LOT PUT VEHICLE IN PARK AND IT JUMPED CURVE,AND CONSUMER LANDED IN A DITCH. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY DUPLICATED PROBLEM. CONSUMER WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF THE JUMPING FORWARD.*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
What owners actually said
225 reportsBRAKES SQUEAKING AND GRINDING, REPLACE ALL FOUR BRAKES
AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON THE PANELTWO WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE. SHE TOOK IT BACK TO DEALERSHIP, AND CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE LIGHT. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY. THEN, VEHICLE STARTED TO VIBRATE AND HERAD A NOISE. FRONT RIGHT TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM WHEEL.*AK THE TREAD FLEW OFF OF THE RIM OF THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. *YH
AIR BAG LIGHT WILL COME ON UNEXPECTEDLY ON DASHBOARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. *AK
ALL FOUR DOORS LET IN WATER WHEN IT RAINS. YH
WHILE TRAVELING AT 35 MPH AND AS A RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT ANY TIME. CONSUMER WAS INJURED. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHEN MOVING AIR BAG INDICATION LIGHT WOULD FLASH INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHRE INFORMATION.*AK
OCTOBER 1999 - BRAKES LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR INSP. - SERVICE DEPART. SAID MY BRAKES NEEDED CLEANED AND ADJUSTED - TOPPED OFF MASTER CYLINDER - NOW IT PASSED STATE INSP. ON 1/11/00. 2/29/00 BROUGHT BACK FOR NOISE COMING FROM BRAKES - SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM BRAKES NEEDED CLEANED & ADJUSTED WHEN I LEFT SERVICE DEP…
Read full complaint
OCTOBER 1999 - BRAKES LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR INSP. - SERVICE DEPART. SAID MY BRAKES NEEDED CLEANED AND ADJUSTED - TOPPED OFF MASTER CYLINDER - NOW IT PASSED STATE INSP. ON 1/11/00. 2/29/00 BROUGHT BACK FOR NOISE COMING FROM BRAKES - SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM BRAKES NEEDED CLEANED & ADJUSTED WHEN I LEFT SERVICE DEPT. PROBLEM WAS STILL OCCURING - CALLED SET UP ANOTHER APPT - 3/8/00 SERVICE DEPT FOUND REAR DRUMS RUSTED - REAR SHOES CRACKED - A RENT A CAR WAS GIVEN 3/7/00 RETURNED IT ON 3/8/00 - THEY REPLACED REAR BRAKE DRUMS AND SHOES - NOW COULD THIS HAPPEN IN A FEW DAYS ON 2/29 YOU SAID NO PROBLEM? 4/11/00 BROUGHT CAR BACK FOR INSP DUE TO SAME NOISE BUT NOW WORSE HAD SERVICE MGR NOW DO A TEST RUN WITH ME - SERVICE DEPT FOUND FRONT BRAKE PADS CRACKING AND ROTORS SCORED LEFT FRONT AXLE SHAFT INTERNAL DEFECT - FRONT BEARING INTERNAL PROBLEM - BOTH FRONT HUBS NEED REPLACED - RENT A CAR WAS GIVEN TO ME AGAIN. NOW 6/00 NOISE IS BACK ON 7/14/00 TOOK CAR FOR ANOTHER UNDER CARRAGE INSP, OIL- FILTER CHANGE, 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT, ETC.. THEY SAID NO PROBLEM ITS JUST BRAKE DUST. THE NOISE IS STILL CURRENT AS OF TODAY 7/23/00. I NOW HAVE TO CALL THEM & THEY ALREADY TREAT ME WITH IGNORANCE, I'M LOOKING INTO FILING FOR THE LEMON LAW I NEED SOME SATISFACTION - HOW COULD ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS BE OVERLOOKED? - I FEEL MY LIFE IS IN THE HANDS OF TOYOTA'S SERVICE DEPT - AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE AT ALL. THEY GAVE ME AN EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 6 YEAR OR 100,000.00 MILES AFTER I ASKED FOR IT. I STATED NOW THAT I HAVE MY RECONSTRUCTED VEHICLE BACK WOULD TOYOTA GRANT ME AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND STAND BEHIND THERE PARTS. THEY DID BUT THE STRESS AND LOSS OF WORK DUE TO MANY SERVICE APPTS IS SO AGGRAVATING. MAYBE MY PROBLEM COULD BE OF USE TO YOU. IF I COULD ASSIST IN ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL - I STILL HAVE TO MAKE ANOTHER APPT FOR MY VEHICLE -I MEAN IS IT REALLY BRAKE DUST THIS TIME OR IS THE CAR GOING TO FALL APART AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WITH ME IN IT? THANK YOU. *AK
EVERYTIME IT RAINS ALL 4 DOORS LEAK. CONTACT DEALER, AND NOTHING THEY COULD DO. VEHICLE IS SMELLING MOLDY.*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.