IllustrationWHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE TURNS VEHICLE MAKES A LOUD DEALERS CAN'T FIND REMEDY. *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 reportsDESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT:1) STARTED THE AUTOMOBILE; SHIFTED THE GEAR INTO REVERSE WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKES AND GENTLY RELEASING IT.2) HE HIT TAP A LIGHT POST, ON THE LEFT BLIND SPOT, WHILE BACKING UP... SPEED LESS THAN 5 MPH. RESULT WAS A PAINT SCRAPE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BUMPER.3)HE QUICKLY SHIFTED TO DRIVE TO MOVE A BIT FO…
Read full complaint
DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT:1) STARTED THE AUTOMOBILE; SHIFTED THE GEAR INTO REVERSE WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKES AND GENTLY RELEASING IT.2) HE HIT TAP A LIGHT POST, ON THE LEFT BLIND SPOT, WHILE BACKING UP... SPEED LESS THAN 5 MPH. RESULT WAS A PAINT SCRAPE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BUMPER.3)HE QUICKLY SHIFTED TO DRIVE TO MOVE A BIT FORWARD WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKE AND RELEASING GENTLY.4) THE CAR QUICKLY ACCELERATED AND "PLOWED" THROUGH A BRICK BARRIER ABOUT 12" THICK.5) AFTER TRYING TO CONTROL THE AUTOMOBILE, HE MADE A LEFT TURN CIRCLE AND COLLIDED INTO THE BUILDING THAT CONTAINED THE BRICK BARRIER WALL.6) DURING THE IMPACT OF THE BARRIER WALL, HE NOTICED THAT THE AIRBAG DID NOT FULLY DEPLOYED. ONLY AFTER THE IMPACT WITH THE BUILDING DID THE AIRBAG INFLATE FULLY, BUT SLOWLY.
WHILE MAKING A NORMAL STOP THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING, EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE . PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
OUTSIDE DOOR TRIM. PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG.
LEFT FRONT DOOR SCUFF PLATE.
STARTER.
BUZZES, BEEPS, AND SECURITY SYSTEM ARE UNNECESSARILY LOUD.
DASHBOARD--AIR BAG LIGHT.
TRANSMISSION--PRESSED ON GAS PEDAL AND ENGINE REVED UP BUT VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE.
AIR BAG LIGHT SERVICED FIVE TIMES DUE TO ILLUMINATION, UNABLE TO DETERMINE FAILURE. MJS
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.