IllustrationTHE BOLT ON THE SERPENTINE BELT TENSIONER BROKE OFF INTO THE BLOCK WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED.
1999 Toyota Corolla
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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
1125–50K
1250–75K
1275–100K
9100–150K
3150K+
53 reports with mileage · 102 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.
- Tires. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
24 crash reports5 fire reports16 injury reports
Unknown Or Other complaints
6 reportsERROR CODE #: PO446: EVAPORATIVE EMMISSIONS CONTROL VENT CIRCUIT SYSTEM 1999 TOYOTA CORROLLA VE LICENSE PLATE: [XXX] VIN: [XXX] NY EMMISSION: [XXX]NY REGISTRATION: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
I RECENTLY HAD MY MECHANIC PUT NEW BRAKES ON MY CAR AND HE SAID MY ENGINE WAS RUNNING RATHER LOUDLY. I TOOK IT TO DENBIGH TOYOTA FOR A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND THEY DETERMINED IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN. THEY PUT A TENSIONING UNIT ON IT AND THAT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. UPON FURTHER DIGGING IN THE CAR, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE…
Read full complaint
I RECENTLY HAD MY MECHANIC PUT NEW BRAKES ON MY CAR AND HE SAID MY ENGINE WAS RUNNING RATHER LOUDLY. I TOOK IT TO DENBIGH TOYOTA FOR A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND THEY DETERMINED IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN. THEY PUT A TENSIONING UNIT ON IT AND THAT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. UPON FURTHER DIGGING IN THE CAR, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CHAIN WAS RUBBING AGAINST THE ENGINE AND LEAVING METAL SHAVINGS IN THE ENGINE. MY CAR ONLY HAS LESS THAN 70,000 MILES ON IT AND THE TOYOTA PLACE SAID THEY DONT' SEE THIS PROBLEM UNTIL THERE ARE AT LAST 150,000 TO 200,000 MILES ON THIS TYPE OF 1999 TOYOTA COROLLA. I BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW IN 1998 AND THOUGHT I WOULD NOT HAVE ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS SUCH AS THIS IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
FAILED COMPONENT WAS RIGHT FRONT DOOR POWER LOCK ACTUATOR. UNIT FAILED JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. REPLACEMENT WAS AT A COST EXCEEDING $400. TS
PROVIDE THE DETAIL PROBLEM WITH YOUR VEHICLE. *AK
THE INTERNET DATABASE LIKE CARFAX.COM SHOWS MY CAR AS COROLLA CE, WHILE IT HAS LE WRITTEN ON IT AND THAT IS HOW I BOUGHT IT. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW/WHY THIS HAPPENED? DO I NEED TO TAKE ANY ACTION TO CORRECT IT.
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.