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2021 Toyota Corolla

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota Corolla do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 129.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

Limited mileage data: 25 of 185 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

18 crash reports2 fire reports10 injury reports

Seat Belts complaints

8 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2026
Seat Belts

Within a week of buying my vehicle in May of 2021 I went to Clearwater Toyota where I bought the vehicle from and complaining about the three seat belts in the back malfunctioning. When nobody is sitting in the backseat they sound off as if somebody is sitting there. I know that there is a recall on the front seat belt sensor do…

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Within a week of buying my vehicle in May of 2021 I went to Clearwater Toyota where I bought the vehicle from and complaining about the three seat belts in the back malfunctioning. When nobody is sitting in the backseat they sound off as if somebody is sitting there. I know that there is a recall on the front seat belt sensor doing this same issue for the Toyota Corollas but everyone I have spoken to that owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla complains about the back seats doing it as well the sensors misfire or sound off every hour as I'm driving at least once an hour. As an Uber Lyft driver I am concerned about my passengers in the backseat wearing the seat belts and the seat belt malfunctioning due to the sensors malfunctioning since I bought the vehicle in May of 2021. Any of the above questions I would have to stay unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11741728

Mileage unknown · May 3, 2026
Seat Belts

The rear seatbelt sensor doesn't work well, sometimes the rear seatbelt are buckled what it says they're not and sometimes they're not buckled and it says they are.

NHTSA ODI #11735354

Mileage unknown · Feb 18, 2025
Air BagsSeat Belts

Unknown

NHTSA ODI #11643368

Mileage unknown · Jun 25, 2024
Seat Belts

Passenger seat belt will not latch

NHTSA ODI #11596527

Mileage unknown · Jan 30, 2024
Electrical SystemPower TrainSeat Belts

Vehicle has numerous electrical/mechanical issues that seem to stem from an autonomous learning remote sensor. The problems include, but are not limited to 1. Seatbelt sticking on driver’s side, problem resolves itself, possibly after someone has had a good chuckle on satellite watching the driver struggle to disengage the safel…

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Vehicle has numerous electrical/mechanical issues that seem to stem from an autonomous learning remote sensor. The problems include, but are not limited to 1. Seatbelt sticking on driver’s side, problem resolves itself, possibly after someone has had a good chuckle on satellite watching the driver struggle to disengage the safely belt, 2. Trunk remotely popped at speeds ranging from 0 (park) to 70mph on highway, 3. Ignition light on and off, usually correctible by disengaging and reengaging battery lead, 4. Car shutoff and burglar alarm engaged while in park, again , correctible by disengaging and engaging battery lead, 5. Car gas gauge reading false on the light side ( less than E), then after disengaging and engaging battery lead, reverts back to 1/4 tank, 6. Clock time changed, presumably after vehicle shutoff and restarted in the middle of the night. Clock reset via auto computer, etc. All incidents are usually corrected by disengaging and engaging the battery lead, after a brief pause to reset the vehicle’s ECU.

NHTSA ODI #11568809

5,000 miles · May 9, 2023
Air BagsSeat BeltsCrashInjury

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while at a stop light in the turning lane, another vehicle rear-ended the contact, causing minor damages to the rear bumper of the vehicle. The contact was unsure of the damages to the other vehicle. No air bags deploy. The contact stated that the front driver side and f…

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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while at a stop light in the turning lane, another vehicle rear-ended the contact, causing minor damages to the rear bumper of the vehicle. The contact was unsure of the damages to the other vehicle. No air bags deploy. The contact stated that the front driver side and front passenger side seat belts did not restrain causing both the contact and the passenger to strike their head. The contact noise was broken along with other head, eyes, and face injuries and the passenger also head and eyes injuries, both the contact and passenger sought medical attention and were transported to the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not towed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided and advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 5,000.

NHTSA ODI #11521142

Mileage unknown · Oct 7, 2022
Seat Belts

I have brought my car to Toyota of New Orleans (the same place I bought it) regarding an issue where if my kids are in the backseat unbuckled the seat belt alert does not ring to indicate that the seatbelts are not hooked also if I undo the seatbelt while driving it does not alert either. Also, when I am driving and nobody is in…

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I have brought my car to Toyota of New Orleans (the same place I bought it) regarding an issue where if my kids are in the backseat unbuckled the seat belt alert does not ring to indicate that the seatbelts are not hooked also if I undo the seatbelt while driving it does not alert either. Also, when I am driving and nobody is in the backseat, and nothing is on the seats etc. the seat belt alert will begin to ring. I have record this on my phone and showed Toyota they have checked my care twice and I let if at the dealership for 3 days and they cannot duplicate the problem I explained it happens at different times however they said they see the video but can't get it to do it at the shop. so now I am stuck with a car that is a safety concern for me and my children.

NHTSA ODI #11488383

Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2022
Air BagsSeat BeltsCrashInjury

While driving down a two-way street an oncoming car departed its lane resulting in an offset frontal collision on the driver's side. The driver's side airbag did not deploy, the seat belts did not pretention/lock and the pre-collision system did not engage brakes or alert the driver. The driver of the car suffered a broken bon…

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While driving down a two-way street an oncoming car departed its lane resulting in an offset frontal collision on the driver's side. The driver's side airbag did not deploy, the seat belts did not pretention/lock and the pre-collision system did not engage brakes or alert the driver. The driver of the car suffered a broken bone as a result. The driver of the oncoming colliding car was okay, their airbags deployed.

NHTSA ODI #11451068

Official recalls

1

23V865000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Dec 20, 2023

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

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