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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

What owners actually said

185 reports
Mileage unknown · May 29, 2024
Engine

Coolant bypass valve stuck shut at 65k miles. Seems like it’s a common occurrence with newer Toyotas. Was told to report it as a safety issue.

NHTSA ODI #11591354

Mileage unknown · May 23, 2024
Vehicle Speed ControlVisibility/wiper

Glare in the cluster panel during the day. This causes me to not be able to see what is being shown on the cluster panel such as speed, engine temperature, or any other warning lights. I believe not being able to see the speed I am going because of this design error is very dangerous.

NHTSA ODI #11590475

Mileage unknown · May 23, 2024
Engine

They said they need to replace the Engine coolant bypass hose circuit short/open.

NHTSA ODI #11590309

Mileage unknown · May 21, 2024
Engine

Engine coolant bypass valve short to battery. Throwing code - P2681-15 at 33,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI #11589830

Mileage unknown · May 10, 2024
EngineFuel/propulsion System

Coolant bypass value sensor failure

NHTSA ODI #11588180

Mileage unknown · May 1, 2024
Service Brakes

Electronic brake actuator failed on vehicle after slightly after warranty expired resulting in a $2100 repair. This is a known Toyota issue across different models. A recall should be issued and repair costs refunded.

NHTSA ODI #11586404

Mileage unknown · Apr 24, 2024
Air BagsCrashInjury

The contact's daughter was a passenger in a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while the vehicle was driving at an undisclosed speed, vehicle A abruptly merged into the lane of vehicle B, causing the driver of vehicle B to suddenly apply the brakes, rapidly reducing speeds. As a result, the vehicle in which the contact…

Read full complaint

The contact's daughter was a passenger in a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while the vehicle was driving at an undisclosed speed, vehicle A abruptly merged into the lane of vehicle B, causing the driver of vehicle B to suddenly apply the brakes, rapidly reducing speeds. As a result, the vehicle in which the contact's daughter was a passenger collided with the rear of vehicle B, and, in turn, the vehicle in which the contact's daughter was a passenger was rear-ended by another vehicle behind. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a towed yard and deemed a total loss by the owner's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact transported his daughter to an area hospital, where she was treated for a contusion to the face, whiplash, and numbness in her left shin. The contact was unaware if any other injuries had been reported. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11585068

Mileage unknown · Apr 9, 2024
Engine

The engine coolant bypass valve circuit short to battery or open and lower hose - Trouble Code - DTC: P268115. The error message "Engine Maintenance Required - Visit Your Dealer" was consistently popping up and I couldn't see my speed or dash or how many miles I had till empty even after acknowledging the message and pressing ok…

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The engine coolant bypass valve circuit short to battery or open and lower hose - Trouble Code - DTC: P268115. The error message "Engine Maintenance Required - Visit Your Dealer" was consistently popping up and I couldn't see my speed or dash or how many miles I had till empty even after acknowledging the message and pressing ok & back. It would stay on while my car was on no matter what. I couldn't use or see any of my information on my dash. The problem has come up multiple times by different people in the auto forum and I was warned that I would have to replace it again in 15 months. There was no light that came on on my dash just the message that would pop up and block my speed so I couldn't see how fast I was going or when I was going to be out of gas. I'm not sure if it's been inspected by the manufacturer. It first appeared after 3 years of owning my brand new car. I was very shocked that I already needed to replace a part in my engine after only having and driving my car for a short amount of time and 30,000 miles on it. It was an expensive part and caused me to have to guess how fast I was going while driving as I couldn't see or get the message to go away even after acknowledging it. I took it to Toyota and they told me the only way to get the notification to go away was to replace it but they did tell me that they have recently had multiple cars come in with the same issue. I had to drive my car in danger as I couldn't immediately afford to pay to get it fixed right away and was in college away from home and didn't have enough time to leave my car in the shop.

NHTSA ODI #11581838

60,000 miles · Apr 4, 2024
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the …

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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11581154

Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2024
Unknown Or Other

A crack appeared in my windshield on the passenger side. Ther is no damage from a rock and we haven’t had extreme temperature changes. It is growing and will soon be on the drivers side.

NHTSA ODI #11580317

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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