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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.

About this comparison →

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 · Dec 8, 2022
Unknown Or Other

Every thing is good

NHTSA ODI #11496560

Mileage unknown · Oct 28, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceLane Departure

Around 1900-2000 miles of ownership, 6 months after purchase, I was driving on I95 in the rain, 65 MPH, traffic in West Palm Beach, Fl, on my way to Apple(Mall). Upon exit, my engine completely stalled out. I pulled off road, not smoothly at all, turned off the car and it restarted 30 minutes later so I resumed my travels. The n…

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Around 1900-2000 miles of ownership, 6 months after purchase, I was driving on I95 in the rain, 65 MPH, traffic in West Palm Beach, Fl, on my way to Apple(Mall). Upon exit, my engine completely stalled out. I pulled off road, not smoothly at all, turned off the car and it restarted 30 minutes later so I resumed my travels. The next day, my vehicle alerted me that the communication module had blown, not in those words. I had called Toyota and told the representative of the spoken alert and she informed me to go to dealership. They were clueless how to fix and reset battery. This communication is vital for all modules to perform safety features. Today I had a large screw in tire and no alerts of low pressure. Tire read 12 lbs pressure. My lane departure/correction doesnt work half of the time. My attorney has informed me that he hears there are concerning issues involved and noncompliance has led to him filing suit today. Software Source code leaked and left open on GitHub for 5 years has compromised the safety of all connected customers and their devices.

NHTSA ODI #11491250

Mileage unknown · Oct 9, 2022
Exterior LightingCrash

Headlights are defective. There is a "V" shaped dark spot in the headlights of the vehicle when on low beam. The significant unlit "V" shaped area does not allow the driver to see objects in the roadway which come up on a driver rather quickly, resulting in collisions. Toyota is aware of the defect, but will not act on it. Toy…

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Headlights are defective. There is a "V" shaped dark spot in the headlights of the vehicle when on low beam. The significant unlit "V" shaped area does not allow the driver to see objects in the roadway which come up on a driver rather quickly, resulting in collisions. Toyota is aware of the defect, but will not act on it. Toyota Claim # 220811002276. There have been two collisions involving items in the roadway due to this headlight defect. Total out of pocket costs on the damage have been in excess of $1,500.

NHTSA ODI #11488549

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 · Sep 8, 2022
Unknown Or Other

No problems

NHTSA ODI #11483604

Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2022
Unknown Or Other

No problem

NHTSA ODI #11482233

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2022
Air BagsCrash

Front end collision at 50mph with deer. No airbag deployment, car was totaled

NHTSA ODI #11480914

Mileage unknown · Aug 23, 2022
Service BrakesWheelsCrash

Recently my car was in an accident involving 2 other vehicles. An SUV in front of me rear-ended someone and then I rear-ended the SUV. We were in heavy traffic at a major intersection and were stopped at a red light. The light turned green and we began to move. We were accelerating from a stop and were maybe approaching 10 -15 m…

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Recently my car was in an accident involving 2 other vehicles. An SUV in front of me rear-ended someone and then I rear-ended the SUV. We were in heavy traffic at a major intersection and were stopped at a red light. The light turned green and we began to move. We were accelerating from a stop and were maybe approaching 10 -15 mph. Traffic started to back up at the next light and so the first car stopped suddenly so as not to block the intersection. Then the driver in front of me crashed into that car. He was on his phone, not looking, and didn't have time to brake. I was about 2-3 car lengths behind when he came to a complete stop. I was also still accelerating, as were most cars, since the light had just turned green. As soon as the vehicle in front of me hit the other car and stopped moving, I immediately applied my brakes. Based on the distance I believe I should have been able to stop. I remember thinking there was plenty of room. Except that the ABS came on and, instead of stopping my car before hitting the object in front of me (because the car is also capable of doing that), it just continued to let my car slide right into the back of the vehicle in front of me. I was then "at fault" according to my insurance company despite my explanation of the details. This led to a $500 deductible for repairs and an increase in my insurance rate. I honestly believe that the ABS should not have activated in that situation. If the car is able to recognize and even stop for objects in front of it, why would it let me slide into another car? I've had similar situations with my other cars in the past and they always stopped quickly, often avoiding this very situation. To summarize, I feel that the antilock brake system in my car failed to act in a safe and appropriate manner, thus causing an increased risk of damage or injury to the vehicle and passengers. In my case it resulted in damage to my car and a lot of extra money to cover those damages. Thank you

NHTSA ODI #11480884

Mileage unknown · Jul 12, 2022
Power Train

I was driving home from school, and while trying to change lanes on fairly busy road on a hill and my car with a CVT transmission stalled out and a check engine light appeared on my dash with a message reading “drive-start control malfunction”. While trying to limp the car home, the engine killed power three or four times withi…

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I was driving home from school, and while trying to change lanes on fairly busy road on a hill and my car with a CVT transmission stalled out and a check engine light appeared on my dash with a message reading “drive-start control malfunction”. While trying to limp the car home, the engine killed power three or four times within like a five minute drive up some hilly roads and I constantly had to pull to the side and turn the car off and on just to make it up the next hill. I took it in the same day the issue were happening and they didn’t diagnose the issue until two three week after I had originally brought it in and said it was a CVT issue. A week or two prior to this happening, I was coming down a hill towards a stop light and when I get hit the stop light my car jerked and the “drive-start control malfunction” messages appeared then immediately went away, so I paid it no mind.

NHTSA ODI #11473590

10,800 miles · Jun 23, 2022
Service Brakes

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the parking brake warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. Additionally, the brake warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the fail…

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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the parking brake warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. Additionally, the brake warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,800.

NHTSA ODI #11470679

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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