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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 · Sep 8, 2025
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 dealer was made aware of the issue…

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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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI #11685798

110,000 miles · Aug 12, 2025
Electrical System

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while attempting to sell the vehicle to a Toyota dealer, the dealer informed the contact that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a used car dealer sale. At the time of purchase in October 2024, the vehicle mileage was 60,000, and t…

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Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while attempting to sell the vehicle to a Toyota dealer, the dealer informed the contact that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a used car dealer sale. At the time of purchase in October 2024, the vehicle mileage was 60,000, and the current mileage was 74,000. However, the dealer informed the contact that the mileage on the Carfax report was 110,000.

NHTSA ODI #11680037

Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Fallo de la pieza Válvula de control de refrigerante del motor la cual es defecto de fabricación del vehiculo

NHTSA ODI #11680012

Mileage unknown · Aug 7, 2025
Air BagsElectrical SystemUnknown Or OtherCrash

My vehicle was backed into while ì was inside of it in a parking lot. Due to my horn failing., I was unable to alert the other driver to see me. The clock spring is what failed the first time at 95k they replaced it. I'm now at 147k and it failed again . Now I'm discovering that if it does not work, there's an electrical circ…

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My vehicle was backed into while ì was inside of it in a parking lot. Due to my horn failing., I was unable to alert the other driver to see me. The clock spring is what failed the first time at 95k they replaced it. I'm now at 147k and it failed again . Now I'm discovering that if it does not work, there's an electrical circuit failure and that the airbag will not deploy if I get in an accident. This is a serious safety issue and I feel Toyota should be responsible for it for the life of the vehicle . A horn should never go out. Especially if it not working will keep my air bag from functioning properly . 850 out of my pocket is way steep. The replacement part lasted half as long as the original part did when I bought the car that to me seems like a faulty part this should be obvious and they should just fix the problem cuz I might have to just consult an attorney should they choose not to. The attached photo shows what happens when you can't beep your horn at somebody who's about to back into your car !!! my car still has not turned on any kind of warning lamp for the airbag or any kind of malfunction light, no warnings on my radio. I have noticed that my Lane departure warning seems to work intermittently along with the automatic high beams that like to flash my high beams in people's face for some unapparent reason which also seems like a safety issue. If I had to take my car to an inspection station it would not pass an inspection due to the horn not working ! You cannot take your child to the Department of Motor Vehicles and let them take their drive test if your horn does not work ! which happened to be my case !! Very disappointing to say the least especially when you've paid $30,000 for a car.

NHTSA ODI #11678966

Mileage unknown · Aug 4, 2025
Air Bags

I was notified that my vehicle has had a recall on it due to the OCS Occupant Classification System sensors being improperly manufactured which could lead in appropriately identifying the front occupant's weight and failing to deploy airbags. This recall has been open since December of 2023 and I have been checking with my de…

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I was notified that my vehicle has had a recall on it due to the OCS Occupant Classification System sensors being improperly manufactured which could lead in appropriately identifying the front occupant's weight and failing to deploy airbags. This recall has been open since December of 2023 and I have been checking with my dealer on scheduling but up until last week have been told that they didn't have the parts for remedy. I have had several instances where sensor light has come on for airbag. I have been making people sit in the back seat only due to the heightened risk however this is limiting and impacts the ability to fully use the full seating in the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11678372

Mileage unknown · Aug 4, 2025
Unknown Or Other

-coolant bypass valve -it risked my safety by possibly destroying my perfectly good car -yes my toyota dealership confirmed the faulty coolant bypass (which many people have had this exact issue with these toyota models) -no -yes about a week before it was serviced

NHTSA ODI #11678370

Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 2025
Air Bags

red light on dashboard indicates passenger airbag is not working, I would like to have this taken care of.

NHTSA ODI #11677634

Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2025
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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The ma…

Read full complaint

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 local dealer was contacted. 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. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11675289

Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2025
Engine

I was driving yesterday morning to work in freeway and a Message appeared in the dash saying Engine Maintenance Required. The message stills appears and it’s a safety issue that needs to be addressed by Toyota for defective parts or defective car and Toyota needs to replace my current vehicle for a new car. Furthermore this is …

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I was driving yesterday morning to work in freeway and a Message appeared in the dash saying Engine Maintenance Required. The message stills appears and it’s a safety issue that needs to be addressed by Toyota for defective parts or defective car and Toyota needs to replace my current vehicle for a new car. Furthermore this is a safety issue for me and others while the car is running.

NHTSA ODI #11675236

Mileage unknown · Jul 19, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Data communication module activation failed message at start of car. It's loud and my baby gets woken up by this..

NHTSA ODI #11674675

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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