Problems · NHTSA complaints
2003 Toyota Corolla problems
Owners filed 769 complaints about the 2003 Toyota Corolla with NHTSA between Aug 2001 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (360).
Complaints
769
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
104
Reported by owners
Fires
9
Reported by owners
Injuries
96
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags360
- Engine and engine cooling95
- Vehicle speed control81
- Power train66
- Seat belts38
- Electrical system38
- Structure33
- Visibility26
- Service brakes, hydraulic23
- Engine18
- Tires13
- Suspension11
- Exterior lighting9
- Electronic stability control (esc)9
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
16
77
46
25
15
22
22
17
67
18
10
51
62
196
32
29
14
15
9
8
4
3
3
3
4
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 16 |
| 2003 | 77 |
| 2004 | 46 |
| 2005 | 25 |
| 2006 | 15 |
| 2007 | 22 |
| 2008 | 22 |
| 2009 | 17 |
| 2010 | 67 |
| 2011 | 18 |
| 2012 | 10 |
| 2013 | 51 |
| 2014 | 62 |
| 2015 | 196 |
| 2016 | 32 |
| 2017 | 29 |
| 2018 | 14 |
| 2019 | 15 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 | 4 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Air bags
360 reports59 crashes1 fire7 related recalls
“please see attached letter. This corporation is stringing me along and does not seem to care that my DO NOT DRIVE order car still has an airbag light on. I'm driving a DO NOT DRIVE order car around because I have no other choice.”
Engine and engine cooling
95 reports2 crashes1 fire
“IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE THE FIRST TIME THE CIL TURNED ON. IT STAYS ON FOR A COUPLE DAYS THEN STAYS OFF FOR LIKE A MONTH. IT HAS BEEN DOING THAT SINCE 2012. I HAD MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CHECKED BY A TECH AND HE SAID THAT HE HAS SEEN THE P0770 CODE MANY TIMES FOR THE MATRIX AND COROLLA. HE PRINTED OUT THE TSB (HTTP://WWW.MATRIXOWNERS.COM/TSB/T-EG020-02.PDF) AND ADVISED ME TO TAKE IT TO A TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER. I TOOK IT TO CARSON TOYOTA IN CA AND THEY PRETTY MUCH SAID THE ONLY THING I CAN DO IS FIX THE ISSUE OUT OF MY POCKET WHICH WAS ALMOST $1500! HE SAID THE ISSUE IS THE R & R ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND IF THAT DOESN'T DO THE TRICK THAT I HAVE TO REPLACE R & R SPEED SENSOR. I PURCHASED MY CAR USED SO IT DIDN'T QUALIFY FOR THE MANUFACTURES WARRANTY. I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THIS SHOULD QUALIFY AS A RECALL. THERE IS SO MANY REPORT ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND SO MANY OTHER TOYOTA CUSTOMERS THAT ARE VERY UNHAPPY. ALLOT OF THE CONSUMERS ARE SAYING THEY HAVE BOUGHT THESE PARTS AND INSTALLED THEM AND THE CIL IS STILL LIGHTING UP. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. I REFUSE TO PAY $1500 TO REPLACE THE ECM AND THE SPEED SENSOR FOR IT TO NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. NOW I…”
Vehicle speed control
81 reports27 crashes1 fire
“My mother got in the car and as soon as the car was put on drive, the car accelerated to its max potential, but when she attempted to hit the brakes they did not respond. So max acceleration, on its own, and brakes did not work. She ended up in the hospital for 9 days suffering a broken rib, front teeth missing, they had to sew her tongue back together, both cheeks shattered, broken clavicle and she has a hole right under the back of her skull. Miraculously, after she flipped to the side and took out two trees, the third tree flipped her back to right side up, and stopped the vehicle completely.”
Power train
66 reports5 crashes1 related recall
“HI, I AM FROM PUERTO RICO. I HAVE A TOYOTA COROLLA 2003 1.8L, TYPE S. THE TRANSMISSION OF MY CAR IS MANUAL AND IT IS MAKING AN INTERNAL NOISE THAT HAS BEEN INCREASING LITTLE BY LITTLE. THE NOISE IS SIMILAR TO A BALL BEARING WHEN DAMAGED. FOR THE CURRENT PRICE IN THE MARKET, THE MECHANIC RECOMMENDED ME TO CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION FOR ANOTHER USED ONE THAT IS IN GOOD CONDITION. I HAVE ALWAYS MAINTAINED MY CAR AND I AM SURPRISED THAT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION CAR IS FAILING. THIS MODEL HAS PRESENT PROBLEMS IN THE TRASMITION? THANKS, LISA HERNANDEZ”
Seat belts
38 reports4 crashes
“My driver side Seat belt sometimes becomes unbuckled, disconnected while driving, specially when I make turns, or when I slow down my driving speed. This is very dangerous because it is putting my life at risk in case of an accident.”
Electrical system
38 reports1 crash5 fires
“My car is accelerating when my foot is off of the pedal and when in park, it is revving like I am pressing down on the gas pedal. I put it in reverse to test it to make sure I was experiencing what I just thought had happened. As soon as I put the gear in reverse, and released my foot from the break, the car spead down my driveway. I breaked, put gear in drive, and when I released my foot from the break pedal, again it sped up almost crashing into my house. When I put the car in park, the engine became louder as if I was pressing down on the gas pedal. I checked the pedals below. The rug or nothing else was near the pedal, as can happen at times. This morning I tested it out again on my way to work. It was a repeat of yesterday. The car is speeding up without me putting my foot on the drive pedal, by me simply lifting my foot of of the break. And when I park, it gets loud as if I am pressing on the gas pedal. This is very dangerous and I am afraid to drive my car until I can get it to a mechanic.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.