Problems · NHTSA complaints
2006 Toyota Corolla problems
Owners filed 904 complaints about the 2006 Toyota Corolla with NHTSA between Jan 2006 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (496).
Complaints
904
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
120
Reported by owners
Fires
9
Reported by owners
Injuries
94
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags496
- Engine and engine cooling108
- Electrical system88
- Vehicle speed control77
- Power train47
- Engine28
- Structure24
- Steering23
- Service brakes20
- Service brakes, hydraulic17
- Equipment15
- Tires11
- Fuel system, gasoline10
- Wheels9
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 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
18
23
28
45
169
35
19
17
29
259
146
38
12
27
19
4
3
8
1
1
3
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 18 |
| 2007 | 23 |
| 2008 | 28 |
| 2009 | 45 |
| 2010 | 169 |
| 2011 | 35 |
| 2012 | 19 |
| 2013 | 17 |
| 2014 | 29 |
| 2015 | 259 |
| 2016 | 146 |
| 2017 | 38 |
| 2018 | 12 |
| 2019 | 27 |
| 2020 | 19 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 3 |
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
496 reports57 crashes3 fires4 related recalls
“The air bag light stays on at all times when there is nothing on the passengers seat. This has stayed on for the past two weeks. I am afraid that the airbag might fail and cause an injury.”
Engine and engine cooling
108 reports4 crashes1 fire1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla Matrix. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the check engine warning light and the battery warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and pull over on the side of the road safely where the vehicle shut off again and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the vehicle had experienced a similar failure as in NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V384000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 200,025.”
Electrical system
88 reports2 crashes4 fires
“I purchased a Toyota three years ago, immediately I complained about the brakes scrubbing and squeaky sounds, the dealer denied anything was wrong with the brakes. After paying the last payment the other day, now the brake pedal is stiff as a board and takes alot of pressure to stop, which is a safety hazzard to all. Also there have been no warning lights come on notification of any problems. I've also noticed Electrical problems like the dash lights going off and on the clock works when it takes a notion.”
Vehicle speed control
77 reports40 crashes
“I JUST BOUGHT A 2006 MATRIX (TOYOTA). IT ONLY HAS 88,000 MILES ON IT (OCTOBER, 2020). THE CAR IS IN GREAT CONDITION AND SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF. I'VE TAKEN IT TO 2 SEPARATE QUALIFIED MECHANICS. THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. WHEN THE LIGHT IS OFF THE CAR RUNS PERFECT. WHILE I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THE GAS PEDAL WAS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL ON A STRAIGHT AWAY FLAT ROAD. I WAS DRIVING 30MPH LEAVING TOWN. THE SPEED LIMIT INCREASED TO 40MPH BEFORE FURTHER INCREASING TO 65MPH HIGHWAY. IT'S A STRAIGHT FLAT ROAD. I COULD NOT GET THE CAR OVER 55MPH. WHEN I GOT TO A SMALL HILL THE CAR FINALLY MADE IT TO THE TOP 45 MPH WITH THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY DEPRESSED. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR UP TO HIGHWAY SPEED AS I WAS COMING DOWN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HILL WITH THE GAS PEDAL STILL DEPRESSED COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. I USED A HALF OF A TANK OF GAS TO DRIVE 15 MILES. I AM WRITING THIS AS I AM CONCERNED. WHEN I LOOKED ONLINE I FOUND THE PROBLEM I AM DESCRIBING WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONGST OTHER MATRIX OWNERS. I COULD ALSO SEE SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS WHERE THE MATRIX ACCELERATED AND…”
Power train
47 reports7 crashes
“The contact's mother owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking space and as she shifted the vehicle into drive, the vehicle surged forward. The contact's mother lost control of the vehicle and crashed into several vehicles and then a curb and turned the vehicle ignition off. The contact's mother stated she had no brakes. The contact sustained bruises to her left and right legs by the knees and both wrists were bruised. Additionally, the contact had pain in her left and right shoulders. The contact did not seek medical attention. The other vehicles were not occupied. The contact stated she did not notice any warning lights were illuminated. The police were on the scene and filed a report. The contact's mother had the vehicle towed to her residence and then later towed to a dealer. The dealer did not inspect the vehicle, however, the manufacturer had an independent mechanic inspect the vehicle brakes. The mechanic determined that there were no mechanical problems with the brakes. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.”
Engine
28 reports3 crashes3 fires
“DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, MY CAR ENGINE SHUT-OFF AND BREAKS LOCKED. CAR WILL NOT START ON THE MOVE SO I HAVE TO BRING IT TO A STOP. THE PROCESS OF TRANSITIONING LANES WITHOUT BREAKS WAS VERY SCARY. AFTER THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO A FULL STOP THE CAR WAS ABLE TO START.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.