Problems · by component

2018 Toyota Corolla air bags problems

36 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota Corolla cite air bags, 26% of all 136 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.

Complaints
36
26% of all complaints
Crashes
17
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
12
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the air bags

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I was driving home from church late Sunday night. A really rough storm hit and it knocked down a huge tree in the road covering the entire road. I did not see the tree until I got up on it and I went straight through it. I was running around 40 mph and total front end impact took the whole bumper off but my airbags did not deploy.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 22, 2026Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11766243
“On October 17, 2025, a 2018 Toyota Corolla LE was delivered to an authorized Toyota dealership for an airbag recall repair. The recall involved the airbag electronic control unit (ECU), which, according to Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), may fail to deploy the airbags and/or seatbelt pretensioners during certain types of crashes due to inadequate protection against electrical noise. The vehicle was picked up on October 18, 2025, after the dealer reported the recall repair as completed. Before the recall, the vehicle displayed a clear and consistent safety issue: the “Passenger Airbag OFF” indicator stayed illuminated even when a full-size adult occupant (approximately 208 lbs) was seated in the front passenger seat. After the recall repair, the exact same issue persisted with no improvement. The repair was ineffective, as the system still failed to recognize an occupied seat, and the passenger airbag continued to show “OFF.” When this was reported to the dealership immediately after pickup, staff incorrectly stated that the recall concerned metal fragments inside the airbags. This is inaccurate. The official recall…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 19, 2025Air bagsODI 11694365
“A car was going to hit my car, I went to hit the horn and the horn doesn't work a few days later a airbag light went on. Went to the dealership and they said it's a know malfunction in toyota corolla. They are not sure if the airbags will work or not. They recommend that I put a notice in for recall since there are still no recalls. This is a huge safety issue.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 18, 2024Steering, Air bagsODI 11589473
“My brother was driving his car and it was involved in a hard right front impact yesterday after a young girl pulled out in front of him. None of the airbags went off, severe front end damage on the right side to the fender, wheel, axle, radiator, hood, oil pan, and other front end components.The right front wheel is completely bent and the right front tire blew out. Front right headlight completely missing. Incident happened going approximately 30-40 MPH. Thankfully he’s okay, but the car is most likely totaled. The steering wheel airbag did NOT deploy and the right curtain airbag did NOT deploy. My brother could have gotten killed. Thankfully he’s only complaining about leg pain and chest pain, but the steering wheel airbag would’ve mitigated his injuries. A few years ago, he got sideswiped very hard on the left side and the vehicle needed 2 new doors and a rear bumper. The left side curtain airbags did not deploy in this scenario either. I’m very disappointed in Toyota that they built a death trap such as the 2018 Corolla.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 29, 2023Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11557369
“The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH in inclement weather, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle and she lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into the median and was spinning before another vehicle crashed into the contact's front end. The air bags were not deployed upon impact. The contact suffered soreness in her arms, legs, and back; however, no medical attention was received. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto collision center and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 100,555.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 6, 2022Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11467754
“MY CAR HAD EARLY SIGNS OF PROBLEMS WITHIN ONLY THE SECOND YEAR. IT HAD STOPPED TWO TIMES. IF THIS CAR STOPS BEFORE THE 18,000 OR LEMON LAW RETURN IT. I THEN WAS NOTIFIED THAT IT HAD 3 RECALLS. MY CAR WAS ACTUALLY STILL DRIVEABLE. I ALSO WANT TO DISCLOSE THAT I DEALL WITH ENVIROMENTAL ALLERGIES. I HAD THE VEHICLE FIXED SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO PROBLEM. HOWEVER, AFTER THE RECALLS WERE FIXED WITH THE FUEL PUMP AND AIR BAG I STARTED TO BECOME EXTREMLY ILL . I EVER PURCHASED A VOC MONITOR AND WAS ABLET TO DETECT GAS AT DANGEROUS LEVELS. MY DEALER TOYOTA BOWIE AND THE MANUFACTURER DID LITTLE TO NOTHING TO ACCOMODATE ME. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA AGAIN, OR A CAR PERIOD UNLESS I CAN PAY FOR IT IN CASH UPFRONT. THE VEHICLES VOC TURNED DANGEROUS AFTER TURNING ON THE CAR FOR 10MINUTES STRAIGHT.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 1, 2021Air bags, Fuel/propulsion systemFire reportedODI 11398510

Showing 6 of 36 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 4, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

1 recall on this component

Air bags: air bag

Free remedy

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.

Air bagsReported Jan 17, 2020NHTSA 20V024000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 4, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.