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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2021 Toyota Corolla

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 185 safety complaints about the 2021 Toyota Corolla with the US government. Of those, 18 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 13 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 52 complaints, 28% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 39,200 miles, the median across the 25 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2020 to August 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

185 complaints on file

185

Complaints

18

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

13

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 52 · 28%
ENGINE 40 · 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 32 · 17%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 · 12%
POWER TRAIN 19 · 10%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 15 · 8%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 8 · 4%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 8 · 4%
SEAT BELTS 8 · 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 · 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 3%
STEERING 5 · 3%
0 23 46

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 185.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 55.

60 45 30 15
20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2021 Toyota COROLLA, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 10.5%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

23V865000 · December 20, 2023

The defect
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.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The 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.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 999,901 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

I was rear ended. During the impact, which was enough to accelerate my vehicle from 9 mph to 36 mph, the steering wheel came completely off of the car and hit me in the head. The steering wheel was in the back seat immediately following the impact and my vehicle was traveling at 36 mph with no way to steer out control it and no airbags in front of me in case of a secondary collision. This happened on a busy interstate with dozens of drivers endangered by my out of control vehicle. Traffic had slowed for construction and it was a miracle I wasn't further injured or caused injury to anyone else. Toyota sent an inspector to look over the vehicle, and it may still be available on the wrecker

NHTSA complaint 11502288, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 7,000 miles

The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle ran a red light and crashed into the front passenger's side door. The contact stated that the air bags deployed, except for the driver's side steering wheel air bag. The impact caused her chest to lunge forward, and the contact fractured her neck. A passenger seated in the passenger's side front seat sustained bruising from her neck, her waist, and a fractured collarbone. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure

NHTSA complaint 11503491, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 5,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while at a stop light in the turning lane, another vehicle rear-ended the contact, causing minor damages to the rear bumper of the vehicle. The contact was unsure of the damages to the other vehicle. No air bags deploy. The contact stated that the front driver side and front passenger side seat belts did not restrain causing both the contact and the passenger to strike their head. The contact noise was broken along with other head, eyes, and face injuries and the passenger also head and eyes injuries, both the contact and passenger sought medical attention and were transported to the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11521142, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

While driving down a two-way street an oncoming car departed its lane resulting in an offset frontal collision on the driver's side. The driver's side airbag did not deploy, the seat belts did not pretention/lock and the pre-collision system did not engage brakes or alert the driver. The driver of the car suffered a broken bone as a result. The driver of the oncoming colliding car was okay, their airbags deployed.

NHTSA complaint 11451068. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Coolant Bypass Valve needs replacement and my car only has 94,000 miles on it I called Toyota to see if the part and labor were cover under their 100,000 miles/ 10 years warranty and they are saying that it is not,yet on Google and all over online forums it says that Toyotas corolla from 2019 to 2021 tend to eventually have this issue.

NHTSA complaint 11760516. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This Toyota Corolla hatchback is experiencing an issue where it is constantly giving an “ENGINE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED” light and when scanned, it says “coolant bypass valve malfunction”. There is already a recall for many Toyota Corolla Sedans experiencing this issue of this bypass valve being defective, but because this is a hatchback, it is not part of the recall when it should be. There is already a recall for vehicles affected with this issue: T-SB-0112-24

NHTSA complaint 11751893. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Notification spontaneously received as Engine Maintenance Required; Visit Your Dealer. Service appointment immediately scheduled for Toyota of Plano for the following day. My service advisor recommended replacing the coolant bypass valve, which amounted to a total bill of $745. My agent informed me of CSP 24TE04, however my service advisor didn’t acknowledge any eligibility of VIN pertaining to it. Toyota Brand Engagement Center also did not report any eligibility of my VIN number for secondary coverage reimbursement despite it meeting the criteria exactly.

NHTSA complaint 11751945. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The coolant bypass valve issue

NHTSA complaint 11748179. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
Over the past year and a half I’ve had to deal with unknown reasons for at least 13 tire problems. And one of those problems was a complete blow out on the highway. When I went to get my spare tire and change it there wasn’t anything in the trunks spare compartment. I called the dealership and they said they don’t do that (meaning they don’t provide the car with a spare). I was very confused and stressed. I felt played and wasn’t made to feel confident in this purchase. That not the only thing. The electric system does pretty much whatever it wants. Changes my music, gives advice for things we didn’t ask and the volume is always highering itself and lowering just whenever it chooses. The

NHTSA complaint 11744107, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY:SLAVE CYLINDER

towed · 89,023 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving in third gear, the vehicle failed to shift into a lower gear and became stuck in Neutral. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a defective slave cylinder, which was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,023.

NHTSA complaint 11742375. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota Corolla

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 17 1 —
2025 31 0 —
2024 63 2 1
2023 73 3 —
2022 101 0 —
2020 306 3 1
2019 203 5 1
2018 134 3 1
2017 178 3 —
2016 214 1 —
2015 220 1 —
2014 269 2 1
2013 201 5 —
2012 446 5 —
2011 584 9 —
2010 1,244 17 —

Other 2021 Toyota models

Highlander 522 RAV4 387 Venza Hybrid 188 Camry 157 RAV4 Prime 99 Tacoma 80 Sienna Hybrid 43 4Runner 36

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Toyota on this site — 281 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst