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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.

184

Complaints

18

Crashes

2

Fires

13

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Toyota Corolla have filed 184 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2020 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 52 of them (28%). The typical failure was reported at 39,200 miles, the median across the 25 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 184.

AIR BAGS 52 28%
ENGINE 40 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 31 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%

When the complaints arrived

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

2020 2025 2026
2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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.

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.

POWER TRAIN

56,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond and remained in first gear. The contact shifted into Neutral, manually pulled the clutch, and attempted to reverse, but the vehicle failed to respond as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the slave cylinder and the clutch cylinder assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000

NHTSA complaint 11742377. 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 15 1 —
2024 62 2 1
2023 72 3 —
2022 95 0 —
2020 304 3 1
2019 200 5 1
2018 133 3 1
2017 177 3 —
2016 212 1 —
2015 219 1 —
2014 268 2 1
2013 201 5 —
2012 445 5 —
2011 584 9 —
2010 1,244 17 —

Other 2021 Toyota models

Highlander 488 RAV4 382 Venza 182 Camry 154 RAV4 Prime 98 Tacoma 78 Sienna Hybrid 37 4Runner 34

Every Toyota on this site — 272 vehicles, 370 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

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