2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Steering Problems

I was driving on a cold day. When I stopped at a stoplight seeking to make a left turn, the car would not accelerate when I pressed the gas pedal. I looked down and saw the following warning sign "Engine Stopped, Steering Power Low" appear on the dashboard. However, since the car was not in park, it had rolled forward and was close to the being in the nearest lane of oncoming traffic. It was also difficult to steer to avoid creeping closer to oncoming traffic. Although it did not cause an accident, it easily could have. I took the car to several mechanics, because the car is under a CarMax warranty. However, none of the diagnostics revealed anything of concern (no weak battery, lack of power steering fluid, etc.). The mechanics said they had heard about this happening, but were unable to pinpoint any reason for it occuring. This seems like a serious flaw.

NHTSA ID

11731777

Incident

Feb 13, 2026

On [XXX], and again on [XXX], vehicle began beeping while driving on the freeway and flashing the following warning messages: 1) 12-Volt Battery Charging - System Malfunction - Stop in a Safe Place - See Owner's Manual 2) AWD System Malfunction - 2WD Mode Engaged - Visit your Dealer 3) Voltage Abnormality - Steering Power Low - Visit Your Dealer Vehicle shut down and lost power steering while driving on the freeway. My safety was put at risk as I could not easily pull my car over to a safe place due to the car losing power, not turning back on, and power steering turning off. This may have resulted in severe injury or death if I had not been able to eventually pull over. Additionally, the safety of others was put at risk as we were travelling at freeway-level speed, which may have resulted in other vehicles being unable to stop, and consequently crash, if my car had stayed in the freeway lane. Both times I had the vehicle towed to Beaverton Toyota Dealership (Address: 4300 SW Murray Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97005 / Phone: (503) 626-7200) to be inspected and serviced. The first time I was told it was a bad battery cell, which was replaced on 07/26/25. However, the same situation happened after this replacement on 07/27/25. Currently, vehicle is at Beaverton Toyota dealership being inspected. Vehicle was purchased at Wilsonville Toyota (Address: 9155 Boeckman Rd, Wilsonville, OR 97070 / Phone: (503) 582-9040). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11676618

Incident

Jul 25, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross. The contact stated while stopped at a red light, the contact heard a loud, consistent tone emanating from the vehicle, followed by the message "Low power steering" before the vehicle entered LIMP mode and shut off; however, the contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure but had observed an OBD code related to a failure with the mass airflow sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,000.

NHTSA ID

11659779

Incident

May 6, 2025

Mileage

54,000 mi

I was at a red light with my windshield wipers on. I then heard several warning beeps with messages stating "steering power low", battery low, and then the steering locked. I tried to turn the wheel after the last message came up but the steering wheel was locked. I couldn’t accelerate. I had to park the car and turn it off and on again. This has happened twice now and Toyota says it is “fine”.

NHTSA ID

11641201

Incident

Feb 6, 2025

When driving to work it’s the 4 times the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross turns on the engine light and starts beeping with the power steering low message and shuts down and I am unable to continue driving I have taken it 4 times to Toyota dealership with them continue to say no issue is found. For me to get the vehicle working again I have to completely turn it off lock it and then unlock it and turn it back on. This is unacceptable and a big hazard issue because it does this in the middle of traffic without any indication.

NHTSA ID

11570655

Incident

Feb 3, 2024

In November, the engine stalled at a light when it was raining and the wipers were on. Warning noises were activated and the console read "steering Power Low." The car had to be pushed out of the intersection by other drivers. After a half hour the car was able to be restarted . The Car taken to dealership and they ran diagnostics on it and declared that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. Yet on December 27th, it happened again. This time my daughter was driving the vehicle. It was raining, the lights and wipers were on and we stopped at a light. The engine shut off and would not restart. She pressed the brake multiple times and put the car in park. After about 5 minutes of sheer terror, she was able to restart the car.

NHTSA ID

11562688

Incident

Dec 27, 2023

I bought this car less than a month ago! I pulled out of a parking lot and was waiting to turn left when my car suddenly shut off with a loud alarm sound. The check engine light came on as well as a steering pressure light. The dashboard read to press the brake firmly into the ground to start the car..it did not start. I was able to put the car in park and after 3 attempts get the car to start. I was in rush hour traffic with many cars around and behind me honking their horns and yelling all while I was stuck. There was no warning it simply just shut off in the middle of traffic. I am now waiting for it to be inspected by the service department where I purchased it from.

NHTSA ID

11552174

Incident

Oct 26, 2023

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V480000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11550474

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

When it is raining, wipers are on, and I stop at the traffic light, start/stop function turns on when I press the pedal all the way down, but when I release it to drive again, the engine won't start back and the message appears on screen "engine stopped, steering power low", which is scary because the cars at the back starts honking, then I turn the car into parking, switch the car off and turn it back on and then I can drive. Apparently, it is a know problem with this model but Toyota refuse the accept that they know about it and they do not have the solution. It has happened to me 5 times in 3 months, since I bought the car.

NHTSA ID

11548733

Incident

Sep 30, 2023

My vehicle was stopped at a stoplight with the start stop engine feature engaged. I had my windshield wipers on, and it was raining heavily, when suddenly that car turned completely off and started emitting a loud beep. There was a power steering error on my dash and the wheel locked itself completely, the car would not restart at all. There was a message on my dash to firmly press the brake, and the car would restart, but pressing the brake did nothing. I was stuck in the middle of an intersection in a vehicle that is less than two months old in the middle of traffic, and live in a city, where it rains continuously for several months out of the year. Toyota is aware of this issue, but there aren't any fixes available for a vehicle that will turn itself off when using the windshield wipers while it's raining.

NHTSA ID

11548036

Incident

Oct 2, 2023

This is a recurring problem since buying the vehicle new... now at ~7,500 miles. Problem occurs on state highways (North Carolina country roads). While Lane Tracing Assist is active at 45 mph - 60 mph, the Lane Tracing Assist works fine and as expected on large radius state highway curves, but when it comes to smaller radius curves, the Lane Tracing Assist takes the turn in an overly aggressive manner. It wants to cross the median on curves to the left, and it wants to run off the road on curves to the right. The lane departure warning sounds in both instances, so the car recognizes it is departing the lane. I am able to maintain control to keep the car generally in its lane, but I have to actively and physically fight the steering system to do so.

NHTSA ID

11546176

Incident

Sep 23, 2023

The car turned off several times while I was stuck in traffic, it was raining an the wipers were on. This happened on Riverside Drive, NYC on 9/8/23 around 5 pm. The warning said: low steering power. There were cars behind me and could have crashed my car.

NHTSA ID

11543538

Incident

Sep 8, 2023

At a stop light the car shut down on me. Immediately on the the following message appeared on the warning panel indicator : “steering power low” then “ engine stopped “ and “ Press brake firmly to restart”. I followed the instructions but it didn’t work. I had to shift the car to park to be able to start the engine again. This happened on 4 occasions. In case this is relevant, it was raining heavily throughout the entire day.

NHTSA ID

11538676

Incident

Aug 14, 2023

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The messages "Engine Shut Off" and "Steering Power Low" were displayed, and the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the messages and warning lights were turned off. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure needed to be duplicated to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,600.

NHTSA ID

11538628

Incident

Aug 15, 2023

Mileage

4,600 mi

It was a rainy day, the first rainy day that I drove this car in. I had my windshield wipers and headlights on, and I've always kept my auto start/stop setting on for this car. At one point within 5 minutes of my destination, I pulled up to a left turn lane at an intersection. I slowed to a stop, with my auto stop engaging (as intended). At this moment, my engine stalled, my turn lights on my dashboard shone orange nonstop, and a constant beeping sound started. On the dashboard in front of me, following message was displayed: Press brake firmly to restart engine, Low steering power. I attempted to follow the instructions and pressed the brake as firmly as I could, but the warning and long beep continued and the car would not budge. It was getting dangerous because I was in the middle of a lane and blocking traffic. After a few attempts to follow the directions, I resorted to putting the car in park and manually completely shutting off the engine, then manually starting the engine. This worked and I was able to continue driving. Though this same situation happened again the same night in the same conditions: rainy, auto stopped in a left turn lane, windshield wipers on.

NHTSA ID

11537764

Incident

Aug 8, 2023

I was in New York taking my boyfriend to work and was at a red light and out of nowhere the car started to beep and said the power steering was low and to press the brake to restart, nothing happened when I pressed the brake and then I received a message saying the engine turned off, the traffic light turned green and I had to put my car in neutral to park it and turn it off. I looked up what it could be for my car model and apparently A LOT of people are having this issue when the wipers are on and auto on/off is on as well which was my scenario this morning. This is a huge issue and needs to be addressed immediately by Toyota!!!

NHTSA ID

11536838

Incident

Aug 7, 2023

While driving home, it was raining and had wipers going. I'd never driven in the rain yet since purchasing. I was at a stop light, and the auto start/stop was activated so the car was stopped. When I tried to drive upon the light turning green the car turned off and I got a message that said "engine stopped. Steering power low". Then I got another message saying "press brake firmly to restart engine" which didn't work. I had to switch to park. Turn it off and then turn it back on in order to get moving again.

NHTSA ID

11522754

Incident

May 18, 2023

My engine has shut off 4 times while I am stopped at a red light. Every singe time I have taken it to the dealership for them to tell me they cant recreate the problem and that there are no codes showing up. I have taken videos and photos while the engine is shut off. The dealership did not seem to care. An engine shutting off in the middle of the drive is a serious safety concern and yet nothing is done to address this? The error message that keeps popping up is "Engine stopped, Steering power Low" and "Engine Stopped Press Brake Firmly to Restart" and if you press the break firmly it does not restart. You have to physically put the car on park, and press the start button to restart the engine. It seems to be a common problem when the windshield wipers are on, however, 3 out of 4 times the engine has stopped, my wipers were not on.

NHTSA ID

11521030

Incident

May 7, 2023

I was stopped at a red light and the engine cut off as it usually does (the car has stop/start system that is automatically enabled each time you turn the car on). When the light turned green, I pressed the gas pedal. The car froze in place and began beeping. Several indicator lights flashed on the dashboard. The dashboard said, "Ignition OFF. Press brake firmly to engage." I pressed the brake firmly but nothing happened. I turned on my hazard lights and put the car in park, thinking that might help. I attempted to turn the car off by pushing the button, but it did not turn off. The car refused to do anything and was simply frozen in place for about 3 minutes. After approximately 3 minutes of me having to direct traffic to go around me in the rain in a busy intersection during rush hour, the car simply stopped beeping and removed the error message. When I got home, I googled the issue and discovered that this is common in 2022 and 2023 Corolla Crossovers when both the automatic stop/start system and the windshield wipers are both engaged simultaneously. Since it frequently rains where I live, I am now I am scared to drive the car with automatic stop/start on. Since the car automatically turns this feature on every time you turn the car on, this requires disabling this feature anytime I want to go anywhere.

NHTSA ID

11520182

Incident

May 2, 2023

I was making an Michigan Left turn/U-turn & Hit the breaks for a traffic Signal, All of a Sudden my Engine stopped & steering got locked (I mean complete Halt), Then I have to change the Gear to Parking & restart my Car followed by Shifting to Drive mode, Luckily Vehicle started Moving & steering was Free.

NHTSA ID

11520181

Incident

May 2, 2023

Twice while I was on a roadtrip this past weekend when I was stopped, I got an error that said "Steering Power Low." The first time I was in bumper to bumper traffic in the Bronx. My phone was plugged into the vehicle to use Android Car Play. It was drizzling off and on, so my wipers may have been on, but if so, they were on intermittent. To my recollection, I was not using other electronic components at that time. The second time I was at a stop light. It was a long light, but not unreasonably so. It was raining, so my headlights and windshield wipers were on. I was using Android Car play via bluetooth connection. Both times I had to put the car into neutral and restart it. The automatic start/stop feature was on both times because I have not figured out a way to permanently turn it off.

NHTSA ID

11520013

Incident

Apr 28, 2023

On March 9th 2023 I was stopped at a red light in my brand new 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross XLE that I had for only 13 days (it had 420 miles on it). It was raining and I had my wipers on. Suddenly a loud alarm/tone was heard and several warning lights flashed across the dash. Power steering low/engine stopped/press brake firmly to restart. The steering wheel was locked. I tried pressing my breaks several times but nothing happened. The car behind me was honking their horn over and over. Next thing I know, I feel a 'bump' as my car bumped into his. He got out of his car and came up to my window and asked "whats the problem?" I pointed at the dash and told him I had no idea what was going on! He said my car was slowly rolling backwards into his car. He told me to put the car into park and turn it off so it would stop rolling. When I did this, the alarm/tone stopped. When I started the car back up, all dash lights were off and I was able to drive it to the Toyota dealership that was about 1/2 a mile away from where it broke down. My car has been at the dealership now for 6 weeks. My case was escalated to Toyota Corporate. For the longest time they told me they "couldn't duplicate the problem" and there was nothing wrong with my car even though it had thrown a x206d code (power source stop/engine stall). It wasn't until I went to the dealership and showed them the youtube video of what I had also experienced that they were suddenly able to duplicate the problem. I have been told a "software update" is in the works and they had to hang onto my car until the update becomes available as it is a safety issue to have the car suddenly stop working while at a stop light in traffic.

NHTSA ID

11518994

Incident

Mar 9, 2023

What component or system failed or malfunctioned: I was stopped at a red light for about 60 seconds, and the engine's Auto Start-Stop feature was engaged (engine automatically shut off while idling at the traffic light). As the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake, and the engine did not start again. The dash displayed multiple warning signs, such as "Engine Stopped - Press Brake Firmly to Restart" (I did so, and it did not restart), and "Power Steering Low." I ended up having to put the car in park, turn off the vehicle, then turn it on again to continue moving. This happened to my 2023 Corolla Cross XLE in wet weather (rain), while I had the windshield wipers on and QI charging port enabled. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk: I was stalled at a busy intersection for about 30-45 seconds, with cars behind me honking and attempting to drive around to pass me, putting both them and myself in danger. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?: According to this Reddit post (https://www.reddit.com/r/CorollaCross/comments/t7rv4b/comment/jc2swum/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), Toyota has confirmed there is an issue. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure?: No

NHTSA ID

11518298

Incident

Apr 20, 2023

My brand new Vehicle stopped functioning when I got to a stop light on 2 occasions. Steering and brakes do not work and Vehicle kept moving at a slow pace uncontrollably. The first incident, dash board read “engine pressure low” This was not safe at all. It happened at an 8 lane cross intersection and thankfully I made it through before the lights turned red again. The second incident, dashboard read “engine stopped, steering power low” and the car did not move after that. Had it towed back to dealership. Toyota said they were able to duplicate the problems and it had something to do with intermittent wiper’s being on when you stop. Although I am positive I did not have my wipers on, and I was not alone, Toyota still says otherwise. I have been given back the vehicle from the dealership and feel extremely unsafe. I do not feel my safety is acknowledged as there are careless drivers on the road daily.

NHTSA ID

11517724

Incident

Mar 4, 2023

Just a couple weeks ago, my 16 year old daughter was driving our NEW 2023 Corolla Cross when she came to a busy intersection and had to stop for the red light. She reduced her speed to make the complete stop and WITHOUT engaging the ECO system (Stop/Start feature using the brake) the vehicle completely shut down and locked up on her with the "Power Steering Low" warning as well as some description about the brake. She asked what happened and what should she do. I turned the Hazard lights on and I asked her if she had tried to engage the ECO system Start/Stop and she said no. I told her to see if she could engage the Stop/Start by firmly pressing on the brake, she could not. I told her to put the car in park and again try to engage the ECO system, she could not. I told her to turn the vehicle off while in park and then restart the car. When she turned the car back on the warning cleared and she could drive the vehicle a few blocks to work. It was raining, not heavily, and we had the windshield wipers on. The "Power Steering Low" showed another time when I had the car idling in the parking lot with the wipers going waiting for my son after his game. I had to turn the car off. Numerous occasions the "Battery Charging" warning will appear when I have tried to engage the ECO system Stop/Start. One day I could not get the ECO system to engage no matter what I did, NO additional accessories were on. Same as the Power Steering Low issue unknown but, my daughter has experienced the wheel firmly locking up where she cannot control the wheel while centered in the lane. The lane assist seems to engage aggressively when not needed creating a temporary situation where the drive cannot control the wheel. My dealer has had the car 8 days without being able to replicate any error and unfortunately there SUBSTANTIAL DEFECTS DO NOT log in the cars history. Most concerning is the lack of logged warnings which the dealer says they can't diagnose the issue. Huge safety concern!!

NHTSA ID

11517298

Incident

Mar 31, 2023