2009 Toyota Corolla Electrical Problems

I purchased my car in March 2023. From the first week, it wouldn't start sometimes. Id wait 5 minutes, then it would start fine. I thought it was when it got wet, at first. I also had a certain part replaced air flow compressor, possibly was called?, thinking this would fix it. It did not. In fact, the problem seemed to be happening more and more but, always, if I waited 5 to 10 minutes, sometimes messed around under the hood, it would start. This was not very comforting however, when it would stall at a light and not start right back up. I took it to AutoZone and was run on the diagnostics machine. Was told it needed new spark plugs and ignition coil packs. Which I got and replaced. Still happening. I took back to AutoZone, had it run again on diagnostic. This time it said battery. So I had a new battery put in. Still happening. All along, might I add, my fuses will blow randomly, my headlights And taillights will blow for no reason. One taillightooks like it melted through the plastic before it decided to blow. I e replaced some fuses, only to have blown again. I also have replaced the light bulb in taillight, only to have blown twice more. This is very dangerous, especially at a traffic light or, late at night if I need to go somewhere or leave somewhere And it won't start. I've been stuck in the middle of the road, on the wring sidevif the riad, in the midfle if a snowstorm, with it not starting for me. Also, it was gett5really cold without heat and, I was nearly hit several times as i was also at the bottom of a steep hill when my car decided to stop sliding backwards and stall on me and would not restart. That was the most fearful I have been with this issue and with good reason! I now see several others having similar issues with their same exact car. Why isn't Toyota addressing this?

NHTSA ID

11570463

Incident

Feb 5, 2024

My driver’s side window controls are slowly falling into the doors. I read where there was a recall online, but I have never received any paperwork. I am the original owner and have had all work done at various Toyota’s for 13 years now. Will I be able to have a dealer fix this? Thank you,

NHTSA ID

11465452

Incident

Sep 15, 2021

I have had my 2009 Toyota Corolla since day 1. I seen another post in here that is having the same issue as myself. I have had to replace my battery 3 times all because the “wiring harness” on this vehicle is faulty. Toyota knew about this beforehand. As customers we put our trust and faith in these big corporations to do the right thing when making these vehicles. We, as customers, shouldn’t have to purchase and pay for labor when all while Toyota was aware of the faulty wiring harness. This causes more issues than 1 because it controls everything inside and outside of your car.

NHTSA ID

11418234

Incident

Feb 1, 2021

My Toyota power door lock actuators continue to fail, even after multiple replacements. The failure mode starts as intermittent operation, often leaving doors unlocked when using the electronic locking system. Eventually the door lock actuator fails to respond at all. The intermittent nature of the failure onset puts consumers at risk for not realizing the system left their car unlocked, providing an opportunity for someone to enter the vehicle and wait in the car for vehicle owner to return or to have things stolen from the vehicle. Based on the repeated failures, the actuator design or manufacturing process is clearly defective. The repeated actuator failures requires the customer to be vigilant for failures and the pay for replacement, several hundreds of dollars each time, out of their own pocket since Toyota refuses to acknowledge an egregious failure rate on their power door lock mechanisms. Cynical observers may note that the failures generate a regular revenue stream for Toyota service departments. Thank you for your time.

NHTSA ID

11417402

Incident

May 14, 2021

MY CAR HAS 91,414 MILES AND HAS HAD MULTIPLE CYLINDER MISFIRES WITH MY NORMAL DAILY COMMUTE OF SIX MILES EACH WAY. IN THREE YEARS ON A 4 CYLINDER ENGINE I HAVE HAD THREE IGNITION COILS REPLACED, TWICE WITHIN TWO AND A HALF YEARS AND 10,468 MILES ON THE #2 COIL. ALL REPAIRS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY TOYOTA CERTIFIED REPAIR FACILITIES WITH TOYOTA OEM PARTS. THIS IS NOT NORMAL FOR A LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE MAINTAINED WITH REGULAR SERVICE.

NHTSA ID

11307935

Incident

Jan 15, 2020

Mileage

91,267 mi

FIRE ON DRIVERS SIDE DOOR, SWITCHES PERTAINING TO WINDOWS, CAR WAS MOTION

NHTSA ID

11254854

Incident

Sep 11, 2019

Mileage

200,000 mi

ALL DASHBOARDS CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. ALSO WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKE OR PUTTING ANY LOAD ON THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THE VEHICLE STARTS STALLING. IT IS NOT CONSISTENT AND CAN'T BE REPEATED CONSISTENTLY.

NHTSA ID

11164197

Incident

Dec 30, 2018

Mileage

90,147 mi

I OWN A 2009 COROLLA THAT HAS 108,000 MILES. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR THE AIRBAG RECALL FIX, AND IT ALSO HAD THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ON. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE OBD-II CODE P0354 CAME UP IN THE DIAGNOSTICS AND THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW ENGINE WIRE HARNESS AT A COST OF $2,000 DOLLARS. I DID MY OWN RESEARCH AND FOUND THIS TOYOTA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN LINK THAT DESCRIBES EXACTLY THE PROBLEM AND ALSO INCLUDES MY CAR'S VIN. HTTP://ALFLASH.COM.UA/REFER/T-SB-0379-08.PDF APPARENTLY,TOYOTA KNEW OF THE WIRING HARNESS PROBLEM, BUT THEY CHOSE TO CONCEAL IT AND FIX ONLY IF THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINED. THEY EXPECTED THE CUSTOMER TO PLAY DETECTIVE AND FIND THEIR LATENT DESIGN FAULT! I HAVE OWNED FIVE OTHER CARS SINCE 1973, ONE FOR 23 YEARS, AND I NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS!

NHTSA ID

11052055

Incident

Dec 1, 2017

Mileage

108,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, SEVERAL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IDLED AND DROVE POORLY. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE WIRE INSULATION MATERIAL WAS MADE OUT OF A SOY-BASED MATERIAL. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT CRITICAL FUNCTIONS COULD HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEL TOYOTA (2945 E LINCOLN HWY, THORNDALE, PA 19372, (610) 383-6200) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT RODENTS CHEWED THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION WIRING HARNESS. ADDITIONALLY, RODENTS ALSO CHEWED THROUGH THE TURN SIGNAL WIRING HARNESS FOR THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT RECEIVED CASE NUMBER: 1710262425. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,856.

NHTSA ID

11040486

Incident

Jan 31, 2016

Mileage

34,856 mi

STEERING WHEEL COIL REMEDY NEVER RESOLVED TOOK VEHICLE IN TWICE FOR SERVICE UPDATE AT THE DEALERSHIP ON STEERING COLUMN COIL AND AIRBAGS.WAS TURNING AT 5 MILES AN HOUR ON WAY TO DRIVE ONTO A TRAILER SO THE VEHICLE COULD BE PULLED WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS SLOPPY AND WAS HIT BY ANOTHER CAR FROM THE LEFT SIDE

NHTSA ID

11025360

Incident

Jun 25, 2014

Mileage

200,000 mi

MY POWER DOORS ARE NOT WORKING AND THE MECHANISM WILL NOT EVEN LOCK OR UNLOCK THE DOORS. SOMETIMES I CAN'T EVEN OPEN THE DOOR TO GET OUT AND IT IS SEVERE HAZARD. I CAN'T EVEN MANUALLY OPEN THEM TO GET IN OR OUT. THE MAIN ACTUATOR IS COMPLETELY BROKEN.

NHTSA ID

10985116

Incident

Apr 30, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. THE DOOR ALSO BECAME EXTREMELY HOT. THE VEHICLE DID NOT CATCH FIRE. THERE WAS NO POLICE OR FIRE REPORT FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,820.

NHTSA ID

10971754

Incident

Apr 10, 2017

Mileage

114,820 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD, SUDDENLY THE RED BATTERY SIGN AND ABS BREAK RED SIGN CAME ON AND STEERING LEFT OR RIGHT WAS EXTREMELY HARD AND COULD HAVE LED TO AN ACCIDENT. IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS NO OUTPUT FROM ALTERNATOR BY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. SEEING THIS BEHAVIOR SECOND TIME IN LAST 2 YEARS DUE TO ALTERNATOR FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10939789

Incident

Jan 4, 2017

Mileage

64,348 mi

TAKATA RECALL POWER WINDOW MASTER SWITCH RECALL SMART STOP TECHNOLOGY

NHTSA ID

10916668

Incident

Oct 17, 2016

Mileage

49,500 mi

POWER WINDOW SWITCH ON DRIVER SIDE DOES NOT FUNCTION. GLASS WINDOW NOISY WHEN DRIVING

NHTSA ID

10914352

Incident

May 24, 2016

Mileage

48,900 mi

THE CAR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS SHIFT VERY HARD. THE MECHANIC REPLACED PRESSURE SOLENOID VALVE. I WAS INFORMED THAT ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE IS BAD. THE SYMPTOMS ARE SIMILAR TO A VOLUNTEER SAFETY RECALL A0J FOR 2007-2008 COROLLA MODELS EQUIPPED WITH 1ZZ-FE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. THE ECM FOR CERTAIN 2005 THROUGH 2008 TOYOTA COROLLA AND COROLLA MATRIX MODELS EQUIPPED WITH THE 1ZZ-FE ENGINE AND TWO-WHEEL DRIVE MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A CRACK MAY DEVELOP AT CERTAIN SOLDER POINTS OR ON VARISTORS ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD. IN MOST CASES, IF A CRACK OCCURS AT CERTAIN POINTS OR ON CERTAIN VARISTORS, THE ENGINE WARNING LAMP COULD BE ILLUMINATED*, HARSH SHIFTING COULD RESULT, OR THEENGINE MAY NOT START. IN LIMITED INSTANCES, IF CRACKING OCCURS ON PARTICULAR SOLDER POINTS OR VARISTORS, THE ENGINE COULD STOP WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

NHTSA ID

10888487

Incident

Jun 28, 2016

Mileage

105,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, SMOKE SUDDENLY EMITTED FROM THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR PANEL. A POLICE AND FIRE REPORT WERE FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER SWITCH FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 67,000.

NHTSA ID

10886209

Incident

Jul 14, 2016

Mileage

67,000 mi

VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN PARK ON LEVEL STREET. ALL THREE CAR DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAILED IN A ROW W/ONE WEEK PERIOD. FIRST DRIVERS, FRONT PASSENGERS, AND PASSENGER BEHIND DRIVER'S DOOR. NOTICED ISSUE WHEN LOCKING DOOR WITH KEY FOB "LOCK" BUTTON TO ACTIVATE CAR ALARM. CAR ALARM WOULD NOT ACTIVATE. WALKED BACK TO VEHICLE TO CHECK IF DOORS WERE LOCKED. DOORS WERE NOT LOCKED AND IN THE OPEN "RED" COLOR POSITION.

NHTSA ID

10871371

Incident

May 20, 2016

Mileage

76,000 mi

MY 2009 COROLLA EXPERIENCED ISSUES IDENTICAL TO A PRIOR RECALL CIRCA 2010 FOR '05-'08 COROLLA & MATRIX MODELS REGARDING ENGINE CONTROL MODULES (ECM) THAT MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. ON 3/30/16, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED HARSH SHIFTING AND STRUGGLED FOR GAS. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WITH OVER A 1/4 TANK OF GAS ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET AT THE TIME. ON 3/31/16, I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. DIAGNOSTICS WERE RUN AND ECM FAULT CODES WERE IDENTIFIED. SERVICE ASSOCIATES WORKING ON MY COROLLA ADDRESSED THEIR CONCERNS AND WERE REPEATEDLY DENIED REQUESTS FOR A REPLACEMENT ECM. AT ONE POINT, I WAS ADVISED BY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP STAFF TO PERSONALLY ORDER AN ECM UNIT THROUGH THE PARTS DEPT., INSISTING THAT THE REQUEST COMING DIRECTLY FROM A CUSTOMER WOULD NOT BE DENIED. I ATTEMPTED TO PLACE AN ORDER WITH PARTS, AND THAT REQUEST LATER WAS DENIED. AFTER SEVERAL RE-TESTS AND DENIED REQUESTS FOR A REPLACEMENT ECM, MY VEHICLE RECEIVED A REPLACEMENT TAIL LIGHT BULB (WHAT I REFER TO AS A "BAND-AID" FIX) AND WAS RELEASED BACK TO ME ON 4/5/16. THE VERY NEXT MORNING (4/6/16), CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN. ONCE AGAIN, CODES TIED TO THE ECM WERE IDENTIFIED. AFTER ANOTHER WEEK OF TESTS, DENIED ECM FIX REQUESTS, AND ANOTHER BAND-AID REPAIR, THE VEHICLE WAS RELEASED BACK TO ME ON 4/14/16. DURING THIS TWO-WEEK ORDEAL, I INCURRED OVER $540 IN RENTAL CAR EXPENSES AND $186 IN "BAND-AID" REPAIRS, DESPITE THE FACT THAT ECM ISSUES WERE IDENTIFIED FROM THE BEGINNING. I HAVE OPENED 2 CASES WITH TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER TO ADDRESS THIS ECM ISSUE WITH MY 2009 COROLLA, THE PRIOR 2010 RECALL, AND HAVE REQUESTED THAT MY VIN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE RECALL. SO FAR, TOYOTA HAS DENIED ANY RESPONSIBILITY, INSISTING THAT THEIR ECMS DON'T FAIL, OFFERING NO ASSISTANCE FOR ISSUES THEY DEEM OFF-WARRANTY/OFF-RECALL.

NHTSA ID

10860957

Incident

Mar 30, 2016

Mileage

128,650 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE WINDOWS FAILED TO FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81,000.

NHTSA ID

10851949

Incident

Mar 24, 2016

Mileage

81,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE SRS WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V168000 (STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY). THE DEALER WAS CHARGING TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

NHTSA ID

10840357

Incident

Mar 5, 2016

Mileage

115,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN FAILED TO SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HORN WIRE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

NHTSA ID

10824913

Incident

Nov 2, 2015

Mileage

80,000 mi

I HAD SPOKEN TO MIKE FROM CARSON TOYOTA REGARDING THIS RECALL MORE THAN 6 MONTHS AGO. I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS RECALL FROM MY COWORKER WHO HAS THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR CAR AS MINE. MIKE HAD TOLD ME THAT ONLY A FEW TOYOTAS WERE ON RECALL AND THE LAST TIME I HAD GOTTEN MY OIL CHANGED THERE, HE TOLD ME THAT MY MODEL WAS NOT IN THAT RECALL.. BUT I DID GET A LETTER IN THE MAIL. I TOLD HIM THAT MY COWORKER TOLD ME ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL WINDOW ON THE RIGHT SIDE. MIKE HAD TOLD ME THAT IT WOULDN'T BE COVERED. I WOULD HAVE TO PAY ABOUT $400 PLUS FOR THAT WINDOW THAT GOT STUCK. MIKE DID TELL ME THAT MY VIN MODEL WAS NOT COUNTED FOR. I AM REAL UPSET. THIS PAST DECEMBER, I DROVE TO SAN FRANCISCO WHEN IT IS RAINING AND WINDY, THIS IS A REAL BIG HAZARD FOR A BRANCH TO HAVE COME INSIDE MY CAR WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER BEING ABLE TO CLOSE TO THE WINDOW AND HAD POKED HER ARM SOME HOW.

NHTSA ID

10822422

Incident

Jan 6, 2016

Mileage

120,000 mi

I HAVE A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA (LE). I BOUGHT IT ALMOST EXACTLY 3 YEARS AGO WITH ABOUT 12,300 MILES ON IT. CURRENTLY, IT DOES NOT HAVE 50K. I HAVE TO DRIVE DOWNTOWN FOR NURSING SCHOOL, IT TAKES ROUGHLY 20-30 MINUTES. THE VERY TERRIFYING AND INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT I HAVE BEEN HAVING IS THAT I WILL BE DRIVING 65MPH ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND IT WILL SUDDENLY JUST DROP DOWN TO 30/40MPH. DUE TO THIS ISSUE, I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN A CRASH. I WILL CHANGE LANES THINKING MY CAR WILL ACCELERATE TO PASS SOMEONE AND IT WILL JUST DROP DOWN TO 30MPH! ALSO, WHILE I AM IDLE, IT WILL SHAKE AND REV..SO THE RPM WILL BE UP CLOSE TO 2; YET, I AM IDLE! I HAVE READ OF OTHERS EXPERIENCING SIMILAR ISSUES. THIS IS SO DANGEROUS AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED SOONER. THE WORST PART IS NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IS WRONG. I TOOK IT AND HAD A DIAGNOSTIC TEST RUN, IT SAID ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS WAS FAULTY..ON A 2009 TOYOTA WITH LESS THAN 50K MILES...THAT DOESN'T SOUND, RIGHT HUH. WELL, I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY GAVE ME A NEW BATTERY, AN OIL CHANGE AND RAN ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC TEST (AFTER SWITCHING THE IGNITION COIL(B) TO ANOTHER (ACORD). IT RECORDED NOTHING. I SPENT $500 IT WAS FINE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND IT STARTED DOING THE SAME THING. I AM VERY ANGRY WITH TOYOTA FOR NOT ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE, ESPECIALLY SINCE OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED IT AND IT IS DANGEROUS. MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS IS AT RISK.

NHTSA ID

10819847

Incident

Oct 11, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE CONTACT CONSTANTLY HAD TO WAIT FOR THE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE IN ORDER FOR THE KEY TO TURN OVER TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

NHTSA ID

10816482

Incident

Oct 5, 2015

Mileage

118,000 mi