2010 Toyota Corolla Owner Complaints

While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle suffered a sudden, simultaneous failure of multiple electrical and safety systems. Without warning, the Check Engine light, VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) light, Traction Control light, and SRS Airbag light all illuminated simultaneously on the dashboard. Immediately upon illumination of these fault lights, the vehicle lost computer-assisted stability control, began swerving violently, spun out of control, and collided with another vehicle, suffering severe front and rear impact damage. The vehicle was declared a total loss. Despite severe impact forces to both the front and rear structure, the SRS airbags completely failed to deploy. Both occupants sustained injuries due to the impact and lack of airbag protection. The simultaneous illumination of the airbag and VSC lights prior to impact strongly points to a sudden failure of the steering column spiral cable (clock spring) assembly—a known safety defect under NHTSA Recall Campaign 14V-168 (Recall E0M). The illumination of the airbag fault light appears to have deactivated the SRS system prior to impact, leaving occupants unprotected during a major collision. The vehicle is currently held at IAA San Diego and contains unread Event Data Recorder (EDR) crash data proving the pre-impact system shutdown. I request that NHTSA review this safety system failure and airbag non-deployment. CHP Crash Report #[9645-2026-02967] and Insurance Total Loss Evaluation are available upon request.

NHTSA ID

11752255

Incident

Jun 24, 2026

On XXX we have went to we buy any car.com in the car was inspected as a structural damage and it was found that there was no airbags at all so five years ago we have bought the car from John’s. great cars we didn’t know about this. They didn’t tell us that there was no bags. Technically they’re not supposed to sell a car without airbags cause that’s a safety issue now My Daughter had an accident with this car and the airbags never deployed so that’s what happened. The car never had airbags so at this point this is a safety issue and it’s urgent.

NHTSA ID

11750015

Incident

Apr 11, 2026

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that, while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle suddenly accelerated despite the brakes being applied, causing the driver to crash into a parked vehicle. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployments, or police reports filed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

NHTSA ID

11748588

Incident

Jun 8, 2026

Mileage

53,000 mi

The car that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replace Ac don’t blow any cool air To be driving with a minor child it put he’s health in a bad risky situation

NHTSA ID

11741585

Incident

Jun 2, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer purchase. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 160,080. At the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 320,197.

NHTSA ID

11725645

Incident

Mar 2, 2026

Mileage

320,197 mi

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Corolla. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V024000 (Air Bags); and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11721378

Incident

Feb 28, 2026

My 2010 Toyota Corolla is experiencing progressive paint failure due to a known manufacturer defect involving factory-applied Blizzard Pearl or Super White paint. The affected component is the factory paint system, specifically the adhesion between the topcoat and primer, which is failing and causing the paint to peel off in sheets from exterior body panels. The defective paint is available for inspection upon request. This condition creates a potential safety concern, as sections of paint may detach while the vehicle is in motion, creating debris that could pose a hazard to surrounding motorists. In addition, exposed underlying surfaces may become more susceptible to corrosion over time, which could affect the integrity of exterior body panels. The issue was previously confirmed by an authorized dealership during inspections conducted under the manufacturer’s Customer Support Program for paint peeling on vehicles equipped with Blizzard Pearl or Super White paint. During the active coverage period, only certain visibly affected panels were refinished, while other factory-painted panels were left untreated. Since the program has expired, the previously untreated panels are now exhibiting the same paint peeling and failure that the program was intended to address. The paint deterioration developed gradually over time and was not the result of external damage. No warning lamps or messages were present prior to the failure.

NHTSA ID

11720751

Incident

Feb 26, 2026

In 2018, my 2010 Toyota Corolla was taken to the dealership for the Takata Airbag Recall. After the repair the airbag warning light would intermittently display and go away only to come back later. The light was never consistent and was always randomly on so in turn could be off some times during the start up of the vehicle. In 2021, I took the vehicle to the dealership in which at the time the light was still intermittent. The dealership did not present any diagnostic and instead had reset the code during that time. The light would continue to still intermittently show afterwards. Currently the airbag warning light has been solid. Today 1/9/2026, the dealership has indicated they would not remediate this situation under workmanship warranty work despite previously resetting the code. The dealership insists the customer should pay for this remediation work. I have currently declined the work to seek external advise. The dealership work invoice states the code B1806 for the front passenger side squib circuit, this continued error puts passengers at risk in a car accident. Upon request of the previous dealership service history, the customer noted that there is a missing gap for service records on the dealership side. Most importantly the customer stated concern for the 2021 requested remediation was not documented. These appointments are still visible via the customer's service appointment reminder emails.

NHTSA ID

11709986

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

Paint defective on 2010 Toyota Corolla. Peeling no coating. I purchased the vehicle 9/08/2025

NHTSA ID

11709339

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

Unintended acceleration since purchase of vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11688032

Incident

Dec 1, 2010

I simply was driving on the freeway in the slow lane about to get off my exit and my passenger window exploded, glass went everywhere.

NHTSA ID

11663823

Incident

May 29, 2025

Failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standards occupant crash protection the air bag label installed on the driver side sun visor can separate from the surface visor

NHTSA ID

11603056

Incident

May 16, 2024

several weeks After I took my vehicle into the local dealership for the PWMS assembly window panel control switch problem, I realized my door panel and the switch area was loose. I mentioned this after a couple weeks when I really noticed the Window Master Switch mechanism was dropping downward under the panel cover. The dealership did not take me seriously, so it continued to get worse. I should have taken the car back and insisted they fix it. As of today, I cannot use my Key for power entry, i must manually use the key in the door. The power on the windows still works, but the whole master switch assembly is precariously hanging there in the door and the panel that went on top was damaged when they replaced it so now its broken off in pieces and cannot even be used. I am SO unhappy with this dealership, for the many times I have taken my car in for service. I do not want to go back to them at all after the horribly shoddy job they did with the Master Switch and their lack of concern when I told them they put my door back together poorly. Is the work guaranteed, particularly when it's been this long since I took my car in for this recall fix? I take care of my car which at its age only has 38,000 miles on it. I do not want to take it to the same dealership and unfortunately there's not another one close by. Can you help me by demanding a dealership fix my problem before I actually have a fire due to the unprofessional manner in which the dealership handled my recall fix? I wish I had ignored the recall because my car was better off before I took it in.

NHTSA ID

11590912

Incident

Feb 1, 2015

The contact owned a 2010 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH during a rain storm, the vehicle rolled over a dip in the road and lost traction. The contact stated he lost control and the vehicle crashed into the center divider of the road and rolled onto the roof. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the police arrived as well as EMS and the fire department. The police on the scene filed a report. The contact stated that he had bruises to his arms and chest from the seat belt and was treated at the scene but was not transported to the hospital. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and declared a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. The contact had stated that he had NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V741000 (Air Bags) completed several years ago and related the failure of the air bag to inflate on the recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11588828

Incident

Apr 16, 2024

Mileage

120,000 mi

my car had issues completely shutting down on me while I was driving which was very dangerous my abs light and steering light would come on each time it shuts down and I wasn’t able to use my power locks lights I couldn’t move it out of park or nothing those were the only two lights the was still able to start up just couldn’t move or use any buttons my keypad wasn’t working so that indicated that it was an electrical issue so I thought it was my battery even though the light wasn’t on for the battery I had my battery tested and the code came back and said I needed an alternator so I had my alternator tested and it works perfectly fine so then I checked the fuse box and it was burned up so that was my whole issue

NHTSA ID

11537344

Incident

May 10, 2023

All airbags are no longer working due to a chip malfunction.

NHTSA ID

11511394

Incident

Feb 1, 2023

Engine problem Toyota corolla 2010 S vvt-I gear rattle when I started and by the time goes by the timing change maybe get broken while I'm driving and may cause and accident This problem is coming from manufacture cause my son in law got the same car as mine and he got hte same problem

NHTSA ID

11495995

Incident

Dec 4, 2022

I would like to complaint about my stolen license plate year tag.

NHTSA ID

11495171

Incident

Nov 28, 2022

The timing chain broke while the vehicle was in motion. Per multiple online sources, many of reported that the VVTi malfunction can cause premature wearing of the timing chain. There were only 140K miles on the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by two Toyota dealerships. There were no warning signs of this happening. The car stopped running in the middle of an intersection.

NHTSA ID

11490878

Incident

Oct 6, 2022

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was making abnormal sounds and also vibrating. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal gradually, the steering wheel and brake pedal would vibrate. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The contact stated that the traction control warning light would illuminate intermittently and would cause the vehicle to shut off inadvertently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where all four ignition coils were replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was no longer losing motive power and stalling; however, the steering failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11476297

Incident

Jul 28, 2017

Mileage

100,000 mi

The contact owned a 2010 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undetermined speed, another vehicle entered her lane. The vehicle went into a 360 turn and crashed into a telephone pole. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained injuries to her knee and struck her head on the steering wheel. Medical attention was provided. A police report was filed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. There were no reported fires. The vehicle was towed to an independent lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 203,000.

NHTSA ID

11462126

Incident

Apr 11, 2022

Mileage

203,000 mi

I was on a highway exit ramp (exit 5 off Northbound I-395) when my airbags deployed (driver and both sides). My car veered off the asphalt and then quickly I got control and continued out of traffic on a residential side road just off Route 7 westbound. My car then abruptly stoped. I managed to restart it a couple of times and run it just enough to get it off the road . I have attached photos. There does not appear to be any resulting damage to the body of the car. There were no outstanding recalls on the vehicle. I have reported the incident to my insurance (Geico).

NHTSA ID

11453104

Incident

Feb 17, 2022

On 11/10/2014 , we had our recall regarding our 2010 Corolla airbags corrected at our dealership with the replacement of the sub-assembly spiral cable. Our mileage at the time was 27382 miles. Just recently at 58,000 miles we have to pay $775 to replace that same spiral cable. This seems somewhat financially onerous since this is obviously not a wear and tear item , but one crucial to the vehicle's innate safety and one that does not appear to hold up well. I do not believe vehicle owners should be required to subsidize Toyota's defective equipment.

NHTSA ID

11444587

Incident

Dec 21, 2021

The windshield wipers stop mid cycle. At anytime while driving. If I wiggle them they will resume function. In heavy rain losing wipers and visibility is a huge safety issue. Sometimes they won’t even work when I turn them on and then they will all of a sudden turn on.

NHTSA ID

11438700

Incident

Sep 1, 2020

On 10/27/2021, the car was enroute to work when the sunroof glass completely departed the vehicle and hit the road surface immediately behind where it shattered completely. There was no surrounding traffic to endanger thankfully. On inspection, the sunroof frame shows deep corrosion and clear evidence of de-bonding over a lengthy period. We had been hearing wind noise for quite awhile but were unaware of the exact nature and location of it. No water leaks have been noticed. Research subsequently found the Webasto Hollandia 700 recall. Serial number of our unit is squarely in the recalled serial range.We are trying to get it taken care of with the company; no success at contacting them thus far.

NHTSA ID

11438560

Incident

Oct 27, 2021