U.S. public vehicle records

1998 Toyota COROLLA: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

150 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

77,800 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1998 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 63 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 27 of 150 complaints (18.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	16	10.7%
Electrical and battery issues	9	6.0%
Steering behavior	7	4.7%
Transmission and shifting	5	3.3%
Engine operation	1	0.7%
Fuel system concerns	1	0.7%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags

Structure:Body:Door

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags:Frontal

Seat Belts

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Tires

Electrical System

Air Bags: 27; Structure:Body:Door: 11; Vehicle Speed Control: 11; Air Bags:Frontal: 10; Seat Belts: 7; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 6; Tires: 6; Electrical System: 4

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 6; 25,000 to 49,999: 8; 50,000 to 74,999: 14; 75,000 to 99,999: 18; 100,000 to 149,999: 11; 150,000 and above: 6

75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (18). 87 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

2002

2003

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2022

2000: 27; 2001: 9; 2002: 14; 2003: 21; 2004: 18; 2005: 9; 2006: 8; 2007: 6; 2008: 5; 2009: 1; 2010: 12; 2011: 1; 2012: 1; 2013: 2; 2014: 2; 2015: 6; 2016: 3; 2018: 1; 2019: 1; 2020: 1; 2021: 1; 2022: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 16 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 9 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 7 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10007432 · 2002-10-02 (October 2, 2002)

WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKE DURING A RAINING DAY, MY CAR SUDDENLY WENT TO THE SIDE. THIS KIND OF SCENARIO HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE ( ON LOCAL STREETS WHILE DRIVING AROUND 20 MILES PER HOUR). I FELT THAT THIS CAR'S BRAKE SYSTEM WAS DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE OTHER CARS I OWNED BEFORE. SHOULDN'T THE ANTI-BRAKE SYSTEM HELP THE CAR STAY STRAIGHT ON THE ROAD? ON 09-20-2002, IT WAS RAINING, I DROVE THIS CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE SPEED AROUND 50 MILES PER HOUR, ON THE FIRST LEFT LANE. AFTER I APPLIED THE BRAKE IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE SPEED FURTHER, MY CAR W…

Owner-reported narrative. 51,690 miles reported. Look up ODI 10007432 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10014646 · 2003-03-28 (March 28, 2003)

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND STAYED ON. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 8 miles reported. Look up ODI 10014646 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10014652 · 2003-03-28 (March 28, 2003)

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WENT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS STILL IN THE DRIVE GEAR. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10014652 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10014980 · 2003-04-01 (April 1, 2003)

THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH BOARD, ALSO WHEN A SUDDEN STOP WAS MADE, THE SEAT BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN THE CONSUMER PROPERLY. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10014980 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10016071 · 2003-04-17 (April 17, 2003)

A LOOSE BOLT WITHIN THE ENGINE CAUSED AN OIL LEAK. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 60,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10016071 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10016459 · 2003-04-24 (April 24, 2003)

'AIR BAG' LIGHT FLASHING. CODE 44 IN MEMORY (RIGHT SIDE AIR BAG CIRCUIT). INDEPENDENT SERVICE CENTER FOLLOWED FLOW CHART TEST RECOMMENDATIONS. HIGH RESISTANCE IN HARNESS BETWEEN MODULE AND RIGHT AIR BAG. HARNESS WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF $529. OLD HARNESS WAS SAVED IF EVER NEEDED FOR TESTING. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 108,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10016459 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10016804 · 2003-04-30 (April 30, 2003)

ABS LOCKED UP WHEN I TAPPED ON CAR SEEMED TO ACCELERATE MAKING THE CAR SKID AND FISH TAIL SENDING ME 4 LANES ACROSS THE FREEWAY INTO THE CEMENT BARRIER TOTALING MY CAR. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 77,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10016804 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10023180 · 2003-06-16 (June 16, 2003)

MY CAR '98 COROLLA THAT HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED AS PER MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATIONS BLEW ITS ENGINE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS IN THE FAST LANE AND HAD TO DANGEROUSLY VEER THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER. THE CAR HAD DONE ONLY 50,000 MILES. THE ENGINE BREAKDOWN WAS CAUSED BY SLUDGE AND EXCESSIVE ENGINE WEAR AND TEAR THAT DEVELOPED IN THE CAR WHEN IT HAD DONE JUST 36,000 MILES. THIS WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION BY SUBURBAN TOYOTA OF TROY, MI. I HAVE BEEN REGULAR WITH OIL CHANGE AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE AND HAVE RECEIPTS TO PROVE THA…

Owner-reported narrative. 51,888 miles reported. Look up ODI 10023180 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.