Complaint volume
300 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Toyota Corolla Complaints
300 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Toyota Corolla, grouped by component category.
300 Total complaints
22 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
15 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, unknown or other, power train. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 22 crash reports, 1 fire report, 15 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 68 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 26,107 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, power train?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Toyota Corolla?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Toyota Corolla
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Toyota Corolla complaints?
22 Crash
1 Fire
15 Injury
1 Fatality
19 Towed
9 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Toyota Corolla complaint categories?
ENGINE 81
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 55
POWER TRAIN 19
AIR BAGS 13
VISIBILITY/WIPER 13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 9
SERVICE BRAKES 8
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7
STRUCTURE 6
300 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Engine Coolant Bypass Valve | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ENGINE | I received a "voluntary Customer Support Program" letter from Toyota saying that a small engine coolant leak can occur that "can allow coolant to drip on other parts of the vehicle. This can cause 'Engine Maintenance Required' to be displayed or cause the A/C not to function normally." Then it concludes that repair with a new "flow shut-off valve" will fix the problem, "under the terms of this Customer Support Program." I thought this was a recall and took my car in only to find that they wanted nearly $700 for the repair, because I did not have an extended warranty. When asked whether this could cause a safety problem if unfixed the reply from the Service Advisor was yes -- the coolant leak could potentially cause the engine to seize up on the highway. I was shocked that a defective part in the car I purchased new for $20,000 plus would not be replaced free of charge. I have put less than 16,000 miles on the car and now I find the resale value is essentially zero. And I now may be driving a potentially risky vehicle that could crash or leave me stranded somewhere. I feel there should be a repair at no charge. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | AIR BAGS | It’s been almost 2 years with this recall been waiting for a fix. I am feeling in safe in the vehicle, I’m driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | after shortly pumping gas, I received a alert on my car that I needed to check my fuel cap, after checking fuel cap I proceeded to drive on the highway during this time a multitude of sensors started to go off on my car, and it started to drive weird there were light such as my interlock, being deactivated, parking, brake, deactivated, malfunction of VSC, collision deactivated. Then suddenly while driving at an accelerated speed, and trying to slow down, my engine turned itself off, and I was not able to re-crank my car. There is an active recall with Toyota for the fuel pump, which I was told by Toyota was the issue, but due to my VIN not being associated they would not repair as a recall | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | Car is currently at 56k miles and the "Engine maintenance required" popped up on my dashboard I'm pretty sure this is the engine coolant bypass valve which I read is a constant problem for new toyotas like mine | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | Drive start control malfunction occurred when turning the car on. Second time this has happened. First time was a charcoal canister and engine coolant valve. It was replaced under warranty at 50k miles but now at 96k miles the dealer says it is not covered under the extended warranty. Not sure how this problem happened. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Once I parked my car and turned on the A/C a couple mins later I received a warning message on my car screen saying “ Engine Maintenance Required Visit Your Dealer”. After having my car for 4 years I’ve never received this message till now (04/22/25). I thought it was because I needed an oil change but I was wrong because my oil is good. I checked my car and saw that the issue is the “coolant bypass valve”. I don’t even use my car that much for this to happen. I saw this is a common issue with a Toyota Corolla 2020 but the dealership does not want to fix this issue for free. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The "Engine Maintenance Required" message on a 2020 Toyota Corolla SE keep coming on after I have reset numerous time. The "Engine Maintenance Required" message on a 2020 Toyota Corolla SE typically indicates a problem with the coolant bypass valve, not the regular maintenance schedule. This message is distinct from the "Maintenance Required" light that usually prompts oil changes. The coolant bypass valve issue often results in a DTC code and may require replacement. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | I own a 2020 Toyota Corolla, and without any prior warning, the “Engine Maintenance Required” message appeared on my dashboard at approximately 79,575 miles. There were no unusual symptoms—no overheating, strange noises, or performance issues—before the light turned on. I had my vehicle inspected by Golling Toyota of Warren, where they diagnosed the issue as a faulty Engine Coolant Bypass Valve. I was informed that the valve needed to be replaced and flushed. The total cost of the repair was $932.21, which I had to pay out of pocket. Because the message specifically said “Engine Maintenance Required,” I was concerned that it could be a serious engine issue. Out of caution, I avoided driving the vehicle until it was inspected, as I didn’t know whether it could result in engine damage, performance failure, or a sudden breakdown while on the road. The fear of an unknown engine-related malfunction created a genuine safety concern for me and others —especially since the warning came without any prior symptoms. I later learned that the problem was tied to the Engine Coolant Bypass Valve, which is known to fail prematurely in Toyota vehicles. This failure can affect engine performance and temperature regulation, increasing the risk of engine damage or failure while driving. There is already a class-action lawsuit concerning this issue, yet Toyota has not issued a recall. Owners like myself are being left to pay out of pocket for a known defect that poses real safety risks. I’m submitting this complaint in hopes that Toyota will be held accountable and that the NHTSA will take appropriate action to protect consumers from this recurring and potentially dangerous defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ENGINE | “Engine maintenance required” alert received, related to a faulty coolant bypass valve which will need replacement. Vehicle is currently at 51,049 miles. Alert message can’t be dismissed from the dashboard. It obstructs a significant portion of the speedometer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The anti-lock brake system (ABS) malfunctioned when the vehicle was still very new, with only 25,000 miles. Diagnostics from two independent service centers confirmed that the ABS electronic control unit is failing due to an external failure. Both specialists stated that such a failure is highly uncommon and is a clear quality issue related to the electronic components. A critical system like ABS should not fail this early, raising serious concerns about the durability and reliability of the vehicle’s braking system. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ENGINE | Coolant bypass valve broken dealers are charging $800, class action lawsuit pending | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ENGINE | Engine Maintenance Required displays see dealer displays in Panel. I have taken to my local shop Engine coolant bypass valve replaced. Still having same issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Approximately one month ago the clutch pedal on my manual 2020 Corolla went all the way to the floor and stuck in place. Had it towed to my mechanics shop and it took them nearly 2 weeks just to get a slave cylinder to replace the defective part with. Fast-forward a week later and exactly the same thing happened. According to several different threads I have read online, this seems to be a problematic situation with the manual Corollas. Hopefully I will not experience any further problems however it appears that the defective slave cylinder part is to blame. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | SUSPENSION,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Front is very low. Right side is tilted without anyone inside. Very unusual tire wear on inside edges of both front tires. Immediately after starting the engine the front ricked side took side and made loud noises. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Coolant bypass valve needs to be replaced | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Corolla. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | ENGINE | Valve matic is messed up. According to my research this is a known issue with 2020 Toyota corollas. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | Vehicle maintenance light won’t turn off, stays off if car started with AC off but comes on and stays on while AC is running. Coolant overflow valve malfunction | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | "Engine maintenance required. Visit dealer" message appeared about 2 years ago. The message appears when I turn on the A/C or heater and will not go away, which affects multiple functions such as speedometer and text function. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | Engine coolant leak from an issue with a valve that allows coolant to drip on other parts of the vehicle. “Engine Maintenance Required” is displayed on the instrument cluster and causes the A/C to not function normally. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | I keep getting a warning sign on my dashboard stating that "Engine maintenance required. Call your dealership". After scanning for codes, I get the code P2681, or that the Engine coolant bypass valve is faulty. After looking online it appears that this is a common issue with this car model. There is a class action lawsuit for this right now since the part is known to be faulty and can crack and leak engine coolant. Toyota has refused to issue a recall for this and will charge you to replace this faulty hardware. I also am not able to clear the message while driving and it will constantly pop back up distracting me while driving and making me unable to see any important warning on my dashboard. This is endangering my ability to safely drive my vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The vehicle flashes ‘connected device is not compatible’ with the ‘SOS button flashing continuously red then green.’ This message causes the microphone to remove 1 to 3 seconds of sound every 5 to 15 seconds making a clicking noise when speaking on vehicles Bluetooth. This is typically corrected by a DCM reset and firmware update. Not only is this incredibly inconvenient during normal conversation but having to repeat random portions of the conversation is irritating at best. Recently I had to make a 911 call and had to repeat myself several times to request emergency services. This glitch caused the emergency 30 second call to be extended roughly 1 1/2 to 3 minutes delaying response time. If the clicking occurs while the other person is speaking this is not noticeable. This is an identified issue only covered under basic warranty with specific TSB correction. This defect causes portions of vehicle occupants conversation to be removed and replaced with a clicking noise. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE | There was a maintenance required notice on my dashboard and I searched up that it was my coolant bypass valve having an issue. Apparently it’s a defective part in Toyota Corolla and rav4 models from 2019-2023 I believe. The notice would come on and off each time I would start the vehicle. The dealership has confirmed this issue is common and after having it inspected and diagnosed, it was indeed the coolant bypass valve. My safety and the safety of others were fine, my engine would’ve been the unfortunate casualty if I did not take care of this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I am experiencing a recurring issue with the Data Communication Module (DCM) in my 2020 Toyota Corolla. This component was previously subject to a recall, which I addressed at a dealership. However, the problem persists, and many other Toyota owners, including those with RAV4 models, are reporting similar issues. Discussions on forums such as Toyota Nation and Toyota Owners Club highlight these ongoing concerns. My vehicle is out of warranty, and replacing the DCM is estimated to cost over $800. I have confirmed that the issue lies with the DCM system, as removing the corresponding fuse eliminates the error message on the multimedia system. However, this circuit also powers the right speaker and microphone, making it impractical to simply disconnect the module. The local dealership has quoted $205 for diagnostics, despite my prior identification of the problem. Revisiting the original dealership where the recall work was performed is not feasible, as it is located across the country. Toyota has not offered a remedy, leaving me without an affordable or practical solution to address what appears to be a manufacturer fault. I am seeking assistance and accountability for this persistent and widespread issue. Please look at the corresponding links detailing the systemic problem with the system, that other owners have experienced [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |