300 Total complaints
22 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
15 Injury reports
Quick answer: The 2020 Toyota Corolla has 300 consumer-submitted complaints in our database. The most common complaint categories are engine, unknown or other, power train. Enriched records show 22 crash reports, 1 fire report, and 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.

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.

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?

Enriched complaint indicators from official bulk records.

22 Crash
1 Fire
15 Injury
1 Fatality
19 Towed
9 Medical attention

Mileage at failure is available on 68 complaints ; average reported mileage is 26,107 miles.

Most common incident states: VA (2), AL (1), FL (1), NJ (1), TN (1), TX (1).

What are the most common 2020 Toyota Corolla complaint categories?

300 total complaints on record

Latest complaints

Showing 176-200 of 300 complaints.

Date Component Summary Severity Mileage
Mar 2024 ENGINE Coolant bypass valve leaks through wiring and damages itself.
Incident: Feb 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Mar 2024 UNKNOWN OR OTHER toyota 2020 COOLANT BYPASS VALVE Circuit Short.
Incident: Mar 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2024 UNKNOWN OR OTHER Coolent bypass valve
Incident: Feb 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Feb 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE Electrical issue on vehicle says that vehicles safety features are unavailable and all the light indications on the dash are lit up. It was taken to the dealership several times but the issue still hasn’t been resolved.
Incident: Feb 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2024 UNKNOWN OR OTHER Coolant bypass valve bad cost $550+ to fix car is 4 years old
Incident: Jan 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2024 SERVICE BRAKES,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter was shifted to drive and then reverse, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and a diagnostic test was performed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a locked cylinder. The dealer stated that there was recall for the failure however, the vehicle had exceeded the mileage limitation. The vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V544000 (Electronic Stability Control, Service Brakes) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,249.
Incident: Jan 2024
Crash: No Fire: No 90,249
Jan 2024 SEAT BELTS The system belt sensor kept beeping even though I have on seat belt
Incident: Jan 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2024 UNKNOWN OR OTHER There is a thing that’s happening to a lot of Corollas and I think RAV4 and some cram it’s called engine maintenance required and a lot of mechanics don’t know what that means so you have to take it to the dealership to get it fixed and it’s like a $900 fix and it’s been happening to a lot of vehicles around 35,000 miles. It’s called the coolant bypass valve. There is hundreds of YouTube videos about it and people complaining about it on forums.
Incident: Jan 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2024 ENGINE The coolant bypass valve in some Toyota models has been malfunctioning recently and has become a common issue. Dealer confirmed that this was the issue per attached diagnostic report/invoice copy. Costs were >$800 to repair the issue for a <$100 part and 30 minutes of labor. The "Engine Maintenance Required" warning was visible in the display. Unsure as to the short or long-term effects of this malfunctioning part, but as it's related to the cooling system of the vehicle, it may trigger other more serious issues.
Incident: Jan 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE Around 40k miles I received an Engine Maintenance Required warning. After some research Engine Maintenance and Engine Service Required are two very different indicators. I received and P2681 code meaning the electrical coolant bypass valve had failed unfortunately one can’t tell if it’s stuck shut or open this could lead to one’s care over heating and or damaging one’s engine. After some research I’ve come to find out most 2020-2024 corollas have been having this issue tends to happen about 30-50k miles
Incident: Sep 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jan 2024 UNKNOWN OR OTHER Precollision System Malfunctioning and Hybrid System Malfunctioning warning signs on dashboard won’t allow the car to move or driven at all. I read reviews where people with the same warning signs on dashboard got their car stalled in the middle of the road. My vehicle only has 81,000 miles on it and Toyota dealership warranty states it’ll cover the vehicle up to 150,000 miles EV hybrid but now they are stating the car is not under warranty
Incident: Dec 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Dec 2023 TIRES Unknown, I can send photos. it comes with new Toyota Description of Complaint Please provide a narrative which describes the problem(s) or concern(s) you are having with your vehicle. Toyota put a cheaper, lower quality tires for my car, it damaged my front bumper when we go curve roadon CA state. I asked Toyota for warranty bumper 2020, they said "you made it". After I replace the badtires with Costco tires, no more bumper issue as before, so I know the reason. I , Costco tire service made3 parties to Tire Inc Yokohama. Yokohama agreed to refund, but need go with Toyota, Toyota rejected.First tire was down March 16, 2020 with 797 miles, the second down June 22, 2020 with 1608 miles, thirdtires down Dec 17, 2020 with just 2745 miles and 4th tire down 12225 miles on April 14, 2023.Specific Arbitration Defect(s) Please summarize the specific defect(s) you would like Arbitrator to address. Please be as succinct aspossible. When I purchased, I asked the Hamer Toyota, "Are your tires good? I saw online people claimed Toyotaput bad quality, cheaper tires on new cars", the selling man said"No, they are good as cars, online mightbe posted by Honda or others". I said"if bad, you will refund me tires cost". He said "Of course". I can email you more documents and photos. Yokohama agreed to refund, but need Toyota to refund, it comes with 5 years warranty. But Toyota did not refund me. Thanks.
Incident: Mar 2020
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Nov 2023 ENGINE Coolant bypass valve failure. Replacement part carried the same defect.
Incident: Nov 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Nov 2023 AIR BAGS My car, a 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid, impacted an abandoned motorcycle on the dark road at full speed; however, none of the airbags deployed.
Incident: Oct 2023
Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention Unknown
Oct 2023 ENGINE In the past week at 30,700 miles, my 2020 Toyota Corolla "Engine Maintenance light; see dealer" service light appeared on the dash. Through talking with a Toyota dealer, they are aware of this issue with Corollas, Camrys, and Rav4's. It is an engine coolant bypass valve, and appears to be faulty in many vehicles according to youtube videos, google, and Toyota service. Perhaps this needs to be a recall? Also, the dealer wants almost $800 to repair even though many people do it on youtube in under an hour. Parts are less than $200, and 1.5 hours of labor do not add up to $800.
Incident: Oct 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Oct 2023 FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Driving approximately 20 mph- hear a beep- get instructions to go to neutral- check engine light / power steering lights are on- pulled off the side of the road- put in park, turned off and waited a minute and it started normally.
Incident: Oct 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2023 WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE I had to replace all four tires before reaching 40k miles. Brakes needed to be fully replaced with only two years of driving it. AND Engine Maintenance Light on for an issue with the coolant bypass valve, not covered under warranty. This is causing issues with the engine, when driving even at 25 miles per hour or at 65 the car sounds like its dragging or forcing itself, the wheel shake & car feels unbalanced even with a tire alignment. Overall i give the car a 2.5 out 5 star in performance. The body of the car is so fragile and made by very cheap materials. Spending a fortune on this vehicle and it hasnt even reached 60k miles yet.
Incident: Aug 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2023 STRUCTURE The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that the front driver's side fender liner above the tire detached while driving at approximately 55 MPH. After inspection, the liner was missing. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the fender liner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 38,650.
Incident: Sep 2023
Crash: No Fire: No 39,650
Sep 2023 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle became difficult to operate. The contact was informed that the fuel pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,600.
Incident: Sep 2023
Crash: No Fire: No 55,600
Sep 2023 UNKNOWN OR OTHER On three occasions this car was parked in an attached garage and remained running when parked resulting in potential CO exposure. This is a known hazard which NHTSA is aware of in cars with keyless start system in hybrid vehicles. Toyota is well aware of this issue (first acknowledged death in 2016 was in a Toyota Avalon) and was supposed to equip 2020 models with auto shutoff [XXX] I thought my 2020 Hybrid Corolla had this feature when purchased, but it does not. Toyota has not responded to multiple requests to retrofit my vehicle. This is a serious safety issue with many CO deaths reported. Its my understanding this will be required soon of new vehicles but its important that all existing hybrid vehicles be required to be retrofitted with auto shutoff to prevent continuing deaths. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident: Jun 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Aug 2023 ENGINE Engine maintenance light came on and found out I had replace coolant bypass valve. Apparently this is an issue many 2020 corollas and RAV4 have issues with and need replacement. There’s no reason or rhyme as to why it becomes faulty but should be recalled as many people have the same issue and dealership are aware of this issue.
Incident: Aug 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Aug 2023 STRUCTURE The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that after rainy weather, the front driver's and passenger's doors leaked water while opened. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Incident: Jul 2023
Crash: No Fire: No 30,000
Jun 2023 UNKNOWN OR OTHER Issue with unlocked driver's door after the collision reported on 6/25/23 # 11528724 Additional concern: After the accident, my car engine was not turned off automatically; even after automatic speaker announced collision and that 911 was informed. After I got out of the car ( # 1152874) I was standing by the car, drivers door I left opened and at one point I realized that my car was still running ( Gear shift was left in P). I manually switched off the car and I removed the key from ignition.
Incident: Jun 2023
Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed Unknown
Jun 2023 UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE Just bought a used 20 Corolla SE and put less then 500 miles on it and got a "maintenance required return to dealer" notification on the dash and a warning message in my information screen via infotainment system. Dealer said they got nothing via a scan. The issue is the Coolant Bypass Valve. I reset the light on the dash and restarted my car with air off and it did not come back on. The second you turn on the air (the A/C in particular) the light immediately popped back on along with a new warning message. I've looked around and there's literally THOUSANDS of people reporting the same issue all on vehicles between 15k and 100k miles. The dealers also charge at least $600-$1100 to remedy this all too common issue as they will tell you it is not covered under warranty. I'm unsure of what promised damage to the vehicle could be but I know for a fact it's not nothing. Everyone is dumbstruck with how many people have this issue and there is still no Recall on this clearly terribly made Coolant Bypass Valve. It seems to apply of us that this is just a cash grab for Toyota
Incident: Jun 2023
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jun 2023 UNKNOWN OR OTHER As a driver I was involved in frontal collision with my Toyota Corolla LE 2020 properly serviced. ([XXX]) . Air bags were deployed followed by smoky air that made me difficult to breathe. I opened the windows, but I could not open the door to get out; it was locked. A passer -by could not open the door from the outside either. He told me to move gear shift to P; I did that and he was able to open the door and I got out. There was on loud automatic message informing about collision…. Certain safety steps must be automatically activated after collision. I am very surprise to experience that the driver’s door could not be opened after collision from inside or outside. I had to move gear shift from D to P myself for the door to be opened. I could not breathe properly inside the car even with open windows with air bags deployed. The door should be automatically unlocked after the collision. Driver may be unconscious, the car is in the fire or may be nobody to help the driver. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Incident: Jun 2023
Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed Unknown

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