Complaint volume
182 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
2021 Toyota Corolla Complaints
182 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Toyota Corolla, grouped by component category.
182 Total complaints
18 Crash reports
2 Fire reports
10 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 air bags, engine, 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 18 crash reports, 2 fire reports, 10 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 25 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 42,213 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to air bags, engine, 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 2021 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.
2021 Toyota Corolla
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Toyota Corolla complaints?
18 Crash
2 Fire
10 Injury
0 Fatality
18 Towed
11 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Toyota Corolla complaint categories?
AIR BAGS 42
ENGINE 27
POWER TRAIN 16
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 14
VISIBILITY/WIPER 10
TIRES 5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4
SEAT BELTS 4
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3
182 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | ENGINE | The coolant bypass valve issue | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2026 | TIRES | Over the past year and a half I’ve had to deal with unknown reasons for at least 13 tire problems. And one of those problems was a complete blow out on the highway. When I went to get my spare tire and change it there wasn’t anything in the trunks spare compartment. I called the dealership and they said they don’t do that (meaning they don’t provide the car with a spare). I was very confused and stressed. I felt played and wasn’t made to feel confident in this purchase. That not the only thing. The electric system does pretty much whatever it wants. Changes my music, gives advice for things we didn’t ask and the volume is always highering itself and lowering just whenever it chooses. The airbag light has been on most of the time letting me know the passenger airbag isn’t on or working properly. The engine light has been on for at least four months now. I understand Warranty for regular checkups and maintenance but this feels a bit more serious than me making sure I’ve secured my warranty. I have called and taken the vehicle into both Toyota of Visalia and Toyota of Selma where I got financing for the vehicle. Toyota of Visalia wasn’t very much help at all and preceded to talk down to me. Toyota of Selma keeps giving me the run around and telling me different things about my warranty. This car isn’t worth the trouble my credit score goes through to secure it each month just to have something else fail me in it. At this point I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to replace the DC to DC because the car died a week ago and hasn’t turned back on since. And yes I’ve tried jumping the battery already. I’ve only had this car a year and a half. I wasn’t made aware of any issues with it when I drove it home that day. It was a nice ride home but less than a couple months I was already having questions about its performance. I really wish this complaint would even help but I’m just writing to probably waste my own time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving in third gear, the vehicle failed to shift into a lower gear and became stuck in Neutral. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a defective slave cylinder, which was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,023. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 89,023 |
| Jun 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond and remained in first gear. The contact shifted into Neutral, manually pulled the clutch, and attempted to reverse, but the vehicle failed to respond as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the slave cylinder and the clutch cylinder assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000 | Crash: No Fire: No | 56,000 |
| Jun 2026 | SEAT BELTS | Within a week of buying my vehicle in May of 2021 I went to Clearwater Toyota where I bought the vehicle from and complaining about the three seat belts in the back malfunctioning. When nobody is sitting in the backseat they sound off as if somebody is sitting there. I know that there is a recall on the front seat belt sensor doing this same issue for the Toyota Corollas but everyone I have spoken to that owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla complains about the back seats doing it as well the sensors misfire or sound off every hour as I'm driving at least once an hour. As an Uber Lyft driver I am concerned about my passengers in the backseat wearing the seat belts and the seat belt malfunctioning due to the sensors malfunctioning since I bought the vehicle in May of 2021. Any of the above questions I would have to stay unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | During the lower interval settings, wipers will not work in proper order. Sometimes you may get three quick wipes and them the wipers will stop in middle of windshield for about 5-8 seconds. Sometimes the wipers are inconsistent with proper timing and will not properly work all the time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Clutch pedal kept sticking to floor. Eventually the pedal did not return at all. Concentric slave cylinder failed and brake fluid leaking in bell housing. Dealer stated: found slave cylinder inside the bell housing failed which caused brake fluid to contaminate bell housing components. recommend replace slave cylinder assembly, clutch kit with flywheel, and throw out bearing assembly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | LA TRANSMISSION AUTOMATICA CVT USADAS EN LA MAYORIA DE LOS TOYOTAS, NO PUEDES REVISAR SI ESTA EL ACEITE SUCIO , YA QUE ES COMPLETAMENTE SELLADA, Y CUANDO PREGUNTAS EN EL DEALER TE DICEN QUE CON ESTAS NUEVAS TRANSMISSIONES NO NECESIAS CAMBIAR EL FLUIDO(ACEITE ), RESULTA QUE ESTAS TRANSMISSIONES LA MAYORIA SOLO DURAN DE 50000 A 100000 MILLAS, ES INCREIBLE COMO TOYOTA SIENDO UNA COMPANIA DE BUENA REPUTACION, NOS H AFECTADO A MILES DE CONSUMIDORES, LE COMENTO ESTO PORQUE MI AUTO ES 2021, MENOS DE 5 ANOS, CON 135000 MILLAS ,YA NO TENGO GARANTIA, ES FRUSTANTE QUE TODO ESTO LO HAGAN PARA HACER GASTAR MAS AL CONSUMIDOR SOLO POR SU INTERES ECONOMICO | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The vehicle displays an “Engine Maintenance Required” warning message shortly after the air conditioning is turned on. The warning does not usually appear immediately at startup but consistently appears when the A/C system is activated. The vehicle currently remains drivable, but the issue appears related to the engine cooling system and may involve the coolant bypass valve/flow control valve, which has been widely reported by other owners of similar model vehicles. The problem raises safety concerns because a cooling system malfunction could potentially lead to overheating while driving. The issue has been reproduced multiple times. A generic code scan at an auto parts store did not show stored engine codes. The vehicle was taken to a Toyota dealership and Toyota customer service was contacted regarding known coverage programs related to this issue, but the VIN was reportedly not included. Warning symptoms first appeared during normal driving and continue intermittently whenever the air conditioning system is used. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | SEAT BELTS | The rear seatbelt sensor doesn't work well, sometimes the rear seatbelt are buckled what it says they're not and sometimes they're not buckled and it says they are. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The car accelerated on its own when I was attempting to park it. I had no control over the car and it ended up crashing into multiple vehicles. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | STRUCTURE | When attempting to replace the rear glass at Safelite on 4/29/2026, the worker noticed rust on the headliner. Now the rear glass can't be replaced until a body shop replaces the rusted headliner. I began leasing this car in December 2020, and now I own it. Now I am driving with a plastic covering over the rear window, which poses a safety hazard. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while his son was driving at 3 MPH, they were rear-ended by a BMW X5 and pushed forward, crashing into a Ford Explorer. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that his son sustained injuries consisting of lacerations to his face and was taken to the hospital by ambulance, where medical attention was provided. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed, which indicated that the air bags deployed. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 90,000 |
| Apr 2026 | ENGINE | The Clutch Slave Cylinder needs replacement | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | ENGINE | Engine maintenance required, call dealer. The engine coolant bypass valve needs to be replaced. Known issue in Toyota corolla’s yet no recall to remedy the repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Coolant bypass valve has shorted out. “Engine maintenance required” notification popped up on the gauge cluster | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the clutch pedal failed to function as intended. The clutch pedal was stuck, and the contact was unable to shift gear. The contact forced the clutch back into neutral while holding the clutch pedal. Once the clutch pedal was released, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and traveled down to the floorboard. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact kicked the clutch pedal upwards to continue driving back to the residence. The contact arrived at the residence and inspected the vehicle, and became aware that there was brake fluid leaking from the vehicle, and the brake fluid reservoir was empty. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the clutch slave cylinder had failed and damaged the clutch and the flywheel. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 65,000 |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Complete failure of the slave cylinder under at 62k miles. changed fluid at 30k. Called to see if Toyota would still help with failure under warranty but did not help. Had to replace slave cylinder due to seal bursting. Left stranded on road. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | One night shortly after starting the car, I went to put the car in first gear amd as I let out the clutch, but pedal stayed flat to the floor. I was able to lift the pedal with my foot and drive the car back to safety. The next day, I drove the car to the nearest shop before anything catastrophic happens. This time, right in the shop parking lot, I lost all hydraulic pressure in the clutch and I could not take the car out of gear. I had to turn off the car to prevent it from stalling as the clutch slowly engaged without my doing. I had the car inspected by two repair shops—one quote at $3900, the other at $6600. The issue is a failed seal on the clutch slave cylinder, located inside the transmission. The seal is much too thin from factory to withstand normal use. There are no recalls for this issue, and MANY affected owners. This is a safety issue because the failure can be almost immediate and will leave the driver unable to take the car out of gear, leading to out of control driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Today I noticed that both of my door front locks passenger and driver side do not even actuate to have the door locked and unlocked by key of by the alarm. They completely stopped working. Even I contacted Toyota Corporate several times about this issue (800) 331-4331 and got ignored. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately. This is a safety concern for me and family. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | While in a parking lot, the clutch pedal suddenly lost all pressure and remained stuck to the floor, rendering the vehicle unable to shift gears. While this occurred at parked car , a sudden loss of gear engagement at highway speeds would have caused a catastrophic loss of motive power in high-speed traffic. Furthermore, this vehicle utilizes a shared reservoir for both clutch and brake fluid. A major failure of the clutch slave cylinder seals can lead to rapid fluid loss or air ingestion into the shared hydraulic system, potentially compromising braking performance. The dealership confirmed the internal clutch slave cylinder failed prematurely at only 38,000 miles. Because the part is internal to the housing, a full transmission removal was required, resulting in a total repair cost of $5,600. Despite the safety implications of a shared hydraulic failure and the extremely low mileage, Toyota has refused to cover the full cost. No warning lights or symptoms appeared prior to this sudden failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact discovered brake fluid on the clutch pedal, and the brake pedal was mushy while depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,900. | Crash: No Fire: No | 89,900 |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I smell gas whenever I drive my car. My car has less than 33,000 miles on it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN | At approximately 5 years and 2 months of ownership, with approximately 53,000 miles, the clutch slave cylinder failed in such a way that contaminated both the clutch and flywheel with brake fluid. Repair of this issue requires replacement of the slave cylinder, clutch, and flywheel, as described by Toyota of Pullman in Pullman, WA who performed the inspection and quoted the repair. The symptoms of this failure included an inability to shift the manual transmission between gears, most notably out of 1st gear to get to 2nd. This inability to change gears resulted in limited speed in traffic, and created an obstruction. In less fortunate traffic conditions, this speed restriction could have created a collision. Other owners of the same model vehicle online have reported active failures in traffic, some of which have resulted in damage to the transmission as well as the clutch and flywheel. Toyota appears to have redesigned the slave cylinder at least twice, implying that they know the parts for these vehicles are subpar, and there are no flywheels available for the repair, which also implies this may be an all too common repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | “Engine Maintenance Required, See your dealer” light comes on the dashboard with a warning bell. Did a diagnostic test, and the code is the coolant bypass valve malfunction. This seems to be a common issue among 2020-2021 models. This has been inspected by professional mechanics. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |