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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2024 | AIR BAGS | See attached document for complaint. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I have been taking my Toyota to Sun Toyota for routine maintenance and inspections. Upon today’s inspections they are claiming the battery looks like it leaked on the axial, some of the undercarriage components look broken and rusty. Possibly needing replacement. The overall car is less than 60k in mileage so that seems odd to me. I also brought the car in at 45k and they made no mention of these issues during that vehicle inspection. I asked about my brakes and braking issues. I do not slam on my brakes and the technician said I should stop braking too hard. There is noticeable wear now on them. I asked them to change them at the previous visit and they refused saying it did not need it. I am concerned for my safety and lack of care at this sun Toyota. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Yes the car can be inspected. Yes took to dealership today and they don’t know what’s causing it but what between $855 - 1,100 to fix. When it rains the front wipers automatically come on as they should. Then without warning, they stop working and on three occasions a wiper flew off and my teenager had to stop and run into middle of road to get the wiper. She was on a rural highway and could not see well without the wipers working. I replaced the wipers, but when it down poured rain again, like before they just stopped working with no warning. She had to drive 25 mph on a road that was ranges 45 -55 mph. She had a very hard time seeing and could have wrecked. This could have caused an accident had she been on the freeway going 70 mph. A Google search shows others have experienced this issue with their car. The only person who has inspected the issue / car is the Toyota dealership today. They said they don’t know what’s causing it and would cost more money to try and diagnose, but they said it appears if you run the wipers at the very slowest speed it does not malfunction. I don’t have the money to fix it right now, so we are going to try and not drive in rain and if caught in a storm while driving, like before, we will try running wipers at lowest speed as they suggested. First incident was April or May 2024. Most recent incident was July 2024. Sorry I don’t have exact dates. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 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. The local dealer was not 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 |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Coolant bypass Valve | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE | Engine code P2681(15) which after lookup is the coolant bypass valve which is a common faulty part that Toyota seems to not care about and charge upwards of 700$ at the dealer to fix. I took the part out and it indeed has a crack around the case | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE | My car reached 52,254 miles and I got a engine maintenance required a scary message I have never seen before I thought it was the oil maintenance one but it’s not I keep dismissing the message because I can’t see my speed and it stays in the way I have realized that if I start the car with AC on the message pops up but if I don’t have ac on and start the car it never appears unless I turn on the ac as the car is already on so it seems to be the coolant valve bypass I received the error message as I was parked for no longer than 40 seconds at most | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | AIR BAGS | No warning lights or notifications I found out using this website. I submitted a service request to del Toyota and they said there was nothing they could do to fix it. The passenger side airbag is malfunctioning and might not deploy of in an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 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. The local dealer was not 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 |
| Jul 2024 | AIR BAGS | No remedy for recall within projected time period of Q3 2024. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield wipers stop working intermittently. It can be anywhere from 1 second to 15 seconds. It is very dangerous in inclement weather and could be life threatening as wipers are basic safety features. I have gotten them checked out by multiple Toyota service centers and the issue cannot be found. There are many comps into across the internet. Please look into this issue. This has been happening since 30,000 miles. I’m currently at 47,000. It is getting worse and I believe they will fail in the next year at 4 years old. This is immature for a new car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Los wipers (limpia parabrisas) no funcionan de forma correcta, ya que se quedan arriba cuando estan prendidos, los pones en funcion baja y van rapidos, los apagas y ellos se quedan encendidos por largos segundos y cuando apagan lo hacen arriba o amitad de cristal. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 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. The 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. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ENGINE | Collant by pass malfuntion 2 time | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | SEAT BELTS | Passenger seat belt will not latch | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ENGINE | After hitting 45k miles my engine light turned on and required a coolant bypass valve replacement. This issue has occurred for all Toyota Corolla drivers and rav4 drivers I have came in contact with. This issue should be resolved my car is only 3 years old and should not require pricey engine repairs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | After x amount of miles a random service light will come on that states “engine maintenance required, visit your dealer “. It’s nerve racking for your every day drivers. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE | Coolant bypass valve stuck shut at 65k miles. Seems like it’s a common occurrence with newer Toyotas. Was told to report it as a safety issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE | They said they need to replace the Engine coolant bypass hose circuit short/open. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,VISIBILITY/WIPER | Glare in the cluster panel during the day. This causes me to not be able to see what is being shown on the cluster panel such as speed, engine temperature, or any other warning lights. I believe not being able to see the speed I am going because of this design error is very dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE | Engine coolant bypass valve short to battery. Throwing code - P2681-15 at 33,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Coolant bypass value sensor failure | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | Electronic brake actuator failed on vehicle after slightly after warranty expired resulting in a $2100 repair. This is a known Toyota issue across different models. A recall should be issued and repair costs refunded. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact's daughter was a passenger in a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while the vehicle was driving at an undisclosed speed, vehicle A abruptly merged into the lane of vehicle B, causing the driver of vehicle B to suddenly apply the brakes, rapidly reducing speeds. As a result, the vehicle in which the contact's daughter was a passenger collided with the rear of vehicle B, and, in turn, the vehicle in which the contact's daughter was a passenger was rear-ended by another vehicle behind. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a towed yard and deemed a total loss by the owner's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact transported his daughter to an area hospital, where she was treated for a contusion to the face, whiplash, and numbness in her left shin. The contact was unaware if any other injuries had been reported. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE | The engine coolant bypass valve circuit short to battery or open and lower hose - Trouble Code - DTC: P268115. The error message "Engine Maintenance Required - Visit Your Dealer" was consistently popping up and I couldn't see my speed or dash or how many miles I had till empty even after acknowledging the message and pressing ok & back. It would stay on while my car was on no matter what. I couldn't use or see any of my information on my dash. The problem has come up multiple times by different people in the auto forum and I was warned that I would have to replace it again in 15 months. There was no light that came on on my dash just the message that would pop up and block my speed so I couldn't see how fast I was going or when I was going to be out of gas. I'm not sure if it's been inspected by the manufacturer. It first appeared after 3 years of owning my brand new car. I was very shocked that I already needed to replace a part in my engine after only having and driving my car for a short amount of time and 30,000 miles on it. It was an expensive part and caused me to have to guess how fast I was going while driving as I couldn't see or get the message to go away even after acknowledging it. I took it to Toyota and they told me the only way to get the notification to go away was to replace it but they did tell me that they have recently had multiple cars come in with the same issue. I had to drive my car in danger as I couldn't immediately afford to pay to get it fixed right away and was in college away from home and didn't have enough time to leave my car in the shop. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |