Total Complaints
5 filings
Toyota Corolla · model year
1985 Toyota Corolla
5 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 5
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1985 Toyota Corolla posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 18%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1985ToyotaCorolla carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1985 Corolla is power train:driveline:constant velocity joint with 1 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring (1) and fuel system, gasoline:carburetor system (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 1985 Corolla. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
5
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1985 Toyota Corolla
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040422UNKNOWN OR OTHER
ON MAY 23, 2003, I STOPPED AT VILLAGE SEVEN AMOCO, MY USUAL PLACE FOR CHECK UPS FOR MY VEHICLE. THE TEMPERATURE WAS RISING SLOWLY. I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS VERY LUCKY I STOPPED BECAUSE HAD I PROCEEDED FOR ANOTHER FEW MILES THE HEAD GASKET WOULD HAVE BLOWN. THEY INSTALLED A NEW THERMOSTADT, THE FIRST ONE I HAD EVER RECEIVED. THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY, MAY 28 WHEN I BACKED OUT OF MY DRIVEPLACE THERE WAS A PUFF OF WHITE SMOKE; FRIGHTENED I ONCE AGAIN WENT TO VILLAGE SEVEN AMOCO TO REPORT WHAT I HAD SEEN. JERRY CASH, SERVICE MANAGER, SAID THEY WILL HAVE TO LET THE CAR COOL OFF BEFORE CHECKING IT OUT. THE CAR SAT FOR ALMOST THREE HOURS BEFORE I WAS TOLD MY HEAD GASKET HAD BLOWN, COST ESTIMATED AT $1600.00; I WAS OFFERED $50.00 FOR MY CAR. REFUSING TO HAVE ANYTHING DONE TO MY VEHICLE I LEFT. THERE WERE NOT ANY SIGNS OF ANY PROBLEMS AS I DROVE HOME. AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION AND OPINIONS I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ANOTHER SERVICE STATION FOR A 'SECOND OPINION.' ON MAY 30TH I WAS TOLD BY CRAIG AT
Mileage: 104,000
19980622STEERING:RACK AND PINION
HARD TO STEERING IN TRAFFIC, ALMOST CAUSING ACCIDENT, DUE TO DEFECT IN THE POWER STEERING GEAR RACK AND PINION
19961016POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT
DEFECTIVE VC JOINTS, ALSO ELECTRICAL WIRES BURNED AND CARBURETOR PROBLEMS.. *AK
19961016ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
DEFECTIVE VC JOINTS, ALSO ELECTRICAL WIRES BURNED AND CARBURETOR PROBLEMS.. *AK
19961016FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
DEFECTIVE VC JOINTS, ALSO ELECTRICAL WIRES BURNED AND CARBURETOR PROBLEMS.. *AK
Compare 1985ToyotaCorolla to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1985 Toyota Corolla have?▼
The 1985 Toyota Corolla has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 Toyota Corolla?▼
The most-complained component for the 1985 Toyota Corolla is POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING and FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM.
Is the 1985 Toyota Corolla safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1985 Toyota Corolla; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.