Total Complaints
31 filings
Toyota Corolla · model year
1990 Toyota Corolla
31 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports. 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
- 31
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1990 Toyota Corolla posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 29%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1990ToyotaCorolla carries 31 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 0 fires, 2 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 1990 Corolla is power train:automatic transmission with 4 filings, followed by tires (4) and seat belts:front:retractor (3). 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 1990 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.
31
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1990 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
3 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:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 4 |
| TIRES | 4 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20050223ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
CONSUMER NOT HAPPY WITH SERVICE. *NM THE CONSUMER PURCHASED A CUSTOM HANGAR FOR HER MUFFLER. THE CONSUMER FELT LIKE THE SERVICE WAS RENDERED IN A FALSE AND MISLEADING MANNER. *TC
20040504SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
I HAVE A 1990 TOYOTA COROLLA. ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT, THE SEAT BELT (WHICH ATTACHED TO THE DOOR) DOES NOT RETRACT AT ALL. IT HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR SOME TIME AND WOULD NOT PROTECT ME IN AN ACCIDENT. I THINK THIS SORT OF SEAT BELT DEVICE IS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO!*AK
Mileage: 75,000
20020118ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS DEFECTIVE, DRIVER CAN SMELL CARBON MONOXIDE IN CAB OF VEHICLE. *AK CONSUMER STATED THIS IS THE 4TH MANIFOLD, EACH ONE HAD CRACKS IN THE SAME PLACE.*SLC
20000912POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD CAR JERKED. THEN IT JERKED AGAIN, AND SOON AS CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD, TRANSMISSION LOCKED AND VEHICLE STOPPED COMPLETELY. *AK
20000314TIRES:BEAD
SUDDEN BLOW OUT, THREAD DAMAGE BUT SUSTAINED TWO SECTIONS OF WALL DAMAGE AND HAD CRACKED INWALL AT BEAD AREA, SECOND TIRE CRACKS IN BEAD AREA
20000303POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 65MPH HEARD A LOUD NOISE ,TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP. CAR SKIDDED TO HALT ON ROADWAY. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP, AND A REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. MECHANIC SAID IT WAS CAUSED BY THE DIFFERENTIAL RUNNING OUT OF FLUID. THE DIP STICK FOR THE TRANSMISSION FLUID SHOWED FULL. THERE WAS NO DIP STICK FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL. SO THERE WAS NO WAY TO CHECK THE FLUID, IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW. *AK *ML
20000303POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 65MPH HEARD A LOUD NOISE ,TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP. CAR SKIDDED TO HALT ON ROADWAY. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP, AND A REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. MECHANIC SAID IT WAS CAUSED BY THE DIFFERENTIAL RUNNING OUT OF FLUID. THE DIP STICK FOR THE TRANSMISSION FLUID SHOWED FULL. THERE WAS NO DIP STICK FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL. SO THERE WAS NO WAY TO CHECK THE FLUID, IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW. *AK *ML
19991129EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
RADIO MAKES LOUD NOISE WHEN DRIVING. YH
19991129INTERIOR LIGHTING
DOME LIGHT INOPERABLE WHEN DOOR OPENS. YH
19991111UNKNOWN OR OTHER
NO SUMMARY
19990209TIRES
WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS A TIRE BLOWOUT. DEALER STATED ALL THE TIRES WERE DRY ROT. CONSUMER INDICATED THAT WAS A SAFETY DEFECT. HAD TIRES INSTALLED TWO YEARS AGO. GOODYEAR TIRES STATED TIRES WERE DRY ROT SINCE BEING INSTALLED, AND THE TIRES WERE SITTING IN THE WAREHOUSE FOR TWO YEARS AND BECAME DRY ROT. *AK
19980323ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
EXHAUST MANIFOLD CRACKED.
19971204VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
WINDOWS INOPERATIVE.
19970821STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
PARKING BRAKE LIGHT BADLY LOCATED AND CANNOT BE SEEN. *AK
19970811CrashSTEERING
CONSUMER WAS SLOWING VEHICLE DOWN, THEN SUDDENLY COULDN'T STEER THE VEHICLE, LOST CONTROL AND VEHICLE JUST WANDERED ALL OVER THE ROAD. *AK
19970613POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP/FAILED 4 TIMES. ALSO, REPLACED ENGINE. *AK
19970613ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP/FAILED 4 TIMES. ALSO, REPLACED ENGINE. *AK
19960802ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE)
EGR VALVE FAILURE. *AK
19960711TIRES:TREAD/BELT
STEEL BELT PERFORATED SIDEWALL OF RIGHT FRONT GOODYEAR TIRE, ALSO REAR TIRES REPLACED DUE TO CUPPING. *DH
19960620CrashSEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
WHEN REAR ENDED THE DRIVER'S SEATBACK BROKE AND DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. *AK
Compare 1990ToyotaCorolla to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 Toyota Corolla have?▼
The 1990 Toyota Corolla has 31 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 Toyota Corolla?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 Toyota Corolla is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR.
Is the 1990 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 1990 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.