Total Complaints
154 filings
TOYOTA COROLLA · model year
154 NHTSA complaints, 46 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1993TOYOTACOROLLA carries 154 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 46 crashes, 5 fires, 42 injuries, and 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1993 COROLLA is air bags:frontal with 34 filings, followed by air bags (11) and structure:body:door (9). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 1993 COROLLA. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
154 filings
Crashes Reported
46 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 34 |
| AIR BAGS | 11 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 9 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 7 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 6 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 5 |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 5 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 4 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 3 |
| TIRES | 3 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | 3 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES | 3 |
ACCORDING TO YOU, I HAVE BEEN DRIVING A KILLER CAR SINCE 2013. CONTACTING MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER, SEVERAL TIMES AND BRING IN MY VEHICLE FOR REPAIR HAS FAILED. YOU REGRET ANY INCONVENIENCE? DOES THAT COVER INJURY OR DEATH? I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA VEHICLE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
CAR IN STORAGE ENTERED VEHICLE SEAT BELT LOCKED IN PLACE WOULD NOT RETRACT. *TR
Mileage: 112,000
CAR WAS PERFECT JUST CAME HOME FROM PICKING MY MOTHER UP..SON CAME HOME A FEW MINUTES LATER, LESS THAN FIVE MINS. AND TOLD ME MY HORN WAS MAKING A FUNNY SOUND AND CAR LIGHTS WERE FLASHING, I THEN WENT OUTSIDE TO SEE AND NOTICED LIGHTS WERE ON , AND WHEN I WENT TO SEE IF I LEFT THEM ON, I OPENED THE DOOR AND NOTICED THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE OF THE CAR. AS I RAN INSIDE THE HOUSE TO GET WATER TO PUT FIRE OUT, I HAD MY WIFE CALL THE FIRE DEPT. AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES I CAME OUTSIDE AND SAW THE VEHICLE INTERIOR COMPLETELY ENGULFED. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY ON FIRE. THE WEATHER WAS COLD AND SNOWING WITH SALT ON THE GROUND . *TR
Mileage: 123,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WOULD INTERMITTENTLY BECOME STUCK. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE PLATE IN WHICH THE TRANSMISSION WAS SITTING ON WAS BENT ABNORMALLY AND BELIEVED IT TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE STICKING ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE STICKING ACCELERATOR PEDAL FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,000.
Mileage: 40,000
TL* 1993 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHEN THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM ONE PARKING SPACE TO ANOTHER, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAG DEPLOYED CAUSING INTERNAL INJURIES THAT KILLED THE DRIVER ON IMPACT. THE MANUFACTURER SENT AN INVESTIGATOR TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED THAT THE VEHICLES SUDDEN ACCELERATION MILEAGE WAS 18 MPH WHEN IT CRASHED INTO THE TREE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 40,000. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. UPDATED 03/14/10 *BF UPDATED04/16/10. *LJ DOCUMENT WRITTEN IN SPANISH. UPDATED 10/12/10 UPDATED 9/21/2011*CW
Mileage: 40,000
EXHAUST MANIFOLD HAD A LATENT DEFECT IN THE FORM OF A CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLD. AS TIME PROCEEDED, THE CRACK BECAME AN ENTIRE SEPARATION OF THE MANIFOLD NEAR THE CENTER. THIS SITUATION ALLOWS POISONOUS EXHAUST GASES TO ESCAPE WHENEVER THE ENGINE IS OPERATING. THESE GASES ARE PRIMARILY CARBON MONOXIDE -- AN UNSCENTED AND DEADLY GAS -- ALONG WITH OTHERS LESS HAZARDOUS. SINCE THIS IS AN INHERENT DEFECT, EITHER IN THE DESIGN OF THE MANIFOLD OR IN THE QUALITY OF THE MANIFOLD (OR BOTH), I DEFINITELY BELIEVE THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD RECALL THE 1993 TOYOTA COROLLA VEHICLES WITH 1.6 LITER ENGINES AND REPAIR OR REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART. *JB
Mileage: 123,000
I HAVE REPLACED THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD THREE TIME,THE MATERIAL USE TO MANUFACTURE THIS PART WAS CHEAP CAUSING IT TO CRACK. *NM
DT: 1993 TOYOTA COROLA. THE CONSUMER TOOKV EHICLE TO A MECHANIC BECAUSE THE AIR CONDITIONER WOULD NOT WORK. THE MECHANIC TOOK A WIRE THROUGH THE VEHICLE AND ATTACHED IT TO THE SECONDARY FUSE BOX. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. EVERYTHING STOPPED WORKING ON THE VEHICLE ON 7-17-05. *AJK
Mileage: 229,000
ON JULY OF 1999, I WAS DRIVING MY 1993 TOYOTO COROLLA WHEN I WAS RUN OFF THE ROAD BY ANOTHER DRIVER, THUS CAUSING ME TO HIT A GUARD RAIL ,AND THE CEMENT HIGHWAY DIVIDER, MY AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND MY PASSENGER RECEIVED PERMANENT DAMAGE TO HIS FINGER, I RECEIVED BURNS ON MY STOMACH, ARMS AND 5 FRACTURED RIBS, ALSO WHEN THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED THE PLASTIC FROM THE STEERING COLUMN FLEW OFF CUT ME IN MY LIP, CAUSING PERMANENT DAMAGE. I ALSO RECEIVED SEVERE BRUSING AND PERMANENT NERVE DAMAGE IN MY CHEST . MY CAR HAD NO WARNING SIGNS ABOUT THE DANGER OF THE AIR BAG, AND I ALONG WITH MY PASSENGER WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT. I RETAINED A LAWYER AND I WROTE TOYOTA AND TO THIS DATE NO ONE RESPONDED, I JUST FOUND YOUR WEBSITE TODAY. I ALSO HAVE PICUTURES OF MY INJURIES. I FEEL THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A WARNING SIGNS, AND THE FORCE OF THE AIR BAG SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO GREAT , THUS PREVENTING ME FROM SUSTAINING SO MANY PERMANENT INJURIES. I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY TOYOTA NEVER ANSWERED MY LETTER. I RETAINE
Mileage: 90,000
ON JULY OF 1999, I WAS DRIVING MY 1993 TOYOTO COROLLA WHEN I WAS RUN OFF THE ROAD BY ANOTHER DRIVER, THUS CAUSING ME TO HIT A GUARD RAIL ,AND THE CEMENT HIGHWAY DIVIDER, MY AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND MY PASSENGER RECEIVED PERMANENT DAMAGE TO HIS FINGER, I RECEIVED BURNS ON MY STOMACH, ARMS AND 5 FRACTURED RIBS, ALSO WHEN THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED THE PLASTIC FROM THE STEERING COLUMN FLEW OFF CUT ME IN MY LIP, CAUSING PERMANENT DAMAGE. I ALSO RECEIVED SEVERE BRUSING AND PERMANENT NERVE DAMAGE IN MY CHEST . MY CAR HAD NO WARNING SIGNS ABOUT THE DANGER OF THE AIR BAG, AND I ALONG WITH MY PASSENGER WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT. I RETAINED A LAWYER AND I WROTE TOYOTA AND TO THIS DATE NO ONE RESPONDED, I JUST FOUND YOUR WEBSITE TODAY. I ALSO HAVE PICUTURES OF MY INJURIES. I FEEL THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A WARNING SIGNS, AND THE FORCE OF THE AIR BAG SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SO GREAT , THUS PREVENTING ME FROM SUSTAINING SO MANY PERMANENT INJURIES. I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY TOYOTA NEVER ANSWERED MY LETTER. I RETAINE
Mileage: 90,000
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. IT COLLIDED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO A GARAGE FOR INSPECTION. THE CAUSE HA NOT BEEN DETERMINED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. IT COLLIDED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO A GARAGE FOR INSPECTION. THE CAUSE HA NOT BEEN DETERMINED. *AK
I OWN TOYOTA CAROLLA (1994 MODEL) AND MY WIFE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT - FRONT IMPACT. SHE MUST BE TRAVELLING BETWEEN 20-25 MPH WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCUR AND STILL THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DIDN'T INFLATE. BECAUSE OF THIS SHE HAD BRUISED HER JAW AND BROKE THE BONE ON HER SIDE FACE. NO CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE IN ORDER TO AVOID ANY REPEITION LIKE THIS. I WOULD EXPECT THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAGS TO INFLATE ON FRONTAL IMPACT.
THE FUEL LINE THAT COMES FROM THE GAS TANK TO THE FUEL LINE THAT GOES TO THE ENGINE RUPTURED AT THE CONNECTOR AND STARTED LEAKING WHICH COULD HAVE BLOWN UP MY CAR. TOYOTA HAS A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH THEIR FUEL LINES. THERE IS A CONNECTOR WHICH JOINES THE TWO FUEL LINES AND THAT IS WHERE THE LEAK OCCURRED. FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN NOW I WILL TRY TO AVOID BUYING A TOYOTA WITH THIS TYPE OF CONNECTOR. THE CONNECTOR IS EXPOSED UNDERNEATH THE CAR, AND IT SEEMS IT CAN EASILY BE BROKEN. TOYOTA DID NOT PUT ANY PROTECTION AROUND THIS COUPLER WHICH SEEMS IT CAN EASILY BE BROKEN AND BECOME A HAZARD. I HAD TO GET IF FIXED AND IT COST ME OVER $1,000.00 WHICH INCLUDED A NEW GAS TANK. WHEN I SPOKE WITH TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE ON THIS, THEY DID NOT EVEN CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. THEY ARE LUCKY THAT MY CAR DID NOT BLOW UP OR CAUSE A FIRE. ONE DAY I CAME OUT AND SAW GASOLINE DRIPPING ON THE SIDE OF THE CAR, IT WAS THE FUEL LINE THAT STARTED LEAKING. THE COUPLER RUSTED OUT. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT.*AK
Mileage: 177,000
I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1993 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE INSIDED DOOR HANDLE BROKE ON ME AROUND 1997, AND AGAIN A ABOUT A YEAR LATER. THE HANDLE JUST BROKE IN HALF. I DID NOT REPORT THIS AT THE TIME, BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW THIS WEBPAGE EXISTED. AFTER READING ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS YOU WOULD THINK THAT TOYOTA WOULD STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND ADMIT THEY MADE DEFECTIVE DOOR HANDLES ON THEIR CARS. WHAT IS WORST YET, WAS THAT A PERSON COULD BE TRAPPED IN THEIR CAR, AND NOT GET OUT IF THEY WERE IN A CRASH OR IF SOMETHING HAPPENED. I THOUGHT TOYOTA CARED ABOUT ITS CUSTOMERS. YOU WOULD THINK THE NHTSA WOULD HAVE SEEN ALL THE SERVICE COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE AND MADE TOYOTA FIX THE DOOR HANDLES. *AK
Mileage: 47,000
EXTERIOR LIGHTS. I HAD THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS MEANING BRAKE LIGHTS AND PARKING LIGHTS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. ABOUT A COUPLE YEARS LATER MY BRAKE LIGTHS WOULD NOT WORK NOR MY PARKING LIGHTS AND TURNING LIGHTS. WELL I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALER, AND ON THE LIGHT BULBS THERE ARE TWO SOLDER JOINTS ON THE BULB AND THEY MELTED TOGETHER CAUSING A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THEY GOT TOO HOT, AND THEY COULD HAVE EVEN MELTED IN THE SOCKET HARNESS. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT REPLACEMENT BULBS THE TOYOTA DEALERS ARE USING BUT BUYER BEWARE. THEY HEATED UP IN THE WIRING HARNESS AND I AM VERY LUCKY THEY DID NOT CAUSE A FIRE. I HOPE THE NHTSA LOOKS AT THE BULBS THAT TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS ARE USING AND AT LEAST MAKING SURE THEY ARE SPECT OUT FOR HEAT BUILDUP INSIDE THESE PLASTIC SOCKETS WHICH COULD MELT.*AK
Mileage: 170,000
EXTERIOR LIGHTS. I HAD THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS MEANING BRAKE LIGHTS AND PARKING LIGHTS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. ABOUT A COUPLE YEARS LATER MY BRAKE LIGTHS WOULD NOT WORK NOR MY PARKING LIGHTS AND TURNING LIGHTS. WELL I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALER, AND ON THE LIGHT BULBS THERE ARE TWO SOLDER JOINTS ON THE BULB AND THEY MELTED TOGETHER CAUSING A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THEY GOT TOO HOT, AND THEY COULD HAVE EVEN MELTED IN THE SOCKET HARNESS. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT REPLACEMENT BULBS THE TOYOTA DEALERS ARE USING BUT BUYER BEWARE. THEY HEATED UP IN THE WIRING HARNESS AND I AM VERY LUCKY THEY DID NOT CAUSE A FIRE. I HOPE THE NHTSA LOOKS AT THE BULBS THAT TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS ARE USING AND AT LEAST MAKING SURE THEY ARE SPECT OUT FOR HEAT BUILDUP INSIDE THESE PLASTIC SOCKETS WHICH COULD MELT.*AK
Mileage: 170,000
WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH SRS LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CLOCK SPRING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED. THIS CAUSED POOR VISIBILITY TO THE DRIVER. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE , AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
REAR SEAT BELT HAS A FAILURE THAT DOESN'T ALLOW THE BELT TO RETRACT BACK INTO IT'S HOLLISTER. AS A RESULT, THE BELT BECOMES INOPERATIVE. DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Mileage: 10,000
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.