TOYOTA COROLLA · model year

1998 TOYOTA COROLLA

278 NHTSA complaints, 45 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1998TOYOTACOROLLA carries 278 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 45 crashes, 9 fires, 37 injuries, and 0 fatalities. 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 1998 COROLLA is air bags with 34 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (18) and structure:body:door (14). 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 1998 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.

278
Complaints
45
Crashes
9
Fires
37
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

278 filings

Crashes Reported

45 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume, review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS34
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL18
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL12
TIRES8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE7
SEAT BELTS7
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION6
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP6
SUSPENSION:FRONT:STABILIZER BAR5
STEERING5
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE5
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW5
UNKNOWN OR OTHER5

Recent Complaints

20220526STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

The contact's wife owns a 1998 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while his wife was taking items out of the trunk of the vehicle, the trunk lid closed abruptly. The contact later noticed that the trunk lid driver’s side hinge was fractured. The contact's wife did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the trunk lid hinges needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Mileage: 106,000

20211019EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:DONGLE

My auto mechanic and I, after extensive diagnosis, have confirmed that the Pulse mileage/route tracking device that Metromile car insurance had me plug into the computer port of my 1998 Toyota Corolla LE is failing or has failed, and this caused a potentially disastrous situation to develop w/my car engine. When starting the engine from cold, it would cause repeated misfires, causing the rpms to drop quickly, then surge up, before settling into the proper cold idle speed. This would repeat itself every few seconds until the engine warmed up completely (usually about 10 minutes). When in gear, the car would buck violently, putting repeated, extreme stress on the drive train; but even when in neutral gear, two mechanics have told me it could easily destroy my crankshaft bearings and/or other parts of the drive train. We have now tested this five times briefly in neutral gear. When we plug the pulse device in the problem occurs immediately. When we remove the device the problem goes

20200923AIR BAGS

AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON. WHEN I LOOKED UP ANY RECALLS ON THIS YEAR OF TOYOTA, THERE WERE ALOT OF COMPLAINTS AND NO FIXES. I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD FIX THIS SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE AIR BAGS, IT IS A BIG DEAL NOT FEELIG SAFE ON THE ROAD. THE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN WE WERE DRIVING. WE TRIED TO RESET IT BUT HAS NO EFFECT. THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ON THE 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA.THIS IS NOT A COINCIDENCE, IT IS A SAFETY HAZZARD THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACUTURER. TOYOTA NEEDS TO STEP UP AND FIX THE PROBLEM, IT IS THERE FAULT. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

Mileage: 74,000

20190822AIR BAGS

TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL MY 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA IS LISTED AS ONE OF THE CARS EFFECTED BY THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL. TODAY I NOTED A BLINKING LIGHT ON MY DASH BOARD FOR THE AIRBAG. PLEASE ADVISE.

20180504ENGINE

THIS COMPLAINT IS ABOUT A GPS DEVICE THAT ATTACHES TO THE CAR THROUGH THE OBDII PORT. MANUFACTURERED BY AGNIK CORPORATION SOLD UNDER THE BRAND NAME VYNCS. THE DEVICE, WHEN INSTALLED, HAS CAUSED INTERMITTENT STALLING OF THE VEHICLE AT LOW SPEED SUCH APPROACHING A STOP OR IDLING IN GEAR AT A STOP. THIS WAS REALIZED TO BE CAUSED BY THE DEVICE AFTER ABOUT 1 WEEK OF EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT STALLING. WHEN THE DEVICE WAS REMOVED FROM THE CAR, THE STALLING ISSUE DISSAPEARED. I HAVE RETAINED THE DEVICE FOR SUBMISSION TO THE NHTSA FOR TESTING. WHEN I BROUGHT THIS ISSUE TO THE MANUFACTURER ATTENTION THEY CEASED COMMUNICATION WITH ME, DISABLED THE GPS SERVICE, AND CLOSED MY ACCOUNT, WHEREBY I COULD NO LONGER EXTRACT ANY HISTORICAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THEM. ADDITIONAL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT THEM THROUGH TECHSUPPORT@AGNIK.COM HAVE BEEN UNANSWERED. AGNIK DOES NOT PUBLISH AN ADDRESS OR PHONE NUMBER.

Mileage: 235,000

20161229ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SAFETY ISSUE!!! THE LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE HAS A STRANGE ISSUE THAT TOYOTA SEEMS UNABLE TO REPAIR! 139000.0 MILES THE VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY REFUSE TO START. T THE KEY UNLOCKS BUT ONLY SO FAR IT REFUSES TO ENGAGE THE STARTER OR ALLOW THE AUTO GEAR SELECTOR TO WORK! STRANDS MY WIFE IN THE BAD PARTS OF TOWN AND CAUSES DISTRESS AND DANGER BECAUSE OF THE STRANDED VEHICLE CONDITION! NO CODES GENERATED AND TWICE TOYOTA HAS HAD FOR TWO DAYS AND NO FIX! CORPORATION HAS CASE OR INCIDENT REPORT OPEN BUT NOT FIXED. SO FAR IGNITION REPLACED BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE FOLLOWING COULD BE ISSUE? 1. IGNITION KEY CYLINDER 2. IGNITION ELECTRICAL SWITCH AND OR RELAY, 3. TRANSMISSION INTERLOCK SWITCH, 4. GEAR SHIFT LEVER BUTTON? GEAR SHIFT LINKAGE ADJUSTMENT TO ENSURE CAR IS IN PARK PROPERLY FOR INTERLOCK SWITCH TO WORK. EACH TIME IT COSTS OVER $200.00 AND A NEW $200.00 OR MORE WORTH OF PARTS! WOULD THIS NOT BE A SAFETY RECALL ISSUE WITH GEARSHIFT NEUTRAL INTERLOCK OR SOMETHING? MY ALTERNATIVE IS TO

Mileage: 1,380,000

20161229POWER TRAIN

SAFETY ISSUE!!! THE LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE HAS A STRANGE ISSUE THAT TOYOTA SEEMS UNABLE TO REPAIR! 139000.0 MILES THE VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY REFUSE TO START. T THE KEY UNLOCKS BUT ONLY SO FAR IT REFUSES TO ENGAGE THE STARTER OR ALLOW THE AUTO GEAR SELECTOR TO WORK! STRANDS MY WIFE IN THE BAD PARTS OF TOWN AND CAUSES DISTRESS AND DANGER BECAUSE OF THE STRANDED VEHICLE CONDITION! NO CODES GENERATED AND TWICE TOYOTA HAS HAD FOR TWO DAYS AND NO FIX! CORPORATION HAS CASE OR INCIDENT REPORT OPEN BUT NOT FIXED. SO FAR IGNITION REPLACED BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE FOLLOWING COULD BE ISSUE? 1. IGNITION KEY CYLINDER 2. IGNITION ELECTRICAL SWITCH AND OR RELAY, 3. TRANSMISSION INTERLOCK SWITCH, 4. GEAR SHIFT LEVER BUTTON? GEAR SHIFT LINKAGE ADJUSTMENT TO ENSURE CAR IS IN PARK PROPERLY FOR INTERLOCK SWITCH TO WORK. EACH TIME IT COSTS OVER $200.00 AND A NEW $200.00 OR MORE WORTH OF PARTS! WOULD THIS NOT BE A SAFETY RECALL ISSUE WITH GEARSHIFT NEUTRAL INTERLOCK OR SOMETHING? MY ALTERNATIVE IS TO

Mileage: 1,380,000

20160714EXTERIOR LIGHTING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS WERE VERY DIM AND HINDERED THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY. THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 09E012000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING), 08E050000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING), 06E065000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING), AND 06E026000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING); HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

Mileage: 118,000

20160121VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SEIZED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN.

20151028ENGINE

THE ENGINE CONSUMES OIL AT AN ALARMING RATE SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR 15 YEARS AGO. TOLD A TOYOTA SHOP FOREMAN ME ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HE TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA DOESN'T WANT TO ADMIT ANY FAULT. HE SAID THEY MADE THE PISTONS TOO SMALL AND THE RINGS TOO BIG. HE IS A CLOSE FRIEND WHO KNOWS I TAKE CARE OF MY CARS EXTREMELY WELL. HE SAID TO JUST KEEP NURSING THE CAR LIKE I DO. AND FOR 15 YEARS I HAVE BEEN NURSING MY CAR EVERY WEEK I CHECK THE OIL. IF IT IS A SLIGHT BIT LOW I WILL ADD OIL TO THE FULL LINE. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE THE CAR LAST, IF I LET IT GO AND DIDN'T CHECK THE OIL, THERE WOULD BE NOTHING LEFT IN THE CRANKCASE, THE ENGINE WOULD PROBABLY SEIZE UP BECAUSE OF LACK OF OIL. I NOTICED THIS CONDITION WITH THE ENGINE WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR 15 YEARS AGO USED. THE CAR WAS A YEAR AND HALF OLD. I CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT IT BACK THEN IN THE YEAR OF 2000 AND THEY DENIED ANY PROBLEM OR RECALL LIKE THEY STILL DO TODAY. SINCE THEN, I HAVE CONFRONTED OTHER TOYOTA COROLLA OWNER

20150831ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STARTER DID NOT STOP CRANKING, ALTHOUGH IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF AND KEY WAS REMOVED. CONTINUED CRANKING UNTIL AFTER LARGE AMOUNT OF BLACK SMOKE BILLOWED FROM ENGINE. EVENTUALLY STOPPED BEFORE CATCHING FIRE. FOUND MAIN ENGINE WIRE HARNESS MELTED, CHARRED:; STARTER CHARRED: BATTERY CASE MELTED; BATTERY WIRE MELTED. UNABLE TO ROLL WINDOW BACK UP, EVEN AFTER RECONNECTING BATTERY. REQUIRED TOW HOME.

Mileage: 127,000

20150805CrashAIR BAGS

VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A FRONT END CRASH. THE SEAT/SHOULDER BELT DID NOT LOCK AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY

Mileage: 250,000

20150805CrashSEAT BELTS

VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A FRONT END CRASH. THE SEAT/SHOULDER BELT DID NOT LOCK AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY

Mileage: 250,000

20150427CrashSTEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY SEIZED AND THE DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE SPEED INDEPENDENTLY INCREASED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A SECOND VEHICLE. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000. UPDATED 8/21/15*CN UPDATED 12/4/2015*JS

Mileage: 62,000

20150427CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY SEIZED AND THE DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE SPEED INDEPENDENTLY INCREASED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A SECOND VEHICLE. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000. UPDATED 8/21/15*CN UPDATED 12/4/2015*JS

Mileage: 62,000

20150130SEAT BELTS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH THE DRIVER AND THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELTS WOULD NOT RETRACT AFTER BEING UTILIZED. IN ADDITION, THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT AT ALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 185,000. UPDATED 4/30/15*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELTS WERE REPLACED. THE CONSUMER STATED THE REASON THE SEAT BELT FAILURE, WAS BECAUSE PRIOR TO PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, IT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT; UPDATED 05/07/15*JB

Mileage: 185,000

20150119AIR BAGS

AIRBAG LIGHT STARTED FLASHING INTERMITTENTLY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO CHARGED $ 100 FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $500 TO FIX. I THEN TOOK IT TO A SELF EMPLOYED MECHANIC WHO HAD WORKED FOR TOYOTA. HE SAID IT HAD JUST BECOME DISCONNECTED UNDER THE SEAT. HE WAS ABLE TO FIX IT, IT SEEMED, FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, BUT THE PROBLEM KEEPS COMING BACK. I RECENTLY LEARNED ONLINE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. SEVERAL WHO HAVE SHELLED OUT THE MONEY TO TOYOTA TO HAVE IT "FIXED" SAY THE PROBLEM HAS NOT GONE AWAY. I AM SO ANGRY THAT TOYOTA HASN'T TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY AND NHTSA IS NOT HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE. *TR

Mileage: 65,000

20141204AIR BAGS

AT THIS APPROXIMATE DATE, I BEGAN GETTING A WARNING LIGHT RE. MY AIR BAGS. MY DEALER SAID I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE FAULTY STEERING WHEEL AIR BAG ASSEMBLY COSTING ME BETWEEN $1000-1500 OR MORE TO REPLACE IT. NOW, OTHER COROLLAS ARE BEING RECALLED BUT MINE IS NOT BEING RECALLED. IT APPEARS THAT MY CAR HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM FOR AN EVEN LONGER PERIOD OF TIME THAN THOSE THAT ARE BEING RECALLED. I HAVE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. I RECENTLY READ IN THE NEWS THAT THESE PROBLEMS BEGAN IN 1998, THE YEAR I PURCHASED MY CAR. MY CAR HAS JUST NOW TURNED 100,000 MILES AND I FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE ONGOING RECALL THAT INCLUDES OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS NOT ONLY ARBITRARY BUT DANGEROUS FOR ME FOR YOU TO EXCLUDE ME FROM THIS RECALL. I HEREBY REQUEST THAT YOU INCLUDE MY CAR IN THIS RECALL. THANK YOU. *TR

Mileage: 40,000

20140228TIRES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN RADIAL XDT TIRES, SIZE P185/65/R14. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL OF THE TIRES WERE WEARING PREMATURELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE DOT NUMBER AND THE VIN NUMBER WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE WAS 172,000.

Mileage: 172,000

20130223SEAT BELTS

THE SEAT BELT WILL NOT STAY LOCKED INTO THE SEAT BELT LATCH. *TR

Compare 1998TOYOTACOROLLA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA have?
The 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA has 278 NHTSA complaints, 45 crashes, 9 fires, 37 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA?
The most-complained component for the 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA is AIR BAGS with 34 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR.
Is the 1998 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.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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.