Total Complaints
858 filings
TOYOTA COROLLA · model year
858 NHTSA complaints, 142 crash reports, and 13 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2003TOYOTACOROLLA carries 858 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 142 crashes, 11 fires, 122 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 2003 COROLLA is air bags with 314 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (68) and seat belts (33). 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. This model year has 13 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2003 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
858 filings
Crashes Reported
142 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 314 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 68 |
| SEAT BELTS | 33 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 30 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 28 |
| POWER TRAIN | 28 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 20 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 18 |
| ENGINE | 16 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 14 |
| STRUCTURE | 14 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 14 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | 13 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 13 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 13 |
AIR BAGS
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The supplemental restraint system (SRS) circuits are susceptible to internal shorting. The electrical short may create an abnormal current flow and increased heat which can dam
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Corolla, 2005-2008 Corolla Matrix, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly replaced under a prior recall. The air bag may not unfold as designed during inflation under high temperatur
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004, 2003-2004 Avalon vehicles manufactured June 5,
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED
AIR BAGS
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Florida, along the Gulf
AIR BAGS
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles manufactured August 18, 2003, to August 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 Tundra vehicles manufactured March 18, 2003, to August 25, 2004. On June 16, 2015, T
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
CERTAIN ANZO COMBINATION HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS WHICH FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPME
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 Lexus SC and Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla and Tundra, and 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modul
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES
POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
ON PASSENGER VEHICLES WITH VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS (VIN) STARTING WITH 1NX ONLY AND BUILT FROM JANUARY 8 THROUGH FEBRUARY 13, 2002, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE BOLTS THAT JOIN THE REAR BRAKE AND HUB ASSEMBLY TO THE REAR AXLE CARRIER TO BE LOOSE DUE TO INSUFFICIENT TIGHTENING DURING THE ASSEMBLY PR
VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
TOYOTA IS RECALLING 662,178 MY 2003-2004 COROLLA, COROLLA MATRIX AND PONTIAC VIBE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH POWER WINDOWS. THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER DOOR GLASS BOLTS MAY LOOSEN AND COME OFF, CAUSING THE DOOR GLASS TO SEPARATE FROM THE WINDOW REGULATOR. DUE TO THE COMPONENTS BECOMING LOOSE AND PO
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while her husband and son were driving at approximately 25 MPH, her husband smelled an abnormal burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated her husband then heard several abnormal sounds like a soda can being opened. The contact stated that the driver's and passengerâs door air bags inadvertently deployed. The vehicle was stopped, and the driver and passenger exited the vehicle. The contact stated that her sonâs seat belt tightened and was difficult to unbuckle. The contact stated that as soon as her husband exited the vehicle, the passengerâs side frontal air bag deployed. The contact stated that the Police and Fire Department were contacted. A Police report was filed; however, the contact had not been provided the Police report number. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failur
Greeting, on June 7,2025 my Toyota Corolla was repaired at Interstate Toyota for the replacement on the airbag. I have attached documents that share the job was completed successfully. Please review and forward and email that it is verified in your system to my email address. [XXX] Warmly, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My mother got in the car and as soon as the car was put on drive, the car accelerated to its max potential, but when she attempted to hit the brakes they did not respond. So max acceleration, on its own, and brakes did not work. She ended up in the hospital for 9 days suffering a broken rib, front teeth missing, they had to sew her tongue back together, both cheeks shattered, broken clavicle and she has a hole right under the back of her skull. Miraculously, after she flipped to the side and took out two trees, the third tree flipped her back to right side up, and stopped the vehicle completely.
My mother got in the car and as soon as the car was put on drive, the car accelerated to its max potential, but when she attempted to hit the brakes they did not respond. So max acceleration, on its own, and brakes did not work. She ended up in the hospital for 9 days suffering a broken rib, front teeth missing, they had to sew her tongue back together, both cheeks shattered, broken clavicle and she has a hole right under the back of her skull. Miraculously, after she flipped to the side and took out two trees, the third tree flipped her back to right side up, and stopped the vehicle completely.
My driver side Seat belt sometimes becomes unbuckled, disconnected while driving, specially when I make turns, or when I slow down my driving speed. This is very dangerous because it is putting my life at risk in case of an accident.
Seat belt use to automatically unlocks in mid drive, sometimes over a speed bump, sometimes during a turn, sometimes for no reason at all. Now seat belt won't lock at all.
Driver seat belt buckle don't lock all the time and sometimes comes un-buckled while driving
I was driving as usual and suddenly the air bags exploded inside the dash causing damage to the passenger window and the front crystal. Seconds after the drivers airbag also opened and consequently the alarms. I did not impact anything and the car wonât start again.
I was driving as usual and suddenly the air bags exploded inside the dash causing damage to the passenger window and the front crystal. Seconds after the drivers airbag also opened and consequently the alarms. I did not impact anything and the car wonât start again.
I was driving as usual and suddenly the air bags exploded inside the dash causing damage to the passenger window and the front crystal. Seconds after the drivers airbag also opened and consequently the alarms. I did not impact anything and the car wonât start again.
While driving on the highway (I-75) in Michigan on April 2, 2022 the sunroof exploded for no apparent reason.
While driving on the highway (I-75) in Michigan on April 2, 2022 the sunroof exploded for no apparent reason.
The airbag light came on suddenly, even though I had the airbag recall work done for my vehicle. I took it to a Toyota Dealership who wanted to charge me for the repair which I was willing to and perhaps work with Toyota directly to get reimbursed for but the parts weren't available.
I received a recall notice, scheduled an appointment and then went to Bev Smith Toyota in Fort Pierce, FL. My appointment was for 9:30 AM. I decided that as long as I was there, I would get my oil changed (normally I do not use dealer oil changes because they are expensive, but since I was there anyway...). At 11:10, I was presented the bill for the oil change and told that they refused to service the airbag. There was some garbage on the floor of the passenger side that the service manager claimed rendered my vehicle unsafe to work on. I pointed out that no one asked me to clean out the front seat when I scheduled the appointment, that the items were there at 9:30 when received the car, and that the car apparently was safe enough for them to perform an overpriced oil change. I offered to remove the items (it later took me all of 3 minutes to clear the area). The service manager refused and refused to complete the recall work. He still demanded payment for the oil change and w
I received a recall notice, scheduled an appointment and then went to Bev Smith Toyota in Fort Pierce, FL. My appointment was for 9:30 AM. I decided that as long as I was there, I would get my oil changed (normally I do not use dealer oil changes because they are expensive, but since I was there anyway...). At 11:10, I was presented the bill for the oil change and told that they refused to service the airbag. There was some garbage on the floor of the passenger side that the service manager claimed rendered my vehicle unsafe to work on. I pointed out that no one asked me to clean out the front seat when I scheduled the appointment, that the items were there at 9:30 when received the car, and that the car apparently was safe enough for them to perform an overpriced oil change. I offered to remove the items (it later took me all of 3 minutes to clear the area). The service manager refused and refused to complete the recall work. He still demanded payment for the oil change and w
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Corolla. The contact received NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V741000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the recall was confirmed to be completed; however, the recall appears open for the VIN. The contact was receiving recall notices for the same recall repair. The contact called the manufacturer to inform them that the dealer had completed the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. There were no warning lights illuminated or a failure experienced. Parts distribution disconnect.
Mileage: 53,000
I barely bought the car and I looked at the odometer and itâs at 126,000 and I serched and it has more then 300,000 i need help
I barely bought the car and I looked at the odometer and itâs at 126,000 and I serched and it has more then 300,000 i need help
The contact owned a 2003 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while she was driving at 60 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was transported to the hospital by the emergency unit. The contact sustained a herniated disc. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact received an unknown recall notification for the air bag failure and the recall repair was completed by the dealer. The contact stated she received a second and third unknown recall notification for the air bag failure and the recall repair was completed by a second dealer (Thousand Oaks Toyota 2401 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362), however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while her son was driving at 40-50 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the passenger side of the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The co
Mileage: 60,000
My car is accelerating when my foot is off of the pedal and when in park, it is revving like I am pressing down on the gas pedal. I put it in reverse to test it to make sure I was experiencing what I just thought had happened. As soon as I put the gear in reverse, and released my foot from the break, the car spead down my driveway. I breaked, put gear in drive, and when I released my foot from the break pedal, again it sped up almost crashing into my house. When I put the car in park, the engine became louder as if I was pressing down on the gas pedal. I checked the pedals below. The rug or nothing else was near the pedal, as can happen at times. This morning I tested it out again on my way to work. It was a repeat of yesterday. The car is speeding up without me putting my foot on the drive pedal, by me simply lifting my foot of of the break. And when I park, it gets loud as if I am pressing on the gas pedal. This is very dangerous and I am afraid to drive my car until I can
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.