TOYOTA COROLLA · model year

2003 TOYOTA COROLLA

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.

858
Complaints
142
Crashes
11
Fires
122
Injuries
1
Deaths

Total Complaints

858 filings

Crashes Reported

142 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS314
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL68
SEAT BELTS33
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM30
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM28
POWER TRAIN28
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE20
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL18
ENGINE16
STRUCTURE:BODY14
STRUCTURE14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR13
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION13
UNKNOWN OR OTHER13

Recalls (13)

13V02900030/01/2013

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

19V62700028/08/2019

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

15V04300028/01/2015

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,

19V74100017/10/2019

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

06E06400017/07/2006

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

15V28600013/05/2015

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

15V28500013/05/2015

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

06E02300013/03/2006

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

18V88300012/12/2018

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

09E02500011/05/2009

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

02V07400111/03/2002

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

08V16200010/04/2008

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

09E01200007/04/2009

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

Recent Complaints

20250820AIR BAGS

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 passenger’s door air bags inadvertently deployed. The vehicle was stopped, and the driver and passenger exited the vehicle. The contact stated that her son’s seat belt tightened and was difficult to unbuckle. The contact stated that as soon as her husband exited the vehicle, the passenger’s 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

20250712AIR BAGS

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)

20250312CrashSERVICE BRAKES

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.

20250312CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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.

20241120SEAT BELTS

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.

20240718SEAT BELTS

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.

20231030SEAT BELTS

Driver seat belt buckle don't lock all the time and sometimes comes un-buckled while driving

20230630AIR BAGS

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 won’t start again.

20230630STRUCTURE:BODY

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 won’t start again.

20230630VISIBILITY/WIPER

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 won’t start again.

20230403UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While driving on the highway (I-75) in Michigan on April 2, 2022 the sunroof exploded for no apparent reason.

20230403VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

While driving on the highway (I-75) in Michigan on April 2, 2022 the sunroof exploded for no apparent reason.

20220917AIR BAGS

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.

20220715UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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

20220715AIR BAGS

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

20220208AIR BAGS

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

20220110ENGINE

I barely bought the car and I looked at the odometer and it’s at 126,000 and I serched and it has more then 300,000 i need help

20220110STRUCTURE:BODY

I barely bought the car and I looked at the odometer and it’s at 126,000 and I serched and it has more then 300,000 i need help

20211006CrashAIR BAGS

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

20210923VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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

Compare 2003TOYOTACOROLLA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA have?
The 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA has 858 NHTSA complaints, 142 crashes, 11 fires, 122 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA?
Yes, the 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA has 13 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA?
The most-complained component for the 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA is AIR BAGS with 314 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and SEAT BELTS.
Is the 2003 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.