Total Complaints
494 filings
TOYOTA COROLLA · model year
494 NHTSA complaints, 54 crash reports, and 5 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
4 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2012TOYOTACOROLLA carries 494 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 54 crashes, 1 fire, 37 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 4/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2012 COROLLA is air bags with 370 filings, followed by steering (17) and vehicle speed control (15). 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 5 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 2012 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
494 filings
Crashes Reported
54 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 370 |
| STEERING | 17 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 15 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 12 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 11 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 10 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 9 |
| POWER TRAIN | 7 |
| SEAT BELTS | 7 |
| SEATS | 5 |
| ENGINE | 4 |
| STRUCTURE | 3 |
| SUSPENSION | 3 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 3 |
| WHEELS | 2 |
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
AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags a
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model y
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, and 2014-2017 Lexus GX460 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louis
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia,
The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while parking in a post office parking lot and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle experienced sudden and unintended acceleration, crashed into a tree, and shut off. There was no warning light illuminated before or after the crash. There was no property damage. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained a hematoma and pain in the right arm. The contact's friend transported the contact to Urgent Care, where the contact received medical assistance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was totaled by the insurance company. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The contact stated that she had reported a similar incident to NHTSA via mail in 2012. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
Mileage: 57,000
I got a car accident on Oct 30,2024. The air bag didn't deployed and my head has been injured.
I got a car accident on Oct 30,2024. The air bag didn't deployed and my head has been injured.
There was a paint recall for my car that expired in 2022. My carâs paint didnât start peeling until 2023 and I wasnât informed of the recall. I found out through a Reddit post. The paint peeling is not my fault and I should not have to pay for it.
Hit head in passengers side into a cement pole, car was a total loss. No airbags deployed causing bodily injury to driver and passenger from impact and seatbelt , stopping us . Chest cavity injuryâs
air bag needed to be replaced after I replaced it before on a previous recall. NEED ANOTHER RECALL
Faulty airbag - needed to get it replaced. Forced to pay for whole thing.
after fixing airbag with recalls before, i was forced to adjust airbag again. TOYOTA NEEDS ANOTHER RECALL. $1000 OU TOF POCKET
Airbag needed to be replaced....again. This vehicle has had many recalls before, but now I am forced to pay for an additional replacement. Airbags are supposed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. Toyota not covering this $1000 expense is ridiculous and unsafe.
Context: My wife replaced the driverâs side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. Weâve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report on 9/14/2023 to determine the airbag on the driverâs side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty.
: My wife replaced the driverâs side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. Weâve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report on 9/14/2023 to determine the airbag on the driverâs side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle.
Context: My wife replaced the driverâs side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. Weâve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report to determine the airbag on the driverâs side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty. While I understand this is the policy, I do not agree that an airbag replacement should be charged out of pocket after 4 years of replacement. Studies have shown that airbags should last the lifetime of the vehicle. Either the original 2019 replac
Context: My wife replaced the driverâs side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. Weâve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report to determine the airbag on the driverâs side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty. While I understand this is the policy, I do not agree that an airbag replacement should be charged out of pocket after 4 years of replacement. Studies have shown that airbags should last the lifetime of the vehicle. Either the original 2019 replac
Context: My wife replaced the driverâs side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. Weâve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report on 9/14/2023 to determine the airbag on the driverâs side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty. While I understand this is the policy, I do not agree that an airbag replacement should be charged out of pocket after 4 years of replacement. Studies have shown that airbags should last the lifetime of the vehicle. Either the origina
Context: My wife replaced the driverâs side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. Weâve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report to determine the airbag on the driverâs side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty. While I understand this is the policy, I do not agree that an airbag replacement should be charged out of pocket after 4 years of replacement. Either the original 2019 replacement was not correctly executed, or the vehicle manufacturer needs to issue another recall. It does not
The airbag (driver's side) was replaced in 2019 per a recall at a dealership in Columbia, MO. My wife and I have since moved to [XXX] . We took the car to a local mechanic (closer to our house) for basic work, such as an oil change/tire rotation. During the vehicle inspect, they said the airbag failed test (image attached). We got the work done (cost about $1,000). The dealership was not pleasant to work with and said the mechanic was "not Toyota certified" and "she should have drove to a Toyota dealership". The initial 2019 airbag replacement was under a 12-month warranty. This is the basic warranty for all repairs, which I understand. However, airbags are supposed to last longer than 4 years. The car was not in an accident. This is a either a faulty manufacturer/design. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On March 30, 2023, at approximately 7:10 pm, my son was involved in an auto accident with his 2012 Toyota Corolla and his airbags did not deploy. His vehicle was impacted on the driverâs side fender and bumper. He was traveling, approximately 50 mph in the center lane. The other vehicle that was involved had their airbags deploy. My son did experience chest, shoulder and neck pain from the impact. He was taken to Baylor-Scott and White Hospital for his injuries. The vehicle was inoperable and towed to the Lewisville impound for storage. The Flower Mound Police Department responded to the accident and an accident report was completed. On March 05, 2020, I received a notice for the Airbag Safety Recall for VIN 5YFBU4EE1CP051025. On April 03, 2020, I received a payment of $62.25 for the Takata Airbag Product Liability Litigation, No. 1:15md-02599-FAM. On May 19, 2020, the Toyota Corolla was serviced at Lone Star Toyota pursuant to the safety recall. An Airbag Harness Kit was insta
Dealer have no time to fix it
My Corolla flipped over upside down going 30 miles an hour. I collided with another vehicle that was stopped in the opposing lane of travel to turn left. We both barely were over center the line at impact that somehow caused my Corolla to roll upside down. Some how this did not deploy the safety airbags either. The airbags are not my complaint; but rather that I managed to flip upside down going 30 mph from a driver side collision. Iâm writing in an attempt to understand why it wasnât just an impact, but actually flipped the vehicle over. Also, why the safety airbags, which were recalled and repaired, did not engage upon impact. I just replaced the transmission 3 weeks prior to this bizarre accident, that may have totaled my vehicle. Itâs still sitting in my garage because new investments had just been made to keep it in good shape for another year (transmission, tires, headlights, plate renewal, etc). I was planning to purchase a new Toyota suv the following spring or shortly a
While driving on the highway the sunroof unexpectedly exploded
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.