"How reliable is the 1990 Toyota Corolla?"

"Based on 31 NHTSA complaints, the 1990 Toyota Corolla has a median complaint mileage of 0 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION."

"What are common problems with the 1990 Toyota Corolla?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1990 Toyota Corolla is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 31 total complaints filed."

1990 Toyota Corolla: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 31 complaints

Total Complaints

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TIRES

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SEATBELT FAILURE, UNABLE TO LATCH SEATBELT ON DRIVER SIDE. TT"

"FRONTAL COLLISION IMPACT 1:00, SPEED 35 MPH, LAP/SHOULDER ON DRIVERS SIDE DID NOT RETRACT. TT"

"DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT, AND ARE LOOSE. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 5 RI: 4 GA: 3 WI: 3 NY: 3 NJ: 2 MI: 2 FL: 2 AL: 1 00: 1

Who Files Complaints?

25.8%

Original Owners

74.2%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Corolla — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	96	89,800	STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR	22
1992	115	-	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE	8
1993	154	101,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	46
1994	199	133,526	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	78
1995	226	159,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	63
1996	151	76,500	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	34
1997	149	99,876	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	22
1998	278	76,691	AIR BAGS	45
1999	188	70,000	TIRES	30
2000	176	71,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	35
2001	163	67,500	AIR BAGS	39
2002	141	62,000	AIR BAGS	38
2003	857	85,000	AIR BAGS	142
2004	558	58,000	AIR BAGS	85
2005	969	69,424	AIR BAGS	144
2006	970	59,000	AIR BAGS	163
2007	983	44,530	AIR BAGS	165
2008	378	39,871	AIR BAGS	95
2009	1769	24,000	AIR BAGS	276
2010	1567	6,050	AIR BAGS	210
2011	689	30,000	AIR BAGS	71
2012	496	34,415	AIR BAGS	54
2013	269	25,000	AIR BAGS	62
2014	379	33,000	AIR BAGS	104
2015	303	26,500	AIR BAGS	104
2016	306	24,999	AIR BAGS	104
2017	271	13,192	AIR BAGS	67
2018	193	17,874	AIR BAGS	33
2019	281	10,000	POWER TRAIN	39
2020	380	7,000	ENGINE	35
2021	234	7,000	AIR BAGS	28
2022	111	12,500	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	17
2023	108	-	STEERING	16
2024	89	15,311	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	19
2025	28	-	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	6

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28