1997 Toyota Corolla: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 149 complaints
149
Total Complaints
99,876mi
Median Mileage
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
Top Issue
22
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

78,317 25th Percentile
99,876 Median Mileage
164,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
24
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
22
AIR BAGS
9
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
7
SEAT BELTS
6
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
3

Severity Assessment

22
Crashes
5
Fires
22
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLE WAS PARKED, WENT TO RELEASE PARKING EMERGENCY BRAKE, PASSENGER'S AND DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING, NO IMPACT INVOLVED. *AK"
"THE FRONT SEAT BELT WIRES PART OF RUBBED TOGETHER UNTILL THE SEAT BELT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE SEAT BELT HAS A DEFECT IN IT. THIS REPORT IS FROM A FIRE FIGHTER. *AK"
"WHILE PARKED AND UNOCCUPIED, VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE , AREA OF FRONT PASSENGER SEAT; ACCORDING TO FIRE DEPT, CAUSED BY FAULTY WIRING TO SAFETY BELT. *AK"

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

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