Toyota Corolla Engine Problems by Year
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Not unusually. Owners have filed 593 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2008–2025 Toyota Corolla. For the Toyota Corolla, that's 0.11 engine complaints per 1,000 sold across the 2015–2022 cohorts, below the 0.44 median of the 53 models we can rate. The worst years are 2009, 2020 and 2008.
Engine complaints
593
Filed with NHTSA, 2008–2025 models
Per 1,000 sold
0.11
2015–2022 cohorts
Share of all complaints
9.4%
of 6,331 complaints for this model
Engine recalls
1
NHTSA campaigns, all years
Toyota Corolla engine complaints by model year
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA whose component list includes Engine and Engine Cooling, and per 1,000 vehicles sold where a published U.S. sales figure exists. Worst years are highlighted.
| Model year | Engine complaints | Per 1,000 sold | Share of all complaints | Crash / fire / injury | Engine recalls | Engine TSBs* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008WORST | 56 | — | 16.3% | 6 | 10V384000 | 10 |
| 2009WORST | 147 | — | 9.6% | 11 | — | 107 |
| 2010 | 43 | — | 3.4% | 5 | — | 102 |
| 2011 | 27 | — | 4.6% | 6 | — | 94 |
| 2012 | 4 | — | 0.9% | 1 | — | 19 |
| 2013 | 19 | — | 9.4% | 4 | — | 30 |
| 2014 | 20 | — | 7.5% | 3 | — | 41 |
| 2015 | 17 | 0.05 | 7.8% | 3 | — | 14 |
| 2016 | 13 | 0.04 | 6.2% | 1 | — | 10 |
| 2017 | 12 | 0.04 | 6.4% | 2 | — | 9 |
| 2018 | 15 | 0.05 | 11.3% | 1 | — | 11 |
| 2019 | 39 | 0.13 | 19.5% | 1 | — | 23 |
| 2020WORST | 108 | 0.46 | 35.6% | 3 | — | 49 |
| 2021 | 38 | 0.17 | 20.9% | 2 | — | 44 |
| 2022 | 14 | 0.06 | 14.4% | 0 | — | 21 |
| 2023 | 13 | — | 18.3% | 1 | — | 30 |
| 2024 | 6 | — | 9.8% | 0 | — | 26 |
| 2025 | 2 | — | 7.4% | 0 | — | 5 |
- Per 1,000 sold = complaints ÷ published U.S. calendar-year sales × 1,000. Calendar-year sales stand in for the model-year cohort. A dash means no published figure or fewer than 5,000 sold, too small to divide by.
- Older model years have had more time on the road to collect complaints, so compare neighboring years, not 2010 against 2024.
- Crash / fire / injury = complaints where the owner reported a crash, a fire or an injury.
- *Technical service bulletins in the year's leading TSB categories that name the engine.
Common Toyota Corolla engine problems owners describe
We searched the narratives of all 593 engine complaints for symptom keywords. One complaint can mention several, so the shares don't add up to 100%.
Toyota Corolla years to avoid for the engine
2009 Toyota Corolla
147 engine complaints (9.6% of the year's 1,533). Most often described: misfire or check-engine light.
2020 Toyota Corolla
108 engine complaints (35.6% of the year's 303), 0.46 per 1,000 sold. Most often described: overheating or coolant loss.
2008 Toyota Corolla
56 engine complaints (16.3% of the year's 344). Most often described: misfire or check-engine light. Covered by engine recall 10V384000.
Worst years are those with at least 10 engine complaints and at least 1.5 times the model's median year. For every year's overall verdict, including other systems, see the Toyota Corolla years to avoid.
Toyota Corolla engine recalls
NHTSA recall campaigns filed under Engine for any Toyota Corolla model year. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check a specific car by VIN on NHTSA's site.
- 10V384000 · 2010-08-26 · 2008 models
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2008 COROLLA AND COROLLA MATRIX VEHICLES. THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) FOR THE SUBJECT MODELS EQUIPPED WITH THE 1ZZ-FE ENGINE AND TWO-WHEEL DRIVE MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY…
Related research
Frequently asked questions
Does the 2009 Toyota Corolla have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 147 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2009 Toyota Corolla, 9.6% of all 1,533 complaints for that year. The most common description is "misfire or check-engine light" (27 complaints). 11 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Does the 2020 Toyota Corolla have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 108 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2020 Toyota Corolla, 35.6% of all 303 complaints for that year, or 0.46 per 1,000 sold. The most common description is "overheating or coolant loss" (88 complaints). 3 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Does the 2008 Toyota Corolla have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 56 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2008 Toyota Corolla, 16.3% of all 344 complaints for that year. The most common description is "misfire or check-engine light" (22 complaints). One engine-related recall covers it: 10V384000. 6 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Which Toyota Corolla years have the most engine complaints?
2009 (147), 2020 (108) and 2008 (56), by owner complaints filed with NHTSA that name the engine. Raw counts favor older and higher-selling years, so compare the per-1,000-sold column too.
What are the most common Toyota Corolla engine problems?
In the 593 engine complaints, owners most often describe overheating or coolant loss (30%), misfire or check-engine light (17.7%) and stalling or shutting off while driving (15%). One complaint can mention several symptoms.
Is this a engine failure rate?
No. These are complaints owners chose to file with NHTSA. Many failures are never reported, and one complaint is not a confirmed defect. Dividing by sales shows how often owners complain relative to how many were sold, which makes models of different sizes comparable.
How we count
Counts are unique owner complaints (by NHTSA ODI number) filed with NHTSA for each Toyota Corolla model year, from NHTSA's public complaints data fetched July 2026 to November 2026. A complaint counts as a engine complaint when NHTSA's component list for it includes Engine and Engine Cooling.
Per 1,000 sold divides complaints by published U.S. calendar-year sales for that year. A year needs at least 5,000 sales to get a rate, and a model needs at least 3 such years for its overall rate. The comparison median covers every model with at least 50 engine complaints that clears those floors.
These are complaint rates, not failure rates. Owners report some problems more than others, and a complaint is not a confirmed defect.
Sources
- NHTSA complaints by vehicle (owner complaints API) — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Report a vehicle safety problem — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration