The 2018 Toyota Corolla has 3 safety recalls and 136 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is air bags (36 complaints).
Recalls3safety recalls
Complaints136filed by owners
Crashes · fires26 · 5reported in complaints
Injuries · deaths17 · 1reported in complaints
2018 Toyota Corolla in an NHTSA crash test
Safety recalls
Air bags › Air bag/restraint control module
NHTSA recall 20V024000 · Jan 17, 2020 · 2,891,976 vehicles · opened after NHTSA action (ODI)
Problem: 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 and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
NHTSA recall 20V012000 · Jan 13, 2020 · 1,830,752 vehicles
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.
Equipment › Other › Labels
NHTSA recall 19V503000 · Jun 28, 2019 · 1,325 vehicles
Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA side barrier crash testNHTSA side pole crash test
2018 Toyota Corolla 4 DR FWD
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★★
Rollover
★★★★★
Rollover risk
11.8%
Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Standard
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Corolla LE Eco
34mpg combined
City / highway
30 / 40 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $1,950/year to fuel
Corolla LE Eco
33mpg combined
City / highway
29 / 38 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,050/year to fuel
Corolla
32mpg combined
City / highway
28 / 36 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,100/year to fuel
Corolla
31mpg combined
City / highway
28 / 35 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (AV-S7) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,150/year to fuel
Corolla
30mpg combined
City / highway
27 / 35 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Manual 6-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,250/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Air bags
36
17
1
12
13,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
23
0
1
1
7,115 mi
Unknown or other
18
2
0
1
19,200 mi
Engine
17
0
1
0
18,945 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
15
1
1
0
44,950 mi
Electrical system Instrument panel › Speedometer/odometer
13
1
2
1
29,300 mi
Power train
12
1
0
1
25,000 mi
Vehicle speed control Cruise control
11
1
0
0
6,000 mi
Service brakes
11
4
0
2
16,500 mi
Seat belts
11
1
0
2
7,115 mi
Steering Column
5
1
0
0
35,000 mi
Suspension
5
0
0
0
—
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
Oct 25, 2026Electrical system I was driving the car and expressway. The car was making a sound. The car did not have an engine light on it. Also, the car just switched gears. I pulled over and II was driving the car and expressway. The car was making a sound. The car did not have a engine light on it. Also, the car just switched gears. I pulled over and I tried to park the car, but it wouldnât allow me to park the car. Which it is left in drive with the emergency brake still in place .and if you let the break down the car will roll . . I got it looked at and now they are saying itâs the transmission, but it never had a light on to identify what was wrong with the car. There was no codes on the car.
Oct 14, 2026Engine schedule a service appointment at AutoNation Toyota Hayward for October 14, 2026, at 8:40 AM. I arrived before 8:37. At that time, I was told it would only take three hours to complete. The car hadn't moved at 11:37. At that time I asked when it could be completed. I was told there's no estimated completion time. So Iâve decided to leave. Why was my appointment set for 8:40 if nobody was free to deal with this until 11:37 ?
Sep 20, 2026 · crashAir bags I was driving home from church late Sunday night. A really rough storm hit and it knocked down a huge tree in the road covering the entire road. I did not see the tree until I got up on it and I went straight through it. I was running around 40 mph and total front end impact took the whole bumper off but my airbags did not deploy.
Jun 1, 2022Power train CV axle making clicking noise when turning with all CV axle boots in good condition.
Jan 1, 2026Seat belts Each travel driver seat belt become tight I try pull down for loose and I have notice the driver seat become level low.
Mar 7, 2026 · 76,099 milesPower train The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the tachometer was raised to high levels while exiting the highway. While at a stoplight, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. An OBD2 scanner was used to diagnose the vehicle, and DTC: P0741, P075B, P1604, P2757, P2820(X4) were retrieved, which were related to the torque converter. The contact was…
Jan 6, 2026Vehicle speed control My 2018 Toyota Corolla has problems with acceleration and a very large noise in the front bar that guides the wheels. It also accelerates by itself, which is why I have had to change the brakes many times. It also shakes a lot at the bottom
Jan 7, 2026Fuel/propulsion system Due to recent reports of fuel pump recalls, my daughter bought a 2018 Toyota Corolla almost a year ago. Right now that is problem and her car will not start. I need a free replacement of her fuel pump. Thank you.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
NHTSA defect investigations
EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · openDesiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled…
EA19001 · opened Apr 19, 2019 · closed Sep 19, 2024 · led to recall 20V024Electrical overstress The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal,…
