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What 133 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota Corolla

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (133)Crash / fire / injury (31)Fuel system (38)Airbags (35)Engine (15)Electrical system (12)Transmission & drivetrain (12)Brakes (11)Seat belts (11)Speed control (11)Steering (5)Suspension (5)

4 of 133 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 19, 2022BrakesCrash

The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated without any warning causing the vehicle to drive over the curb and crash into a 7 eleven store building. The air bags did not deploy, and no one was injured. The contact was unsure if there was a police report filed. The vehicle was towed, and it was deemed for total loss. The dealer was contacted and stated they were unsure of the cost of the repairs because the vehicle had an anti-lock brake feature. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 16,500.

NHTSA ODI 11490000

May 23, 2022SteeringBrakesCrash

The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph, the steering wheel seized and she depressed on the brake pedal but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact crashed into a traffic sign in the middle of the street. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated no one was injured or sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The contact was able to drive to her residence but continue to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle to a collision center and had the bumper replaced. The mechanic informed that he had also experienced the failure and referred the contact to a local dealer. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer but was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact traded the vehicle for another vehicle. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11465793

Oct 26, 2019Electronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2019, APPROXIMATELY 3:10 PM I GOT INTO MY 2018 TOYOTA COROLLA, THE CAR WAS STATIONARY IN PARK, AND WAS NOT RUNNING ON A FLAT SURFACE. I REALIZED I FORGOT MY WALLET SO I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND LEFT THE DRIVER'S DOOR OPEN. I RETRIEVED MY WALLET WITHIN 1 MINUTE AND WHEN I CAME OUT MY CAR WAS ROLLING SLOWLY ON THE FLAT DRIVEWAY WHERE I PARK EVERY DAY. I TRIED TO GRAB THE DOOR HANDLE TO SEE IF I COULD JUMP IN THE CAR TO STOP IT BUT IT PICKED UP SPEED AND WENT DOWN A SLIGHT INCLINE ACROSS THE YARD. THE DOOR HIT A TREE AND THEN THE CAR LANDED IN BUSHES. MY NEIGHBORS CAME RUNNING OVER BECAUSE THEY SAW THE ENTIRE INCIDENT. I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE CAR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND I STARTED THE CAR'S ENGINE SINCE IT WAS NEVER TURNED ON AND DROVE IT OUT OF THE BUSHES BACK ONTO THE FLAT DRIVEWAY. THE CAR ROLLED WHILE THE GEAR WAS IN PARK AND WAS NOT RUNNING. EVERYONE IS NOT SURE WHY THAT WOULD HAPPEN. I'M ASKING TO SEE IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION OR THE GEAR SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR. I CALLED MY INSURANCE THEY FILED A CLAIM BUT STATED IT WAS VERY STRANGE FOR THE CAR TO HAVE ROLLED AND TOLD ME TO FIND OUT IF THERE WAS A RECALL, ALSO THE ADJUSTER SAID IT WAS VERY STRANGE AS WELL FOR THE CAR TO ROLL IN PARK AND NOT RUNNING. THEY SUGGESTED IT MAY BE SOMETHING WITH THE COMPUTER SYSTEM.

NHTSA ODI 11271148

Aug 13, 2018BrakesCrash2 injuries

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2018 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A SIDE IMPACT COLLISION. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SALVAGE YARD WHERE IT WAS DEEMED DESTROYED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT AN INVESTIGATOR WAS ASSIGNED TO THE CASE. THERE WAS ONE INJURY THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT SUFFERED FROM A BROKEN STERNUM, RIGHT HIP INJURY, AND SEVERE PAIN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 300. *TT CONSUMER STATED CAR IS STILL NOT DESTROY. TOYOTA AND SAFECO INSURANCE ARE SENDING INVESTIGATOR TO DETECT THE REASON FOR BRAKE FAILURE. MY WIFE WAS ALSO INJURED IN THIS WRECK WITH BACK INJURY. THE NEW CAR WHEN I BOUGHT ON JULY 6TH,2018 HAD, ALREADY MORE THAN 200 MILES ON IT, JUST 9 DAYS DRIVEN BARELY BEFORE THE BRAKE FAILURE ON JULY 15TH AROUND 10:45AM. UPDATED 10/22/18*JB

NHTSA ODI 11119695

Working with the data? Download all 133 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 7, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2018 Toyota Corolla verdict →