2001 Toyota Corolla problems
The 2001 Toyota Corolla has 163 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (20%) concerns engine. Next are air bags (14%) and brakes (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 163 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 39 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 64 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 67,000 miles 84 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 8 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 20 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 13 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 18 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 84 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 67,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 67,000 miles (22 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 39 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 64 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 96% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 28th most-complained-about out of 37 model years of the Toyota Corolla with enough data (88 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
1- there was an odor of gasoline in the car. 2- smoke came in from dashboard vents; seconds after that the brakes failed; flames came in through the dashboard vents then the car burst into flames causing the driver to have to leap from the vehicle while it was in motion. Moments later the car exploded and was fully engulfed in flames. 3 - the car was unrecognizable after the explosion and completely totaled. The tires and all non-metal parts of the car were gone.
My daughter hit a stopped car at approx 30 MPH. She hit the steering wheel and then the airbags deployed too late. She was driving on a city street. She was going straight.
I was driving on the 22 east on nov 27 '04 930 am. About 6 seconds before I changed lanes, their was a 3 second their was a sprinkle of rain. I changed lanes and noticed a stoped car about 330 feet in front of me, while traveling at 60. I aplied my foot on the brake and I slid with brakes locked. I then repressed the brakes and again slid with brakes locked. I then removed the pressure and noticed that the brakes didn't unlock.
My 20yo daughter was at a stop light completely stopped. Light turned green, everyone started to go, she took her foot off the brake rolled into the car in front of her, tapped the car and her airbags went off, broke her jaw, dislocated her jaw, broke 5 teeth in the back, and lacerated her lip. Luckily no one was in the passengers side. She had her seatbelt on, her windshield was shattered by the airbags, no damage to any other part of the vehicle. She had to have surgery, and her jaw wired shut for 4-6 weeks now.
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 toyota corolla. While driving 60 MPH, another vehicle rear ended the contact's vehicle. The driver's seat detached and moved backwards. As a result, the contact could not reach the pedals. None of the air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a neck, head, and mid back injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed and towed.