2005 Toyota Corolla problems
The 2005 Toyota Corolla has 974 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (47%) concerns air bags. Next are engine (11%) and cruise control (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 974 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 47% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 145 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 108 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 526 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 | 79 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 66 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 85 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 71 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 73 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 56 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 31 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 29 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 13 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 11 |
| 200k+ miles | 12 |
What the data shows
Of the 526 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 70,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 92,000 miles (111 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 145 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 108 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 37 model years of the Toyota Corolla with enough data (373 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
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.
The 2005 corolla was slowed down for traffic ahead on the highway and rear ended by a driver, who then collided with another car. After being rear ended the 2005 corolla then hit another car. The air bag as deployed and the driver (the only person in the car ) was not alive when first responders arrived. The at fault driver then rear ended another driver (who survived). Unknown fault or problem that caused the unsafe condition. We received a noticed months later of a recall of front passenger air bag.
Complaint about an accident on september 12, 2009 I was driving on old hwy 75 between salix and sloan in iowa at about 6-7 pm on september 12, 2009. My car was a corolla 2005 ce [xxx] which has 4-cylinder and about 67,000 miles on it. As I was driving on old hwy 75, I experienced a sudden acceleration, the car lurched and pulled me to the ditch on the right hand side. I immediately loosen the acceleration pad but it didn't slow down but accelerated towards the right hand side.
My husband bought my 2005 corolla as a wedding gift. It was slightly used but bought from one of the best toyota dealerships in our town. It had approx. 18000 miles when I got t in feb of 2007. It was very basic and a standard. The shifting/clutch never seemed right from the start but I learned how to deal with it. In feb of 2010, I was leaving work and was a few miles from home. I had never in my many years of driving had a wreck.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota corolla. While driving at approximately 3 MPH pressure was applied to the break pedal and the check engine light illuminated on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the gas cap, the transmission and an unknown charcoal canister were replaced. Approximately one week later the vehicle began to intermittently stall. The vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer where the engine control module was replaced.
I have purchased a set of 4 hankook optima 727 all season tires on 12/08/09. These are rated for 100,000 miles and I have done about 15,000 miles. Until recently I considered them excellent but in november and most recently I have found them skidding on wet surfaces at relatively low speeds 25-35 MPH. On a patch of ice there was skidding at around 10 MPH. I did hit the curb. The road grip seems worse than other all season tires I have used. The tires have been inspected and the pressure tested.