Vehicle Data Hub

2021 Toyota Corolla problems

The 2021 Toyota Corolla has 259 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (20%) concerns air bags. Next are engine (16%) and electrical system (9%).

At a glance

Complaints
259 filed with NHTSA
Most reported
Air bags 21% of complaints
Crashes and fires
31 and 3
Injuries and deaths
22 and 0
Typical mileage
12,000 miles 34 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

Complaints by mileage, 2021 Toyota Corolla Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 12,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 19 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 2 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 4 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 2 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 5 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 2 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 12,000 miles
Based on 34 complaints that include mileage. 74% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles19
20k to 40k miles2
40k to 60k miles4
60k to 80k miles2
80k to 100k miles5
100k to 120k miles2
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 34 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 12,000 miles.

Safety-related details: 31 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 22 injuries reported.

Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 12th most-complained-about out of 37 model years of the Toyota Corolla with enough data (259 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.

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.

I was rear ended. During the impact, which was enough to accelerate my vehicle from 9 mph to 36 mph, the steering wheel came completely off of the car and hit me in the head. The steering wheel was in the back seat immediately following the impact and my vehicle was traveling at 36 mph with no way to steer out control it and no airbags in front of me in case of a secondary collision. This happened on a busy interstate with dozens of drivers endangered by my out of control vehicle.

November 2022 CrashInjury

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, upon approaching it, he observed flames emanating from both the driver's and passenger's side air bags, overtaking the entire dashboard. The local fire department arrived and was able to extinguish the flames. Both police and fire reports were filed following the fire, but no injuries were reported. No warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel.

Reported at 55,000 miles, July 2023 Fire

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the parking brake warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. Additionally, the brake warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.

Reported at 10,800 miles, June 2022

Other model years of the Corolla

Best and worst years for the Toyota Corolla