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2018 Toyota CorollaProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 136 owner complaints about the 2018 Toyota Corolla, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 3 safety recalls, and for recall 20V-024 the manufacturer reports only 58% of affected cars repaired.

2018 Toyota Corolla
59
CarFlaw IndexSolid year31% below the Corolla median · #26 of 38 years by complaints
Safety recalls3Lowest repair rate 58%Owner complaints13645 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage13kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 27, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2018 Toyota Corolla has problems

136 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags3618
Fuel/propulsion system231
Engine171
Fuel system, gasoline152
Electrical system133
Power train121
Service brakes114
Seat belts112
Vehicle speed control111
14 other systems346

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

3 recalls

2018 Toyota Corolla recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

58%repaired · 2022 Q1

Air bags: air bag/restraint control module

Recall 20V-024 · Jan 17, 2020 · 2,891,976 vehicles · 1,672,902 repaired

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.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

84%repaired · 2022 Q1

Delivery: fuel pump

Recall 20V-012 · Jan 13, 2020 · 1,830,752 vehicles · 1,540,470 repaired

Risk. If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

100%repaired · 2021 Q2

Other: labels

Recall 19V-503 · Jun 28, 2019 · 1,325 vehicles · 1,325 repaired

Risk. An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Toyota.

Best & worst years

2018 vs. every other Corolla year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Corolla median. How we score

'69'70'71'73'76'77'78'79'80'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26'27
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2018 Toyota Corolla safety ratings

2018 Toyota Corolla 4 DR FWD in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

★★★★★Overall rating
2018 Toyota Corolla frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crash★★★★★
2018 Toyota Corolla side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrier★★★★★
2018 Toyota Corolla side pole test, NHTSA
Side pole★★★★★
  • Rollover: 4 stars (11.8% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: Standard
  • Lane departure warning: Standard
2 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2018 Toyota Corolla, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Electrical overstressEA19001 · closed Sep 19, 2024
    Led to recall 20V-024
  2. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
In owners' words

What Corolla owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

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…
Complaint 11766243 · Sep 22, 2026
On October 17, 2025, a 2018 Toyota Corolla LE was delivered to an authorized Toyota dealership for an airbag recall repair. The recall involved the airbag electronic control unit (ECU), which, according to Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), may fail to deploy the…
Complaint 11694365 · Oct 19, 2025
A car was going to hit my car, I went to hit the horn and the horn doesn't work a few days later a airbag light went on. Went to the dealership and they said it's a know malfunction in toyota corolla. They are not sure if the airbags will work or not. They recommend that I put a notice in for…
Complaint 11589473 · May 18, 2024

Own a 2018 Corolla?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.