2016 Toyota Corolla Problems

2016 Toyota Corolla problems owners report most

2016 Toyota Corolla problems are documented in public: owners have filed 214 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2015 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the airbags clearly first, at 65 of the 214 complaints, close to a third of everything filed.

A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 30 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.

Of those complaints, 66 describe a crash and 1 describes a fire. Filers reported 56 injuries.

Recalls on the 2016 Toyota Corolla

A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator found a safety defect, and the repair is free at a franchised dealer however old the car is. There is one recall on this model year. Your own car may be covered by some, all or none of them, so check the VIN rather than the model.

In owners own words

These are complaints filed about the airbags, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.

IT HAPPENED WHILE IT IS THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND CAR WAS CERTIFIED! THEY JUST UPDATED THE SOFTWARE DISABLING SOMETHING AND COVER UP LIKE ERASING THE FACE OF THE PROBLEM INSTEAD OF SOLVING IT. 01/17/2020 TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, USA, INC. MANUFACTURER SAFETY RECALL ISSUED NHTSA #20V024 RECALL #20TA03 SAFETY RECALL 20TA03 (REMEDY NOTICE) - MULTIPLE MODELS AND MODEL YEARS - INCOMPLETE OR NONDEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAGS AND/OR SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERS MAY OCCUR STATUS: REMEDY AVAILABLE HTTPS://VINRCL.SAFERCAR.GOV/VIN/VINLOOKUP RECALLS RESULTS BY VIN - VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER PRIN

THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR STARTED BLINKING RED WHEN THE CAR IS OFF, WHEN THE CAR IS ON THE LIGHT SAYS THE AIRBAG IS OFF. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER LIKE I WAS RECOMMENDED TO DO AFTER CHECKING THE RECALL WEBSITE. AUTO NATION TOYOTA AT 12111 GULF FREEWAY IN HOUSTON TEXAS FOR THEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM.AFTER IN LESS THAN AN HOUR THE SERVICE ATTENDANT CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THE CAR NEEDED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS REPLACED AND THE AC AND ENGINE FILTERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND IT WAS GOING TO COST 4 OR 5 HUNDRED DOLLARS TO FIX. WHEN I TOLD HER I JUST WANTED THE AIRBAGS F

We discovered that there was an explosion of some sort inside the car on the passenger side, which seems to have potentially involve the air bag system and/or electrical around the system, but this is not entirely known. The car was parked at the time and had not been driven for approximately 65 hours. It appears there was a fire but we did not witness. The dash is melted leaving a gaping hole, what appears to be portions of the air bag are partially disintegrated and stuck to the ceiling, the ceiling is charred, the sun visor is melted and distorted, and hanging down, underneath the dash i

THIS IS A REPORT OF BRAKE FAILURE THAT CAUSED A VEHICLE COLLISION WITH INJURIES. ON OCTOBER 29, 2016, I RENTED A 2016 TOYOTA COROLLA FROM A BETTERWAY RENT-ACAR, INC. D/BA BUDGET RENT A CAR OF ATLANTA, AT 6509 ROSWELL RD, ATLANTA, GA 30328. THE TOYOTA HAD 21,619 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE RENTAL. AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30PM I WAS DRIVING SOUTHEAST ON JIMMY CARTER BLVD IN NORCROSS GEORGIA. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND SUNNY AND THE ROAD WAS DRY. UPON DEPARTING A TRAFFIC LIGHT, I ACCELERATED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH IN MODERATE TRAFFIC TOWARDS VEHICLES WAITING AT THE INTERSECTION OF JIMMY CARTER

Every component, by complaint count

The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.

What parts cost for the 2016 Toyota Corolla

Prices read from one AutoZone store for this exact year, make and model, covering 8 kinds of part and 209 products. AutoZone year, make and model catalog prices. Engine, trim, transmission and VIN fitment are not confirmed. They are what the shelf said on the day, not a quote.

The cheapest way to keep it serviced

Taking the lowest listed price in each routine maintenance category, the filters, plugs and wipers for this car come to $54.25 in parts. That is parts alone, before labour, tax and the oil itself, and it assumes the cheapest option fits your engine.

Battery. 10 products listed, from the Econocraft Group Size 35 Battery 35-E at $99.99 up to the Odyssey Performance Group Size 35 Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) Battery ODP-AGM35 at $361.99. A refundable core deposit of $22.00 is charged on top and returned with the old part. AutoZone's own labels account for 5 of them, starting at $99.99.

Brake rotors. 26 products listed, from the PowerStop Disc Brake Rotor JBR1362SCR at $29.99 up to the EBC Brakes Disc Brake Rotor Set GD7475 at $284.99. AutoZone's own labels account for 3 of them, starting at $86.99.

Brake pads. 44 products listed, from the TotalPro Brake Pads TP1210 at $29.49 up to the EBC Redstuff Low Dust Ceramic Performance Brake Pads DP31947C at $171.99. AutoZone's own labels account for 6 of them, starting at $49.99.

Fitment is by year, make and model only. Engine, trim and transmission were not selected, so confirm the part number against your own car before buying. Prices change and vary by store.

How other model years compare

The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2020 Toyota Corolla has drawn the most complaints and the 2018 Toyota Corolla the fewest.

What to check on the airbags and restraints

Airbag reports are mostly about the warning light staying on, the passenger seat deciding nobody is sitting in it, or a bag that did not deploy in a crash. The light is the part owners see. The sensor behind it is the part that matters.

Buying a used 2016 Corolla

Watch the airbag light at startup. It should come on, then go out. A light that never comes on at all is as much of a warning as one that stays lit, because it can mean the bulb was removed to hide a fault.

If you already own one

Treat this as urgent rather than cosmetic. A restraint fault does nothing at all until the one moment it matters, and the repair is sometimes covered by a recall. Check the VIN before paying anything.

• Watch the airbag light cycle on then off at startup.
• Check the VIN against open airbag recalls first.
• Test the passenger occupancy sensor with someone sitting there.
• Ask whether any restraint part has been replaced after a crash.