2018 Toyota Corolla problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (19) · Fuel/Propulsion System (17) · Fuel System, Gasoline (15)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Corolla model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
73 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module 2020-01-17 · campaign 20V024000 · 2,891,976 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
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.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2020-01-13 · campaign 20V012000 · 1,830,752 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.
Equipment:other:labels 2019-06-28 · campaign 19V503000 · 1,325 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
Service bulletins (183)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Electrical System 2025-06-13 · T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · Service Campaign
the air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. the procedures outlined in this service bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Showing the 6 most recent of 183 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-27 · Engine“i was driving the car and expressway. the car was making a sound. the car did not have an engine light on it. also, the car just switched gears. i pulled over and ii was driving the car and expressway. the car was making a sound. the car did not have a engine light on it. also, the car just switched gears. i pulled over and i tried to park the car,…”
2026-10-14 · Engine“schedule a service appointment at autonation toyota hayward for october 14, 2026, at 8:40 am. i arrived before 8:37. at that time, i was told it would only take three hours to complete. the car hadn't moved at 11:37. at that time i asked when it could be completed. i was told there's no estimated completion time. so i’ve decided to leave. why was m…”
2026-09-22 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“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 off but my airbags did not deploy. …”
2026-06-01 · Power Train“cv axle making clicking noise when turning with all cv axle boots in good condition.…”
2026-04-30 · Seats“each travel driver seat belt become tight i try pull down for loose and i have notice the driver seat become level low.…”
2026-03-10 · Power Train · 76,099 mi“the contact owns a 2018 toyota corolla. the contact stated that while driving 75 mph, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. the contact stated that the tachometer was raised to high levels while exiting the highway. while at a stoplight, the vehicle …”
2026-02-11 · Vehicle Speed Control“my 2018 toyota corolla has problems with acceleration and a very large noise in the front bar that guides the wheels. it also accelerates by itself, which is why i have had to change the brakes many times. it also shakes a lot at the bottom…”
2026-01-07 · Fuel/Propulsion System“due to recent reports of fuel pump recalls, my daughter bought a 2018 toyota corolla almost a year ago. right now that is problem and her car will not start. i need a free replacement of her fuel pump. thank you. …”
2025-10-19 · Air Bags“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 airbags and/or seatbelt pretensioners during certa…”
2025-10-18 · Unknown Or Other“after having no indication of any issue, my 2018 toyota corolla has stopped re-starting after fueling. the only light that appeared was regarding my battery. my battery is brand new and tested. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.