2016 Toyota Corolla: owner complaints and recalls

Analysis of 212 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 1 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.

212
Complaints
1
Recalls
66
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
56
Injuries
338.7
Severity index

Severity index 338.7 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.

Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Toyota Corolla ranks 1 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 99% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.

What actually fails

ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
AIR BAGS6530.7%
SERVICE BRAKES2913.7%
SEAT BELTS2612.3%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2310.8%
POWER TRAIN2210.4%
STEERING2210.4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2210.4%
STRUCTURE157.1%

The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 65 of 212 complaints (30.7%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.

Complaints filed per year

2015: 12016: 262017: 342018: 272019: 322020: 482021: 122022: 52023: 62024: 102025: 72026: 4151617181920212223242526
YearComplaints
20151
201626
201734
201827
201932
202048
202112
20225
20236
202410
20257
2026 (year to date)4
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
20V02400017/01/2020AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULEToyota 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 deployme
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.