"How reliable is the 1998 Toyota Corolla?"

"Based on 278 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Toyota Corolla has a median complaint mileage of 76691 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Toyota Corolla?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Toyota Corolla is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 278 total complaints filed."

1998 Toyota Corolla: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 278 complaints

278

Total Complaints

76,691mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

53,417 25th Percentile

76,691 Median Mileage

99,325 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Frontal

Door

Vehicle Speed Control

Tires

Engine

Seat Belts

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Sensor/Control Module

Automatic Transmission

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVNG VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE LURCHES LEFT TO RIGHT. OWNER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERS AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM. OWNER IS VERY CONCERNED FOR SAFETY. *AK"

"VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED WITHOUT A STABILIZER BAR. THEREFORE COULD LOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK"

"PRESSURE DEVELOPS IN THE GAS TANK."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 34 complaints

25th: 41,500 mi Median: 61,166 mi 75th: 75,500 mi

Door 14 complaints

Median: 91,000 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 12 complaints

25th: 46,513 mi Median: 63,410 mi 75th: 68,615 mi

Tires 8 complaints

25th: 72,431 mi Median: 105,656 mi 75th: 144,797 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 72 TX: 21 NY: 19 FL: 16 MD: 13 IL: 11 IN: 8 OH: 8 MA: 8 WI: 8

Who Files Complaints?

50%

Original Owners

50%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Corolla — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	31	-	Automatic Transmission	3
1991	96	89,800	Door	22
1992	115	-	Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	8
1993	154	101,000	Frontal	46
1994	199	133,526	Frontal	78
1995	226	159,000	Frontal	63
1996	151	76,500	Frontal	34
1997	149	99,876	Retractor	22
1999	188	70,000	Tires	30
2000	176	71,000	Engine	35
2001	163	67,500	Air Bags	39
2002	141	62,000	Air Bags	38
2003	857	85,000	Air Bags	142
2004	558	58,000	Air Bags	85
2005	969	69,424	Air Bags	144
2006	970	59,000	Air Bags	163
2007	983	44,530	Air Bags	165
2008	378	39,871	Air Bags	95
2009	1769	24,000	Air Bags	276
2010	1567	6,050	Air Bags	210
2011	689	30,000	Air Bags	71
2012	496	34,415	Air Bags	54
2013	269	25,000	Air Bags	62
2014	379	33,000	Air Bags	104
2015	303	26,500	Air Bags	104
2016	306	24,999	Air Bags	104
2017	271	13,192	Air Bags	67
2018	193	17,874	Air Bags	33
2019	281	10,000	Power Train	39
2020	380	7,000	Engine	35
2021	234	7,000	Air Bags	28
2022	111	12,500	Electrical System	17
2023	108	-	Steering	16
2024	89	15,311	Unknown Or Other	19
2025	28	-	Unknown Or Other	6

Active Recalls (4)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Headlights

Campaign 08E050000 | 11/08/2008

WITHOUT THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS, THE LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY BE AFFECTED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 09E012000 | 07/04/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E065000 | 17/07/2006

LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

AJ MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AJ MOTORSPORT AT 626-618-2026.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E026000 | 23/03/2006

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.

Airbag Safety

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Check for open airbag recalls at NHTSA.gov using your VIN
Never ignore the airbag warning light — get it diagnosed immediately
Don't install aftermarket steering wheel covers that block the airbag
Keep the area around airbag deployment zones clear of accessories

Compare Toyota Corolla

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Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28