1998 Toyota Corolla Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Corolla years
- About as many complaints as other years 13th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 225 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Toyota Corolla. That ranks 13th out of 32 Corolla model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (61 complaints, 27%), typically at around 65,000 miles. Complaints mention 36 crashes, 8 fires, 29 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year.
.jpg){kind=link}
- 225owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 36complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Toyota Corolla problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 61 | 27% | 65,000 | “air bag” (51%) | $900 |
| Structure | 24 | 11% | 92,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 18 | 8% | 64,820 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 17 | 8% | 67,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 17 | 8% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 17 | 8% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 16 | 7% | 85,600 | — | — |
| Suspension | 16 | 7% | 97,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 14 | 6% | 51,690 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 11 | 5% | 101,453 | — | — |
| Tires | 11 | 5% | 135,730 | — | — |
| Power Train | 9 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 3% | 101,500 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 6 | 3% | 51,774 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 3% | 58,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 5 | 2% | 62,977 | — | — |
| Visibility | 5 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 1% | 235,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 1% | 38,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Toyota Corolla recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 1998 Toyota Corolla.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact's wife owns a 1998 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while his wife was taking items out of the trunk of the vehicle, the trunk lid closed abruptly. The contact later noticed that the trunk lid driverâs side hinge was fractured. The contact's wife did not sustain any injuries. The…
My auto mechanic and I, after extensive diagnosis, have confirmed that the Pulse mileage/route tracking device that Metromile car insurance had me plug into the computer port of my 1998 Toyota Corolla LE is failing or has failed, and this caused a potentially disastrous situation to develop w/my…
Air bag light stays on. When i looked up any recalls on this year of toyota, there were alot of complaints and no fixes. I think toyota should fix this safety problem with the air bags, it is a big deal not feelig safe on the road. The light came on when we were driving. We tried to reset it but…
Takata airbag recall my 1998 toyota corolla is listed as one of the cars effected by the takata airbag recall. Today i noted a blinking light on my dash board for the airbag. Please advise.
THIS COMPLAINT IS ABOUT A GPS DEVICE THAT ATTACHES TO THE CAR THROUGH THE OBDII PORT. MANUFACTURERED BY AGNIK CORPORATION SOLD UNDER THE BRAND NAME VYNCS. THE DEVICE, WHEN INSTALLED, HAS CAUSED INTERMITTENT STALLING OF THE VEHICLE AT LOW SPEED SUCH APPROACHING A STOP OR IDLING IN GEAR AT A STOP…
Other Toyota Corolla years
← 1997 Corolla · 1999 Corolla →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Corolla | 17 | 1 |
| 2025 Corolla | 31 | 0 |
| 2024 Corolla | 65 | 2 |
| 2023 Corolla | 73 | 3 |
| 2022 Corolla | 101 | 0 |
| 2021 Corolla | 186 | 1 |
| 2020 Corolla | 310 | 3 |
| 2019 Corolla | 204 | 5 |
| 2018 Corolla | 135 | 3 |
| 2017 Corolla | 178 | 3 |
| 2016 Corolla | 215 | 1 |
| 2015 Corolla | 220 | 1 |
| 2014 Corolla | 269 | 2 |
| 2013 Corolla | 201 | 5 |
| 2012 Corolla | 446 | 5 |
| 2011 Corolla | 584 | 9 |
| 2010 Corolla | 1,244 | 17 |
| 2009 Corolla | 1,459 | 13 |
| 2008 Corolla | 314 | 6 |
| 2007 Corolla | 836 | 6 |
| 2006 Corolla | 840 | 7 |
| 2005 Corolla | 854 | 6 |
| 2004 Corolla | 477 | 9 |
| 2003 Corolla | 720 | 9 |
| 2002 Corolla | 117 | 0 |
| 2001 Corolla | 133 | 0 |
| 2000 Corolla | 145 | 0 |
| 1999 Corolla | 155 | 0 |
| 1998 | 225 | 0 |
| 1997 Corolla | 135 | 1 |
| 1996 Corolla | 129 | 0 |
| 1995 Corolla | 176 | 2 |
See all Toyota Corolla problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
Similar Toyota models
Embed this 1998 Toyota Corolla badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Toyota Corolla?
Owners most often report air bags, structure, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 61 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Toyota Corolla?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 1998 Toyota Corolla a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Corolla model years, the 1998 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.