2002 Toyota Corolla Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Corolla years
- Fewer complaints than other years 27th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 117 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Toyota Corolla. That ranks 27th out of 32 Corolla model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (23 complaints, 20%), typically at around 69,750 miles. Complaints mention 27 crashes, 1 fire, 21 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 117owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 27complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 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 | 23 | 20% | 69,750 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 19 | 16% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 9% | 86,524 | — | — |
| Visibility | 8 | 7% | 79,894 | — | — |
| Seats | 7 | 6% | 44,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 7 | 6% | 45,498 | — | — |
| Tires | 7 | 6% | 28,460 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 5% | 25,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 6 | 5% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 5 | 4% | 74,047 | — | — |
| Power Train | 5 | 4% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 4% | 78,526 | — | — |
| Structure | 5 | 4% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 3% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 3% | 80,038 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 3% | 8,000 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 57,900 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 1% | 75,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 Toyota Corolla recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2002 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.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture (PE14016) — opened Jun 11, 2014, closed Mar 2, 2015, led to recall 13V172000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tire size: TM-1 185/65R14 86 T Tire. I bought 4 tires in Sept 2022. I just found out that, after 11 months of normal city driving (which added bout 10K miles to the mileage) and normal maintenance, the tires already showing belt. They have become a safety hazard so I have to buy 4 new tires of…
Ive owned this car for 3 weeks and have had to put 2 quarts of oil in every week because every morning i start my car lot of blue smoke is coming out my exhaust. This is because the design temperature for the pistons in this engine was 120 degrees celsius and the actual temperatures reached are 160…
The engine is using excessive oil. Need to add 1 quart every 300 miles to keep filled. The car has 120,000 miles. Notice blue smoke upon acceleration. Car has been regularly serviced according to toyota owner's manual.
My toyota corolla 2002 ce has a design flaw with the pistons. There are not enough holes in the pistons to allow enough oil to go through and as a result, the vehicle is burning a lot of oil, up to 1 quart of oil every 250 miles. Please! Can you help me with this situation? Thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota corolla. While driving 65 mph, there was a low rumbling sound coming from the engine. There was also a strong exhaust odor inside the vehicle and it burned more oil than normal. The contact had to place approximately five quarts of oil into the vehicle after…
Other Toyota Corolla years
← 2001 Corolla · 2003 Corolla →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Corolla | 17 | 1 |
| 2025 Corolla | 31 | 0 |
| 2024 Corolla | 64 | 2 |
| 2023 Corolla | 73 | 3 |
| 2022 Corolla | 101 | 0 |
| 2021 Corolla | 186 | 1 |
| 2020 Corolla | 310 | 3 |
| 2019 Corolla | 204 | 5 |
| 2018 Corolla | 134 | 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 | 117 | 0 |
| 2001 Corolla | 133 | 0 |
| 2000 Corolla | 145 | 0 |
| 1999 Corolla | 155 | 0 |
| 1998 Corolla | 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
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Toyota Corolla?
Owners most often report air bags, engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 23 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Toyota Corolla?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2002 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 2002 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.