2009 Toyota Corolla Engine Problems
Owners have filed 91 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2009 Toyota Corolla, 6% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 77,899 miles. The words owners use most often: “water pump” (21% of reports).
- 91engine complaints
- 77,899median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,950typical repair cost reported by owners
- 45%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Water pump: mentioned in 19 of 91 complaints (21%)
- Oil consumption: mentioned in 10 of 91 complaints (11%)
- Timing gear assembly: mentioned in 7 of 91 complaints (8%)
- Serpentine belt: mentioned in 5 of 91 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2009 Toyota Corolla at $1,950, and half of them between $1,150 and $4,050.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2014–2018), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 76 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 91 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 2 an injury.
Toyota Corolla engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Corolla | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2025 Corolla | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2024 Corolla | 6 | 9% | 27,000 |
| 2023 Corolla | 13 | 18% | — |
| 2022 Corolla | 14 | 14% | 53,500 |
| 2021 Corolla | 41 | 22% | 17,900 |
| 2020 Corolla | 111 | 36% | 10,000 |
| 2019 Corolla | 39 | 19% | 9,590 |
| 2018 Corolla | 15 | 11% | 18,945 |
| 2017 Corolla | 10 | 6% | 26,096 |
| 2016 Corolla | 13 | 6% | 60,000 |
| 2015 Corolla | 17 | 8% | 11,606 |
| 2014 Corolla | 18 | 7% | 26,339 |
| 2013 Corolla | 16 | 8% | 20,650 |
| 2012 Corolla | 4 | 1% | 38,000 |
| 2011 Corolla | 19 | 3% | 15,175 |
| 2010 Corolla | 33 | 3% | 62,523 |
| 2009 Corolla | 91 | 6% | 77,899 |
| 2008 Corolla | 21 | 7% | 70,000 |
| 2007 Corolla | 33 | 4% | 74,000 |
| 2006 Corolla | 24 | 3% | 95,667 |
| 2005 Corolla | 29 | 3% | 100,000 |
| 2004 Corolla | 9 | 2% | 102,000 |
| 2003 Corolla | 16 | 2% | 158,000 |
| 2002 Corolla | 5 | 4% | 74,047 |
| 2001 Corolla | 2 | 2% | 123,000 |
| 2000 Corolla | 3 | 2% | 121,500 |
| 1999 Corolla | 1 | 1% | 135,000 |
| 1998 Corolla | 2 | 1% | 235,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2009 Toyota Corolla. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Once you turn on your car the lifters become stuck and make a loud clicking noise on the engine. It makes the car hesitate to turn on and at times it shuts off the car automatically at any time.
Rumbling noise under the hood coming from the engine ,check engine light is on, at a slowing down speed the car starts vibrating and makes the rumbling noise under the hood!! Unsafe to drive !! Car went to the dealer williams honda - several times back to check the code and to fix the problems!! We…
This car burns oil at a ridiculous rate.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Toyota Corollas have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 91 owner complaints about engine for the 2009 Toyota Corolla (6% of the 1,459 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Toyota Corolla engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 77,899 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2009 Toyota Corolla?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,950 (half paid between $1,150 and $4,050), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2009 Toyota Corolla?
The most frequent phrase is “water pump”, in 19 of 91 complaints, followed by “oil consumption” (10).
Other 2009 Toyota Corolla problems
See all 2009 Toyota Corolla problems or engine problems across all Corolla years.