2016 Toyota Corolla Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Corolla years
- About as many complaints as other years 15th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 215 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Corolla. That ranks 15th out of 32 Corolla model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (65 complaints, 30%), typically at around 34,900 miles. Complaints mention 66 crashes, 2 fires, 57 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
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- 215owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 66complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 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 | 65 | 30% | 34,900 | “air bags deploy” (17%) | — |
| Service Brakes | 30 | 14% | 20,810 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 26 | 12% | 35,534 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 24 | 11% | 20,150 | — | — |
| Power Train | 22 | 10% | 54,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 22 | 10% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 22 | 10% | 13,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 15 | 7% | 5,211 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 14 | 7% | 20,988 | — | — |
| Engine | 13 | 6% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 5% | 17,852 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 10 | 5% | 300 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 4% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 8 | 4% | 28,520 | — | — |
| Seats | 7 | 3% | 13,250 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 6 | 3% | 29,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 5 | 2% | 17,890 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 2% | 43,147 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 1% | 1,397 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 Toyota Corolla recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
Problem: Toyota 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 deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
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
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
- Electrical overstress (EA19001) — opened Apr 19, 2019, closed Sep 19, 2024, led to recall 20V024.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
While operating a vehicle through the peer-to-peer car-sharing platform Turo in Alaska (Reservation: 61060048), the vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic brake failure of the braking system while driving. The brakes completely failed to respond, creating an immediate loss of vehicle control…
The defrost no longer works. When I put on defrost it doesn't blow out of the defrost causing me not to be able to see out of my windshield. I have found other people online with this same issue. My heat and air conditioner work fine.
Purchased set of 4 Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring 195/65R1591H tires on 26 Jun 2026 @ 48,847 miles on the odometer. Three of the tires had the same serial number of [redacted], with the 4th of [redacted]. Brought car in for service on 20 Oct 2025 @ 65,340 due to a slow leak on the rear passenger and was…
The CVT transmission on my 2016 Toyota Corolla initially suffered a complete mechanical failure and was repaired on 01/08/2024, forcing me to pay $3,696 out of pocket for a replacement at an independent shop. Last week, the transmission experienced issues again, and this time a certified Toyota…
The factory-applied Super White (paint code 040) paint on my vehicle has peeled down to bare metal on multiple exterior body panels. The peeling is not the result of any collision damage, scratches, or external trauma â it is consistent with the known factory paint adhesion defect that Toyota…
Other Toyota Corolla years
← 2015 Corolla · 2017 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 | 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 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 2016 Toyota Corolla?
Owners most often report air bags, service brakes, seat belts problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 65 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Toyota Corolla?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 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 2016 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.