2016 Toyota Corolla Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 65 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2016 Toyota Corolla, 30% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 34,900 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bags deploy” (17% of reports).
- 65air bags complaints
- 34,900median miles at failure
- 45mention a crash
- 35mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 26%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.
- Air bags deploy: mentioned in 11 of 65 complaints (17%)
- Medical attention: mentioned in 9 of 65 complaints (14%)
- Driver sustained: mentioned in 6 of 65 complaints (9%)
- Involved accident: mentioned in 6 of 65 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 44 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 65 complaints, 45 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 35 an injury.
Toyota Corolla air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Corolla | 2 | 12% | 883 |
| 2025 Corolla | 6 | 19% | 8,000 |
| 2024 Corolla | 8 | 12% | 29,916 |
| 2023 Corolla | 6 | 8% | — |
| 2022 Corolla | 10 | 10% | 16,900 |
| 2021 Corolla | 52 | 28% | 55,000 |
| 2020 Corolla | 17 | 5% | 3,700 |
| 2019 Corolla | 32 | 16% | 13,395 |
| 2018 Corolla | 36 | 27% | 13,000 |
| 2017 Corolla | 54 | 30% | 27,000 |
| 2016 Corolla | 65 | 30% | 34,900 |
| 2015 Corolla | 56 | 25% | 40,704 |
| 2014 Corolla | 69 | 26% | 41,000 |
| 2013 Corolla | 72 | 36% | 37,664 |
| 2012 Corolla | 370 | 83% | 45,000 |
| 2011 Corolla | 418 | 72% | 57,000 |
| 2010 Corolla | 424 | 34% | 62,933 |
| 2009 Corolla | 552 | 38% | 80,250 |
| 2008 Corolla | 138 | 44% | 75,607 |
| 2007 Corolla | 436 | 52% | 85,000 |
| 2006 Corolla | 454 | 54% | 86,000 |
| 2005 Corolla | 457 | 54% | 92,248 |
| 2004 Corolla | 236 | 49% | 97,500 |
| 2003 Corolla | 332 | 46% | 120,000 |
| 2002 Corolla | 23 | 20% | 69,750 |
| 2001 Corolla | 23 | 17% | 94,000 |
| 2000 Corolla | 17 | 12% | 55,000 |
| 1999 Corolla | 19 | 12% | 79,000 |
| 1998 Corolla | 61 | 27% | 65,000 |
| 1997 Corolla | 29 | 21% | 135,000 |
| 1996 Corolla | 32 | 25% | 115,000 |
| 1995 Corolla | 54 | 31% | 191,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
In 2024, my 2016 Toyota Corolla was involved in a collision. The airbags did not deploy. I went to the emergency room following the crash and later required additional medical treatment, including rehabilitation.
The driver seat belt dont work and once in a great while it will work but even whenever it does latch it still shows the seat belt isn't on and that noise keeps going off but after a while the noise goes off but the symbol is still on the dash board. I recently got hit from behind (09/15/2025) at a…
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was rear-ended. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the other driver was driving at about 45 MPH when the contact's vehicle was rear-ended. A…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2016 Toyota Corollas have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 65 owner complaints about air bags for the 2016 Toyota Corolla (30% of the 215 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 2016 Toyota Corolla air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 34,900 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2016 Toyota Corolla?
The most frequent phrase is “air bags deploy”, in 11 of 65 complaints, followed by “medical attention” (9).
See all 2016 Toyota Corolla problems or air bags problems across all Corolla years.