2018 Toyota Corolla
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 134 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 22nd highest complaint count among 26 Corolla model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 26 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 17 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, air bag/restraint control moduleJan 17, 2020
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 20V024000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpJan 13, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.
Campaign 20V012000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, other, labelsJun 28, 2019
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.
Campaign 19V503000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
12 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 18, 2025
After having no indication of any issue, my 2018 Toyota Corolla has stopped re-starting after fueling. The only light that appeared was regarding my battery. My battery is brand new and tested.
Electrical system, Aug 25, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Toyota Corolla. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 85,000. The contact later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 200,095.
Electrical system, Engine, Mar 13, 2024
I was driving down the highway and I heard a tapping noise thought it might have been a piece of trim loose on the car so I pulled over and stopped. Immediately the engine died would not restart. I looked under the hood and the radiator cap had blown off and all of the coolant was gone The engine had overheated when I put compression test was done there was water shooting out of the valve cover. It was diagnosed as a blown head gasket The car never gave any warning lights or the thermostat never showed any temperature problem at all. I was sitting on the side of the highway for 12 hours trying to figure out what to do with the car because I didn't have money for a tow truck. Fortunately nothing terribly bad happened as a result However had I not heard the trim loose and pulled over and the car had died in the highway it could have been way worse.
Electrical system, Nov 8, 2023, fire
The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the driveway, approximately 12 hours later while the contact was sleeping, a sound woke the contact and it was discovered that the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and the fire also caused damage to the garage door, the side of the home, and the concrete driveway. The contact mentioned that the battery was replaced by AAA 3 weeks after the incident. No injuries were reported. A fire report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was later towed away. The cause of the fire was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the fire. The failure mileage was 8,000.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, May 5, 2023
Check engine light on. Cruise control stopped working. Fuel cap tightened.
Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 6, 2022
While driving the car started to sputter like it was going to die. When I stopped to gas the next day a gush of air came out of the gas tank when I took the cap off. I put gas in and then my car wouldn’t start. For 3 hours I tried and finally it started. Now I can have in park and it revs clear to the 5 sometimes then it starts sputtering. Every time I put gas in I have to sit for 3 hours then it starts. The trac off light on the dash is on as well so nothing works the lane control, cruise control, the emergency brake system.
Electrical system, Air bags, Seat belts, Nov 17, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE AIR BAGS AND REAR SEAT BELTS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER TOYOTA OF DOWNTOWN LA. (1901 S FIGUEROA ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90007, (213) 986-2011) HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 19,391. *LN*JB
Electrical system, Oct 1, 2020, fire
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN SHE PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION SWITCH WITHOUT STARTING THE VEHICLE, SMOKE START TO EMITTED THROUGH THE VENTS AND THE BOTTOM OF THE DASHBOARD IN THE MIDDLE. THE CONTACT NOT AWARE OF WHAT CAUSING THE SMOKE TO COME THROUGH THE VENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 59,326.
Electrical system, Engine, May 29, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN JIM ELLIS TOYOTA OF MCDONOUGH (144 HWY 81, MCDONOUGH, GA 30253), TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FUEL PRESSURE PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED BECAUSE THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V012000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 33,000.*DT*JB
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jan 16, 2020
THE CAR WAS IN STATIONARY MODE ON A CITY STREET AND WAITING FOR THE RED LIGHT TO TURN GREEN. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE TURNED GREEN AND I ACCELERATED A LITTLE AS THE CAR BEGIN TO MOVE BUT OUT OF NOWHERE THE CAR TURNED OFF AND ALL SYSTEMS STOPPED, INCLUDING THE COMPUTER BOARD, BUT BEFORE ALL WENT BLANK THERE WAS A MESSAGE ABOUT SYSTEM ERROR WITH A TRIANGLE SYMBOL, AND I HAD TO MANUALLY ACTIVATE THE PARKING LEVER AS WELL AS PRESS THE BRAKES. THANKFULLY EVERYONE IN THEIR LANES NOTICED MY ODYSSEY AND MADE SPACE FOR THE OTHER UPCOMING CARS AS I ACTIVATED THE EMERGENCY FLASHING LIGHTS. HOWEVER, I TURNED THE CAR FULLY OFF BY TURNING THE KEY AND WAITED SOME MINUTES AS I WAS ADJUSTING TO THE SITUATION. I THEN TURNED THE CAR ON AGAIN AND WORKED. A FEW DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE STAFF MEMBER WHO ASSISTED ME SAID THAT THE SYSTEM'S RECORD SHOWED THAT THERE AS AN ERROR HISTORY BUT DID NOT SAY WHICH COMPONENT PART OR WHERE THE MALFUNCTION WAS LOCATED THAT CAUSED THE CAR'S SAFETY RISK IN REGARDS TO THE COMPUTER SYSTEM AND ENGINE TO STOP WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. THIS RESPONSE TO WHAT HAPPENED WAS NOT SATISFACTORY TO ME BECAUSE NOTHING WAS DONE AND NO PAPERWORK OR RECORD WAS GIVEN TO ME ABOUT THE SYSTEM CHECK OR REPORT. THIS INCIDENT AND UNKNOWN RESPONSE TO THE MALFUNCTION CAUSE HAVE MADE ME WORRY ABOUT THIS HAPPENING AGAIN IN THE FUTURE UNDER OTHER UNSAFE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THAT IT COULD CAUSE ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT.
Electrical system, Lane departure, Dec 27, 2019, crash
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2018 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS ATTEMPTING TO ENTER HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, THE LANE DEPARTURE WHEEL ASSIST MALFUNCTION. THE LANE DEPARTURE WHEEL ASSIST ENGAGED WITHOUT BEING ACTIVATED BY THE DRIVER CAUSING THE VEHICLE VEERED LEFT AND RIGHT. THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND IT CRASHED INTO A WALL BARRIER. THE AMBULANCE AND POLICE DEPARTMENT ASSISTED THE DRIVER OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE RIGHT HAND, BACK, AND LEGS, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND WERE CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION. POLICE REPORT NUMBER: 19049540 WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Sep 22, 2019
I WAS TRYING TO BACK UP IN AREA WITH A LOT OF YOUNG CHILDREN AROUND. WHEN I PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND LOOKED AT THE CAMERA SCREEN, IT HAD COMPLETELY DIED. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET THE SCREEN TO WORK SINCE. IT DOES NOT DO ANY GOOD FOR THE NHTSA TO REQUIRE BACK UP CAMERA SYSTEMS IF THEY FAIL AFTER A FEW MONTHS. THE SAFETY BENEFIT OF REQUIRING A SYSTEM ON 2018 VEHICLES IF THE SYSTEM FAILS COMPLETELY BEFORE THE END OF 2019 IS NOT GOOD.