2020 Toyota Corolla
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 308 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 11th highest complaint count among 26 Corolla model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 22 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 23 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationDec 20, 2023
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
Campaign 23V865000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpNov 4, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus RC200t, 2019 Lexus RC300, RC350, 2017 and 2019-2020 Lexus RX350, 2018-2020 RX350L, 2019 Lexus UX200, 2018-2019 Lexus NX300 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 assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.
Campaign 20V682000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, rear/other, buckle assemblyDec 11, 2019
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 C-HR and 2020 Corolla and Corolla Hybrid vehicles equipped with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual-mode locking mechanism. The seat belt webbing sensor locking mechanism may not lock as intended.
In the event of a crash involving multiple impacts, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seat belt assembly production dates, and replace the assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TB22 and 19TA22.
Campaign 19V877000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
308 reports, newest first.
Engine, Mar 18, 2024
Had my car (Toyota Corolla 2020 SE) give a “engine maintenance required, take to a dealer” error message on my digital dashboard. No error codes from any maintenance device but apparently only the Toyota dealership can find this in the software using their computers to find it somewhere deep in there… The problem is the upper engine coolant bypass valve. This is costing me almost $1000 including the $80+ in diagnostics that ONLY the Toyota dealership can see and find out. Apparently this is a very common occurrence with the 4 cylinder corollas and RAV4s.
Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 18, 2024
I purchased my vehicle new in 2020. I am currently at 74,000 miles and noticed my engine maintenance required light come on although I received an oil change service two days prior. It’s a different message from the routine maintenance. I got it checked out at Toyota today and the “engine coolant bypass valve” needed to be replaced. When I looked into it I noticed the 2020 Camry and 2020 rav 4 were recalled for the issue and repaired for free. However my model Toyota Corolla was not recalled and I had to pay $700.82 to get it replaced at Toyota today.
Engine, Mar 12, 2024
Engine Coolant Bypass Valve replacement , Toyota is charging me 888 dollars for repair.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 11, 2024
Wipers randomly stall mid-cycle when in use, speed settings are inconsistent and sometimes fail to function at all.
Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 9, 2024
The fuel gauge suddenly malfunctioned giving a false reading of the amount of fuel remaining in the tank. A technician said that the problem seems to be with the sending unit in the tank. I use top tier gas and the car has only about 29,800 miles. The fuel gauge continues to malfunction and could be a generic design flaw. Safety could be put at risk if the vehicle ran out of fuel while driving in traffic. There were no warning lights, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Engine, Mar 7, 2024
I discovered that my 2020 Toyota Corolla SE has a Coolant Valve Bypass malfunction coded "p2688115". I have also discovered this a prevalent issue after you hit 70,000 miles. There are forums all over the internet with complaints about the same issue as mine. I did some research and found no recalls. With this being such a common issue for no reason, faulty equipment. The car has been inspected by a Toyota dealer in Bradenton, FL because we had thought the service vehicle message was for a tire rotation. They scanned the vehicle and discovered the fault code "p2688115" after trying to reset it numerous times. The senior tech was the one who scanned it. He knew the exact reason why it was not clearing before scanning the vehicle. He only scanned it to solidify his hypothesis. I then spoke to the service team, they wanted me to bring it in for a diagnosis that would cost $85.00 if my warranty did not cover it. The cost of the part was estimated at around $150.00 plus labor and taxes. It was over a $400.00 repair. For a repair as such, this needs to be recalled. The warning message never went away, if you tried to clear it to view the screen you had about three seconds before it came back on. It is a major safety risk for those who wear glasses and drive at night. I use the screen to keep myself safe and maintain my driving speed. This warning message came on around 70,000. Some so many other individuals have experienced and complained about the same problem. This needs to be escalated. I am not allowed to utilize the safety features my car has to offer. Please take action and commence an investigation.
Other or unspecified, Mar 5, 2024
toyota 2020 COOLANT BYPASS VALVE Circuit Short.
Engine, Mar 5, 2024
After bringing my vehicle in for its oil change and tire rotation, a warning message showed up from my car saying "Engine Maintenance Required". After checking with my dealer, they said that the coolant bypass valve needed to be replaced. My car only has 33,000 miles and has had no issues whatsoever.
Engine, Mar 5, 2024
After I had brought a my car to the dealer for its oil change and tire rotation, a warning message came from my car saying "Engine Maintenance Required". After checking with my dealer, they said that the coolant bypass valve needed to be replaced. After checking online, it seems that this is a common problem for recent Toyota vehicles.
Engine, Mar 5, 2024
Coolant bypass valve leaks through wiring and damages itself.
Other or unspecified, Feb 28, 2024
Coolent bypass valve
Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 19, 2024
Electrical issue on vehicle says that vehicles safety features are unavailable and all the light indications on the dash are lit up. It was taken to the dealership several times but the issue still hasn’t been resolved.
Other or unspecified, Jan 31, 2024
Coolant bypass valve bad cost $550+ to fix car is 4 years old
Service brakes, Electronic stability control (ESC), Jan 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter was shifted to drive and then reverse, but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and a diagnostic test was performed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a locked cylinder. The dealer stated that there was recall for the failure however, the vehicle had exceeded the mileage limitation. The vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V544000 (Electronic Stability Control, Service Brakes) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,249.
Seat belts, Jan 30, 2024
The system belt sensor kept beeping even though I have on seat belt
Other or unspecified, Jan 29, 2024
There is a thing that’s happening to a lot of Corollas and I think RAV4 and some cram it’s called engine maintenance required and a lot of mechanics don’t know what that means so you have to take it to the dealership to get it fixed and it’s like a $900 fix and it’s been happening to a lot of vehicles around 35,000 miles. It’s called the coolant bypass valve. There is hundreds of YouTube videos about it and people complaining about it on forums.
Engine, Jan 28, 2024
The coolant bypass valve in some Toyota models has been malfunctioning recently and has become a common issue. Dealer confirmed that this was the issue per attached diagnostic report/invoice copy. Costs were >$800 to repair the issue for a <$100 part and 30 minutes of labor. The "Engine Maintenance Required" warning was visible in the display. Unsure as to the short or long-term effects of this malfunctioning part, but as it's related to the cooling system of the vehicle, it may trigger other more serious issues.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jan 17, 2024
Around 40k miles I received an Engine Maintenance Required warning. After some research Engine Maintenance and Engine Service Required are two very different indicators. I received and P2681 code meaning the electrical coolant bypass valve had failed unfortunately one can’t tell if it’s stuck shut or open this could lead to one’s care over heating and or damaging one’s engine. After some research I’ve come to find out most 2020-2024 corollas have been having this issue tends to happen about 30-50k miles
Other or unspecified, Jan 1, 2024
Precollision System Malfunctioning and Hybrid System Malfunctioning warning signs on dashboard won’t allow the car to move or driven at all. I read reviews where people with the same warning signs on dashboard got their car stalled in the middle of the road. My vehicle only has 81,000 miles on it and Toyota dealership warranty states it’ll cover the vehicle up to 150,000 miles EV hybrid but now they are stating the car is not under warranty
Tires, Dec 28, 2023
Unknown, I can send photos. it comes with new Toyota Description of Complaint Please provide a narrative which describes the problem(s) or concern(s) you are having with your vehicle. Toyota put a cheaper, lower quality tires for my car, it damaged my front bumper when we go curve roadon CA state. I asked Toyota for warranty bumper 2020, they said "you made it". After I replace the badtires with Costco tires, no more bumper issue as before, so I know the reason. I , Costco tire service made3 parties to Tire Inc Yokohama. Yokohama agreed to refund, but need go with Toyota, Toyota rejected.First tire was down March 16, 2020 with 797 miles, the second down June 22, 2020 with 1608 miles, thirdtires down Dec 17, 2020 with just 2745 miles and 4th tire down 12225 miles on April 14, 2023.Specific Arbitration Defect(s) Please summarize the specific defect(s) you would like Arbitrator to address. Please be as succinct aspossible. When I purchased, I asked the Hamer Toyota, "Are your tires good? I saw online people claimed Toyotaput bad quality, cheaper tires on new cars", the selling man said"No, they are good as cars, online mightbe posted by Honda or others". I said"if bad, you will refund me tires cost". He said "Of course". I can email you more documents and photos. Yokohama agreed to refund, but need Toyota to refund, it comes with 5 years warranty. But Toyota did not refund me. Thanks.
Engine, Nov 27, 2023
Coolant bypass valve failure. Replacement part carried the same defect.
Air bags, Nov 7, 2023, crash
My car, a 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid, impacted an abandoned motorcycle on the dark road at full speed; however, none of the airbags deployed.
Engine, Oct 30, 2023
In the past week at 30,700 miles, my 2020 Toyota Corolla "Engine Maintenance light; see dealer" service light appeared on the dash. Through talking with a Toyota dealer, they are aware of this issue with Corollas, Camrys, and Rav4's. It is an engine coolant bypass valve, and appears to be faulty in many vehicles according to youtube videos, google, and Toyota service. Perhaps this needs to be a recall? Also, the dealer wants almost $800 to repair even though many people do it on youtube in under an hour. Parts are less than $200, and 1.5 hours of labor do not add up to $800.
Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 4, 2023
Driving approximately 20 mph- hear a beep- get instructions to go to neutral- check engine light / power steering lights are on- pulled off the side of the road- put in park, turned off and waited a minute and it started normally.
Wheels, Service brakes, Engine, Sep 23, 2023
I had to replace all four tires before reaching 40k miles. Brakes needed to be fully replaced with only two years of driving it. AND Engine Maintenance Light on for an issue with the coolant bypass valve, not covered under warranty. This is causing issues with the engine, when driving even at 25 miles per hour or at 65 the car sounds like its dragging or forcing itself, the wheel shake & car feels unbalanced even with a tire alignment. Overall i give the car a 2.5 out 5 star in performance. The body of the car is so fragile and made by very cheap materials. Spending a fortune on this vehicle and it hasnt even reached 60k miles yet.