2021 Toyota Corolla
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 185 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 18th highest complaint count among 26 Corolla model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 18 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 13 people were injured.
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
Representative owner complaints: engine
40 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Jul 31, 2024
Engine code P2681(15) which after lookup is the coolant bypass valve which is a common faulty part that Toyota seems to not care about and charge upwards of 700$ at the dealer to fix. I took the part out and it indeed has a crack around the case
Engine, Jul 31, 2024
My car reached 52,254 miles and I got a engine maintenance required a scary message I have never seen before I thought it was the oil maintenance one but it’s not I keep dismissing the message because I can’t see my speed and it stays in the way I have realized that if I start the car with AC on the message pops up but if I don’t have ac on and start the car it never appears unless I turn on the ac as the car is already on so it seems to be the coolant valve bypass I received the error message as I was parked for no longer than 40 seconds at most
Engine, Jun 29, 2024
Collant by pass malfuntion 2 time
Engine, Jun 25, 2024
After hitting 45k miles my engine light turned on and required a coolant bypass valve replacement. This issue has occurred for all Toyota Corolla drivers and rav4 drivers I have came in contact with. This issue should be resolved my car is only 3 years old and should not require pricey engine repairs.
Engine, May 29, 2024
Coolant bypass valve stuck shut at 65k miles. Seems like it’s a common occurrence with newer Toyotas. Was told to report it as a safety issue.
Engine, May 23, 2024
They said they need to replace the Engine coolant bypass hose circuit short/open.
Engine, May 21, 2024
Engine coolant bypass valve short to battery. Throwing code - P2681-15 at 33,000 miles.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 10, 2024
Coolant bypass value sensor failure
Engine, Apr 9, 2024
The engine coolant bypass valve circuit short to battery or open and lower hose - Trouble Code - DTC: P268115. The error message "Engine Maintenance Required - Visit Your Dealer" was consistently popping up and I couldn't see my speed or dash or how many miles I had till empty even after acknowledging the message and pressing ok & back. It would stay on while my car was on no matter what. I couldn't use or see any of my information on my dash. The problem has come up multiple times by different people in the auto forum and I was warned that I would have to replace it again in 15 months. There was no light that came on on my dash just the message that would pop up and block my speed so I couldn't see how fast I was going or when I was going to be out of gas. I'm not sure if it's been inspected by the manufacturer. It first appeared after 3 years of owning my brand new car. I was very shocked that I already needed to replace a part in my engine after only having and driving my car for a short amount of time and 30,000 miles on it. It was an expensive part and caused me to have to guess how fast I was going while driving as I couldn't see or get the message to go away even after acknowledging it. I took it to Toyota and they told me the only way to get the notification to go away was to replace it but they did tell me that they have recently had multiple cars come in with the same issue. I had to drive my car in danger as I couldn't immediately afford to pay to get it fixed right away and was in college away from home and didn't have enough time to leave my car in the shop.
Engine, Jan 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while his granddaughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the Parking Brake and Lane Tracing Assist malfunction indicators were illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine control unit software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Engine, Aug 25, 2023
I went in after my vehicle displayed a check engine code after my recent visit to the dealer which included a regular oil change plus multi point inspection. At 51k miles the check engine went on and said immediately to go to the dealer. After paying for the dealer inspection, which was extra money, the issue was the engine coolant bypass valve for my vehicle that failed and leaked. I asked if this was common and the dealer said yes since they've been replacing them. I checked online forums and hundreds of people have had this issue at random miles. This costed me over $900 dollars to repair and could of damaged my cars engine leaving me without a vehicle or cause a safety accident. I paid a hefty bill for a faulty item that should have been recalled since it's quite "common" according to the toyota dealership. I regularly maintain my vehicle with the recommended maintenance and this should have not occurred.
Engine, Jun 1, 2022, crash
2021 TOYOTA COROLLA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED OVER A BARRIER. WHEN THE CONSUMER REVERSED THE VEHICLE, IT ACCELERATED BACKWARDS INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE CAUSING DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED. *JS
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 8, 2021
The problem seems to occur when activating the Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) feature, as detailed next. During a recent trip, the car behaved in a potentially dangerous, life-threatening manner when the DRCC function was activated. Specifically, the car seems to increase the RPM of the engine to dangerous levels when going down a slope even if there is a speed limit set using the cruise control. In other words, the car does not change gear properly to keep the RPM in normal ranges. The engine’s RPM getting close, entering the red zone indicated by the RPM tachometer, and staying there even for seconds may cause an engine explosion which at highway speeds can be extremely dangerous for the passengers and other nearby vehicles on the road.
Electrical system, Engine, Lane departure, Sep 30, 2021
Got in the car this morning and the check engine light came on. Needed to get to work so started driving. About 5 minutes later car started shuttering and reduced engine power displayed. Had to do 20 MPH all the way to work. Did not make for a good morning. The lane keep assist and other safety features were turned off as well. Not very safe when driving.
Electrical system, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 8, 2021, crash
AFTER PURCHASING MY COROLLA MY CAR POWERED DOWN. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT AND STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS WAS IN NOVEMBER 2020. ON 1/16/2021 I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, EVERYTHING JUST POWERED DOWN. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. THIS WAS AROUND 6:00PM. I THEN CALLED MY FAMILY AND TOLD THEM WHERE I WAS AND WHAT HAPPENED. A PASSERBY STOPPED TO ASSIST ME AND GOT MY CAR RUNNING BY JUMPING IT OFF. AN HOUR LATER I WAS SITTING IN A PRIVATE DRIVE WAITING ON TRAFFIC TO PASS BEFORE PULLING OUT. THE NEXT THING I KNOW I WAS HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THAT HIT ME THEN WENT OVER TO THE OTHER LANE AND SIDESWIPED A TRUCK THAT HAD A LOW BOY TRAILER ATTACHED TO IT. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WHEN THE TRUCK HIT THE OTHER TRUCK AFTER HITTING ME THAT IS WHEN THE 3 PEOPLE IN THE TRUCK WERE KILLED. TWO OF THE PEOPLE WERE EJECTED AND THE OTHER PARTIALLY EJECTED. THE PEOPLE IN THE 2ND TRUCK TOLD POLICE THAT I FAILED TO YIELD THE RIGHT OF WAY. THEY NEVER ASKED ME WHAT HAPPENED AND TOOK THE OTHER DRIVERS WORD AT WHAT HAPPENED. THERE WERE NO SKID MARKS FROM EITHER TRUCK ON THE ROADWAY. IF I WAS PULLING OUT I AM SURE THERE WOULD BE SKID MARKS.*DT*JB