Toyota Corolla Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2010 At least twice the 86.5 complaints of a typical Corolla year. Most described: unintended acceleration.
Best years: 2021 Under three quarters of the 82 complaints of a typical Corolla year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 52 mpg combined, arrived in 2020. Includes the Corolla Hybrid and hatchback. Excludes the GR Corolla and Corolla Cross.

Corolla problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Corolla year drew 86.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (82). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (82), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2010 Corolla Avoid Most described: unintended acceleration or surging	592	1,244	17
2014 Corolla Most described: airbags not deploying in a crash	91	271	2
2015 Corolla Most described: airbags not deploying in a crash	88	220	1
2016 Corolla Most described: airbags not deploying in a crash	88	216	1
2020 Corolla Most described: stalling or shutting off	88	316	6
2011 Corolla Most reported: air bags	87	585	9
2013 Corolla Most described: airbags not deploying in a crash	87	201	5
2017 Corolla Most described: airbags not deploying in a crash	86	190	3
2018 Corolla Most described: stalling or shutting off	86	144	3
2019 Corolla Most described: stalling or shutting off	78	206	6
2023 Corolla Most reported: steering	65	74	4
2022 Corolla Most described: airbags not deploying in a crash	62	106	0
2012 Corolla Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	49	446	5
2021 Corolla Best Most reported: air bags	49	188	1

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Corolla for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	50 mpg Hybrid	1	18
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	50 mpg Hybrid	1	34
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	50 mpg Hybrid	3	68
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	50 mpg Hybrid	4	74
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	52 mpg Hybrid	0	106
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	52 mpg Hybrid	1	188
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	52 mpg Hybrid	6	316
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	6	206
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	3	144
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	3	190
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	1	216
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	1	220
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	2	271
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	5	201
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	5	446
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	9	585
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	17	1,244	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2010: 1,244 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Corolla
Model year	Complaints
2010	1,244
2011	585
2012	446
2013	201
2014	271
2015	220
2016	216
2017	190
2018	144
2019	206
2020	316
2021	188
2022	106
2023	74
2024	68
2025	34
2026	18

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 29 to 36 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2019. Hybrid: 50 to 52 mpg (2020 to 2026); highest in 2020.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 35 mpg · hybrid 50 mpg

Show as a table

Toyota Corolla best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	30	–
2011	30	–
2012	29	–
2013	29	–
2014	34	–
2015	34	–
2016	34	–
2017	34	–
2018	34	–
2019	36	–
2020	35	52
2021	35	52
2022	35	52
2023	35	50
2024	35	50
2025	35	50
2026	35	50

Every Corolla year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Honda Civic vs Toyota CorollaMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Toyota Corolla years should you avoid?

The 2010 Corolla is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 86.5 owner complaints of a typical Corolla year in its first three years. Owners of the 2010 most often describe unintended acceleration. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Toyota Corolla years?

The 2021 Corolla is the best year: it drew 49 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 82 complaints of a typical Corolla year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Toyota Corolla years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2010 (592) drew the most, then the 2014 (91). Owners of the 2010 most often describe unintended acceleration or surging.

Which Toyota Corolla years have the most recalls?

The 2010 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (17), then the 2011 (9). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Toyota Corolla problems?

In the 4,527 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe airbags not deploying in a crash (267 complaints); unintended acceleration or surging (163 complaints, most of them for the 2010 and 2015); and stalling or shutting off (114 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Toyota Corolla year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 52 mpg combined, first reached by the 2020 hybrid version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.