NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 216 owner complaints for the 2016 Toyota Corolla. It has 1 open investigation that names this model year.
Recalled components: air bags. Most-described problem: airbags not deploying in a crash (34 complaints, 16%). Most-reported area: air bags (65 complaints, 30%; median mileage when it happened: 34,900).
More complaints than a typical Corolla year
The 2016 drew 88 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 86 for a typical Corolla year (82 for a typical year since 2016).
Years to avoid: 2010; best year: 2021. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
NHTSA listing: COROLLA. Toyota campaign 20TB03 / 20TA03.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has opened 2 investigations that name the 2016 Toyota Corolla; 1 is still open. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Engineering analysis EA21002Open since Sep 17, 2021
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant - propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L.
NHTSA listing: COROLLA. Component: Air bags (frontal, driver side, inflator module, passenger side). This investigation names 352 models.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.
NHTSA ties this investigation to recall 20V-024, listed above.
NHTSA listing: COROLLA. Component: Air bags (air bag/restraint control module). This investigation names 46 models.
An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.
What owners report
Owners have filed 216 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Corolla. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Airbags did not deploy in a crash34 · 16%
Median 38,900 miles at failure, from 28 reports with mileage
Median 34,900 miles at failure, from 44 reports with mileage
Brakes30 · 14%
Median 20,800 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
Seat belts26 · 12%
Powertrain23 · 11%
Median 54,500 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Speed control22 · 10%
Median 13,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
Steering22 · 10%
Median 25,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Body structure15 · 7%
Most named: body (15)
Unknown or other24 · 11%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Toyota Corolla recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2010 Corolla drew the most (592) and the 2016 drew 88.
Owner complaints
2016: 216 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
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
Safety recalls
2016: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Corolla
Model year
Recalls
2010
17
2011
9
2012
5
2013
5
2014
2
2015
1
2016
1
2017
3
2018
3
2019
6
2020
6
2021
1
2022
0
2023
4
2024
3
2025
1
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 216 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Toyota Corolla, the problems described most are airbags not deploying in a crash (34), seat belt problems (18), and the check engine light coming on (8). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 Toyota Corolla safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Toyota Corolla earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2016 Toyota Corolla?
Yes. NHTSA has 1 open investigation that names the 2016 Toyota Corolla: desiccated air bag inflator rupture (EA21002, opened Sep 17, 2021). It has closed 1 other. An investigation is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
How do I check if my Corolla has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: COROLLA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.