1999 Toyota Corolla: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 155 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is tires (14% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Apr 2009
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 155 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota corolla equipped with michelin defender tires, size: 185/65/r14 (na). While driving 67 mph, the rear passenger tire blew out. As a result, the vehicle drifted to the right and collided with another vehicle. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle failure mileage was 40,000 and the tire failure mileage was 20,000. The VIN was not available.”Owner report · Tires · May 2018
“I keep getting recall notices, dealer says no fix available. With all the recall notices my wife and I fell we are driving a car that is not safe, it is an accident waiting to happen.”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota corolla. While driving at approximately 60 mph at night, both the high beam and low beam headlights failed without warning. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The VIN was unavailable. Updated 05/31/2016*lj”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Mar 2016
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota corolla. The contact stated that after the vehicle was serviced for an oil change and driving an additional 800 miles, the contact discovered that the vehicle was burning oil rapidly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2015
“I was driving home and exiting the highway when there was a sudden loud crackling noise coming from the transmission. I continued home approximately 1/2 mile, I then parked the car checked all fluids, everything was fine. Next day I was driving and upon acceleration the car hesitated to move but at a slow speed it went on. Anyhow, as I drove I noticed that upon acceleration it would quiet, but once I released the peddle there was a loud cracking sound, and it finally stopped moving. *tr”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota corolla, equipped with hankook h727 tires, size: 185/65/r14. The contact stated that the rear driver and passenger side tires became flat while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken to a tire shop where they inspected the tires and stated that something had not allowed it to seal around the rim. The failure was not reported to the manufacturer. The tire failure mileage was 600. The vehicle failure mileage was 110,400. The current mileage was 111,000. The VIN was not available.”Owner report · Tires · Jun 2013
“I installed new rear struts manufactured by monro--in order to connect the brake line hose to the bracket on the strut it was necessary to twist the rubber brake hose a quarter turn to accommodate the improperly manufactured strut bracket- this causes the rubber brake hose to be twisted a quarter turn and is not as it was when originally installed at the factory- this could lead to brake line failure due to the twisted line and stress”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2013
“Driving down the highway at 60mph the car just accelerated and went to speeds over 100 mph. When the driver realized the car was accelerating more than he was doing he released the gas pedal and the car just continued to go faster. There are no floor mats in the car to get stuck and the gas pedal was not depressed the car just continued to accelerate. *tr”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Feb 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota corolla. The contact stated that while entering a parking space, the vehicle accelerated independently and traveled over a curb. The vehicle did not stop until crashing into bushes. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred prior to the crash. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 95,000. *tr”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jun 2012
“On 02/17/2011, I observed that my passenger side front tire was partially deflated. I inflated the tire as I could not see any foreign object in the tire. On 02/18/2011, I took my car to the walmart store #0548 where I had purchased the (4) douglas(xtra-tracii) size:185 65r14 tires on 12-21-2010, the technician found a pin size crack/break in the weak point of the tire(edge of sidewall where it meets the treads), it could not be repaired since the store policy is not to repair sidewallls, the manager did not issue me a new tire, so I plugged the tire & it is now warping/deformed. *tr”Owner report · Tires · Feb 2011
When filing, owners marked a crash in 24 of these complaints and injuries in 20 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
CERTAIN AJ MOTORSPORT COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: AJ MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AJ MOTORSPORT AT 626-618-2026.
K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Remedy: K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1999 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Corolla by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1999 Toyota Corolla reliable?
NHTSA has 155 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 1999 Toyota Corolla. The most complained-about area is tires (14% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1999 Toyota Corolla problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 70,000 miles or less.
Does the 1999 Toyota Corolla have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning exterior lighting. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.