3.3

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,409 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #5

Apr 052021

Corolla

  • 74,047 miles
Ive owned this car for 3 weeks and have had to put 2 quarts of oil in every week because every morning I start my car lot of blue smoke is coming out my exhaust. This is because the design temperature for the pistons in this engine was 120 degrees celsius and the actual temperatures reached are 160 degrees celsius, which causes the petroleum oil to sludge up and carbon to accumulate in the piston oil holes that allow oil to flow to the piston rings. This blocks those oil holes, preventing oil from getting to the piston rings and subsequently the piston rings wear very, very quickly, then allowing oil to be able to slip past the piston rings, into the combustion chamber and out the exhaust. This will lead to replacing the pistons which is an extremely expensive and labor intensive job just because Toyota made a mistake with the way they built the engine. It's a shame that Toyota hasn't recalled this vehicle because there are countless amounts of records on these cars having that problem. The car can break down after so much oil has been burned and that could happen un expectedly. It's drivable but not safe.

- Riverside, CT, USA

problem #4

Dec 012019

Corolla

  • miles
The engine is using excessive oil. Need to add 1 quart every 300 miles to keep filled. The car has 120,000 miles. Notice blue smoke upon acceleration. Car has been regularly serviced according to Toyota owner's manual.

- Lima, OH, USA

problem #3

Oct 182019

Corolla

  • miles
My Toyota Corolla 2002 ce has a design flaw with the pistons. There are not enough holes in the pistons to allow enough oil to go through and as a result, the vehicle is burning a lot of oil, up to 1 quart of oil every 250 miles. Please! can you help me with this situation? thank you.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #2

Jun 152002

Corolla

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Corolla. While driving 65 mph, there was a low rumbling sound coming from the engine. There was also a strong exhaust odor inside the vehicle and it burned more oil than normal. The contact had to place approximately five quarts of oil into the vehicle after driving 150 to 200 miles. The service engine light remained illuminated and the vehicle failed to accelerate normally. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and diagnosed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

- Burlington, MA, USA

problem #1

Sep 012008

Corolla

  • 78,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while accelerating, the vehicle lost power and within a few minutes it suddenly accelerated. The brake pedal had to be depressed in order to control the speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. A diagnostic test was performed that was unable to display a failure code. The 02 sensor and the catalytic converter were replaced; however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000 and the current mileage was 147,000.

- Raleigh, NC, USA