10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
28 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
13 / 3
Average Mileage:
44,295 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Toyota Corolla:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #57

Feb 162007

Corolla

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. While driving various speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated. The accelerator pedal felt stuck. In 2007, a crash occurred when the contact's vehicle unintentionally accelerated and rear ended another vehicle. The contact stated that the air bag deployed after the crash. A police report was not filed. The contact sustained abrasions and contusions that required medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

- Orangeburg, SC, USA

problem #56

Sep 252015

Corolla

  • 100,000 miles
The car accelerated on own in the reverse mode as I was parking in a garage parking space. I could not control the vehicle and the vehicle did not respond to my attempts of depressing the brake.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #55

Dec 242014

Corolla

  • 16,000 miles
I was on the highway 605 freeway in California on December 24,2014 at 10: Am. I was driving 60mph and suddenly felt a very strong shake in my car that continued for about two minutes and then I suddenly went from 60mph to 15 mph. I was really scared and concerned about this matter. If I didn't have control I would have gotten cars behind me or myself in a major accident due to this malfunction. I was very shaken up and stressed. I have never been this scared in my vehicle. I drove my car in search for an open mechanic and found one he did a full inspection which was very stressful due to the fact that it was a christmas eve. I really have been a loyal customer to Toyota my whole family and I really would like this to get taken care of. I don't see the need for me to spend more money when its a Toyota problem.

- Los Angeles , CA, USA

problem #54

Dec 072014

Corolla

  • 60,245 miles
Sudden vehicle acceleration: This is the 3rd time this has happened to this car. The first time it resulted in an accident. That was reported in nhts complaint # 10405593 on 6/ 6/ 11. The second time an accident was avoided(also happened while parking) in 2013. This third time I was again turning into a parking space with my foot both off the accelerator and the brake and there was a sudden unintended increase in rpms and acceleration of the vehicle. I was able to break but not before hitting hard and going over the parking bumper in the parking garage. As after the first incident the car was taken to Toyota and they took no responsibility and said all was ok(on 12/12/14). I want to document this incident in case a future incident results in a fatality or serious incident for which Toyota would be liable.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #53

Sep 092014

Corolla

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owned a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while reversing out of the driveway with the brakes engaged, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a house. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician deemed the vehicle as destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was not available.

- Kingston, PA, USA

problem #52

Oct 012013

Corolla

  • 299,999 miles
It stopped at 299999 and there are a lot of people on the internet with this same problem. Will not register miles. The consumer should not have to pay for this to be installed.

- Florence , KY, USA

problem #51

Sep 292014

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
My 2004 Toyota Corolla had an unexpected acceleration while driving home from work. My mother (the driver at the time) removed her foot from the accelerator pedal and while braking the vehicle accelerated at full speed right before going over a speed bump near to our residence. My mother crashed into the side walk and she was able to stop the car using the parking brake and eventually shut it down. We were able to take the car home, where the car is currently parked but the car won't start again. Luckily, we didn't have any injuries, fire or mayor crash into anything. We contacted Toyota in West palm beach Florida and they refused to further investigate this issue because the car is too old. After all events, death and accidents related to Toyota unexpected acceleration, I believe this incident needs a deep investigation but I don't know how to proceed about it or if I should ignored and just fix the car.

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

problem #50

Aug 072014

Corolla

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. While parking the vehicle, the contact removed her foot from the accelerator pedal and the vehicle accelerated at full speed. The failure caused the vehicle to crash into a cement block. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to a collision repair shop, but was not diagnosed. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 65,000.

- San Deago, CA, USA

problem #49

Apr 202005

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
I was driving with my children down a residential street in eugene Oregon when I pulled my foot off of the accelerator. The car failed to decelerate. I pumped the accelerator to no effect. I looked down at the accelerator and saw the floor mat wedged under the accelerator. I was able to pull the mat out and slow the car down. Later in inspecting the mat, I saw for the first time that there were two hooks designed to hold the mat in place. One of the hooks had become disengaged causing the mat to move and become lodged firmly beneath the accelerator. I had been fortunate in avoiding and accident. Years later the mat recall of other Toyota models was made. The 2004 Corolla was not part of the recall. I contacted both the main company and my local dealer. I was instructed to put the mat in my trunk. The company never made a recall of this model in spite of the issue being identical to those included in the recall. I have been concerned about Toyota's lack of action ever since. After hearing what happened with GM, I decided that I had not notified the proper authorities since nothing was done. The 2004 Corolla should have been part of the initial recall for defective floor mats. Toyota, like GM, failed to take corrective action and should be held accountable. People may have been injured or died from this lack of action and as long as a recall has not happened that danger continues to exist.

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #48

May 152008

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 58,000 miles
Cruise control doesn't work. I had it repaired at the dealership and about a month later it went out again. When I called back, they said they would repair it, but it would not be free of charge. Seemed like the repair should have lasted if it truly was fixed. Haven't had cruise since and it was so nice for long distance travel.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #47

Nov 252012

Corolla

  • 74,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that after first starting the vehicle, the accelerator pedal became extremely difficult to depress. The contact applied extreme force in order to depress on the pedal. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified, who offered no assistance for the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #46

Feb 082013

Corolla

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle until crashing into a parked vehicle at 30 mph. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and the vehicle was towed to the dealer for repairs. The dealer inspected the vehicle and could not determine what caused the acceleration failure. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileages were 70,000.

- Birmingham , AL, USA

problem #45

Aug 152011

Corolla

  • 66,771 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact was driving with the cruise control set to approximately 70 mph. When the brakes were applied to disable the cruise control, the vehicle would not respond and instead, accelerated abnormally. The brake pedal fell into the floorboard and the contact applied the emergency parking brake but the vehicle still would not respond and the contact crashed into the rear of a vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had an engineer inspect the vehicle who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 66,771.

- Waterford, CA, USA

problem #44

Aug 242011

Corolla

  • 48,030 miles
I was about to stop when vehicle suddenly accelerated. Luckily there no one or property in the way before I could get the car to stop. Problem only occurred once. Will stop driving the car for now.

- Orosi, CA, USA

problem #43

Jun 062011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 43,100 miles
Sudden acceleration of my 2004 Toyota Corolla resulting in an accident. This year was not a recall year.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #42

Jun 062011

Corolla

  • 43,100 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact was driving 5 mph attempting to park when there was an unusual increase in engine rpms and the vehicle then accelerated abnormally. She then crashed into a tree while depressing the brakes. The police were called and a report was filed. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic and was pending an investigation. The failure and current mileages were approximately 43,100.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #41

Mar 082011

Corolla

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. While the contact was driving approximately 6 mph into a parking space, the vehicle lunged forward with a sudden increase of acceleration. The vehicle jumped a curb and crashed into a nearby building. There was no personal injury and a police report was filed. The exterior body of the vehicle sustained severe damages and was towed to a local collision shop. The cause of the failure had not been determined. The failure mileage was 39,000.

- Southbury, CT, USA

problem #40

Oct 192010

Corolla

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. While the contact was driving approximately 10 mph and attempted to make a left turn with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a tree. The air bags did not deploy but there were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that they would send someone to inspect the vehicle which the contact was awaiting. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Franklin Park, NJ, USA

problem #39

Sep 292009

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 33,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle began to hesitate and attempted to stall. The contact engaged the accelerator pedal so that the vehicle would not stall at all. The vehicle was taken into the dealer where they stated that there was excess carbon build up in the throttle body from a new battery that was installed. The dealer then performed a throttle body cleaning which removed the carbon build up. The contact stated that within the last 3 to 4 months the problem continued to occur. The dealer was not contacted and there have been no diagnostic test or repairs. The failure mileage was 33000 and the current mileage was 36000. Updated 12/03/10. The consumer stated it felt as though the engine was going to stall. According to the service invoice, the dealer stated the engine belt was glazed and the tensioner had lack of tension. Updated 12/14/10

- Upland , CA, USA

problem #38

Jun 302010

Corolla

  • 86,000 miles
Cruise control can be activated at typical road/highway speeds even when car is in neutral (on a manual transmission). As a result, the accelerator is electronically depressed, causing the engine to rev and hit the rev limiter. There are multiple ways to deactivate the cruise control, but the stress could be damaging on the engine and the scenario could a major distraction to the driver.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »