10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
19,825 miles

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problem #26

Mar 102020

Corolla

  • 135,540 miles
2009 Corolla is drifting left and right on the highway. Some vibration. Recently had new tires and wheel alignment and still very unstable, feels like driving a boat and can move left or right at any time. It has electronic power steering not hydrologic. I'm the second owner of this vehicle and have the maintenance records. The alternator was replaced twice on car which is unusual. Any recall of the electrical rack and pinion for this vehicle? my mechanic did not know how to fix besides replacing the whole rack and pinion system.

- Morristown, NJ, USA

problem #25

Jun 162014

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 54,000 miles
Hi, I have replaced my brakes late last year because the brakes don't engage right. Even after I replaced my brakes, I still have trouble with the brakes. Last week, I was on my way to work with my son in my car and someone cut me off with a turn into a school. I hit my brakes really hard, but it was skidding/sliding. I took my car in again for brakes check and like last time, I was told my brakes were fine. I asked the mechanic why was my car sliding/skidding. My car was diagnosed with shock/suspension issue. Which I have had all along, but didn't know it caused my brakes to not function properly. This is a safety issue. I drive very short distant to work and home and I do not abuse my car, how can this happen with such low mileage. I would like an investigation into this issue, it is safety since the car doesn't brake properly. Best, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Sunnyvale, CA, USA

problem #24

Sep 012014

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 148,000 miles
The vsc light, check engine light, traction control light all are on. Cannot get to turn off.

- Florence , KY, USA

problem #23

Jul 232014

Corolla

  • 8,500 miles
This vehicle has had the water pump go out the brakes the alternator has had problems with the emergency brakes the air bag has had the struts replaced the gas lever stopped working and now the trunk release won't work I have replaced now 5 tires because one blow right after I got the car and now my car has just 85 thousand miles on it. I have heard so many good things about Toyota but this is the worst car I have ever own I will never buy or advise anyone to buy a Toyota again.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

problem #22

Sep 302013

Corolla 4-cyl

  • miles
2009 Toyota Corolla. Consumer writes in regards to water pump pulley disengagement and need for third set of tires on vehicle. The consumer stated he heard a noise coming from under the hood, followed by a sound of something hitting the highway. He gradually slowed down and pulled to the side of the road, raised the hood and discovered the flywheel for the water pump sitting on top of the engine. He walked back up the highway in an attempt to locate what fell from the vehicle. He gathered what he found and was loose under the hood, and had the vehicle towed to the nearest service center and had a new water pump installed. While at the service center, the brakes were serviced and a new set of tires were recommended because they were cupping. The consumer took the vehicle to another establishment to have the tires inspected. Firestone, informed the consumer the left front and rear tow was out of alignment and they adjusted the left front to correct it, but informed him, they could not make any adjustment for the rear, as there was no guarantee given that the alignment issue was the cause of the cupping. Within a week of having the new water pump installed, the consumer began to hear a clicking sound from under the hood, so he took the vehicle back to the repair shop, to determine the cause of the clicking sound. An inspection revealed the A/C compressor needed to be replaced.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #21

Jan 152011

Corolla

  • 62,583 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 20 mph the ABS and brake light illuminated on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the left side hub, bearing assembly and the skid control wire. The contact stated that after driving approximately 1,000 miles the ABS and brake light illuminated again on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The dealer stated that the right side hub, bearing assembly and skid control wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired by the dealer when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 62,583 and the current mileage was 64,322.

- Parkersburg, WV, USA

problem #20

Jan 042009

Corolla

  • 100 miles
2009 Corolla seems to float all over the road and cant keep it straight. Happen 3 times to me. Almost lost it had to stop. I experience this at speed 40 to 50 mil. Have 25000 mil on it.

- Phillipburg, NJ, USA

problem #19

Oct 112010

Corolla

  • 5,000 miles
My 2009 Corolla le has been having front end alignment / steering problems since new. It started shortly after buying it, I took it in for it's first oil change and asked the dealer to look into the alignment since the steering wheel was off center. This happened again 2-3 times afterwards, then I finally had brakes serviced and had it aligned. 2-3 days later after alignment I noticed the wheel off center again. I am a busy person so I decided to take it for due oil change and have them take a look at the steering once again because now is getting worse, is pulling to the right and the other day I over compensated taking a left turn and hit the curb which caused to bend the lip of a wheel, lucky for me no air got out of the tire. Now I have to buy a new wheel, that one would never balance. Please help, there is something wrong with the front end of this car, maybe a recall should be made.

- Cypress, TX, USA

problem #18

Jul 262009

Corolla

  • 150 miles
My 2009 Corolla seems to have unsafe steering at highway speeds. It takes a lot of correcting and feels like I have alignment issues in the front or something out of alignment in the rear. It is like the steering is to sensitive and there is absolutely no feedback as to what the car is doing.

- Irasburg, VT, USA

problem #17

Dec 042009

Corolla

  • 5 miles
Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I own a 2009 Toyota Corolla 4dr. Sedan. [xxx]. this vehicle is not out of balance or alignment. You can not hold the car straight. It is going to go left or right within 3 to 5 seconds and in less than 10 seconds it would be in the right ditch or left. Extremely dangerous and nerve wracking. This vehicle should not be on the road.---when applying brakes, the RPM's go up about 200.

- Westhoff, TX, USA

problem #16

Mar 302010

Corolla

  • 16,000 miles
The car's power steering turns by itself when hitting bumps or rough patches on the road at higher speeds. It takes awareness and effort at times to keep the car straight. Although probably not an immediate safety threat, I imagine if not remedied, it will be a problem that gets worse and not better over time. This is an issue that occurs daily.

- Torrance, CA, USA

problem #15

Mar 262010

(reported on)

Corolla

  • miles
2009 Toyota Corolla with a recall for the unintended acceleration. Consumer is upset she will not be able to get her vehicle in to be repaired until March 31, 2010. The consumer stated she had to replace the tires on the vehicle twice.

- Spencer, WV, USA

problem #14

Mar 072010

Corolla

  • 15,000 miles
Car is wandering and difficult to keep straight on the road at highway speeds. It feels like the wind is blowing it side to side even when there is no wind. This is a persistent problem and makes driving the car tiring and difficult.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #13

Mar 302009

Corolla

  • 60 miles
Ever since I purchased my 2009 Toyota Corolla I have noticed steering difficult. I read blogs at the time and it seemed from what I read, that this was just a draw back of the car, so I let it go. I feel I need to report it now. The steering feels way to responsive to even the slightest hand movement of the wheel, or bump in the road. Because the suspension on this model is so stiff, a bump in the road can cause my hand to move a tiny bit, resulting in the car moving much more than one would expect from little movement. The best way to sum up the problem is this; it is near impossible to just go straight, or hold the wheel still for a second. You have to constantly move slightly to the right or the left just to keep in the middle of your lane. Going around curves smoothly is difficult as well. If it is windy this problem is 10 fold, and down right dangerous. I have already skidded off a snowy highway because the car so easily fish tailed while trying to correct my steering. Luckily there was no damage, had there been vehicle in the lane next to mine, there would have been a horrific crash. In my 17 years of driving I have never fish tailed before. The alignment and tires have been checked and are fine. I had the brake recall done before the above mentioned incident. There doesn't feel to be an alignment issue. The car does not pull. The steering just seems far too sensitive, this combined with it's odd aerodynamic response, and bumpy ride make the steering feel very unsafe at times. Even when it doesn't feel dangerous, it is tiring to have to constantly adjust the wheel right and left just to keep it in lane. I've never had a steering issue like this with any other car. There is also the overwhelming smell of sulfur in the passenger cabin several times a week, seems the catalytic converter doesn't handle it well. Took it to a dealer for the sulfur issue and they said that's normal. Makes me light headed at times, on top of just stinking up my new car.

- Elmhurst , IL, USA

problem #12

Jun 012008

Corolla

  • 0 miles
In my 2009 Toyota Corolla, the steering is finicky at speeds about 50 miles per hour. It constantly feels like it is being driven in windy conditions and wanders in the lane, requiring constant steering correction. I purchased the car in May 2008; in June I took it to my local dealer because I thought it had alignment problems. They said the 'light' steering feel was normal and no fix was prescribed. I then wrote a letter of complaint to Toyota and received no response. Since then, I have just had to get used to it and be conscience of it while behind the wheel. I've always thought that it was unsafe as any time I take my eyes off the road, the car veers to the left or right randomly. Now I have been made aware that it might not be 'normal, ' but a national concern.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #11

Jun 012009

Corolla

  • 11,682 miles
This letter was dated and sent june132009 re: Steering, brakes and/or suspension of my 2009 Toyota Corolla le, 4 door sedan. With a mileage of 11,682 to date. Toyota motor sales, U.S.a., Inc., this letter is in regards to the recent road handling of my Toyota Corolla (listed herein). I purchased this vehicle to replace my 1995 Toyota avalon as a vehicle to drive to and from work. I drive quite a distance to work having put on 8000 miles on this car in only 3 months of ownership. Our family car is a 2007 matrix xr. We are obviously fans of Toyota vehicles. This past week the bishop Ford highway, which is part of my route to work in Chicago, was scraped prior to a resurfacing of the road. This left a stretch of road which was very rough and with deep wavy grooves cut into the pavement. When my car crossed into the scraped section of pavement my car lurched about a foot to the right (without the steering wheel moving). This alarmed me as it could have caused an accident but the steering recovered under normal conditions but I realized something was wrong or loose in the front end. My warranty was coming due (12,000 bumper to bumper) and the car does handle well for the most part and I need the car for work so I figured I would wait a few days until the weekend to have it fixed along with the brakes which are starting to feel spongy. New pads are probably needed on the front end. I will have them checked independently this week and pay the out of pocket expense (even though this should have been covered under the warranty, even if the brake pads are close to being in need of replacement at this point). Our service department at Toyota on 30 in merrillville Indiana did not find any problem with the brakes and the road handling could not be duplicated by their mechanics. I am a very experienced driver at age 45 with not even a parking ticket to my name. If there is a serious flaw...

- Hobart, IN, USA

problem #10

Jan 052010

Corolla

  • 20,000 miles
I have a wandering problem with my 2009 Toyota Corolla. I have tried new tires and alignment to no avail. At highway it tends to wander around the lane even with no wind present.

- Monroevile, PA, USA

problem #9

Feb 102010

Corolla

  • miles
My car always shifts to the left. I thought it's an alignment problem, so I sent my car to auto check to adjust the alignment. After service, the problem still remains. I don't have an accident because of it.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #8

Feb 012009

Corolla

  • miles
We own a 2009 Toyota Corolla. The steering is terrible. On the hwy it is as though the wind is blowing hard and blowing the car all over the place. Lately we were on the hwy and watched the tree tops no wind but the car was all over the lane. It is difficult to keep it on track I would say over 40mph. I was driving my daughter and grandchildren home one evening and it just veered off the road to the right. My daughter asked me what the hell just happened. I believe it is a serious problem. Please don't wait until someone is seriously injured or worse before something is done. I put the date 2/1/09 because it has been continuous since we purchased it.

- Plattsburgh, NY, USA

problem #7

Jan 012009

Corolla

  • 100 miles
Within a few weeks of purchasing my Toyota Corolla 2009, I noticed at both slow and fast speeds the car drifts to the right or left depending on the inertia of the car. The car does not stay in its lane -- I.e. the car does not drive in a straight line -- without full attention and steady pressure of both hands on the wheel to correct the drift. On highways (from 45mph and especially from 65mph) this problem is exaggerated -- I.e. small drifts or corrections can result in swerving and have greater potential for an accident. On one occasion I experienced drifting off the road and was able to correct in time. However, it struck me as such a danger that I stopped driving the car at higher speeds and avoid highways altogether wherever possible. The vehicle failure mileage was about 100 and current mileage is 8,500. This complaint updates a prior complaint filed February 4, 2010.

- Islamorada, FL, USA

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