10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
61 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
30 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,055 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 2009 Toyota Corolla:

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

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #130

Apr 192011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 33,500 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While attempting to park with the accelerator depressed, the contact noticed that the accelerator pedal remained stuck to the floor, causing the contact to crash into a tree. The contact was uninjured. The dealer advised the contact to notify the manufacturer of the failure. The manufacturer was sending an investigator to inspect the vehicle for the cause of the failure. The approximate failure was 33,500. Updated 05/20/11 the consumer stated she was in the process of removing her foot from the accelerator, to brake when the vehicle accelerated out of control. Updated evoq 06/28/11. Updated 2/8/12

- Palo Alto, CA, USA

problem #129

Mar 092011

Corolla

  • 36,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving in reverse with the brake depressed the vehicle suddenly accelerated with great force, and crashed into the rear end of a parked vehicle rear pushing the vehicle out of the parking space. The failure mileage was 36,000 and the current mileage was 39,000.

- Bairoa Park Cajuas, PR, USA

problem #128

Mar 182011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 6,700 miles
As I was braking for a red light and just before I came to a complete stop, my 2009 Corolla (driven only 6,700 miles) suddenly accelerated. I had to push down on the brake with all my force to keep the car from surging into the car ahead of us, with the motor racing as fast as I have ever heard it. I put the car into neutral and turned it off. When I started up again, the motor ran properly. If my foot had not already been on the brake when the car surged, however, I never would have been able to stop it from crashing. The car was towed to the dealership, and two days later a Toyota engineer said there was nothing wrong with it. I am now afraid to drive the car. And there most definitely was something wrong with it when it surged. How can I be sure it will not happen again?

- Laguna Beach, CA, USA

problem #127

Oct 152010

Corolla

  • 55,000 miles
Car accelerates unexpectedly while in cruise control. While driving at 70 mph car engine RPM's suddenly jumps to over 4000 RPM's, car speeds up 5-10 mph. If cruise is turned off, acceleration stops and the vehicle drives as normal.

- Mentor, OH, USA

problem #126

Feb 012011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving 35 mph merging into oncoming traffic, she depressed the accelerator pedal, it went to the floor and became stuck. After the accelerator released itself she drove to the side of the road and contacted the dealer. She took the vehicle to the dealer who offered no assistance and informed her to contact the manufacturer since there were no recalls that included her VIN. The manufacturer informed her that a representative would contact her within a couple of hours. She was informed that there were no recalls or related warranties on her vehicle. She receives a call back from the manufacturer who informed her to take the vehicle back to the dealer for inspection.. the failure mileage was 57,000. Updated 3/21/11 the consumer has since traded the vehicle. Updated 05/09/11

- Limestone, TN, USA

problem #125

Oct 152009

Corolla

  • 16,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving 5 mph, the brakes were applied but the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact applied the brakes with more force but the vehicle crashed into a fence. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The contact stated that prior to the crash, she had problems stopping the vehicle and expressed them with the dealer who stated that she just needed to become familiar with the brakes. The contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint. The failure mileage was 16,000 and the current mileage was 26,000.

- Brighton, MA, USA

problem #124

Jan 232011

Corolla

  • 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving 3 mph, the contact experienced sudden accelerated. The vehicle did not move but the rpms increased. The contact depressed the brake pedal continuously but the engine would not stop revving. The contact was awaiting a return call from the dealer. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was 8,000.

- Bethlehem, PA, USA

problem #123

Dec 242010

Corolla

  • 57,855 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. The contact was driving 50 mph in rainy weather when the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact attempted to apply the brakes but to no avail. The accelerator pedal remained in a depressed position and the contact was able to lodge his foot under the pedal and shift into neutral. The contact removed the floor mat thinking it was the cause of the failure yet the failure recurred within two hours. The contact inquired with the dealer in regards to NHTSA campaign id number: 10V017000 (vehicle speed control: Accelerator pedal) but was advised by the dealer that no such recall existed. The manufacturer advised that the recall was a voluntary recall and it would be left up to the dealer to repair the vehicle. The contact believed that the vehicle was very unsafe and would need to be repaired by the manufacturer before someone was injured. The failure mileage was 57,855.

- Palm Desert, CA, USA

problem #122

Oct 092010

Corolla

  • 15,600 miles
I was driving on the highway using the cruise control, when the car suddenly accelerated to 80 mph. The cruise control was set for 62 mph. The same sudden acceleration occurred a second time, but I stopped using the cruise control. Both times, the car slowed down when I touched the brake and the cruise control disengaged as expected. Updated 01/20/11

- Narberth, PA, USA

problem #121

Nov 042010

Corolla

  • 64,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 65 mph, the accelerator pedal became stuck in the depressed position for approximately three seconds. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 64,000.

- Guthrie, OK, USA

problem #120

Oct 172010

Corolla

  • 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While the contact was driving approximately 5 mph and approaching a traffic stop signal, the brake pedal was engaged and the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. The vehicle would not slow down and traveled over a curb into a utility pole. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was completely destroyed and towed to a storage facility. There was no personal injury. The manufacturer was notified and they informed that an engineer would inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was 28,000.

- Manfield , MA, USA

problem #119

Jun 022010

Corolla

  • 5,500 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that when depressing the brakes to a complete stop, the vehicle would abnormally roll forward seconds after stopping. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The failure mileage was 5,500 and the current mileage was 6,500.

- Ponpano Beach, FL, USA

problem #118

Sep 012010

Corolla

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla sport. While the contact was driving approximately 70 mph, there was an unintended increase of acceleration. The brakes were engaged and the vehicle continued to travel at an excessively high speed rate. The vehicle traveled uncontrollably off of the road into a cement barrier. The contact sustained whiplash injury. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. The failure mileage was under 20,000.

- Windsor, CA, USA

problem #117

Jun 092010

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 9,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla le. While driving at 35 mph, the vehicle abnormally accelerated and drove over a curb. The vehicle proceeded to accelerate yet the contact was able to stop the unintended acceleration. On a separate occasion while reversing, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was unable to get the vehicle into gear until he had someone manually push the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired yet the failure persisted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 9,000 and the current mileage was 10,000. Updated 10/13/10 updated 10/19/10

- Youngstown, OH, USA

problem #116

Jul 102010

Corolla

  • 20,000 miles
7-10-10 I was parking my '09 Toyota Corolla behind a Ford on the side of the road. As I pressed the brake to come to a stop the car bucked & the engine made a revving noise. My car accelerated into the back of the Ford damaging my bumper and the Ford's back bumper. 7-12 I called my insurance company & reported the incident. They sent out someone to assess the damages & told me where to take my car to get it fixed. I was told to have a Toyota certified technician check the brakes & inspect what may have caused this. I called my local Toyota dealership & they told me they could not look at the car until the end of July. I decided to take the car to get repaired first & see if they had a Toyota certified technician there. I was told they didn't but while they waited on parts they would take it to the dealership. 7-14 the Toyota dealership told me that they couldn't inspect the brakes & I would have to call the Toyota 800 number & report the incident. 7-15 I called Toyota & relayed the incident. I was asked what I wanted Toyota to do about it. I said I wanted them to find out what the problem was & fix it & as it was a Toyota malfunction to have them take the responsibility of the accident. A few days later someone from Toyota called me & told me that within 10-14 days an inspector would be in contact with me about looking at the car. Over a week I was continually calling my inspector to talk to her about what was going on. Every time I called I got her voicemail & it would take her between 3 hrs to 2 days to call me back, while I continued to leave her messages. After a week of this, I called left 2 messages over 2 days & asked her for a timeline of when this inspection would be done so my Toyota could be fixed & I could get my car back. She told me an inspector would contact me in 5 days & it could take 30 days to look at the car. Toyota refuses to give me a rental & my insurance can only give me one for 3 days. Toyota will not stand behind their product.

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

problem #115

Jan 152010

Corolla

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 15 to 20 mph while making a left turn the vehicle stalled. He was able to coast onto the emergency lane. He restarted the vehicle and it began to function normally. He drove approximately 5 miles and the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that they could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer at least seven times. He called the dealer a couple of weeks ago and they advised him that he would have to pay for a diagnostic test. While driving approximate 65 mph with the cruise control activated the vehicle began to accelerate. He engaged the brake pedal and the vehicle slowed down. He took his vehicle to the dealer for a recall repair and they did not replace the floor mats. The contact was unable to provide a VIN. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 50,000.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #114

Jul 272009

Corolla

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving 15 mph on a dirt road the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the contact crashed into a moving vehicle. The driver side frontal air bag did not deploy and the seat belt failed to restrain the driver. The contact sustained injuries to her chest. The police report was not available. The insurance company destroyed the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified; however, they did not offer any assistance. The current and the failure mileages were 10,000.

- Roswell, NM, USA

problem #113

Jun 222010

Corolla

  • 7,746 miles
My vehicle, a Toyota Corolla 2009 had worked without problems up until June 22, 2010. Two recall bulletins required work to be performed by Toyota to prevent potential sudden unintended acceleration (sua). The first one was done February 22, 2010 (fp 78112-07050) and the second on June 22, 2010 (fp 87268-12040) at autocentro Toyota in san juan, puerto rico. Immediately after the second repair I proceeded to pick up my two grandchildren. With my grandchildren in the vehicle and only 42 minutes after the second alleged repair the vehicle commenced accelerating on its own. Within the.8 miles the vehicle traveled (confirmed by my older son with his vehicle's odometer) I attempted repeatedly to stop the vehicle to no avail. Stepping on the brakes with all the force I could muster did not stop the vehicle. I drove into a median attempting to stop the vehicle with no results. Finally the vehicle came to a top when I rear ended a vehicle in front of me. That vehicle in turn collided with another vehicle resulting in a five total vehicle collision. The driver of the vehicle I impacted suffered some injuries and was taken to the hospital.

- Hato Rey, PR, USA

problem #112

Jan 172009

Corolla

  • 11,000 miles
I have experienced great amount of stress due to my 2009 Toyota Corolla. I experience the car shifting from right to left at high speeds (over 65 mph). I took it to Toyota of orange and they tested and legally they can only go 60mph or highway speed-limit. They kept denying any problems with the car, & came back to speak with the Toyota representative. I went in 3 times prior to this to see if they could find a problem, she said there's nothing wrong after special 'tests' were done. After that we took it in again and they performed an alignment which helped a little during regular speeds. But I still have the same problem, I recently took it in for the re-call, glad that was fixed, but at 70-80 mph if I shift into another line that is putting my life in great danger! I drive slower but I live in southern California so sometimes its unsafe to be driving at such speeds. I have also been experiencing paint problems with the vehicle, various scratches I don't know where they appear from, and my car is garaged mostly. There also a couple of chips in the paint, I took it in and they just washed and detailed the vehicle, which did help but there's scratches again, the paint seems to be defective. Another problem I'm experiencing with this vehicle is randomly maybe once or twice a month when started in the morning (parked in the garage which isn't cold at all) the whole car vibrates horrible, coming from the engine, as if its not held together well. It lasts for around a minute. I took it in to the dealership and they said since its not a constant problem they cant detect but if I leave it over night and if it happens they'll see, of-course it didn't happen they claimed they tested everything possible and there was no check engine lights etc. No signs when the steering goes crazy. Obviously this car is a defect the reason why I purchased a Toyota Corolla was because I have no problems with my 2005, and all the other cars I have owned, don't have steering or paint problems.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

problem #111

Apr 202010

Corolla

  • 13,000 miles
The contact owned a 2009 Toyota Corolla. The contact was concerned about the safety risk while driving the vehicle since there were so many recalls for her year, make and model vehicle. The vehicle was returned to the dealer. The contact did not experience any failures. The current mileage was approximately 13,000. There are no failures at this time.

- Anaheim, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »