10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
45 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
27 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,417 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 #179

May 242009

Corolla

  • miles
I would like to add our 2009 Toyota Corolla to the list of cars with a steering problem. At low speeds it seems to work just fine. It is when traveling on the freeway that the car seems to have a mind of its own. It takes constant effort to keep the car in the lane and after lane changes or slight curves the car will often shoot further in the direction of the turn and has to be caught and pulled back.

- La Canada, CA, USA

problem #178

Apr 182009

Corolla

  • miles
Bought a 2009 Toyota Corolla in April 2009 and have a problem with the steering as the car will not drive in a straight line and wanders on the road. Driver must fight the steering at all times to keep it in the driving lane. Toyota says it is normal and will do nothing about it.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #177

Dec 202009

Corolla

  • miles
Our 2009 Toyota Corolla is very difficult to steer on the highway. Constantly have to make corrections to keep it in the lane. This is a constant problem and not a single incident.

- Clutier, IA, USA

problem #176

Feb 022010

Corolla

  • 31,000 miles
While driving my 2009 Toyota Corolla it "floated" into the lane next to me. I was coming to a stop at a traffic light and the vehicle started to "float" into the right lane next to me. I turned the steering wheel to the far left and the vehicle continued to turn to the right. I had no control over the steering. I came to a complete stop and when I started to drive again the vehicle drove fine. The roadway was dry.

- Parksville, KY, USA

problem #175

Feb 162010

Corolla 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 32,400 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While the contact was driving 50mph the vehicle suddenly drifted to the left causing the vehicle to spin 180 degrees and crash into a guard rail. Moments later a second vehicle crashed into the contacts vehicle. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 32,400. Updated 05/07/10. Updated 08/18/10

- Poughquag, NY, USA

problem #174

Jan 232010

Corolla

  • 18,000 miles
This problem has happened at least twice since I bought the Toyota Corolla 2009. While driving straight(on an interstate) it feels as if we are sliding on black ice and have no control of the steering. I have noticed the steering wheel in general has become very loose and doesn't drive as tightly as it once did a few months ago.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #173

Feb 022010

Corolla

  • 246,000 miles
2009 Corolla steering failure - please bring this issue to light. My power steering just failed and I had to have both the steering column and steering computer replaced.

- Duncansville, PA, USA

problem #172

Mar 172009

Corolla

  • 100 miles
Corolla was purchased new with about 100 miles. The day after the purchase I drove it about 1500 miles to Florida. Along the way, at highway speeds, I soon observed that it was noticeably drifting side to side within the travel lane. No amount of attention could prevent it from happening. Without saying anything about this experience, a second driver brought it to my attention as they too noticed it. I contacted the dealer who suggested that it was simply a "light" car but thought we should bring it to a dealer to be checked out. We had a Toyota dealer look it over to make sure nothing was loose or wrong. Nothing was found to be wrong with the car. This problem continues but primarily at highway speeds.

- West Chesterfield, NH, USA

problem #171

Nov 102009

Corolla 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 50 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla which was purchased brand new. Immediately after the vehicle was purchased while driving home the dealer at speeds of less than 60 mph, there was minimal resistance in the steering wheel. He had to continue moving the steering wheel six inches back and forth and from left to right in order to keep the wheel straight while driving. The manufacturer was contacted and advised him that there were no recalls for the failure. He experienced the "loose" feeling in the steering wheel intermittently every time he drove the vehicle, especially in windy weather conditions. There were no repairs made to the vehicle. The manufacturer would not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 50 and the current mileage was 33,500. Updated 04/13/10. The check engine light illuminated on four ocassionss. The dealer found a small leak in the evap system. Updated 10/12/10

- Sault Sainte Marie, MI, USA

problem #170

Dec 022009

Corolla 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph on normal road conditions. Unexpectedly, there was a loss of steering control without warning and the vehicle began to wander into another lane. The driver was able to gain control after a couple of seconds. The failure occurred intermittently causing the vehicle to pull into one direction. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician was unable to locate the failure. The contact had concerns of the potential safety hazard when driving at low speeds. The failure mileage was 8,000. Updated 03/19/10. The consumer stated the vehicle would steer mostly to the left for a few seconds. Updated 09/21/10

- Middle Grove, NY, USA

problem #169

Aug 242008

Corolla

  • 10 miles
2009 Toyota Corolla S. special ordered and purchased in 2008. We returned the vehicle to the dealership quickly after purchase complaining about the straight-line driveablity of the car. The problem was more noticeable on the interstate. The car has to be constantly corrected left and right just to be kept straight on a straight stretch of road. My wife and I both are scared of this car. I just feel like I'm going to lose control of this car at a high rate of speed. It's worse when there's a cross wind on the interstate. It happens everytime we drive this car. We work on opposite shifts at the same place, in the next county. So she drives it back and forth the first half of the day and I do the same the second half of the day. It's almost all on the interstate. It's very stressful getting this car down the road. So, the dealership said they compared it to another Corolla on their lot and they drove the same. They fixed nothing. Gave no explanation as to why it would drive like it did. So we feel helpless and we have no other choice but to keep driving it and paying for it. My wife drives our kids in this Corolla and it worries me everytime that she's going to crash it. I just don't know what to do about this since the dealership says that nothing is wrong with it. It's currently got a little over 21K miles on it and it still drives like it did when we bought it.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #168

Jul 312009

Corolla

  • miles
My Toyota Corolla 2009 has a strange hissing sound when turning the steering wheel. The steering wheel sometimes feel disconnected with the road. I don't feel comfortable with the steering, especially at high speed.

- Pleasanton, CA, USA

problem #167

Feb 022010

Corolla

  • 7,600 miles
Constant fighting with steering wheel to keep vehicle on path!

- Salem, OR, USA

problem #166

Jan 142010

Corolla

  • 20,000 miles
I had talked with Toyota multiple times regarding what sometimes felt like very loose, uncontrolled steering in my 2009 Corolla xle, & was told each time that it was doing what it was supposed to do & I needed to "get used to it." The steering was hypersensitive & when making easy turns, the wheels frequently turned as far as mechanically possible (could hear them hit the wheel well.) I eventually resigned myself to the steering & quit asking them. While driving on a 2 lane road, around a large curve, I found myself to close to an object on the right side of the road. I instinctively pulled the wheel to the left & immediately felt the car try to make a turn, then start to spin, when I tried to steer back to the right trying to correct, I felt no response or control. My car spun around 180 degrees, off the road, & rolled onto the drivers side & part of the roof. As far as interior safety, no air bags deployed but the passenger compartment held up well, & while my insurance co. Had to total the car, I only suffered bumps & bruises. Now I'm reading that I am not the only one with concerns related to the steering in this car & most of the complaints sound frighteningly familiar to my experiences with it. This accident was reported to the police, but no ticket was given or report filed.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #165

Oct 172009

Corolla

  • 14,000 miles
2009 Corolla S with steering problems. I bought my 2009 Corolla in 2008. I love the car but hated the steering. At first I thought it was the wind pushing the car around but realized it was not the wind. I had to always compensate for the wandering of the car and it was quite tiring on my arms. Sometimes the steering wheel was turned and it was going straight, sometimes the steering wheel was straight and it was heading for the ditch. I parked it in the winter (probably would have had an accident with it if I had not). It was like driving on ice all the time. I reported it to the dealer. The mechanic took it out for a test drive and said the power steering rack was bad. They ordered one and replaced it (under warranty) along with the recall for dripping fluid on the brakes.

- Clinton, ME, USA

problem #164

Feb 152010

Corolla

  • miles
As I was driving my Toyota Corolla '09 on the highway, the steering wheel started to vibrate very hard as I began to de-accelerate, especially around the curves of the freeway. It did not feel normal at all and took a lot of strength to keep the steering wheel steady.

- Burbank, CA, USA

problem #163

Sep 042009

Corolla

  • 19,000 miles
2009 Toyota Corolla may not be safe on the road. The car drifts from minor steering input at speed of 70 mph or higher. I initially thought the drifting was caused by wind until I learned that other Corolla owners experienced same.

- Dayton, NJ, USA

problem #162

Jun 012009

Corolla

  • 3,000 miles
This is a follow up to a previous complaint. I felt compelled to do so after reading other issues people were having with there Toyota Corollas (s). I purchased this car June 1st 2009. Three weeks after purchase I noticed something was wrong with the paint. I took it to the dealers, the service dept manager looked at it and said it was due to the environment, the sales guy told me it was due to tree sap and the third time I took it the sales manager said it was from bird crap ( it's garaged most of the time). Weeks later I was hit by a concrete truck, at first thought it was the trucks fault but not real sure now because of the difficult steering with this car. At the time of the accident there was no air bag deployment. I had the car repaired by a private shop, they couldn't understand why the airbag did not deploy. While my car was there they looked at the paint. I have a black car with large white spots and was told there was a problem with the clear coat and it would cost around 4,000 to fix it. I again went to the dealership and was told this time that's what happens when you buy a black car. I have filed a complaint with Toyota and we all know where that has got me. I filed a complaint with the consumer complaint Agency and Toyota failed to respond. Boy, for a reliable care the only thing I can rely on is poor quality and a death trap. I have a Dodge and will drive it before this death trap. Good luck trying to do a lane change and looking into the blind spots. I have almost hit cars on my right while attempting to do a lane change more times than I can count.

- Gloucester, VA, USA

problem #161

Jan 222010

Corolla

  • 2,500 miles
My 2009 Toyota Corolla has a steering problem especially at higher speeds. The vehicle wants to drift out of lane. Constant corrective steering wheel action is required. It seems that the control module does not know where center is or how to maintain center.

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #160

Jan 282009

Corolla

  • 10 miles
As soon as I drove home in my new 2009 Corolla I realized it was difficult to steer. It is overly sensitive and requires constant recompensation to keep it straight. I have had the car a year now and the problem persists. I called this problem in to the dealership and was told they didn't know what to do about it.

- Shelbyville, TN, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »