2012 Toyota Corolla Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 45,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

Hit head in passengers side into a cement pole, car was a total loss. No airbags deployed causing bodily injury to driver and passenger from impact and seatbelt , stopping us . Chest cavity injury’sOwner complaint, filed 2023

after fixing airbag with recalls before, i was forced to adjust airbag again. TOYOTA NEEDS ANOTHER RECALL. $1000 OU TOF POCKETOwner complaint, filed 2023

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 4,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2012 toyota corolla. The contact stated that the steering wheel was loose and caused the vehicle to swerve while driving 65 MPH. The failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer for diagnostic testing, but a failure code could not be located. The dealer adjusted the steering torque, but…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 60,000 miles

The contact owns a 2012 toyota corolla. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver without warning. As a result, the vehicle veered to the left and to the right. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician informed that the vehicle was operating as designed. The [VIN] was notified of…Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 30,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 26,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while parking in a post office parking lot and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle experienced sudden and unintended acceleration, crashed into a tree, and shut off. There was no warning light illuminated before or after the crash. There was no property damage. The air…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 57,000 miles

I was positioning the car into a parking place when it [VIN] forward very quickly. It seemed to me that it made two spurts, veering to the right, before crashing into an area of bushes and small trees bisecting the grass strip that divided two areas of the parking lot. I was not injured, and the air bag did not deploy. The cost of repair…Owner complaint, filed 2016, at 20,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 36,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (9).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

There was a paint recall for my car that expired in 2022. My car’s paint didn’t start peeling until 2023 and I wasn’t informed of the recall. I found out through a Reddit post. The paint peeling is not my fault and I should not have to pay for it.Owner complaint, filed 2024

Paint it's peeling of on randomly spots that it should not have peeling I called toyota recall center and there is nothing they can do since there are no recalls for this models on paintOwner complaint, filed 2021

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 41,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

The horn stopped working. Toyota verified it is the electrical behind the dashboard, which will cost $475.00 to repair. I was on the interstate highway 89 when the car I was passing started veering into my lane. I went to use my horn and it did not work! Very scary situation.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 139,345 miles

Horn only works when the steering wheel is turned to the right or left and won't work when the wheel is straight. No matter if the car is moving or not the problem is fixed by replacing the clock spring, a lot of people had this issue in corolla (2010 -2012)Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 130,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 22,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

Brakes on vehecle started getting very low on pedal and slow to stop . Mechanic worked on it replaced modulator and over $500. Later brakes still not working . Another mechanic (another ($500) still working on vehecle without luck as part that's responsible for the problem is attached to the computer and dealerships will sell whole…Owner complaint, filed 2019

My car has 60k miles on it. I have two lights on my dash. I took my car in and was told it was the brake actuator. I seen several recalls on this but the corolla is not listed???? I called toyota customer solutions who told me that it would be for me to cover. I find this very frustrating that one a car that has 60k miles that this is an…Owner complaint, filed 2018

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 18,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

The car was stationary. I went to buckle the driver's side seatbelt before going grocery shopping and springs came flying out of the buckling mechanism. The seatbelt no longer works.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 150,000 miles

Rear seat belts must crossover each other to buckle. This involves the rear seat behind the driver and the middle rear seat. Dealer can not repair. Says it is a factory defect. Requested local dealership to submit a complaint to toyota corporate offices. Turning the buckles opposite of design does not solve the problem. Consequently…Owner complaint, filed 2014, at 17,260 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 18,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

Corrosion to the automatic transmission oil cooler hose occurred in the metal pipe portion of the cooler line, specifically the top line, (not sure if that's 'in' or 'out') causing a leak in atf. Not only that, but corrosion to both bolts that hold this line in place and caused the bolts to snap when trying to replace this line.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 130,000 miles

Power control valve gets stuck closed check engine light and track light comes on this has been a problem when I got the call new it has 30 times t cant use my cruz control after 50 miles it is reset itself all goes back to normal or I put a scan tool on and reset itOwner complaint, filed 2019, at 48,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

There is a defect on the interior rear view mirror. I attached a photo, notice the black marks at the bottom of the mirror...these will get larger over time and affect visibility. This already happened with the original interior rear view mirror, which was replaced at bredemann toyota in park ridge, il. This mirror is never touched, so…Owner complaint, filed 2020

The contact owns a 2012 toyota corolla. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH, the windshield started to crack across from the passenger's side to the driver's side of the vehicle. Toyota of lincolnwood located at (7225 n. Cicero ave, lincolnwood, il 60712) was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired.…Owner complaint, filed 2020

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

My car is equipped with a 2zr-fe engine and it is known issue for all those engines as it exhibit a mil "on" with dtc p219a (bank 1air-fuel ratio imbalance) present. Same issue with most 2012-2014 corolla which has above engine plus 2012-2013 matrix (toyota) vehicles this is very dangerous as whole engine vibrats and it makes trac off…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 58,000 miles

"takata recall" I was involved in an accident where I was rear-ended by a speeding vehicle and knocked into a vehicle in front of me. I was stopped at the time of impact on a 4-lane roadway in a business district where the speed limit is 35 MPH. The vehicle that hit me was speeding. No airbags deployed.Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 60,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

At highway speeds when there is any kind of wind (eg. Head wind, cross wind, tail wind), the vehicle is almost uncontrollable and changes direction without driver input. ***very dangerous***. Notified dealer at 5k service and was told there was too much air pressure in tires. The change of air pressure by the dealer made no difference…Owner complaint, filed 2012, at 6,780 miles

I purchases a new 2012 toyota corolla this year. On (first day) the way home from the dealer I noticed the vehicle tends to sway in the freeway. It feels similar to driving on a windy day. I am concerned about the safety of the vehicle. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer two times, however, the problems still persists. What rights…Owner complaint, filed 2012, at 5 miles

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

My car is equipped with a 2zr-fe engine and it is known issue for all those engines as it exhibit a mil "on" with dtc p219a (bank 1air-fuel ratio imbalance) present. Same issue with most 2012-2014 corolla which has above engine plus 2012-2013 matrix (toyota) vehicles this is very dangerous as whole engine vibrats and it makes trac off…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 58,000 miles

While making a left hand turn off of a busy street, the car slowed to an unsafe speed and was dangerously slow to accelerate. This has happened several times since then with the most recent on february 11, 2014. Toyota maintains there is nothing wrong because it happens at intermittent times and can't be duplicated in the four times it…Owner complaint, filed 2014, at 1,846 miles

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

I rented a car from payless car rental at the orlando airport. After being on the road for approximately 30 miles, the car got a flat tire. We pulled over changed the tire and took it to wal mart for repair. The mechanic at wal mart informed us the tire was unrepairable. The inside of the tire at inner wall damage that he said couldn't…Owner complaint, filed 2014, at 39,333 miles

The driver fell asleep at the wheel, awoke and tried to correct his lane position. Upon his attempt, the car could not be stabilized or controlled. This was a front end crash at a speed of approximately 50 - 55 MPH going through a chain link fence, hitting hundreds of stacked lobster crates (like hitting a brick wall). The car was…Owner complaint, filed 2012, at 9,350 miles