What owners reported to NHTSA about the 2017 Toyota Corolla, its recalls, and what to check before you buy one.

Owners filed about as many complaints as a typical Corolla year. The main thing to watch is the air bags, which half of owners reported by about 27,000 miles.
Based on owner complaints to NHTSA, compared with other Corolla years from 2012 to 2024. A good year can still be a bad car, so check the one you are looking at.
Owners have filed 178 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Toyota Corolla. The most reported problem area is the air bags (54, 30% of complaints), followed by the brakes and stability control and the cruise control and acceleration. That ranks 9th of 13 Corolla years from 2012 to 2024 for complaints. It has 3 recalls.
4 of these complaints came from Utah owners.
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Start my car searchProblem areas ranked by how many complaints mention them. One complaint can name more than one area. Open an area to see what to check on a 2017 Toyota Corolla before you buy.
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 27,000 miles.
My2017 Toyota Corolla was Purchased at Dave Edward’s Certified Pre Owned Car Dealer in Spartanburg South Carolina in 2018 It has Multiple Recall Notices by Toyota USA on ILLEGAL FACTORY INSTALLED CHINESE AIR BAGS THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN TOYOTA USA AUTOMOBILES BY INFERIOR DESIGN AND POOR QUALITY ALARM FAILURE THIS [VIN] TOYOTA…Owner complaint, filed 2026
While I was driving in the middle lane through an intersection, a car from the opposite side failed to yield while turning and hit me on my driver's side. My car was traveling at approximately 35 MPH, and the other vehicle was exceeding the speed limit. The impact caused my car to veer in the opposite direction and I lost consciousness…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 4,000 miles.
My brakes seem to malfunction when engaged after hitting potholes and/or street depressions. This has occurred on Kensington Street east of Church Avenue. This is between Church Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway among other streets. My safety was put at risk as I felt the brakes were not going to hold or stop the vehicle. No, it has not been…Owner complaint, filed 2021
First occured at 45k, driving home on city street traveling straight at about 40mph when traffic came to stop, went to brake and pedal depressed to floor and car did not stop. Was able to engine brake and using parking brake to safetly stop. Towed to nearest shop, and master cylinder had premature failure and replaced $500. Notified…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 52,000 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 4,000 miles.
Recently purchased a used 2017 Toyota Corolla. During the test drive I did not attempt to use the cruise control as it was only driven on city or small highways. Travel with the car at those locations has been good. Yesterday while on a freeway, I used the cruise control. It started out okay, but when I got to a downhill or uphill…Owner complaint, filed 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved and the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The vehicle crashed into a concrete barrier while turning into a parking space. The contact was not able to depress the brake pedal in time to stop the vehicle. No…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 55,000 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 13,000 miles.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Toyota Corolla. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was an independent dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 100,534. It was later discovered upon checking the Carfax Report, that the mileage was 112,085.Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 112,085 miles
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 81,456 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 257,000 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 2,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for brake service, the contact was informed that the transmission chain had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic for the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was not…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 111,000 miles
My college son was driving down from Orlando, and when he got here I took his/my car to my mechanic because the AC was not cold. I felt a hard shift when I put it in reverse, and when I started to drive the car to the mechanic, it didn’t feel right. They fixed my AC and I asked him to check the car as I was worried it did not feel safe…Owner complaint, filed 2024
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 24,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bags and seat belt warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bags and the passenger's side seat belt warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the front passenger's side…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 13,369 miles
This vehicle when it's impacted there's really no help or assistance to get the vehicle removed off your property on the vehicle is a hazard it really needs to be retested and there needs to be someone to know that it's not safe for children and being this vehicle a lot of times it's kids slides and it doesn't have the front part of the…Owner complaint, filed 2022
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 50,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle's power steering would suddenly fail. The contact would wait till the power steering would restore proper functionality. The failure occurred 2 times. The warning light indicating the power steering had malfunctioned had sounded…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 62,000 miles
Steering wheel is hard to turn while driving.because of hard steering wheel, it is hard to turn. I feel risky while turning because there would be a chances that it won't turn in time and would have the risk of collision.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 66,900 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 18,000 miles.
Headlights are inadequate, even dangerous. You can see a distinct "horizon line" in front of the car which has a sharp cutoff above which there is no illumination. In spite of their extreme intensity, these headlights illuminate everything but the road ahead. Makes me feel like I am driving without headlights. I thought they were not…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 35,000 miles
I recently purchased a used 2017 corolla and I agree with 2 others that the windshield has a design flaw. It is extremely angled in toward the car and reflects the dashboard in the window. The dashboard is like a mirror and the ventilation levers that run along the dash reflect in the lower half of the window and thus cut off visibility.…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 43,000 miles
While at idle the rpm will drop down to 400 rpm with it almost stalling out the car. This has been a continuing issue with no real answers on why.Owner complaint, filed 2022
While driving in the middle of active traffic, the vehicle experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of motive power. The first indication of a problem was the A/C abruptly blowing hot air. Immediately following this, the vehicle began violently shaking before the engine stalled completely. The low oil pressure warning light was triggered…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 20,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (9).
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Corolla. The contact was unable to exit the vehicle after pulling on the driver’s side door handle. The contact made several attempts to exit the vehicle, but the door was jammed. Due to the failure, the contact was forced to exit the vehicle through front passenger’s side door. The contact was able to open…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 51,654 miles
To whom it may concern, I would like to report that my vehicle's paint has been peeling off since June 2018. The vehicle was purchased on 8/11/17, and I have continuously reported the paint problem to no avail from the dealership or manufacturer. As a matter of fact, in February 2019, the vehicle was serviced to due bubbles developing…Owner complaint, filed 2024
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 42,000 miles.
Car is turned off and parked in driveway. Few hours later went to start the car. Noise coming from gas tank. Fuel pump running by itself, loud and noticeable.Owner complaint, filed 2021
The contact owns a 2017 toyota corolla. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact shifted the vehicle into park and restarted the vehicle. On another occasion while the vehicle was in a parking lot, the vehicle shutoff and was towed to deluca toyota (1719 sw college rd, ocala, fl…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 79,000 miles
While driving in the middle of active traffic, the vehicle experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of motive power. The first indication of a problem was the A/C abruptly blowing hot air. Immediately following this, the vehicle began violently shaking before the engine stalled completely. The low oil pressure warning light was triggered…Owner complaint, filed 2026
My 2017 Toyota Corolla is Involved in Illegal Airbags that Are A Horrible CRASH RATING F - by .Toyota of Spartanburg South Carolina in 3 Recall To the Owner of 2017 Toyota Certified Pre Owned USA Automobile The NTSA Has Multiple Auto Manufacturing Companies that Are CHINESE AIRBAGS That ARE UNSAFE AND CAN DEPLOY and HURT PASSENGERS and…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 12,000 miles.
The clips on the front bumper above the wheel broke while driving and the bumper keeps falling off and never been in a wreck. Trying to start a class action suit because I talked to four others at the Toyota dealership who had the same problemOwner complaint, filed 2021
The contact owns a 2017 toyota corolla. While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle independently pulled to the left or right without warning. The vehicle was taken to sansone auto mall (located at 90-100 us highway 1, avenel, nj 07001, (866) 809-9999) to be diagnosed, but a failure code could not be located. The contact was informed…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 42,002 miles
At 60,00 miles I started hearing noises coming from the front suspension I took it to the dealership it was still under warranty they told me that it was the upper strut mount here. Dealership replaced front mount. Now it is doing again I'm at a hundred and ten thousand miles and that problem still persist something is going on with the…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 60,000 miles
Clunking noise, sometimes very noticeable when going over speed bump and turning steering to right or left. Took the car to toyota dealership twice. Both times they said the noise is normal. But independent mechanic says there is problem with cv joint and bushing. I am wondering if this vehicle is safe to drive.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 33,090 miles
Compare the 2017 with other years before you choose one. Tap a year to see its problems.
Each car is rated against its own other years, since popular models always get more complaints than rare ones.
| Car | Vs. its other years | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Toyota Corolla | About average | 3 |
| 2017 Honda Civic | Worse than most years | 6 |
| 2017 Mazda Mazda3 | About average | 2 |
| 2017 Hyundai Elantra | Among the worst years | 4 |
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.
The most reported problem areas on the 2017 Toyota Corolla are the air bags (54 complaints), the brakes and stability control (30 complaints) and the cruise control and acceleration (29 complaints).
About average for the Corolla. Owners filed about as many complaints as a typical Corolla year. The main thing to watch is the air bags, which half of owners reported by about 27,000 miles. Based on owner complaints to NHTSA, compared with other Corolla years from 2012 to 2024. A good year can still be a bad car, so check the one you are looking at.
NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2017 Toyota Corolla. The most recent, from Jan 2020, covers the air bag / restraint control module. Recalls cover the whole model year, so check the VIN of the car you are looking at to see which are still open.
Half of the owners who reported a problem with the air bags gave a mileage of about 27,000 miles or less. Half of the owners who reported a problem with the brakes and stability control gave a mileage of about 4,000 miles or less. Plenty of cars have these problems later or never, so ask for service records.
The Corolla years with the most complaints compared with the rest are 2012. Years with clearly fewer complaints are 2018. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate fairly yet.
These problems are for the model year as a whole. Here is how to find out about the one you are looking at.
We inspect the car with a scan tool and paint gauge, read the history report and tell you whether it is worth the asking price, before you hand over any money.