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2012 Toyota Corolla

The Verdict

32 Check Engine

The 2012 Toyota Corolla has 424 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are electrical (360 complaints) and body (43 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 32/100, it earns a "Check Engine" rating. If you're shopping for a Toyota Corolla, consider the 2025 model year which has 94% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2025 has 94% fewer complaints

View the 2025 Toyota Corolla dashboard →

32

Klunk Score: Check Engine

More complaints than most vehicles. Known issues exist — budget for potential repairs.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
2000571022587
2001431234409
2002641529328
20031802837412356
2004133142647914
20051483653415734
20061313050915542
20071734049212622
200872271656511
200957911260916933
20105301664326439
201192194053516
2012431036056
2013772366248
201490141132822
20157613762627
20167128742018
20176125681914
2018371029507
20194412267444
202098163612229
2021489643918
20222712271315
202326324135
202424101276
2025126322

By Category

Electrical
360
Body
43
Brakes
10
Transmission
6
Engine
5

By Severity

1
196
2
184
3
2
4
42

Worst Problems

Compare Against

See how the 2012 Toyota Corolla stacks up against rivals.

Complaints

Electrical 1

I turned my car on and every light on the dashboard is practically on. It’s saying my (EPS) has failed and now it’s become hard to steer the vehicle. And none of my electrics as far as cruise control work and my speedometer isn’t working nor is it presenting me digital numbers on my dash.

4mo ago
Body 4

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 bags did not deploy. The contact sustained a hematoma and pain in the right arm. The contact's friend transported the contact to Urgent Care, where the contact received medical assistance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was totaled by the insurance company. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The contact stated that she had reported a similar incident to NHTSA via mail in 2012. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

7mo ago
Electrical 4

I got a car accident on Oct 30,2024. The air bag didn't deployed and my head has been injured.

19mo ago
Body 1

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.

23mo ago
Electrical 4

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’s

32mo ago
Electrical 1

air bag needed to be replaced after I replaced it before on a previous recall. NEED ANOTHER RECALL

33mo ago
Electrical 1

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

33mo ago
Electrical 1

Faulty airbag - needed to get it replaced. Forced to pay for whole thing.

33mo ago
Electrical 1

Airbag needed to be replaced....again. This vehicle has had many recalls before, but now I am forced to pay for an additional replacement. Airbags are supposed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. Toyota not covering this $1000 expense is ridiculous and unsafe.

33mo ago
Electrical 1

Context: My wife replaced the driver’s side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. We’ve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report on 9/14/2023 to determine the airbag on the driver’s side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty.

33mo ago
Electrical 2

: My wife replaced the driver’s side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. We’ve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report on 9/14/2023 to determine the airbag on the driver’s side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle.

34mo ago
Electrical 1

Context: My wife replaced the driver’s side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. We’ve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report to determine the airbag on the driver’s side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty. While I understand this is the policy, I do not agree that an airbag replacement should be charged out of pocket after 4 years of replacement. Studies have shown that airbags should last the lifetime of the vehicle. Either the original 2019 replacement was not correctly executed, or the vehicle manufacturer needs to issue another recall. It does not make sense to me that an airbag should last 4 years, and we should have to pay $1,200. In addition to this, the service manager at the Columbia, MO (Joe Machen’s) Toyota was extremely unprofessional. He said that my wife should have drove (with an inoperable airbag) to a Toyota dealership, which came across as unethical in my opinion. I would like to officially request a reimbursement of “good will” from Toyota. I have a work order and a paid receipt to provide any evidence that is required. If this message does not pertain to your role within Toyota, please pass this message along to the appropriate department/individual. I am happy to answer any questions and can be contacted at [XXX] . I sincerely appreciate your attention to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

34mo ago
Electrical 1

Context: My wife replaced the driver’s side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. We’ve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic (Christian Brothers Automotive) close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report on 9/14/2023 to determine the airbag on the driver’s side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty. While I understand this is the policy, I do not agree that an airbag replacement should be charged out of pocket after 4 years of replacement. Studies have shown that airbags should last the lifetime of the vehicle. Either the original 2019 replacement was not correctly executed, or the vehicle manufacturer needs to issue another recall. I also tried contacting the “goodwill” department of Toyota Corporate and was unsuccessful in getting a reimbursement. I am requesting a full reimbursement of the airbag replacement cost and labor for a grand sum of $1,166.77.

34mo ago
Electrical 1

Context: My wife replaced the driver’s side airbag per the 2019 Toyota Corolla recall at a Columbia, MO dealership. We’ve since moved to North Carolina. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and we took it to the mechanic close to our new home. They ran a diagnostics report to determine the airbag on the driver’s side needed to be replaced. I have documentation of this report with the error code. I got the work done at the mechanic because my wife did not feel comfortable knowingly driving with a faulty vehicle. I tried contacting corporate customer service as well as the dealership that did the original replacement in 2019. I was told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty. While I understand this is the policy, I do not agree that an airbag replacement should be charged out of pocket after 4 years of replacement. Either the original 2019 replacement was not correctly executed, or the vehicle manufacturer needs to issue another recall. It does not make sense to me that an airbag should last 4 years, and we should have to pay $1,200. In addition to this, the service manager at the Columbia, MO (Joe Machen’s) Toyota was extremely unprofessional. He said that my wife should have drove (with an inoperable airbag) to a Toyota dealership, which came across as unethical in my opinion. I would like to officially request a reimbursement of “good will” from Toyota. I have a work order and a paid receipt to provide any evidence that is required. If this message does not pertain to your role within Toyota, please pass this message along to the appropriate department/individual. I am happy to answer any questions and can be contacted at [XXX] . I sincerely appreciate your attention to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

34mo ago
Electrical 1

The airbag (driver's side) was replaced in 2019 per a recall at a dealership in Columbia, MO. My wife and I have since moved to [XXX] . We took the car to a local mechanic (closer to our house) for basic work, such as an oil change/tire rotation. During the vehicle inspect, they said the airbag failed test (image attached). We got the work done (cost about $1,000). The dealership was not pleasant to work with and said the mechanic was "not Toyota certified" and "she should have drove to a Toyota dealership". The initial 2019 airbag replacement was under a 12-month warranty. This is the basic warranty for all repairs, which I understand. However, airbags are supposed to last longer than 4 years. The car was not in an accident. This is a either a faulty manufacturer/design. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

34mo ago
Electrical 4

On March 30, 2023, at approximately 7:10 pm, my son was involved in an auto accident with his 2012 Toyota Corolla and his airbags did not deploy. His vehicle was impacted on the driver’s side fender and bumper. He was traveling, approximately 50 mph in the center lane. The other vehicle that was involved had their airbags deploy. My son did experience chest, shoulder and neck pain from the impact. He was taken to Baylor-Scott and White Hospital for his injuries. The vehicle was inoperable and towed to the Lewisville impound for storage. The Flower Mound Police Department responded to the accident and an accident report was completed. On March 05, 2020, I received a notice for the Airbag Safety Recall for VIN 5YFBU4EE1CP051025. On April 03, 2020, I received a payment of $62.25 for the Takata Airbag Product Liability Litigation, No. 1:15md-02599-FAM. On May 19, 2020, the Toyota Corolla was serviced at Lone Star Toyota pursuant to the safety recall. An Airbag Harness Kit was installed.

40mo ago
Electrical 2

Dealer have no time to fix it

46mo ago
Electrical 4

My Corolla flipped over upside down going 30 miles an hour. I collided with another vehicle that was stopped in the opposing lane of travel to turn left. We both barely were over center the line at impact that somehow caused my Corolla to roll upside down. Some how this did not deploy the safety airbags either. The airbags are not my complaint; but rather that I managed to flip upside down going 30 mph from a driver side collision. I’m writing in an attempt to understand why it wasn’t just an impact, but actually flipped the vehicle over. Also, why the safety airbags, which were recalled and repaired, did not engage upon impact. I just replaced the transmission 3 weeks prior to this bizarre accident, that may have totaled my vehicle. It’s still sitting in my garage because new investments had just been made to keep it in good shape for another year (transmission, tires, headlights, plate renewal, etc). I was planning to purchase a new Toyota suv the following spring or shortly after. Unfortunately this collision has derailed all future ambitions regarding my mode of transportation and forced me to purchase an extremely old Toyota Avalon in order for me to function in my daily life as a single parent. I am very fortunate to have escaped any serious injuries considering I was upside down, hanging from my seatbelt, and even more grateful that I had not gotten my 9 year old daughter yet. I was in route to pick her up around 4pm when it happened. I would love some insight or science as to why or how that could have happened. *side complaint- the grill of my Corolla has fallen off twice unnoticeably (and I purchased and replaced with a new one both times). Why are either the fasteners not stronger or why isn’t the bottom of the vehicle itself not stronger. It’s the flimsiest plastic which shouldn’t be used on something meant to transport the most precious cargo. I’ve noticed it is very common for many Corollas to be missing the grill piece since it’s become a “thing”.

47mo ago
Body 2

While driving on the highway the sunroof unexpectedly exploded

51mo ago
Body 2

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 paint

59mo ago

424 total

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