1999 Toyota Corolla problems & reliability
155 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Toyota Corolla. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
16 complaints report injuries (20 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Toyota Corolla vehicles were involved in 61 fatal crashes with 53 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tires | 22 | 14% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 20 | 13% |
| Air Bags | 19 | 12% |
| Suspension | 14 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 13 | 8% |
| Structure | 10 | 6% |
| Seat Belts | 9 | 6% |
| Steering | 9 | 6% |
| Visibility | 8 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 70,000 miles (middle 50% between 47,875 and 89,000 miles), based on 50 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota corolla equipped with michelin defender tires, size: 185/65/r14 (na). While driving 67 mph, the rear passenger tire blew out. As a result, the vehicle drifted to the right and collided with another vehicle. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The manufacturer and…”
Tires · filed Jun 18, 2018
“I keep getting recall notices, dealer says no fix available. With all the recall notices my wife and I fell we are driving a car that is not safe, it is an accident waiting to happen.”
Air Bags · filed Oct 12, 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 toyota corolla. The contact stated that after the vehicle was serviced for an oil change and driving an additional 800 miles, the contact discovered that the vehicle was burning oil rapidly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure…”
Engine · filed Jul 18, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
69 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Toyota Corolla. The 10 most recent:
OBSOLETE NOTICE January 22, 2024: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0057-18.
T-SB-0043-14 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 22, 2024
TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2023 model year vehicles may be…
TSB003220 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 17, 2023
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions
TTT063620 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 17, 2022
POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be…
Toyota PRO19-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2022
Toyota Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
Toyota Safety Re · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 17, 2021
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
T-TT-0636-20 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 12, 2021
TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2021 model year vehicles may be…
T-SB-0032-20 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 3, 2021
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
T-TT-0636-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 14, 2020
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
T-TT-0636-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 14, 2020
TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 07, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0032-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates
T-SB-0304-17 Obs · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2020
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1999 Toyota Corolla in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Toyota Corolla?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 70,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.