NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 185 owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota Corolla.
1Safety recalls
185Owner complaints
18Complaints citing a crash
2Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags. Most-reported area: air bags (52 complaints, 28%). Includes the Corolla Hybrid and hatchback. Excludes the GR Corolla and Corolla Cross.
1 safety recall for the 2021 Toyota Corolla
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
NHTSA listing: COROLLA. Toyota campaign 23TA15, 23LA03.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 185 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Corolla. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Air bags52 · 28%
Engine40 · 22%
Electrical system22 · 12%
Powertrain19 · 10%
Visibility/wiper15 · 8%
Exterior lighting8 · 4%
Forward collision avoidance8 · 4%
Most named: adaptive cruise control (4); automatic emergency braking (3)
Unknown or other32 · 17%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Toyota Corolla recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2021 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2016 Corolla drew the most (88) and the 2021 drew 49.
Owner complaints
2021: 185 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Corolla
Model year
Complaints
2016
214
2017
190
2018
142
2019
203
2020
309
2021
185
2022
103
2023
73
2024
65
2025
33
2026
16
Safety recalls
2021: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Corolla
Model year
Recalls
2016
1
2017
3
2018
3
2019
6
2020
6
2021
1
2022
0
2023
4
2024
3
2025
1
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Toyota COROLLA 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 10.5%
Toyota COROLLA HATCHBACK 5 HB FWD
Rollover risk 10.5%
Toyota COROLLA HYBRID 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 10.5%
Questions
What are the most common 2021 Corolla problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: air bags (52), engine (40), electrical system (22). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2021 Toyota Corolla safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2021 Toyota Corolla earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Corolla has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: COROLLA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.