Toyota COROLLA iM Reliability

Owners filed 18 complaints about the COROLLA iM: 1.5 per production run against 3.73 for the market, fewer complaints than most cars. The year to avoid is 2018; the cleanest year old enough to judge is 2017.

NHTSA owner complaints · 18 complaints · 2017–2018 · Updated Nov 3, 2026
Quick answer

Half of all complaints arrive by 3 years of age, so 66.7% land after the 3-year basic warranty ends. The system owners report most is Power Train, with 4 complaints, typically at 2.8 years.

Toyota COROLLA iM years to avoid — and the best ones

FIG.01·Toyota COROLLA iM — complaint rate by model year
Model yearPer runComplaintsRunsEnough history?
20181.685yes
20171.43107yes
ROWS 2·SOURCE NHTSA complaints, grouped by VIN production run

Among the 2 Toyota COROLLA iM years with enough history, the three to walk away from are 2018, 2017; the three worth hunting are 2017, 2018.

When it starts to break

FIG.02·Toyota COROLLA iM — age at failure
Age at failureComplaintsRunning totalWarranty
0 years211.1%covered
1 year327.8%covered
2 years133.3%covered
3 years666.7%you pay
5 years277.8%you pay
6 years183.3%you pay
7 years3100%you pay
ROWS 7·SOURCE NHTSA complaints with incident dates

Basic warranty on this car is 3 years / 36,000 miles. Only 33.3% of reported failures happen inside it — the remaining 66.7% come out of the owner's pocket. Powertrain cover (5 years / 60,000 miles) reaches further, but it only covers the engine and transmission, which account for about 39% of the complaints here.

What actually fails — and at what age

On the Toyota COROLLA iM, the early trouble is Power Train and Air Bags — reported at around 2.8 years, so a car still under warranty is the one to check for it. What waits further out is Forward Collision Avoidance at 4.5 years — past every basic warranty, and the bill lands on whoever owns the car then.

FIG.03·Toyota COROLLA iM — what fails and when
SystemComplaintsTypical ageCrashFire
Power Train42.8 yrs1—
Air Bags42.5 yrs3—
Unknown Or Other32.3 yrs——
Engine31.7 yrs1—
Seat Belts23 yrs2—
Steering21.5 yrs1—
Forward Collision Avoidance24.5 yrs——
Vehicle Speed Control11 yrs——
ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA complaints

What else in this class

6 models share the COROLLA iM's vehicle class.

FIG.05·Toyota COROLLA iM — rivals in the same class
Same class as the COROLLA iMComplaints on recordRecall campaignsYears built
Toyota Camry20,0391611983–2026
Honda Accord24,3694151981–2026
Dodge Challenger1,696771981–2026
Toyota Prius12,8731092001–2026
Hyundai Elantra9,0901171992–2026
Nissan Altima15,6571481993–2026
ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA complaints and recall campaigns

The table shows totals on record; the rates per production run are in the sentence above.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Toyota COROLLA iM reliable?

By complaints per production run it is better than typical: 1.5 against 3.73 for the average car.

When do COROLLA iM problems usually start?

Half of all complaints arrive by 3 years of age. The most reported system is Power Train, typically at 2.8 years, followed by Air Bags.

Will the warranty cover COROLLA iM problems?

Mostly not: basic cover is 3 years / 36,000 miles, and only 33.3% of reported failures fall inside it. Powertrain cover lasts longer, but engine and transmission make up about 39% of the complaints here.

Complaint records from NHTSA, grouped by VIN production run (characters 1–11). Rates, age-at-failure and warranty coverage computed by ForCar. Model years newer than 6 years are excluded from rankings — complaints accumulate for a decade (how we measure). Last updated Nov 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.
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