Nobody sells cars like how Toyota does and they’ve been known to offer great reliability in their cars. The Toyota Corolla is their highest-selling model and the Japanese giant was able to sell over 302,000 units of this compact sedan. It is usual to expect a long list of complaints for a car sold in such high numbers but the Corolla surprisingly holds just 186 complains and 5 recalls in total. This proves how reliable the car is but there definitely have been certain issues that raised concerns in the users and they were majorly related to the powertrain of the vehicle. Nonetheless, the Corolla still takes the lead in terms of reliability when compared to rivals like the Subaru Impreza, the Chevrolet Cruze, and the Honda Civic.
User complaints and problems
Electrical Problems
- Radio – The car radio was said to malfunction and users noticed the unit getting stuck at random times. The system would also restart randomly on its own and the dealers found the wiring harness connected to the head unit to be faulty and replaced it.
Mechanical Problems
- Engine – The car was said to misfire while driving and this caused the car not to be able to overtake other vehicles as the sudden misfire causes the power to drop drastically. The dealers suspected one of the pistons to be faulty and were replaced during the rebuild of the engine.
- Engine cooling – The engine was found to overheat and the dealers found a plastic hose on the radiator was broken that leaked fluid. Replacing the hose fixed the issue.
- Fuel system – The users noticed the car to not respond when the gas pedal was depressed and the vehicle was also said to jerk at times. The car was taken to the dealers and it was found that the fuel pump had failed, resulting in improper amounts of fuel reaching the engine. Replacing the pump restored the performance of the car.
- Transmission – The gears were said to slip at times or shift with a delay and this caused the car to perform in a very unsafe manner. Users got the car diagnosed and it was found that a weak transmission gasket caused the fluids to leak. The low fluid caused the transmission to malfunction and dealers had to flush and refill the transmission after installing a new gasket.
- Brakes – The users stated to hear a creaking noise from the brakes and it was also said that the brake pedal would travel all the way to the floor. This caused the braking power to decrease and when the vehicle was taken to the dealer, they determined the issue to be caused due to a faulty master cylinder that needed to be replaced.
Safety Problems
- Seatbelt – The rear left passenger seatbelt buckle was installed in reverse and this often caused the belts of the middle and left passenger to get tangled. Dealers resolved the issue by installing the buckle in the right manner.
- Airbags – The airbag was determined to be faulty by Takata and they needed to be replaced.
2013 Toyota Corolla recalls
|
S. No. |
Date |
NHTSA ID |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
17th January 2020 |
20V024000 |
Airbag/pretensioners may not deploy. |
The airbag ECU may malfunction and possibly disable the deployment of the airbags and pretensioners during a crash. |
The ECU will be inspected and dealers will install a noise filter between the airbag control module and its wire harness. |
|
2. |
17th October 2019 |
19V741000 |
Frontal airbag inflator may explode. |
This can result in sharp metal objects being sent toward the passenger or driver and cause serious injury or even death. |
The front passenger airbag inflator will be replaced. |
|
3. |
9th January 2019 |
19V005000 |
Passenger frontal airbag inflator may explode. |
Inflator explosion can cause sharp metal fragments to be shot toward the occupant, resulting in injuring them. |
The airbag assembly will be replaced. |
|
4. |
9th January 2018 |
18V024000 |
Passenger frontal airbag inflator may explode. |
If the inflator explodes, it could send sharp objects to the driver or the passenger and injure them. |
The inflator or the airbag assembly will be replaced. |
|
5. |
16th January 2013 |
13V014000 |
Occupant sensing system calibration. |
A system that hasn’t been calibrated may not deploy the airbag during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. |
The sensitivity of the sensors will be tested and calibrated. |
Should you buy the 2013 Toyota Corolla?
For just over $18,000, the 2013 Toyota Corolla holds the best value in its segment and poses as the most reliable vehicle. Nothing beats the maintenance of a Toyota as they are very economical and easily available. The Corolla proved to be reliable by having a limited number of complaints even after selling a massive number of cars. We suggest getting the coolant lines and the transmission seats inspected as there can be leaks at these spots and can affect the performance of the vehicle. Toyota also recalled the vehicle 5 times and the majority of it was to fix a faulty airbag inflator. With major issues and concerns taken care of by the brand, it is safe to pick the Corolla, and we highly recommend this car to anyone looking for a budget-friendly purchase.
