Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
2012 Toyota Corolla — Known Issues & Recalls
Complaints from Jan 2013 to Dec 2015
The most reported issue is air bags problems (353 complaints). 41 complaints involved crashes. 1 involved fire.
Open Safety Recalls (5)
NHTSA Campaign: 19V005000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, and 2014-2017 Lexus GX460 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS250, IS350, 2011-2016 4Runner, 2011-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2011-2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, 2011-2017 Lexus GX460, and 2011-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS350, 2010-2016 4Runner, 2010-2013 Lexus IS250, 2010-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2010-2014 Lexus IS-F, and 2010-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began February 15, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.
NHTSA Campaign: 19V741000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.
NHTSA Campaign: 17V006000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).
NHTSA Campaign: 13V014000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
NHTSA Campaign: 20V024000
Component: AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
Owner-Reported Issues (20 of 445)
Air Bags →15 issues
During a crash into a cement pole, the passenger-side airbags failed to deploy, resulting in injuries to both the driver and passenger from the impact and seatbelt force. The occupants sustained chest cavity injuries that could have been prevented if the airbags had functioned properly.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your airbag has failed again and needs replacement, even though you already had it replaced during a previous recall. This suggests the replacement may not have resolved the underlying issue permanently.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your airbag has failed and requires replacement. You had to cover the full cost of the repair out of pocket. This is a serious safety issue that needs immediate attention.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
After your wife had the driver's side airbag replaced at a Toyota dealership under a recall, the airbag warning light and maintenance light came on. A mechanic's diagnostic test showed the driver's side airbag needed to be replaced again. The repair likely involves replacing the airbag module and clearing the diagnostic fault codes from the vehicle's computer system.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your driver's side airbag failed about 4 years after a recall replacement was performed at a Toyota dealership. A diagnostic check confirmed the airbag needed replacement, and you paid $1,200 for the repair at an independent mechanic because your wife was uncomfortable driving with a faulty airbag. Toyota's warranty on the original repair expired at 12 months, leaving you responsible for the full cost despite airbags being designed to last the vehicle's lifetime.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your driver's side airbag failed about 4 years after Toyota replaced it under a 2019 recall. The airbag warning light came on, and a mechanic confirmed the airbag needed replacement again, costing $1,200 out of pocket. You believe the original replacement may not have been done correctly, or that airbags should be covered longer than Toyota's 12-month warranty policy allows.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your driver's side airbag failed four years after it was replaced under a 2019 Toyota recall, and diagnostic testing confirmed it needed replacement again. You paid $1,200 out of pocket for the repair since Toyota's warranty on the original replacement had expired. The issue may indicate the original 2019 replacement was not performed correctly, or there may be a defect in the airbag itself that warrants another recall.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your driver's side airbag was replaced under recall in 2019 and covered by a 12-month warranty. About 4 years later, a mechanic's diagnostic test indicated the airbag had failed, requiring approximately $1,000 in repairs. You're concerned that the airbag shouldn't have failed so quickly when the car wasn't in an accident, suggesting a potential manufacturing or design defect. The fix would likely involve replacement of the airbag module and related components.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
During a 50 mph side-impact collision on the driver's side, your 2012 Toyota Corolla's airbags failed to deploy, while the other vehicle's airbags worked normally. Your son was injured and hospitalized with chest, shoulder, and neck pain. Although a recall service was performed in May 2020 that included installation of an airbag harness kit, the airbag system did not function during this accident. A complete inspection and diagnostic of the airbag control module, wiring, and sensor system will be necessary to determine why the airbags didn't deploy.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your Corolla flipped upside down after a side-impact collision at 30 mph with another vehicle, and the airbags did not deploy despite being previously recalled and repaired. You're concerned about why the collision caused a rollover rather than just an impact, and why the safety airbags failed to activate. Additionally, you've noticed the front grille has fallen off twice, which you attribute to weak fasteners or flimsy plastic construction. A full airbag system diagnostic and inspection of the vehicle's structural integrity and grille mounting hardware would be needed to identify why these failures occurred.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your airbag system required adjustment again after Toyota previously recalled and repaired it for the same issue. You had to pay $1,000 out of pocket for this repeat repair, suggesting the original recall fix may not have been permanent. This issue may require another manufacturer recall to address the underlying problem.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your airbag has failed and needs to be replaced for the second time. Toyota is not covering the $1,000 replacement cost even though airbags are typically designed to last the vehicle's lifetime. The repair will involve removing and installing a new airbag assembly.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your driver's side airbag was replaced at a Toyota dealership in 2019 as part of a recall, but the airbag warning light came on after you moved to North Carolina. A mechanic's diagnostic test confirmed the airbag needed to be replaced again, so you had the repair done to ensure safety. When you contacted Toyota and the original dealership about warranty coverage, you were told that all repairs only have a 12-month warranty, which had expired. The repair will likely involve replacing the airbag module and resetting the airbag system.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your driver's side airbag failed about 4 years after a 2019 recall replacement, requiring a second replacement at an independent mechanic. The airbag light and maintenance light came on, and diagnostics confirmed the airbag needed replacement. Toyota's 12-month warranty on the original 2019 replacement had expired, leaving you responsible for the full repair cost.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your car's airbag system needs service, but your dealer says they don't have time to fix it right now. You should follow up with the dealer to schedule an appointment or seek service at another location to get this checked and repaired.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Vehicle Speed Control →1 issue
While parking at a post office, your car suddenly accelerated on its own even though you were pressing the brake pedal, causing it to crash into a tree. The airbags didn't deploy, and the engine shut off after impact. You were injured and taken to urgent care, and the vehicle was totaled by insurance. You mentioned experiencing a similar incident years earlier.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Air Bags,seat Belts →1 issue
Your airbag failed to deploy during a crash on October 30, 2024, resulting in head injury. The airbag system did not function as designed when impact occurred.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Steering,electrical System →1 issue
When you start your car, multiple dashboard warning lights illuminate and your car displays an error that the electric power steering (EPS) system has failed, making the steering wheel harder to turn. Additionally, your cruise control doesn't work, and your speedometer and digital dashboard display aren't functioning properly.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Unknown Or Other →1 issue
Your sunroof suddenly shattered or exploded while you were driving on the highway. This happened without any known impact or cause. The sunroof will likely need to be completely replaced.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Structure →1 issue
Your car was subject to a paint recall that expired in 2022, but your paint didn't start peeling until 2023, after the recall period ended. You weren't notified about the recall and only found out about it through an online post. The paint peeling appears to be a manufacturing defect rather than something you caused, and you believe the repair should be covered despite the expired recall period.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Get notified when any of these become free repairs
We'll alert you if a new recall is issued for your vehicle — that means a free fix at the dealer.
Related Vehicles
Other Toyota Corolla years: