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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
59,184 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Toyota Corolla engine problems

engine problem

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2010 Toyota Corolla Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #31

Dec 042022

Corolla

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine problem Toyota corolla 2010 S vvt-I gear rattle when I started and by the time goes by the timing change maybe get broken while I'm driving and may cause and accident This problem is coming from manufacture cause my son in law got the same car as mine and he got hte same problem

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #30

Oct 062022

Corolla

  • miles
The timing chain broke while the vehicle was in motion. Per multiple online sources, many of reported that the VVTi malfunction can cause premature wearing of the timing chain. There were only 140K miles on the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by two Toyota dealerships. There were no warning signs of this happening. The car stopped running in the middle of an intersection.

- St Charles, MO, USA

problem #29

Mar 282021

Corolla

  • 187,775 miles
I change oil regularly every 5000 miles. At 187,775 miles changed oil and only 1.25qt came out. Next oil change roughly 192,000 only 2qt came out. Oil capacity is around 4.4 qt. No oil leaks so this engine is burning oil 2qt every 5000 miles.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #28

Feb 212020

Corolla

  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Using engine oil.

- Elizabethtown, KY, USA

problem #27

May 012018

Corolla

  • 58,000 miles
Cold start rattling. When car sit there for couple hours then start up, engine rattles for a brief 1-2 seconds camshaft failure/chain tensioner improper install

- Hadar, NE, USA

problem #26

May 152016

Corolla

  • 66,046 miles
Please note: Problem with the engine. Engine light come on a lot, but when I had it checked, they could not find out why it continue to come on.

- Conver, NC, USA

problem #25

Jul 282017

Corolla

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When needing to accelerate the car takes off like a jet rocket when the pedal is pressed. The car seems to be out of control and shaking violently. This happens usually on highway when going above 50. Feels very unsafe. This is a used car I bought. This happens on a regular basis.

- Florida, NY, USA

problem #24

Apr 262017

Corolla

  • 59,000 miles
I was driving my car yesterday and as I went to accelerate the car didn't move so I pushed the gas pedal again and it went real slow. Then the car jerked and began to smoke really bad so I pulled over and open the hood and flames began to shoot out.

- Woodridge, IL, USA

problem #23

Feb 192017

Corolla

  • 122,000 miles
The contact owned a 2010 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while parked. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an insurance lot. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #22

Apr 102016

Corolla 4-cyl

  • miles
I am the owner of a 2010 Toyota Corolla, whose VIN number is: [xxx]. that car had a low mileage when I brought to germain Toyota in naples, Florida, to fix any problem at that time that had caused the "engine light" to appear on the dash. I was told that the "gas cap" was the problem and that I needed to replace it; I followed their recommendation. But, one day after the same light appeared again. Disappear; therefore, I decided not to come back for that same thing. Recently, in several occasions the car suddenly stopped working while I was driving it both in local and highway 75 without any warning or sign that such thing was going to happen: "the gas pedal just goes to zero, that means the pressure went quickly and suddenly to no pressure, and three lights are shown on the dash." Thank god, I am still alive! I took the car to germain Toyota, they had urged me to replace the "battery, " which I did. The problem resurfaced the day after. The second time, they asked me to replace the "ECU, " which I did. That cost me more than $800, close to $900. The three lights reappeared after two days. I came brought the car back to germain Toyota, they told me that it was another thing that caused the problem. Last week, the first week of December, I brought it back to them for the same lights, and they told me to replace again the "gas cap, " I paid another money, but the same problem continues to go on and on and persist every week. The dealer refuses to acknowledge and accept that it is a factory defect. Those things happened both in streets and highway I-75. I do not feel safe to continue to drive it anymore, and I do not want to sell it to place someone else's life in peril. Therefore, I ask your department for help. I cannot keep on spending almost every week for the same problem. I thank you in advance! information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Ave Maria, FL, USA

problem #21

Aug 012013

Corolla

  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Two issues: Radio controls fail; usually when outside temps near/above 100F. Touching any control turns off radio, spits out cd. Causes me to Focus on radio instead of driving. Dealer no help. Seen the problem listed by others online Inc. Youtube video of the radio acting up. 2nd issue: Just had to replace water pump, approx. 150,000 miles. Appears there was some sort of recall but I did not receive any notice. Replaced 7/16/16

- Murrieta, CA, USA

problem #20

Nov 012015

Corolla

  • 160,000 miles
Excessive oil consumption. My 2010 Corolla has suddenly started burning (not leaking) oil at the rate of 1 quart per every 1500 miles. I noticed this happening a few months ago and have been carefully watching it. My mechanic said it is most likely a defective engine or piston rings. Very costly to repair. I believe Toyota knowingly put these defective engines in the 2010 Corolla. They put the same engine in other Corollas up to 2009. Obviously in the 2010 also. Please look into this. I'm sure that I am not the only one with this issue. What are my options?

- Pelham, NH, USA

problem #19

Mar 122016

Corolla

  • 51,000 miles
My car is in motion on a city street. The other car driver fails to yield the road approriately, caused accident.airbags are not deployed.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #18

Aug 012015

Corolla

  • 76,000 miles
When applying the brakes, my car will rev up. Especially when I'm going down hill. Another concern is that my car will make a 2-3 second rattling noise upon starting up. It only makes this noise once in a while and it is coming from the engine. Another issue I'm having is the car's check engine light, track light and vsc off light coming on simultaneously on any rainy day and staying on for several days after it has stopped raining. I avoid driving at fast speeds when its rainy because obviously the car is very unstable. My driver side window wont open or close and very cold days and other days it makes a weird noise. I just bought this car used and it has about 79K miles on it.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #17

Oct 262015

Corolla

  • 92,513 miles
Once gain after getting a new engine put into this car 3 months back, our car experienced yet another problem - the oxygen gauge in the exhaust system which is attached to the engine's exhaust manifold has gone bad. While driving the car to work, the engine light and vsc illuminates again. I was under the impression, this is the dealership's fault since it dealing with the engine, or under warranty, but nope. I ended up paying for the repair again. I have never dealt with so many problems in a single car. This car is accident free and never had any major damages done. I believe this car is a faulty car and could be a risk factor to myself, my family and others on the road.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #16

Jul 282015

Corolla

  • 89,000 miles
My family and I bought a brand new Toyota Corolla 2010 le from lustine Toyota, woodbridge, Virginia in 2010. For the past five years, since we owed the vehicle, we have did all the oil, filter changes, and the required maintenance, I.e., tire rotations, alignment, and the different miles inspection on time and never missed a single maintenance or check-ups. We can provide proper documentations, if needed. When the car reached the 34,000 miles, the engine light came on and the vehicle started to shake. We took the vehicle to the lustine Toyota dealership and they fix the vehicle. The dealership informed us that it was a part of a recall issue, and no fees would be required from our side. However, we have recently faced the same issue this past week, and the car has now reached more that 89,000 miles. Once again, we had the vehicle serviced by lustine Toyota, who then informed us the vehicle needs a new engine, which is about a $8,000 expense. I recently filed a compliant with the Toyota cooperation, who refused to acknowledge fault and wants to provide me with $2,000 to replace family's car. My family and I were not expecting this exhaustive expense and a $2,000 credit is not enough to purchase another vehicle. This is a very frustrating experience for myself and my family. I have children under the age of 5, which are also traumatized and afraid of the car's condition to operate safely (my children were in the vehicle at the time the vehicle shook vigorously). I would greatly appreciate the cooperation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigating this matter further and explain why my vehicle is experiencing so many issues and problems. I am appalled by Toyota's cooperation and I would never recommend anyone to purchase or consider leasing vehicles from Toyota. Horrible customer and service experience.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #15

May 202015

Corolla

  • 90,000 miles
I purchased a Toyota Corolla in 2010 and it apparently had a potential cam gear issue. They had put out a tsb alert on the vehicle, however they never disclosed to me that this issue could accur. I've taken it in to their dealership and the cost of repair is $1150. If they would have told me at the time of the purchase that the cam gear could have been an issue I wouldn't have purchased it. They failed to disclose to me any potential issues at the time of sale. This practice is fraudulent and highly unethical. I would like this issue resolved with me and it be corrected for future purschases of others.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #14

Jan 042015

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 53,325 miles
The car was parked in the garage. It was running in park with the emergency brake on. My wife put her foot on the brake and released the emergency brake. At the same time she released the emergency brake the engine revved up dramatically. The RPM's increased as if she had the accelerator pedal to the floor. It kept that up until she shut off the engine.

- Belgrade, MT, USA

problem #13

Dec 262014

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 23,203 miles
I was starting to back out of a diagonal parking space and suddenly the car rapidly accelerated and backed across two lanes of downtown business traffic colliding with a vehicle parked diagonally across the street. When my vehicle started accelerating I stomped on my brake but the car did not stop until it hit the other vehicle. I believe this is an incident of "unintended low-speed surging" as reported on the internet and under NHTSA action number DP14003.

- Davis, CA, USA

problem #12

Dec 172014

Corolla

  • miles
Since a recall correction for the smart stop technology, the car will act like it wants to die when stopped and will hesitate before accelerating from a stop. It acts like it wants to quit running if idling to warm up and gas mileage is worse than before.

- Lexington, KY, USA

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