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CarComplaints.com Notes: Beware of the NHTSA complaint data for the 2007 Corolla. It is almost certainly misleading.

The problem with NHTSA data for the 2007 Corolla is that for months on end, the news media repeatedly told the public that several Toyota models have an unintended acceleration defect, & to go to safercar.gov (the NHTSA's website) to file a complaint.

So, the NHTSA received a disproportionate number of complaints about Toyota unintended acceleration issues because of the national news media attention, to the point where now the NHTSA data is unreliable taken in context with any other vehicle that did not receive national news attention.

CarComplaints.com typically receives more complaints per day about vehicles than the NHTSA does, but the news media did not repeatedly say "go to CarComplaints.com to report your Toyota acceleration problems" like they did about the NHTSA -- so although we have less complaint data than the NHTSA for the 2007 Corolla, our data for the Corolla is a far more statistically accurate representation of the Corolla's reliability than what the NHTSA data shows.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,954 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.

2007 Toyota Corolla engine problems

engine problem

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2007 Toyota Corolla Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Oct 092011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 39,671 miles

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

While exiting a parking lot onto a main road, the car stalled during acceleration. The driver attempted to restart the car, however, the car would not start. The starter continued to turn, but the engine would not turnover. After waiting approximately 10 minutes the car restarted, but then stalled again after approximately 30 seconds of running. The driver noticed the check engine light on the instrument panel was illuminated. Thinking it may be a fuel level problem, the driver went to the gas station and bought three gallons of gas and put it in the car. But the engine stalled again after running for a few seconds. The driver let the car sit in the parking lot over night and attempted to restart it in the morning, again, the car stalled after approximately one minute. After reading numerous entries pertaining to the Corolla's ECM, the driver had to get the car towed to the nearest dealership.

- Bossier City, LA, USA

problem #21

Jul 132011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
I drive a 2007 Toyota Corolla S automatic. I bought it brand new & had about 72,000 miles on it at the time of the incident. I had noticed for a few weeks that my car was shifting into reverse quite roughly, delayed & jerking. I figured I would get it checked at my next oil change. While I was stopped at an intersection waiting to turn left, my car stalled. I stepped on the pedal to accelerate but it just revved my car & wouldn't go. I tried switching into reverse with the same result. Then I restarted my car a couple times until it finally started moving again. I thought it was a fluke so I kept driving. Unfortunately, as I drove on, the car just decelerated and stalled again. At that point, I called a tow truck. My car was taken to repair shop where the diagnostic was ECM issues & transmission failure. My mechanic called Toyota to get the ECM replaced & my transmission had to be rebuilt.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #20

Mar 042011

Corolla

  • 59,215 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that he took his vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance. After the vehicle was inspected there was a crack in the V belt which was a part of the engine. The belt was previously replaced at 14,000 miles and had failed again. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that he had to pay $192 for the repairs since the warranty expired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed him that the previous repair parts were only guaranteed for a year. The contact will have to pay the repair cost. The failure mileage was 59,215. Updated 05/04/11 updated 1/5/12

- Potomac , MD, USA

problem #19

Sep 102010

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 64,800 miles

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

In March 2007, I bought a brand new Toyota Corolla. More than three months ago my car started having major problems when I try to turn to car on. First the car engine did not turn on right away, so I had to keep trying to turn it on, then the car did not turn on at all. I got stock at the supermarket parking lot one day because the car was dead. I took it to have a battery check and the mechanic told me that the batteries of the car was in excellent condition, so the problem was the engine of the car. Couple of weeks later, I received a letter by Toyota explaining me that they recalled my car with a major problem in the engine, the letter stated that I needed to be careful because my car engine can turn off while I am driving. I took the car to the Toyota dealer to have then check the car, and they did not even touch my car, they told me that when my car turn off again, to call them or have my car toll to their place. Two days after I went to the dealership the car started having the same problems. It makes a wear sound when I put my keys in the engine and try to turn the car on. I take any tries before the car turn on, so I called Toyota corporate number and they told me to take my car to the dealership, and it did it; however, they did not even touch my car. They leaved parked on a side of the lot and they waited more than two hours to tell me again that I have to wait until the car does not turn on again so they can take a look of the engine. They told me that Toyota is working on a resolution for my problem and by the end of November, I will get a second letter from Toyota stating the solution for the problem and to take my car to the dealership so they can fix in. Today is December 14, 2010 and I have not received any other communication from Toyota. I have not driven my car because I have to kids and I'm afraid that something can happen to us while I am driving my unsafe car. I request an action from Toyota because I am paying for a car that I am not using.

- Oviedo, FL, USA

problem #18

Apr 292007

Corolla

  • 1,700 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that the vehicle would stall intermittently without warning. The failure has occurred since purchase and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for times in regards to the failure. The electronic control module was replaced but the vehicle continued to stall without warning. The dealer advised that there was an open recall on the vehicle and repairs were made under NHTSA campaign id number: 10V384000 (engine and engine cooling). The dealer advised that the repair should have corrected the failure, but it did not. The failure mileage was 1,700 and the current mileage was 58,000.

- Elkridge, MD, USA

problem #17

Aug 292010

Corolla

  • 37,000 miles
My daughter's 2007 Corolla "check engine light" illuminated while driving back to college on 8/29/10. She stated that the car started to jerk periodically also. She was able to drive home safely the following day and I took it to my mechanic on 8/30/10. He said that there was a bulletin released regarding a recall on the ECM and to take it to the dealer for repair. I took it to Toyota mall of Georgia and handed the service rep the printout of the bulletin and explained what had happened. I asked him if this had to do with the recent recall - he said that this wasn't recent since the date on the bulletin was 2007. He said probably the ECM needed to be replaced and would call when he knew for sure. A few hours later he said that the ECM was replaced at no charge. In the interim, I had done some research and found that there was a recall bulletin issued on 8/26/10 so when I picked up the car later that evening, I questioned a different service rep and he said he didn't know about any recall! huh" didn't the other rep tell me that this was from 2007? I said why did you replace the ECM then, he said because there is a start up issue with the ECM. I told him we weren't having start up trouble, but that the engine light came on and the car started to jerk. I told him what I had learned about the engine stalling while driving and asked him if these issues were fixed with this replacement and he said no, just the start up issue!! he said since there wasn't a recall on the stalling issue, they couldn't fix this. I was totally confused and did not feel safe putting my daughter back in that car. Now I see all these complaints going back to 2007 regarding this. Toyota has known about this for 3 years and has done nothing to inform the public. Meanwhile my daughter has basically been driving a time bomb for the past 3 years!! I don't feel that the replacement has corrected the problem, so now what is my recourse" please help!

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #16

Apr 152010

Corolla

  • 29,113 miles

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

2007 Toyota Corolla stalled on the evening of 15 Apr 2010. The next morning we had the car towed to our Toyota dealer (where the vehicle was purchased). When I called the service advisor to tell him the vehicle was on the way and described what happened, he immediately stated the "oh, it's the computer" as if this was a fairly common occurrence. The repair was made at no charge but we were fortunate that it happened in front of our house and I was able to park the car on the street. There have been no more occurrences.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #15

Aug 202010

Corolla

  • miles
After driving for some time, the engine light comes on and the car starts to lose power. Within one minute the car shakes violently and stalls out. This happened on several occasions for the past year. It happens on the highway and on city streets. When it happens, I have to glide over to the shoulder and hope there's a place where I can park the car. So far, there has not been an accident. After two minutes, I am able to start driving the car again. The car was at Toyota, and they said it was the water pump leaking. This was done. But the car is still stalling during driving. So problem is still not fixed.

- Coconut Creek, FL, USA

problem #14

Aug 222008

Corolla

  • 30,000 miles
My 2007 Toyota Corolla stalled while driving on more than one occasion. I was told by the dealer it was the computer and it resulted in the dealer replacing the computer. Luckily it was under warranty. On one of the occasions, however, I was on a major highway with my 7 year old daughter. Not a safe situation.

- Valhalla, NY, USA

problem #13

Jul 252010

Corolla

  • 36,150 miles
Toyota Corolla ce 2007. Check engine light was on. Cruising on freeway at speed limit when engine shifts into a stall. Cannot accelerate and must pull over. Shut down car and restart, works fine but engine light still on. Calls dealer, they say a tsb was released concerning a faulty engine control unit in some 2007 Corollas. Tsb was released in July 2009. I was never informed of potential problem until I called service department and described event. Scheduled for diagnosis and repair in two days, dealer says if it falls under tsb the ECU will be replaced under warranty. Very dangerous problem, I was driving late at night with very little traffic. If this had happened during busy rush hour traffic or even on crowded local road high risk of accident.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #12

Jun 242010

Corolla

  • 24,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated the vehicle stalled while driving 50 mph when the check engine light remained illuminated. The contact began to drive between 5 and 8 mph when the vehicle dropped to an idle position which caused him to drive onto the emergency lane. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the engine control unit was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired at no cost. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 24,000.

- Albany, CA, USA

problem #11

Jun 082010

Corolla

  • 52,450 miles
2007 Corolla engine light came on and within a couple of minutes, engine totally died. Corolla would not restart. Car was towed to dealer where engine computer was replaced.

- Rising Sun, MD, USA

problem #10

Mar 022010

Corolla

  • 32,000 miles
The engine suddenly lost power on 1/04. 3/02 and 3/12 and eventually replaced the conputer control part on 3/16

- Osceola, IN, USA

problem #9

Mar 212010

Corolla

  • 30,443 miles
My 2007 Toyota Corolla engine stalled. I started the engine and went back inside the house and when I returned to the car I noticed the engine was off (which was bizarre because I knew I had turned it on). Of course the radio was still on. Several attempts to start it either resulted in the car not starting and in other instances it would start for a second and then shut off. I had to borrow my husband's car for the day. When I got home, my husband and I tried starting the engine again and realized that it was stalling, also the engine check light was on. My husband told me he read an article recently about Corollas and matrix problems so he went back and read the article online and realized that this was the same issues my car was experiencing. I also checked the Corolla manual and saw that the engine light says take the car to Toyota immediately.

- Clinton, MD, USA

problem #8

Mar 012010

Corolla

  • 17,730 miles
Unexpected, sudden, full acceleration while at a complete stop [with the transaxle in "drive"].

- Beverly, MA, USA

problem #7

Feb 262010

Corolla

  • 17,730 miles
Unexpected, sudden, full acceleration while braking/slowing and little or no response from brakes. Occurs while braking, both slowing as well as while stopped. *smch

- Beverly, MA, USA

problem #6

Aug 062008

Corolla

  • 23,022 miles
My 2007 Toyota Corolla stalled while driving within the city at 45 mph, with the accelerator pedal becoming non responsive and the engine losing out power. The engine check light also went on. This stalling issue happened twice and I had to drive onto the curb to evade potentially dangerous accident in the traffic. Both the incidents occurred on 08/06/2008. Subsequent to the stalling the car would not start. After trying few time I could get it to start once more and barely managed to drive it to the dealers service station. The dealer kept the car overnight and called me to inform next day that they could not quite figure out the problem and replaced the computer in the car. The car being under warranty I was not charged anything. The dealer comments on my invoice stated - "engine ECU malfunction replace engine ECU". (for the stalling problem) "immobilizer not responding". (for the engine check light) the incident has not occurred since.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #5

Aug 182009

Corolla

  • 11,662 miles
Re my 2007 Corolla ce. Driving with my husband in my 2007 Corolla in 8/09 was making right turn out of residential subdivision onto heavy traffic roads during rush hour. With no warning engine literally stopped dead as I was moving into lane and perhaps 20% of way into lane. Engine had been running fine before that with absolutely no indication of problem. Fortunately--when engine stopped dead--front of car was not fully in lane into which I was turning and oncoming traffic could move around me. Turned off ignition, let set for perhaps 60 seconds; was able to re-start engine; car started and I was able to make it home, driving 1.2 miles. Garaged overnight; car started next morning but died halfway out of garage. After 5-10 minutes started again but died after driving 30 yards. Had towed to dealer; learned there'd been a "dealer's technical service bulletin in 9/08, tsb ego42-07, in re defective part, to quote service mgr "bad batch of ECM's in "some" 2007 Toyota." Dealers were supposed to have informed customers of this defective ECM when they brought Corollas in for service. Please note that I had this Corolla serviced at 2 different Toyota dealerships between 9/08 and 8/09, date of incident, and neither informed me of this tsb. My husband and I could have been killed in this incident and, since I Transport my 4 yr old nephew, he, too, had been at risk. Dealership rep shrugged... could have cared less. This defect should never have been a mere tsb... there should have been a recall and Corolla owners should have been notified. Online research at the time indicated that there had been Corollas which had died at highway speed, so we were probably fortunate. This could have been catastrophic for us.

- Ballwin, MO, USA

problem #4

Jan 312010

Corolla

  • 14,200 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla le. While driving at speeds of less than 25 mph the vehicle stalled and the driver was able to restart the vehicle and drive home safely. The next day, the vehicle stalled again. Within 20 minutes, he was able to restart the vehicle and drive home. Within minutes, he was notified by the fire department that the vehicle was on fire. The front end of the vehicle was totally engulfed in flames. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire; however, the vehicle was destroyed. The contact was unable to speak with Toyota of America. The failure and current mileages were under 14,200.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #3

Dec 182009

Corolla

  • 34,800 miles
2007 Toyota Corolla stalled a traffic light in downtown rush-hour traffic. Would start back up, but only idle for 30 sec. And die again. Had to have towed to dealer, who diagnosed the problem as the engine control module (ECM). This appears to be a way to common problem as discussed on the Toyota forums. Seems to occur with mid-30K mileage. Mine had 34,800 miles.

- Yulee, FL, USA

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