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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,677 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.

2020 Toyota Corolla drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2020 Toyota Corolla Owner Comments

problem #14

Dec 152022

Corolla

  • miles

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

I have only had the car for a year and a half, and I have already had to replace the battery which was less than 2 years old, all 4 tires (2 at 40000 miles and 2 at 48000), and now the engine wiring harness somehow got severed and has to be replaced which is almost $6k repair!

- Apopka, FL, USA

problem #13

Dec 102022

Corolla

  • miles
1. First problem I had with my 2020 Toyota Corolla Hatchback SE: SAFETY RECALL 20TA07 (Backup LampsMay Become Inoperative) - 10.29.2020 2. Second problem was with the software draining the battery way too rapidly, which made me unable to start my car. I had to have a tow truck come by and he was able to recharge the battery (he knew to do that with my car instead of towing it away, because he was seeing this type of issue with this type of car a lot). I took it to my local toyota dealership and had them inspect it. They told me that they need to update the software of the vehicle and that I should not be having this problem again after. *EL1934 FIRMWARE UPDATE (5.21.2021)* 3. Third problem I had was with the temperature gauge. The needle pointer in the dash did not go up and stay in the middle between C & H. It stayed closer to C (cold). It took longer than it should have to heat up the interior of the car when I turn the heat on in the morning. I took it to my local toyota dealership and after they inspected this issue, they told me that they needed to replace the thermostat unit. *MA001 THERMOSTAT ASSEMBLY* (3.19.22) 4. Fourth problem is with the transmission. I felt jerking motions from the car when accelerating and when braking-coming to a stop. **26312 CAR JERKING UPON ACCELERATION /FOUND TRNSMISSION CODE /NEED NEW TRANS ASSY UPON INSPECTION AND HEATLH CHFCK FOUND CODE P07457F AND PO7757F SOLENOID A B BOTH STUCK OFF /REST MEMORY /NO CHANGED /FOUND NEED NEW TRANS MISSION ASSY /REMOVE AND REPLACE TRANMISSION ASSY AND PERFORM RESET AND INITIALIZATION/PERFORM HYDRULIC AND ELECTRICAL TEST /NO PROBLEM FOUND /PROBLEM AT THE TRANSMISSION ITSELF CAR JECKING UPON ACCELERATION** Transmission, Automatic - Replace* (12.10.2022) I found out online that the transmission problem was known for 2018-2020 corolla hatchbacks, but Toyota did not replace it immediately. There should be a general recall for the transmissions for these vehicles ASAP!

- St. Charles, IL, USA

problem #12

Jan 032022

Corolla

  • miles
I am not sure what the component is but I am driving and as I accelerate the gas my car will lose power to increase speed. If I am at the stop sign or stop light and I proceed to go the car will stall and not get going once I place my foot on the gas. I have reached out to the dealer by phone and when I have obtained service I am being advised that it's nothing. But I have experienced it on multiple occasions and even had an accident and nothing is being done to resolve the issue. I know that it can't be normal for the vehicle to do that and I am tired of getting the run around in regards to it. I was able to see that there has been a recall but do not see that it is in regard to me vin number. Can you please assist me with this matter. I should not be in the middle of driving or at a stop light and not able to accelerate my vehicle to a regular speed. I would like to have this matter looked into by a different Toyota dealer. Also it happens randomly and when I take to the dealership nothing is ever done and the issue is constantly being ignored. I am being told that due to no check engine light being on that my car is fine and its not. I don't want to lose my life due to the fact that I have purchased a faulty car and have not been made aware of any issues to protect my safety.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #11

Jun 042022

Corolla

  • miles

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

My vehicle has 20k miles on it and during acceleration, the CVT would not upshift was bouncing off the rev limiter. I had no controls over the Paddle Shifts or Electronic manual shifter controls. Tried to accelerate again, and bounced off the rev limiter again. Shortly after the CEL came on and the vehicle went into LIMP mode causing me to lose control of accelerator pedal, and the car drastically decelerated on its own until about 35mph Yes. Transmission is currently at shop awaiting for replacement unit This issue happened during a driver education event, and therefore was not on public roads with other pedestrians. Had this happened on a highway during merging or passing on a highway, this could have caused an accident by not having control of car's deceleration, and no warning brake lights to drivers behind me could have caused other drivers to rear end me Yes. The issue was reviewed by 2 dealers and both reported the CVT was faulty and needed replacement Yes. CEL came on, and was displaying codes P2757 and P2820. Dealer pulled the following codes: P275600- Torque converter clutch pressure control solenoid control circuit performance/stuck off P281F00- Pressure control solenoid j performance/stuck off (2 trip detected) P281F71- Pressure control solenoid j performance/stuck off actuator stuck

- Stevensville, MD, USA

problem #10

Jul 012021

Corolla

  • miles
Transmission stuttering at steady speed more pronounced on inclines. Violent skipping or slipping on acceleration

- Richland , WA, USA

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problem #9

Mar 192021

Corolla

  • 29,000 miles
Vehicle is jerking and shuttering while in motion between 4-20mph cold or hot and A/C on or off. This occurs before braking and seems to jerk forward. Tends to occur more often in parking lots. This issue is accompanied by aggressive engine shaking and all passengers can feel the rough idle. This issue is progressive getting worse with time over the last few months. Took vehicle to dealer, spark plugs was the assumed issue from technician. First diagnosis was spark knock. Replaced spark plugs, did not fix the problem. Second diagnosis was "off center steering wheel causing stability control to override driver throttle inputs and lead to jerky operation" case is ongoing and a resolution hasn't been provided or solved. Toyota Corp. Is opening an investigation/case.

- Huntersville, NC, USA

problem #8

Jun 052020

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 15,000 miles

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

Trouble shifting down from 3 to 2

- Quiincy, MA, USA

problem #7

Jun 282020

Corolla 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,589 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to Toyota of fort walton beach located at 777 beal pkwy nw, fort walton beach, fl 32547, to be diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,589.

- Ft. Walton Beach, FL, USA

problem #6

May 202020

Corolla 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 350 miles
This is the third time that when I was trying to park my car after completely stopped the car (braked while the car is in the drive) then move my stick shift to reverse and the stick shift is fully in reverse but car moves forward.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #5

Nov 192019

Corolla

  • 1,345 miles
Will driving the car decelerated and would not go pass 20mph. Break, engine, ect. Lights turned on. The car has only 1345 miles. So far it has happened twice. Second time going to the dealership.

- Santan Valley, AZ, USA

problem #4

Oct 012019

Corolla

  • 500 miles

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

Between 10 and 20 mph occasionally, not always, there is a hard shift that doesn't feel normal. It is usually under light acceleration and conditions. Even trying to mimic it under the same exact conditions, sometimes it will simply not do it.. sometimes it will be a hard thump. Other times it will feel premature. (shifting before it should) I wanted to believe it is the transition from the launch gear to the cvt but the timing of the transition and the degree of the hard shift even under the same conditions tends to vary considerably.

- Batavia, OH, USA

problem #3

Sep 132019

Corolla

  • 1,500 miles
Vehicle has a very hard shift out of launch "first gear" when low on fuel or the engine is cold. Dealership (sheehy Toyota in fredericksburg va) and could experience the same feeling on light to moderate acceleration. I informed the dealership that the feeling they were experiencing is minor compared to what it usually feels like when driving. They experienced the same thing when driving another 2020 Corolla off the lot with light to moderate acceleration. Then a day later they drove another 20202 Corolla supposedly for another 30 minutes and could not duplicate the hard shift and noted that when driving both the customers car and a new car the shift feeling varied from time to time so there was nothing they would do. They also said they contacted the engineers at Toyota who said that this hard shift feeling was normal. Looks like Toyota is back at it with just deny everything and hope the problem goes away. Very unhappy with my experience especially with how Toyota has handled this so far. I will not go away until they fix this problem.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #2

Oct 062019

Corolla

  • miles
2020 Toyota Corolla SE -(vehicle purchased new) (cvt transmission) upon minimal to normal acceleration vehicle makes a hard shift feel like a bump kick in acceleration of speed between 8-9 mph. Will feel more of a hard shift at times if coasting with minimal speed then to the normal acceleration (start and stop traffic type of conditions). Periodically once reaching to speed of 36 mph seems like the transmission is starting to slip then continues with normal operation. While sedentary at stop light vehicle has had loss of power in and out near stalling out. Separate occasion without the air conditioner being on, a rough idol took place. At times if put in sports mode shifting is smooth without too much trouble; with exception of at higher speed open road removing off the gas pedal will make a whining high rev noise like the transmission went out and did not down shift even with pressure applied to the brake. Will then down shift after approximately 15-20 seconds. Lane departure indicators have gone off without there being a correct response for that action taking place. Vehicle has been owned for less than ninety days and appears to continually further in its defects.

- New Port Richey, FL, USA

problem #1

Jul 092019

Corolla

  • 199 miles
07/09/19 - three days after taking delivery of a brand new 2020 Corolla sedan, my car stalled in the middle of a busy city street. I was stationary with foot on the brake waiting to make a left turn. When I took my foot of the brake and attempted to accelerate, it had a complete power failure. Red warning light came on saying engine power low. I was unable to start the car again for several minutes. I was nearly hit by cars going around me. I took it to the dealer for service and there were no error codes and they could not duplicate the problem. 08/06/19 - my brother was driving on a highway in stop and go conditions during rush hour traffic. With his foot on the gas pedal, the entire vehicle jerked or jumped several times in succession, stopped and then did the same thing twice more. It felt as if it was going to lose power or not getting enough gas. I took it back to same dealer for service. Once again, no error codes and they were unable to duplicate the problem. Service foreman told me those 2 incidents were definitely related. I reported both issues very dangerous incidents to Toyota customer support as I feel that I am driving an unsafe vehicle. At first, they were receptive and even sent a Toyota factory representative to inspect the car. Then my case manager told me they found nothing wrong and "could not verify my concerns". she said there was nothing more they could do and there were no repairs to be made. After doing more research online, I found that the 2019 Corolla hatchback was recalled in December 2018 to replace the cvt transmission due to a manufacturing error that could cause loss of motive power. The info I read stated the exact same engine is in the 2020 Corolla sedan, but it has not been included in a recall. I am very concerned for my safety, as well as that of my passengers, and other vehicles.

- Houston, TX, USA

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