Motor Almanac

Toyota / Corolla / 2017

2017 Toyota Corolla

Family: Corolla · filed with NHTSA as COROLLA, COROLLA IM

Summary

  • In its first three years the 2017 Corolla drew 86 complaints — 1.0× the median of its generation (2014–2019). It does not stand out from the other years of this generation.
  • These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
  • Complaints are spread across systems: the largest, Airbags, holds 33% of the 175 that name a component.
  • 3 recalls filed for this model year.
  • 2 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints
190
Recalls
3
Investigations
2
NCAP overall
5 of 5 stars
Combined MPG
30–34
Annual fuel cost
$1,850–$2,100
Median mileage at complaint
15,000 mi (n = 115)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths
47 / 1 / 44 / 0

What owners report

Airbags

57 complaints · 33% of complaints that name a component · median 32,000 mi (n = 32)

Owner report My2017 Toyota Corolla was Purchased at Dave Edward’s Certified Pre Owned Car Dealer in Spartanburg South Carolina in 2018 It has Multiple Recall Notices by Toyota USA on ILLEGAL FACTORY INSTALLED CHINESE AIR BAGS THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN TOYOTA USA AUTOMOBILES BY INFERIOR DESIGN AND POOR QUALITY ALARM FAILURE …
Owner report While I was driving in the middle lane through an intersection, a car from the opposite side failed to yield while turning and hit me on my driver's side. My car was traveling at approximately 35 MPH, and the other vehicle was exceeding the speed limit. The impact caused my car to veer in the opposite direction and I l…

Accelerator & Cruise Control

30 complaints · 17% of complaints that name a component · median 6,000 mi (n = 24)

Owner report Recently purchased a used 2017 Toyota Corolla. During the test drive I did not attempt to use the cruise control as it was only driven on city or small highways. Travel with the car at those locations has been good. Yesterday while on a freeway, I used the cruise control. It started out okay, but when I got to a downhi…
Owner report The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved and the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The vehicle crashed into a concrete barrier while turning into a parking space. The contact was not able to depress the brake pedal in time to sto…

Brakes

26 complaints · 15% of complaints that name a component · median 4,400 mi (n = 19)

Owner report Drum Brakes - no inspection hole. There are no inspection holes in any of my drum breaks
Owner report My brakes seem to malfunction when engaged after hitting potholes and/or street depressions. This has occurred on Kensington Street east of Church Avenue. This is between Church Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway among other streets. My safety was put at risk as I felt the brakes were not going to hold or stop the vehicle.…

8% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2014–2019)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 87.

Model yearAll complaintsFirst three yearsNote
201426991
201522088
201621588
201719086
201814386
201920578

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

20V024000 · AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

Filed 2020-01-17 · 2,891,976 vehicles

Defect: 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.

Remedy: 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.

19V503000 · EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Filed 2019-06-28 · 1,325 vehicles

Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Risk: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. SET's number for this recall is SET19A.

17V295000 · TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE

Filed 2017-05-02 · 409 vehicles

Defect: Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.

Risk: A spare tire that is not inflated to the proper value may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Gulf States will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the spare tires, adjusting their pressure as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 15, 2017. Owners may contact Gulf States customer service at 1-800-444-1074. Toyota's number for this recall is 17R2.

Federal investigations

ActionComponentOpenedClosedRecall
EA21002AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE2021-09-17open
EA19001AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE2019-04-192024-09-1920V024

EA21002: Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

EA19001: Electrical overstress

Engines and fuel economy

VersionEngineTransmissionDriveCityHwyCombinedFuel cost / yr
Corolla1.8L 4cylManual 6-spdFront-Wheel Drive273530$2100
Corolla1.8L 4cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Front-Wheel Drive283632$1950
Corolla1.8L 4cylAutomatic (AV-S7)Front-Wheel Drive283531$2000
Corolla LE Eco1.8L 4cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Front-Wheel Drive304034$1850
Corolla LE Eco1.8L 4cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Front-Wheel Drive293833$1900
Corolla iM1.8L 4cylAutomatic (AV-S7)Front-Wheel Drive283631$2000
Corolla iM1.8L 4cylManual 6-spdFront-Wheel Drive273530$2100

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

VariantOverallFrontalSideRollover
2017 Toyota Corolla 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆

Service bulletins

Toyota issued 349 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about equipment.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

DateComponentSummary
2026-01-07UNKNOWN OR OTHERSome 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Serv…
2025-06-13ELECTRICAL SYSTEMThe air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant…
2024-12-06STRUCTURE:BODYAcid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood…
2024-12-06STRUCTURE:BODYTo prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and in…
2024-12-06STRUCTURE:BODYThe condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicl…
2024-12-05STRUCTURE:BODYToyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. Follow the Removal Procedure …
2024-12-03STRUCTURE:BODYVehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. This type of contamination can be identified by the …
2024-07-29STRUCTURE:BODYSome 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Serv…
2024-07-29STRUCTURE:BODYSome 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Serv…
2024-07-12STRUCTURE:BODYAcid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood…

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Corolla, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Toyota Corolla model page.

Sources

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.