2018 Toyota Corolla

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

Summary

In its first three years the 2018 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, Fuel & Propulsion, holds 29% of the 135 that name a component.
3 recalls filed for this model year.
2 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints: 143
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: 17,858 mi (n = 75)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 28 / 5 / 20 / 1

What owners report

Fuel & Propulsion

39 complaints · 29% of complaints that name a component · median 19,000 mi (n = 15)

Owner report Due to recent reports of fuel pump recalls, my daughter bought a 2018 Toyota Corolla almost a year ago. Right now that is problem and her car will not start. I need a free replacement of her fuel pump. Thank you.

Owner report My 2018 Toyota Corolla has ongoing fuel pump-related issues that mirror those in the official recall, yet my VIN is not included. Every time I refuel, my car shuts off and will not restart for 1–2 hours. I’ve brought the vehicle to five different mechanics, including two full inspections with electronic diagnostics—non…

Airbags

37 complaints · 27% of complaints that name a component · median 15,000 mi (n = 19)

Owner report I was driving home from church late Sunday night. A really rough storm hit and it knocked down a huge tree in the road covering the entire road. I did not see the tree until I got up on it and I went straight through it. I was running around 40 mph and total front end impact took the whole bumper off but my airbags did…

Owner report On October 17, 2025, a 2018 Toyota Corolla LE was delivered to an authorized Toyota dealership for an airbag recall repair. The recall involved the airbag electronic control unit (ECU), which, according to Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), may fail to deploy the airbags and/or seatb…

Engine

16 complaints · 12% of complaints that name a component · median 20,000 mi (n = 10)

Owner report schedule a service appointment at AutoNation Toyota Hayward for October 14, 2026, at 8:40 AM. I arrived before 8:37. At that time, I was told it would only take three hours to complete. The car hadn't moved at 11:37. At that time I asked when it could be completed. I was told there's no estimated completion time. So I’…

Owner report The car lost power completely and shut down. The first time this occurred was on the freeway 601 in traffic in September 2019. Took it to the dealer and nothing would show up as being defective. Dealer kept the vehicle for maybe a week and was about to return it back to us but a service manager decided to research t…

6% 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 year	All complaints	First three years
2014	269	91
2015	220	88
2016	215	88
2017	190	86
2018	143	86
2019	205	78

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.

20V012000 · FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Filed 2020-01-13 · 1,830,752 vehicles

Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. 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 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.

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.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
EA21002	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2021-09-17	open
EA19001	AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE	2019-04-19	2024-09-19	20V024

EA21002: Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

EA19001: Electrical overstress

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
Corolla	1.8L 4cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-Wheel Drive	28	36	32	$1950
Corolla	1.8L 4cyl	Automatic (AV-S7)	Front-Wheel Drive	28	35	31	$2000
Corolla	1.8L 4cyl	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	27	35	30	$2100
Corolla LE Eco	1.8L 4cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-Wheel Drive	30	40	34	$1850
Corolla LE Eco	1.8L 4cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-Wheel Drive	29	38	33	$1900
Corolla iM	1.8L 4cyl	Automatic (AV-S7)	Front-Wheel Drive	28	36	31	$2000
Corolla iM	1.8L 4cyl	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	27	35	30	$2100

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

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2018 Toyota Corolla 4 DR FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆
2018 Toyota Corolla IM 5 HB FWD	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated

Service bulletins

Toyota issued 255 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.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-01-07	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Some 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…
2025-06-13	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	The 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…
2024-12-06	STRUCTURE:BODY	Acid 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…
2024-12-06	STRUCTURE:BODY	To 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…
2024-12-06	STRUCTURE:BODY	The 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…
2024-12-05	STRUCTURE:BODY	Toyota 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 …
2024-12-03	STRUCTURE:BODY	Vehicles 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 …
2024-07-29	STRUCTURE:BODY	Some 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…
2024-07-29	STRUCTURE:BODY	Some 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…
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	Acid 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.