2009 Toyota Corolla Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,770 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2009 Toyota Corolla, alongside 13 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 80,500 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2009 Toyota Corolla sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1990–1994, 1996–2002, 2013, 2018–2022.
Avoid
Where 2009 sits among all Corolla years
What owners report
“Takata recall it has been a year and no resolution from dealership, no action to resolve the issue or recall has been taken”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Corolla
“While driving the electric power steering causes car to drift and locking up on highway”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Corolla
“At random times the car begins to accelerate on its own with no interference to the pedal. It will keep accelerating until i hit the pedal and pull up on the pedal with my foot. In neutral the engine will rev up to over 6,000 rpm and continue going up. This happens while driving a normal speed and…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Corolla
“My car has less then 86,000 miles and the engine is starting to fail which makes no sense to me. It started at around 80,000 miles”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Corolla
“When slowing down from 65 mph the whole car shakes out of controll. This does not happen every time but pretty consistent now my check engine and traction controll light stays lit while the esc light blinks. This has happened now three times over past 6 months.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Corolla
“Power window switch on driver side does not function. Glass window noisy when driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Corolla
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 965 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 30,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 10,327 and 70,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (13)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, IS-F, and GX460 vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA,…
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered,…
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air…
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011…
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris, Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, Lexus IS250C,…
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag…
Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The…
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, 2008-2010 Highlander, and 2009-2010 Tacoma, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and General Motors Pontiac Vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical…
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in May 2014 to advise owners of the recall.…
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Yaris, Scion xB, Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of…
Fix: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge. Toyota owners…
GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 AND JUNE 2, 2008…
Fix: DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY…
SOUTHEAST TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2011 PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD…
Fix: DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2010 HIGHLANDER, MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 COROLLA, VENZA AND MATRIX PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S…
Fix: TOYOTA WILL MODIFY OR REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR PEDALS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. FLOOR SURFACE MODIFICATIONS ARE ALSO BEING CONSIDERED AND WILL BE INCLUDED FOR ANY MODEL FOR WHICH IT IS DEEMED…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 AVALON, MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 CAMRY, MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 COROLLA, COROLLA MATRIX, RAV4, MODEL YEAR 2010 HIGHLANDER, MODEL YEAR 2008-2010 SEQUOIA, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 TUNDRA VEHICLES. DUE TO THE MANNER IN…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REINFORCEMENT BAR IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHICH WILL ALLOW THE PEDAL TO OPERATE SMOOTHLY. GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS FOR THE PONTIAC VIBE PLEASE SEE 10V-018. THIS SERVICE WILL BE…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 SCION XD AND MY 2009-2010 COROLLA, AND COROLLA MATRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.8L ENGINE AND ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE,…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEWLY DESIGNED INTAKE AIR CONNECTOR WHICH WILL RELOCATE THE BRAKE SYSTEM VACUUM PORT. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2009.…
Federal defect investigations
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2009 Toyota Corolla reliable?
The 2009 Toyota Corolla drew 1,770 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2009).
What are the most common 2009 Toyota Corolla problems?
The top reported problems for the 2009 Toyota Corolla are airbags (554 complaints), steering (384), and speed control (198).
At what mileage do 2009 Toyota Corolla problems show up?
Owners most often report 2009 Toyota Corolla problems around 30,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 10,327 and 70,000 miles.
Does the 2009 Toyota Corolla have recalls?
13 recall campaigns apply to the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.