4th Jul 2001, 19:15

My Toyota 2002 LE steering acts like the 2001. Have to also fight/work the steering to keep it straight on some roads. Just did a 1700 miles round trip to Nova Scotia, mostly highways at 65-70 MPH. It feels like the old cars when you had too much play in the steering wheel. Talked to the service manager on the phone when I got back and he said this is normal because of the sporty low to the ground Toyota 2002 LE. It looks like they did not change anything to the steering for 2002.

With 4 speed Auto and Air Running most of the time, I got 39.9 miles to the gallon. Otherwise I'm pleased with the car so far.

29th Aug 2001, 16:57

I own a 2001 CE Corolla and have had problems from day one. Two weeks after I bought the car, I found rust on the roof. Toyota had to repaint the roof. A few weeks ago the paint on my bumper had cracked. Now I have problems with my clutch, temperature gauge, air con vent, and LOTS OF RUST!!! Because of these types of problems, I will not buy another Corolla again and my car is only 10 months old. The service department is really horrible. I get no service from them.

9th Sep 2001, 14:47

Why the heck did you take the car if it was so scratched? Was the vehicle brand new from the dealership?

11th Sep 2001, 09:29

I know that none of the scratches could have been from yourself. It's always someone else's fault. Boo hoo. Like others have said, you're so observant that you bought the car even though it had scratches on it. It's your own fault.

1st Nov 2001, 07:53

Perhaps the car wasn't new. I live in nNrth Fl. where we had cases of dealers lending cars to golf pros during the Players Championships, then replacing the speedometers. They were then selling the cars as new (a new car should have clear oil that looks like honey). It took people complaining to get an investigation going to uncover this scam. Good luck with your car.

8th Oct 2002, 11:03

I have a 2yr old Corolla and it pulls heavily to the left. Is this what you mean by fighting to keep it straight? I've had two geometry adjustments (on the first, all wheels were out, and less than 500 miles later, 3 wheels were out - and it still pulls to the left especially under acceleration.

Toyota don't give a damn and say all cars do this - which is a complete lie. If you drive on a level (ie zero camber) road and take your hand off the wheel, you hit the curb in 3 seconds. That is not normal - there is a serious fault with Corollas like that reported for the Ford Mondeo.

13th Dec 2002, 00:17

Are your Corolla's built in North America?

22nd Jan 2003, 11:48

The steering on my 2001 Corolla suddenly got harder to turn. This only happens sometimes. The dealership says this is not a problem. I don't get why it only happens sometimes and not at other times.

14th May 2003, 11:53

My 3rd brake light in my 2001 CE is not working. Is this a light bulb problem or something that is common with Toyota Corolla? I never had any problems before with the 3rd light. Can I fix it or do I have to go to Toyota to get it repaired?

12th Dec 2003, 05:57

I have a 2001 model Corolla, same model platform as the current model. I'm amazed that this car could have come from the same factory as mine. Maybe it didn't! Mine was built in Japan (bought in Singapore) and it's been brilliant. I've experienced none of the problems described. The only thing I would say is that the standard size wheels and tires were a bit small. I've upsized to alloys with 196/60-R15. It improved the handling significantly and made no difference to steering effort when parking (power steering easily able to cope). After 30,000 miles (50,000km) the car remains pretty much faultless. The performance is sufficient, if a little undergeared, and economy (gas mileage) great.

19th Mar 2004, 17:06

My 2001 Corolla also had that steering issue. Took it back to local dealership for scheduled maintenance, they took care of it, not sure how, but works fine now.

12th Apr 2004, 23:49

Strange to hear so many problems. A friend and I both bought 2001 Corollas (strange coincidence). We are delivery drivers and drive the hell out of them on short and long trips. Mine is an S model his is a CE, both black, mine is LOADED. We both have over 70,000 miles with ZERO PROBLEMS. The stock tires REALLY SUCK, but once we put some good Firestone tires on there, perfect handling.

I guess no matter how good some are, there is always an exception. But the fact that it WAS DRIVEN OFF THE LOT in bad shape is a big clue to it's incomplete past. It sounds like it's already been in an accident and passed off as new.

20th Sep 2004, 15:59

Our Corolla had the third light in the window catch on fire! Apparently the plastic melted and allowed the heat of the bulb to burn the housing. The cost was about $100.00 to fix. On top of that, the belt and tensioner had to be replaced. Aside from these two things, and the normal unneceesary rattles and squeaks, the car runs and feels great!

3rd Jun 2006, 23:25

I own a 2001 Corolla S and I bought mine after I wrecked my other one. It had about 86,000 miles on it when I bought it and had been wrecked in the front and rebuilt. It sounds horrible, but I'm now nearing 100k and I have had no problems out of the car. It has been very reliable so far and I would recommend this car to anyone.

23rd May 2008, 01:22

You shouldn't buy a so called new car in such bad shape, why not choose a different one without all of those flaws. It makes no sense whatsoever to pay for a new car in that kind of shape. Kind of hard to believe it is toyota's fault when you purchased it that way.

24th May 2008, 17:14

Although Toyota quality has plummeted recently, there is still no excuse for a dealership not repairing the items your review mentioned prior to selling the car.

I have to say, even though Toyota is declining in quality, I don't think it's fair to blame all these problems on them. The dealership has a responsibility to have the cars properly fixed up BEFORE selling them.

Some years ago I bought a new truck, and when the salesman brought it around for me after I had signed all the papers, I noticed the door latch didn't work properly. I just said "Get me another truck", as they had several identical to mine on the lot. Of course they said "Oh, we'll fix it. You can bring it back tomorrow." I was firm and just said "No, I want another one". They weren't happy (especially the credit manager, who had to redo all the paper work with the new VIN number on it) but I REFUSE to take delivery of a car with a flaw.

Until the car is driven OFF THE LOT, you are not legally obligated by the contract. Most people aren't aware of this, but regardless of signed paperwork, you can refuse delivery and void the contract if the car is not taken off the dealer's property. You have to share some of the responsibility for buying what was obviously a piece of junk.

2nd Oct 2008, 01:27

Honestly, If you plan to buy a used car, I would Carfax it immediately. Pay close attention to all aspects of the vehicle, and ask very important questions.

I have a 2001 Corolla S and the only thing that has needed to have been replaced is the catalytic converter. Other than that, I've just been adding interior styling.

It's really the consumers fault for buying a car that wasn't up to their standards in the first place, UNLESS it was the dealerships fault for not informing the consumer for the imperfections.

Aside from the negatives, I love my Corolla and take care of it as if it were my baby :)

29th Apr 2010, 13:11

Some cars on rare occurrences can get damaged at the plants as well when brand new on the assembly line and sent off the line to be repaired. If a robotic operation goes out of adjustment and damages a car, for example a paint issue etc. Periodically a car may go into a quality room after so many are made to be spot checked to see if tolerances are within allowable specs. My hope was to always be the one that had a new car that went into that room. But odds are mine were prior. I have seen this at 2 domestic plants I was in at any rate. Cars can be damaged in transit as well. When you see dealer prep charges, it should address clean up catching obvious flaws prior to handing the keys over