2009 Toyota Corolla LE 1.8 from North America

Summary:

Probably the most popular piece of junk!

Faults:

It burns oil; 2 trips to dealer and still not fixed.

Few parts squeak in rear-right and somewhere under the dash.

Drive it for a few hours and experience pain in hands/shoulders; is it a car or a tractor? My dealer does not seem to see any issue with driving a tractor!

General Comments:

This car has never died on the road, and it may never do. However, what's the point of buying a new Corolla when it'll perform worse than a 10 year old Subaru in almost every aspect?!

It is anything but comfortable on longer drives (and I believed my Subaru was not good; now I know it was great!).

That poor '99 Subaru used to let less noise in the cabin on highway, and made almost the same amount of squeak noise! Instead of burning oil, it used to leak a few drops over the night, which I do not believe was worse. I cared less about it and I was happier with it... You are right; I was stupid to trade that much better car for this new piece of junk. I could spent my money much better :(

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th April, 2011

10th Aug 2011, 18:10

Your review sounds like my best friend's 2009 Corolla. First the rear suspension sagged out of alignment just from the weight of the car. It can't be aligned without special shims. Then the brakes wore out prematurely.

Last week I followed him to the shop again to get a bad rattle checked out. Splashing water had bent the exhaust heat shield (you read that right, SPLASHING WATER!!). The shield is basically tin-foil!! He is desperately wanting to get rid of this very poorly built car and get something that doesn't require regular trips to the shop. Toyota obviously is no longer an option for him. He'll most likely go Hyundai or Ford.

11th Aug 2011, 19:10

... here we go again with more sagging frame stories...

2009 Toyota Corolla Base 1.8L from North America

Summary:

Avoid 2009, look for '10 and up

Faults:

Car consumes oil, about 2 quarts every 3000 miles. Usually have to add a quart every 1500 miles. Has done this since I purchased it, dealers refuse to see it because it states this is normal in the owner's manual. Would have been nice if they told me this before I bought it.

The reason I am now writing this review. I have just discovered a coolant system leak. At only 43000 miles this seems a little early. I noticed in fall that my coolant reservoir was completely empty. I haven't been able to find anything about this on any forums I visit. I topped it up a few months ago. Just recently I noticed a heavy scale of the pink Toyota antifreeze around all the serpentine components, belts, engine block, and various lines. The car still has warranty coverage, but I'm just dreading contacting the dealer about this to have them jerk me around.

The bottom engine splash guard broke off while driving on the highway last summer. Easy fix though.

Everything else about the car has been pretty good.

General Comments:

Very happy with the fuel economy. This car's main saving grace.

Handles pretty good, has decent acceleration.

Pretty comfortable too.

I have a been a Toyota fan for many years, ever since owning a used 94 Corolla. I have had very limited problems with my previous model year Corollas and Camry's. This one is starting to feel like it may be a lemon due to the oil consumption and antifreeze leak issues. I'm sure the 2010 and 2011 models are better quality.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 13th February, 2011

14th Feb 2011, 07:16

Toyota has a recall issued to address the oil consumption issue. The repair is to re-flash or update the PCM with new software. My coworker has the same issue, and the recall fixed his problem.

14th Feb 2011, 20:37

Isn't the 2010 the same exact car as the 2009?

17th Dec 2015, 01:21

How does a software upgrade fix oil consumption? Wasn't that problem due to a bad piston ring!