1999 Toyota Corolla VE review from North America
"A poorly made unreliable car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
At 70K miles the automatic transmission broke down on the freeway as my family and I were on vacation 100 miles from home. Excluding a large tow and car rental bill the transmission cost over 2300 dollars to fix.
The "check engine" light lit shortly after the transmission repair was done. The computer code refers to an emissions problem. The warranty mentioned that the emissions system is covered for the first 100K miles, but the Toyota Dealer Service Department said that only the catalytic converter is covered. And the converter checked out to be working properly.
At 45K miles the brake pedal went to the floor as I was braking down a steep hill. I had the brakes checked out and no problem was found. I had the brake pads replaced at 50K miles and started noticing a pulsing pedal shortly after words. I learned to live with it.
The interior light for the shifter console is intermittent. I have to wiggle the shifter handle to get the light to turn on.
The car sometimes does not start when the shifter is in "Park". I have to put the selector into "neutral" to start the car.
General comments?
The car is not the greatest handling. Any slight breeze and car will sway.
The road noise has increased greatly after I reached 45K on the odometer. I assumed new tires would quiet things down, but it has not.
At around 45 mph the transmission shifts gears. Trying to maintain this speed has the car shifting up and down continuously.
Recommended reviews
| The Corolla is a excellent all-around car that deserves a chance |
|
| Awesome straight-forward car with cat-like reflexes |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Previous car | Honda Prelude |
| Date of Entry | 3rd March, 2004 |