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.
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.
That is unbelievable that you are unhappy with your Corolla. I have had one for 7 years, 112,000+ miles and have never had any major problems. Actually, have never had any problems except the starter started to drag. Had that replaced and now am ready for the next 7 years. This car is excellent on gas and is very comfortable and extremely reliable. I drive mine everywhere and know it will always get me back home.
This guys a nut!!!
Toyota cars are one of the most reliable, if not, the most reliable cars on the road. My father has a 1992 corolla, it has over 380 000 km on it. since he bought the car, nothing major has gone wrong, just simple wear and tear. As for more recent corollas, I have several friends and family that own it and they are very happy with it as well. My uncle has been operationg a driving school for the past 20 years, he still teaches in the corolla he originally bought. moreover, all the cars on his fleet are corollas.
Give the reviewer a break!
No car manufacturers are immune to building the odd lemon or two.
It just goes to show you... you can't please all of the people..even when you build great cars.
I have had my Corolla '99 since April 2002 and have never had any problems with it except for normal wear and tear. The only problem I had with the car was that I had to replace the starter unit, but that has been it. It has gotten a tune up once and the mechanic told me that I had a great little car. Also, all four wheels have been replaced once. It is very reliable, the gas mileage is great and it gets me everywhere I need. It has over 130,000 miles on it and still runs great. It's true that it's a little sluggish and shakes quite a bit when going at higher speeds, but it has never broken down once on me. I think it's a great car for the price.
I had my 1999 corolla ever since I bought it brand new back in August 1999. 7 years later and after 120k, this car has provided me no problem. I maintain the car by changing oil every 3k, air filter 15k, brake pads at 45k, tranny oil at 75k, and battery on the 5th year. The car is awesome. Used it to commute 80 miles a day in California + another 100+ miles on weekends. I praise this car so much and recommended a lot of my friend to get this car to commute. Not to mention, I bought at $9,995 BRAND NEW (VE model) from a Toyota dealer in Costa Mesa California back in 1999. It was the best $10k car I've ever had.
I have a 1999 Corolla and in the last year it has fallen apart bit by bit. The middle console is broke, three of the door handles have broke, and now the car jerks so much that I find it a miserable experience to drive it anywhere.
My corola 99 is super a few brake problems, the push rods where gamed, I cleaned them up and been good since. My only real problem is the emmissions test every two years I have to put a new converter. But you got to put the millage in consideration (272000 km) and runs exelent no mechanical problems at all very reliable.
My 1999 Corolla has been a lemon from the start. The first thing that went bad was the driver's side door lock at about three months past warranty. Then at about 4 years old the paint job started to flake away. Again, Toyota would not fix it. The check engine light came on which had to do with a part in the emissions/exhaust system. The last thing to go was the starter. I've had it and I will never buy another Toyota.
I was test driving newer Corolla's, and noticed a big difference in the way they drive compared to the American made one I drove. You could really tell they were built well, and drove much more solid than the others.
My family has owned Corolla's since 1980, and after reading the above comments I have decided to buy a 99 VE Automatic. I figure the people that have problems sound like they didn't take care of it. Even they admitted that there are years in between any problems.
Did you ever see the commercial of old Toyota owners bragging about the miles they have on there Toyota? Other car companies besides Honda can't compare.
Toyota Corollas aren't all perfect. I don't think I'd buy one with an automatic anyway. They require too much maintenance and sap power and fuel economy (at least on cars before 2002 or so, when manufacturers began to favour automatics with better gear ratios and final drive ratios). They cost a lot to maintain, and disconnect you from an aspect of driving the car. In a small car, they just don't make sense.
You must remember that not all of us can drive a manual. I have a lot of pain and limited movement in my right wrist after an accident that severely shattered the tip of both wrist bones. It would be very painful for me to be doing the amount of shifting required by a manual tranny.
So for those of you telling people to change to a manual, please consider that to some of us this is really not an option. Ditto for power w/l. They are a blessing for people with painful muscle conditions. And of course my dream is for a start/stop ignition button!
We are considering a 99 Corolla right now, and thanks to all who have posted reviews on this site.
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