1999 Toyota Corolla Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about tires failing or wearing out early, airbags that did not deploy in a crash, and a recurring check-engine light traced to the evaporative emissions canister. Many reports come from vehicles bought used, with problems appearing gradually in the 40,000-90,000 mile range, though some tire and airbag complaints involve much lower miles.

1. 1
   Tires

   Tires wear out or fail early

   • 22 complaints (14%)
   • median 70,064 mi at 9.3 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2018

   Owners describe tires losing air, wearing out well before their rated mileage, developing sidewall splits, or separating and going flat at highway speed. Several say the same failure recurred with replacement tires of the same brand, and one dealer attributed wear to alignment. Brands and sizes vary across complaints, so the reports do not point to a single tire model. From a few hundred to about 110,000 vehicle miles, with several failures on tires carrying under 30,000 miles of use.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check tire manufacture dates, tread depth and sidewall condition, and ask whether an alignment and suspension check was done. Uneven or cupped wear points to a suspension or alignment issue rather than the tires alone.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On 02/17/2011, I observed that my passenger side front tire was partially deflated. I inflated the tire as I could not see any foreign object in the tire. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10440246, filed 2011-12

   “Sidewall failure on goodyear regatta 2 tires. I ended up replacing all 4 tires. 75,000 mile tires with 27,000 miles on them. Goodyear used the excuse , car out of alignment.”

   NHTSA complaint #10312797, filed 2010-02, 79,128 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Check-engine light from evap canister failure

   • 11 complaints (7%)
   • median 50,200 mi at 6.7 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • owner-quoted repair $852 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2002–2008

   Owners report the check-engine light coming on intermittently, with codes pointing to the evaporative emissions canister or purge solenoids. Some say the light clears in cold weather and returns in warm weather, and that the car drives normally but fails emissions inspection. Dealers quoted canister replacement, and one owner said the dealership described it as a design characteristic of the canister. Mostly between about 36,000 and 122,000 miles, with several owners noting the light returns each summer.

   What to check: Scan for stored emissions codes before buying, and ask whether the canister or solenoids were replaced and when. Confirm the car currently passes a state emissions test if one is required.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 1999 Toyota Corolla has its check engine light on for the two years. The code is p0446/0441 and when winter comes it goes away and re appears in summer. I first noticed that around 36000 miles. The dealer says it is a canister problem, but could be something else and I see that there a lot of Toyota owners who are seeing the same compliant. Also for the last 2 days I see that the seat belt not put sign start to flash even if you have the seat belt on.”

   NHTSA complaint #10125378, filed 2005-06, 36,000 miles

   “My car is 9 yrs old, 109,000 miles it's on the lower end of the recommendation mileage for the year of the car. On 9/3/08 first day the check engine light ever came on. I got nervous went to advanced auto parts and they checked the light, it showed something was wrong with the air flow. Check engine light went out after 3 days. Brought it to Toyota for repairs of some other items and mentioned the check engine light going on and then off. They checked it but wasn't sure if it was reading correctly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10245084, filed 2008-10, 109 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Door handles cracking and windows off track

   • 11 complaints (7%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 5.5 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2000–2010

   Owners report interior door handles cracking or breaking off, and power windows that drift out of their track, make noise, or stop working. Some say door locks unlock on their own, and one complaint notes the driver door would not stay shut in cold, wet weather. Dealers lubricated or repaired parts; one owner was told the car's VIN was not covered by a related window recall. Reported from about 3,000 to 52,000 miles, with door-lock and window trouble recurring after repair.

   What to check: Operate every window and door handle, and check that doors latch and stay shut. Ask whether the window regulator or motor was replaced and whether the door-lock repair held.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have been having constant problems with the automatic ignition controlled door locks unlocking when they're not supposed to, starting at about 38000 miles. Either when I'm driving, or after the security system (securikey+, dealer installed) has been activated. Also power lock button on driver's door will occasionally fail to operate properly (it'll lock the doors but will not unlock them). Car has been taken to two Toyota service departments seven times over the past seven months. …”

   NHTSA complaint #763729, filed 2002-07

   “Driver and passenger side windows malfunctioned and the door handle sheared off. Consumer took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and the mechanic informed the consumer that this vehicle was not covered under a recall due to vehicle identification number.”

   NHTSA complaint #10064733, filed 2004-04, 52,000 miles
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbags did not deploy in a collision

   • 18 complaints (12%)
   • median 79,000 mi at 7.0 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 16 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2023

   Complaints describe front-end collisions, sometimes at low speed, in which neither front airbag deployed; in several cases the driver was injured and the vehicle was totaled. Owners say no airbag warning light was showing before the crash. Recalls are not listed for this model year in the data, and the service bulletins on file only describe SRS handling and cover-replacement guidance, not a fix for non-deployment. Reported from roughly 5,000 to 120,000 miles, mostly after major front-end impacts.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask about any prior collision history and whether the airbag warning light self-tests correctly at startup. A pre-purchase inspection can confirm the SRS light behaves normally, though it cannot prove deployment will occur.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased a previously owned 1999 Toyota Corolla ve 4-door sedan for my daughter. The vehicle has approximately 89,000 miles, is in fair condition, and is not rebuilt to my knowledge. My daughter was involved in an accident in which the vehicle was totaled resulting from front-end damage, but neither airbag deployed. Luckily, she was not injured but I feel that the airbag system failed to work properly and if the accident had been any worse, their failure to deploy could have resulted in serious injury. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10137554, filed 2005-09, 89,000 miles

   “While driving at 40 MPH consumer was involved in a front end collision. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy. Also, no air bag warning light appeared prior to the crash. Driver wore a seat belt.”

   NHTSA complaint #10061060, filed 2004-03, 79,000 miles
5. 5
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden or unintended acceleration

   • 11 complaints (7%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 7.3 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2013

   Complaints describe the car accelerating on its own, sometimes while cruising at 55-65 mph and sometimes after braking to a stop, with owners saying brake application did not stop it. Some owners shut the engine off or shifted to neutral; others reported a crash. Floor mats were checked in some cases and found in place, and no dealer diagnosis is described in most reports. Reported from about 31,000 to 150,000 miles, often at highway speed or just after stopping.

   What to check: Check that floor mats are the correct ones and secured, and have the throttle cable and pedal inspected. Ask the seller whether any throttle-related repairs were done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1999 Toyota Corolla. 1. I have experienced sudden acceleration in my 1999 Toyota Corolla. Even hitting the breaks would not stop the acceleration. This would go on for 1-2 seconds. 2. Usually occurred when I was driving 60-65 MPH, after hitting the gas continuously for sometime without hitting the break. 3. It happened too infrequently. My husband, who also drove this car, did not experience this.”

   NHTSA complaint #10316171, filed 2010-03, 75,000 miles

   “In 2004 during the winter my 1999 Toyota Corolla le accelerator extremely fast as if the accelerator was floored. I immediately put the car in neutral and coasted to the side of the road where I put the car in park and shut the engine off. I checked the floor mats as my first troubleshooting attempt. The floor mats were ok. I started my car again and again it accelerated at a high speed. At that point I was still on the side on the road and my car was in park. I pumped the accelerator several time and finally the car idle at a normal speed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10314780, filed 2010-02, 65,000 miles

Buying note. These are older cars, so condition matters more than reputation: check tire age and wear, scan for emissions codes, and test every door and window. Ask for service records on the canister, throttle cable and any prior collision repair, and have a mechanic inspect the car before purchase.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.