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Fuel systemPart report

2003 Toyota Corolla Fuel system Problems

Complaints
14about this part
Share
2%of 721 total for the year
Median mileage
36,122miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the fuel system of the 2003 Toyota Corolla, 2% of the 721 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 36,122 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“In the morning, I found that fuel was leaking from the fuel pipe below rear passenger seat area of my car. The backyard I parked my car was covered by gasoline. I towed my car to a Toyota dealer and learned that there was internal crack in the fuel pipe line connceted the body and the fuel tank. The dealer replaced the pipe under warranty.”

NHTSA complaint #10121867, filed 2005-05, 24,685 miles

“On the day of september 04/2014 I was driving my Toyota Corolla 2003 to go work and after few minutes of driving car was start shaking too much and stopped at middle of the street. I tried to start the engine again but it was good with no problem but I found at the dash board light was showing air bags light. On september 12/2014 I went to local Toyota dealer to inspect the problem but they found air bags spiral cable is damage , they also notify me faulty fuel system. It is very much cost effective for me to repair.”

NHTSA complaint #10651450, filed 2014-10, 210,110 miles

“Purchased car new on 10/4/02. Within a month noticed a very significant sulfar odor expecially when coming to a stop at traffic lights particularly when the engine is cold. I have taken it to the dealer twice and they tell me that nothing is wrong. Their explanation is that some gas stations put additives in their gas that create this odor.. They have done nothing further to solve this problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10068985, filed 2004-01, 1,500 miles

“I experienced a stuck accelerator pedal in my 2003 Corolla.I tried to kick the pedal loose and could not.I ended up grabbing the key and shutting the engine down to avoid losing control on the snow covered road and hitting traffic in front of me.I later determined that the throttle linkage had lost normal freedom of movement in the cold weather,even though I had cleaned the inside of the throttle body some months earlier.I believe most people would have had an accident in my situation.the only thing that saved me from an accident was my mechanical knowledge of cars enabling me to make the…”

NHTSA complaint #10670826, filed 2015-01, 103,154 miles

“On november 16, 2010, while trying to park my Toyota Corolla 2003, the vehicle accelerated unintentionally crashing into a fence continued by crashing into some wooden pallets. I am the original owner of the car. My daughter a few weeks before noticed that the car will stay accelerated to a minimum of 1800rpm. The air bags were not activated and I did not received major injury. My neck was hurting for a while. I was lucky because there were two propane tanks following the fence. My son notified Toyota in puerto rico and filed a complaint #cr12287. …”

NHTSA complaint #10367825, filed 2010-11, 37,243 miles

Fuel system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202513%
202423%
202323%
202211%
202121%
2020175%
20194321%
20183828%
201795%
201684%
2015115%
201493%
201352%
201220%
2011112%
2010212%
2009242%
200893%
2007283%
2006213%
2005364%
2004245%
2003142%
200276%
200186%
200053%
199985%
1998136%
199732%
199643%
1995106%
1994116%
199322%
199235%
199134%
198929%
1988415%
1984117%

Other parts of the 2003 Toyota Corolla

Air bags
333 complaints
Engine cooling
92 complaints
Vehicle speed control
77 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
61 complaints
Seat belts
38 complaints
Electrical system
34 complaints
Brakes
32 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
32 complaints
Body and structure
31 complaints
Engine
16 complaints
Other or unknown
15 complaints
Tires
13 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2003 Toyota Corolla

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology