2015 Toyota Corolla Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 30about this part
- Share
- 14%of 220 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 60,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 30 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2015 Toyota Corolla, 14% of the 220 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 60,000 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was diving down an interstate and after exiting to a stop, the car would barely go after turning left. After a few more miles, the car juat stopped. The engine would still run but no acceleration. After having the car towed and inspected, was told I needed a new transmission.”
NHTSA complaint #11384009, filed 2020-12, 76,000 miles“While parking in a carport, I will use the brake to slowly enter and park. As I was straightening out the car, the car excellerated and hit a pole, bouncing back and forth. It caused major damage. I am wondering if there was something wrong with the car or my wearing flip-flops may have caused this accident. (note: this was a loaner car from Toyota while I waited 5 months to get my 2009 Corolla xle airbag replacement. The replacement part showed up the very next day after my accident)”
NHTSA complaint #10971508, filed 2017-04, 12,900 miles“When driving, my 2015 Corolla with a CVT transmission with ~74,000 miles, the car will often not accelerate, sometimes at high speeds on the freeway or low speeds in residential areas. For example, on thursday, march 25, I was driving home from work when I had to safely pull over because my car would not accelerate. Since I was not on a busy street, I was able to drive home but at a highly reduced speed. Whenever this occurs it happens when I press the gas pedal. The car either lurches repeatedly or the engine revs to a high RPM with out accelerating. …”
NHTSA complaint #11406027, filed 2021-04, 74,000 miles“I received a recall notice in the mail from Toyota - reference id jsd. The notice stated there was an issue with programming within the ecu that could potentially lead to issues with the car's transmission that would cause the transmission to not work properly and would also cause the vehicle to lose speed. Shortly after receiving the notice I experienced issues with my car's transmission while driving around speeds of 35-40 MPH. Around these speeds, transmission would randomly downshift to a low gear and would not provide any power to engine. …”
NHTSA complaint #11241746, filed 2019-08, 106,800 miles“The 'automatic transmission' seems to have an issue on this particular vehicle! While driving the car, I notice that the RPM gauge reaches approximately 5,000 to 5,250 rpms before the 'automatic transmission' shifts into the next forward gear! This situation happens while driving city streets and definitely while driving highways and interstates highways!!! To best describe this problem, it is basically like when I first learned how to drive a 'manual transmission vehicle' and I did not fully understand when it was time to shift into the next gear. …”
NHTSA complaint #11257901, filed 2019-09, 53,110 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10165987Sep 3, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE September 03, 2019 Rev1: ? Applicability has been updated to include 2018 ? 2019 model year Corolla vehicles. Any previous printed versions of this bulletin…
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10153252Jan 25, 2019TSB: Some 2014 ? 2018 model year Corolla and 2017 ? 2018 model year iM vehicles equipped with the K313 Continuously Variable Transaxle (CVT) may exhibit a high-pitched hiss or…
- 10197440Aug 28, 2018An electric control unit has improper programming.
- 10145741Aug 28, 2018Region Letter: August 28,2018 The instructions for Option #1 have been corrected. An Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in the subject vehicles has improper programming that could…
- 10149998Aug 20, 2018Technical Instructions: TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN JSD CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSAXLE SOFTWARE UPDATE CERTAIN 2014-2017 TOYOTA Corolla CERTAIN 2017…
- 10149199Aug 20, 2018Technical Instructions: TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN JSD CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSAXLE SOFTWARE UPDATE CERTAIN 2014-2017 TOYOTA Corolla CERTAIN 2017…
- 10149984Aug 13, 2018Dealer Letter: August 13, 2018. ? A section has been added which clarifies the process for obtaining DSPM approval for out-of-warranty CVT assembly replacement. ? Clarification…
- 10145734Aug 2, 2018Region Letter: August 2, 2018 The descriptions for OpCodes JSD005, JSD006 JSD007, and JSD008 have been updated. An Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in the subject vehicles has…
- 10145733Aug 2, 2018Region Email: Attached Region Letter has been updated. ? The descriptions for OpCodes JSD005, JSD006 JSD007, and JSD008 have been updated. Toyota previously announced Special…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 6% |
| 2025 | 2 | 6% |
| 2024 | 8 | 12% |
| 2023 | 6 | 8% |
| 2022 | 17 | 17% |
| 2021 | 19 | 10% |
| 2020 | 40 | 13% |
| 2019 | 55 | 27% |
| 2018 | 12 | 9% |
| 2017 | 15 | 8% |
| 2016 | 22 | 10% |
| 2015 | 30 | 14% |
| 2014 | 28 | 10% |
| 2013 | 9 | 4% |
| 2012 | 8 | 2% |
| 2011 | 18 | 3% |
| 2010 | 49 | 4% |
| 2009 | 45 | 3% |
| 2008 | 13 | 4% |
| 2007 | 26 | 3% |
| 2006 | 43 | 5% |
| 2005 | 37 | 4% |
| 2004 | 16 | 3% |
| 2003 | 61 | 8% |
| 2002 | 5 | 4% |
| 2001 | 9 | 7% |
| 2000 | 7 | 5% |
| 1999 | 6 | 4% |
| 1998 | 9 | 4% |
| 1997 | 6 | 4% |
| 1996 | 4 | 3% |
| 1995 | 13 | 7% |
| 1994 | 6 | 3% |
| 1993 | 3 | 2% |
| 1992 | 8 | 13% |
| 1991 | 8 | 11% |
| 1990 | 5 | 19% |
| 1989 | 4 | 17% |
| 1988 | 2 | 8% |
| 1987 | 1 | 7% |
| 1984 | 1 | 17% |
Other parts of the 2015 Toyota Corolla
56 complaintsOther or unknown
33 complaintsBody and structure
33 complaintsBrakes
18 complaintsElectrical system
18 complaintsVehicle speed control
18 complaintsEngine
17 complaintsSteering
15 complaintsExterior lighting
13 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsSuspension
10 complaintsSeat belts
8 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2015 Toyota Corolla
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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