HEADLIGHTS CANNOT BE ADJUSTED, ONE BEAM GOES UP IN THE AIR AT 70-80 DEGREES, THE OTHER GOES STRAIGHT AHEAD.*AK
2002 Toyota Corolla complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2002 record →
THIRTEEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER SUSTAINED SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURYAFTER HEADON COLLISION. HER AIRBAG DEPLOYED, TOP OF PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WAS COMPLETLY BLOWN APART FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER. ALLOWING HER HEAD TO STRIKE DASH. WE BOTH HAD SEATBELTS ON. I SUSTAINED BRUISING OF HIPS & RT. RIB. SHE WAS IN COMA AND JUST NOW BEGINNING TO MOVE LEFT SIDE. SHE STILL CANNOT SIT UP,STAND, WALK, TALK COHERANTLY, EAT OR DO ANYTHING FOR HER SELF. SHE IS STILL IN HOSPITAL AS OF THIS DAY 7-10-02.*AK
THE VEHICLE HAD A STRONG SULFUR SMELL, CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLES GAS MILEAGE IS DETERIORATING. *YH
WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH THE LEFT REAR TIRE FELL OFF, VEHICLE LOST CONTROL, RESULTING IN A COLLISION. *AK CONSUMER WAS INJURED IN ACCIDENT. *SLC
THE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY DURING AN ACCIDENT AND THE CONSUMER SUFFERED AN INJURY. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *YH
ON 2/11/2002; 2002 TOYOTA COROLLA SPORT WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION. DRIVER HAD MINOR INJURIES; DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAGS WERE NOT DEPLOYED. TOTAL SPEED OF BOTH VEHICLES WERE APPOXIMATELY 40-50 MPH. DALY CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS DISPATCHED TO ACCIDENT SCENE. POLICE REPORT #02-1479.. NLM
PURCHASED CAR ON 9-4-2001, NO SMELL AT ALL. FUEL PUMP GOES BAD AND IS REPLACED AFTER 20 DAYS OWNING CAR AT 300 MILES. AFTER PUMP REPLACEMENT I NOTICED VERY BAD ROTTEN EGG SMELL. TOOK IT TO DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND SAID NOTHING WRONG WITH CAR, BUT IT COULD BE THE FUEL. IT WAS ADVISED TO USE 5 DIFFERENT FUELS. FILL TANK 3 TIMES USING EACH FUEL UNTIL THE CAR BURNS THE GAS THAT DOES NOT SMELL. THEY ALL SMELL AND PEOPLE AS MYSELF ARE GETTING SICK RIDING IN THE CAR. THE SMALL HAPPENS AT LEAST TWICE A DAY WITH NO SET TIME. SOME ORDERS ARE LIGHT IN SMELL THEN A STRONG SMELL THAT WILL FORCE YOU OUT OF THE CAR. I HAVE ASKED MANY OWNERS OF THE SAME TYPE OF CAR WHO GET GAS AT THE SAME STATION I DO IF THERE CAR SMELLS AND EVERYONE SAID NO. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND A DISTRICT TECH FROM NEW YORK, AND THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY WILL NOT LOOK AT THE CAR ANYMORE AND WE HAVE TO GO TO ARBITRATION. THERE PHONE NO. IS 310- 618 4000. SOMETHING DOES NOT ADD UP. ONLY ONE VISIT, THE CAR STILL STINKS, I FEEL SICK DRIVING IT , NO SECOND VISIT TO DEALER, FIELD TECH BRUSHING ME OFF , AND GO TO ARBITRATION AFTER ONE DEALER VISIT. I WANT THIS INVESTIGATED BY YOUR DEPARTMENT , AND I THINK IT ALSO MY BE TIME FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ALSO .*AK
WHILE INSTALLING THE EVENFLO COZY CARRY CHILD SEAT(MODEL # 272126P1) EQUIPPED WITH THE SWITCHABLE RETRACTOR, THE PLASTIC BENT UPWARD BREAKING AT THE SEAT BELT TAB CLOSEST TO THE DOOR, THE SEAT WAS BEING INSTALLED WITH THE LAP AND SHOULDER BELTS UNDER BOTH TABS OF THE SEAT BELT PATH. *TT
WHILE DRIVING AIR BAG LIGHT WILL COME ON. CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK
WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH VEHICLE HIT A DITCH THEN A TREE, AND AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONTACTED DEALER.*AK
BOTH HEADLIGHTS HAVE STRAY BEAMS ON HIGH BEAM THAT PROJECT UPWARD AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. VERY DISTRACTING WHEN DRIVING IN LIGHT MIST CONDITIONS. DEALER HAS ATTEMPTED TO ADJUST HEADLIGHTS WITH NO EFFECT ON CONDITION.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING AT 75 MPH ON CRUISE CONTROL AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION GAS PEDAL TRAVELED TO FLOORBOARD, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE TO 100 MPH. CONSUMER PUSHED CLUTCH TO STOP VEHICLE, VEHICLE WAS STILL IDLING HIGH AFTER VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE ACCELERATOR JAMMED OPEN AND TURNING OFF. ALSO, THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT RETURN ENGINE TO NORMAL IDLING. *YH
LEFT HEADLIGHT DEMONSTRATES A DISTINCT RAY OF LIGHT EMANATING UP AND OUT APPROX. 70-80 DEGREES PERPENDICULAR TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE ON BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAM OPERATION. DEALER ATTEMPTS TO ADJUST HEADLIGHTS HAVE NOT RECTIFIED PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS DISTRACTING FOR THE DRIVER AND MAY AFFECT ONCOMING TRAFFIC.*AK
VEHICLE WANDERS AND SWAYS BACK AND FORTH. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC STATED THAT ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE BENT. VEHICLE CAME FROM FACTORY THAT WAY. GOODYEAR, INTEGRITY, P185/65R14 . RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD A BULGE ON OUTSIDE. *AK NEW VEHICLE WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT, ALL 4 WHEELS WERE BENT AND WARPED FROM THE FACTORY, THE TIRES WERE OUT OF BALANCE. GOODYEAR INTEGRITY TIRES ON VEHICLE WERE DEFECTIVE AND WERE REPLACED DUE TO DEFECTIVE BELTS. VEHICLE HAS A HANDLING PROBLEM. NLM
HEADLIGHTS ON THE 2002 COROLLA HAVE BEEN REDESIGNED. THEY REFLECT A DIRECT BEAM STRAIGHT UP. THIS IS VERY DISTRACTING BECAUSE THE BEAMS CROSS OVER THE WIND SHIELD AS THEY POINT UP. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON HIGH BEAM. HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS APPEARS TO DISTANT DRIVERS. THE ENGINEERS NEED TO REDO THIS DESIGN. *AK
WHEN VEHICLE IS DRIVEN OVER 50 MPH OR MORE IT CAUSES VEHICLE TO WANDER ACROSS THE ROAD; VEHICLE BEEN INTO DEALER SHOP ON FOUR OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER.*AK
ACCORDING TO OWNERS MANUAL OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRRORS HAVE TWO WAYS TO ADJUST THEM BY POWER SWITCH OR MANUALLY. THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE EITHER OPTION. CONSUMER STATES IN ORDER TO ADJUST MIRRORS CONSUMER MUST USE HANDS. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2002 Toyota Corolla → · Every Corolla year → · How the figures are calculated →