2019 Toyota Corolla Problems and Top Complaints – Is Your Car A Lemon?

Airbag, vehicle speed control and powertrain issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners

Updated on November 15th, 2023 Author: Brian Jones

The 2019 Toyota Corolla is a popular choice for consumers looking for a compact car. This model has been around for many years, mainly because of the reliability and lower price. For the newer cars, Toyota claims this vehicle helps drivers, “Feel the Fun.” Unfortunately, owners claim it makes them feel plenty of things, none of which are fun. It suffers from a defective powertrain, malfunctioning vehicle speed control and damaged airbags.

Click on other model year to view more problems:  2020   2021   2022   2023

Problems with the Transmission

The powertrain consists of everything that transmits the energy from the engine to each axle. One of the main components of any vehicle is the transmission. Today’s technology makes this part more sophisticated, but Toyota seems to be having trouble getting the mechanics of it down.

One review on Edmunds speaks directly to this situation. “Or the Toyota Corolla used to be a very nice car when it was rear-wheel drive and had rack and pinion steering nowadays it is front-wheel drive with a CVT transmission mine already went out at 1,500 miles the new one is already having problems within 100 miles of the replacements that’s right they fully replaced my transmission not even 100 miles later there is problems again the car drifts all over the road at 70 miles an hour on the highway it is very dangerous and should be addressed by this company that is only worried about its stockholders and dividends it used to be a company that you could count on for reliability now I’m being told I should have bought a Camry and not a Corolla.”

No one expects this to occur with a brand new car. It turns out the company faces many transmission problems, including a recall. Labeled as NHTSA Campaign Number 18V901000, the recall has to do with the Continuously Variable Transmission. Its pump impeller blades in the torque converter can detach and lead to the vehicle stalling. It’s most prevalent while under high loads but can occur any time. To repair the problem, the company must replace the entire transmission. This is a massive failure. Obviously, this vital part was not engineered correctly, leading to lots of trouble for drivers. For these owners, there’s no fun to feel, especially once the transmission goes out.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota Corolla Transmission Problems:

THE VEHICLE DISPLAYS PROBLEM AT IDLE COASTING SPEEDS OF 5 TO 15 MILES PER HOUR IN PARKING LOTS OR STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. THE ROTARY COMPONENT IN TRANSMISSION KNOCKS AND CLICKS .ALSO THE CAR CLUNKS MILDLY AND WILL NOT EASE INTO DRIVING SPEED WITHOUT CLUNKING AND CLICKING. ALSO THE CAR DISPLAYS THE SYMPTOM OF BAD TIMING,WITH THE TIMING OF THE MOTOR BEING OFF,CAUSING THE MOTOR TO DRAG AS IF THE THROTTLE OF CAR IS SET TOO LOOSE OR AT TOO LOW OF SPECIFIED RPM… THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH THE DRIVE OF MY 2019 TOYOTA COROLLA HATCHBACK.

AFTER THE RECALL TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT WAS PERFORMED, STARTED TO HEAR A LOUD METAL CLANKING ON A SLOW SPEED WHEN A VEHICLE IS DOWNSHIFTING TO THE FIRST GEAR. WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING THE WHOLE CAR BRAKES (TRANSMISSION BREAKS IT) FOR HALF A SECOND.

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA STATING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CVT AND THAT IT COULD FAIL. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS IT COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS. I HAVE CONTACTED THEM AND THERE IS NO RESOLUTION AS YET. I FEEL EXTREMELY UNSAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE ADDRESSED WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR THE 5000 MILE SERVICE BUT I WAS GIVEN ERRONEOUS INFORMATION. I DON’T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN IN ORDER TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. IF A REMEDY IS NOT AVAILABLE THEN I SHOULD BE AFFORDED A LONER UNTIL SUCH TIME WHEN TOYOTA COMES UP WITH A FIX.

2019 Toyota Corolla Complaint Summary

Problems with the Cruise Control

One of the benefits of driving a modern car is having vehicle speed control. It helps to maintain speeds for maximum efficiency and an enjoyable ride – when it works correctly. Sadly, many complaints exist about this system in the 2019 Toyota Corolla.

Read one review from the NHTSA website. “Even on small hills, if the cruise control is engaged, the motor will race to 4,000 RPMs. While the car will try to maintain set speed (often goes 3-4 mph higher.) As the road levels, the motor will drop down to normal RPMs. I asked the tech at Toyota and was told her husband’s Corolla does this too. Acted like it is normal.”

Out of more than 40 manufacturer communications, there has been no reference to this problem. Instead, the automaker chooses to pretend that it is a typical function of the car. It’s possible that the car is attempting to have more fun than it’s built for and simply can’t contain itself. Maybe it believes it is secretly a race car.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota Corolla Vehicle Speed Control Problems:

MALFUNCTION OF CRUSE CONTROL. SET AT 60 MPH ON LEVEL GROUND TACH WILL GO FROM 1600 RPM TO 4000 RPM. NO INCREASE IN SPEED DETECTED. DOES THIS OFTEN. DISABLING CRUSE CONTROL WILL BRING ENGINE SPEED BACK TO NORMAL.

Problems with the Airbags

Everyone expects the airbags to operate appropriately. After all, they are the basis of the entire safety system. If these malfunction, people are at significant risk for injury during a collision. Yet, we see that these airbags aren’t dependable on the 2019 Toyota Corolla.

Look at this NHTSA report. “The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Corolla. While attempting to make a turn from a stop light, another vehicle crashed into the driver’s side of the contact’s vehicle. The airbags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was damaged and towed to a tow yard…The failure mileage was approximately 15,000 miles.”

Again, we see plenty of discussions happening within the company, but talking about failed airbags simply isn’t one of them. It appears that Toyota would rather people not know they are experiencing trouble with basic safety components. After all, what would this say about the company? Maybe they have spent far too much time attempting to create fun drivers can feel when they should have been putting time and energy into the essentials. Most drivers would rather have working transmissions, cruise control and airbags than they desire adventure. These owners received a dose of fun, just not in the way they expected. Instead, they spend their time fighting to get parts and components covered under warranty.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota Corolla Airbag Problems:

I HAD AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIRBAGS DO NOT DEPLOYED, I ASKED AT KENDALL TOYOTA COLLISION CENTER TO REVIEW WHAT IS THE POSSIBLE CAUSE, THEY DO NOT RESPONSE YET.

Your Lemon Law Legal Rights

Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Toyota pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

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