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CarComplaints.com Notes: Beware of the NHTSA complaint data for the 2008 Corolla. It is almost certainly misleading.

The problem with NHTSA data for the 2008 Corolla is that for months on end, the news media repeatedly told the public that several Toyota models have an unintended acceleration defect, & to go to safercar.gov (the NHTSA's website) to file a complaint.

So, the NHTSA received a disproportionate number of complaints about Toyota unintended acceleration issues because of the national news media attention, to the point where now the NHTSA data is unreliable taken in context with any other vehicle that did not receive national news attention.

CarComplaints.com typically receives more complaints per day about vehicles than the NHTSA does, but the news media did not repeatedly say "go to CarComplaints.com to report your Toyota acceleration problems" like they did about the NHTSA -- so although we have less complaint data than the NHTSA for the 2008 Corolla, our data for the Corolla is a far more statistically accurate representation of the Corolla's reliability than what the NHTSA data shows.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,657 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Toyota Corolla brakes problems

brakes problem

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2008 Toyota Corolla Owner Comments

problem #7

Jan 082016

Corolla

  • 55 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have had failure to disclose issues with this car. I have had an accident in which the airbag did not deploy and brake had difficulty. I had a bad accident and have reached out to Toyota to wither repair my car or setup rental or make a payment for rental. I do not want to drive this car until repaired, therefore renting for the past 3 months

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #6

Sep 192016

Corolla

  • 91,110 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota corrola. After the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 16V127000 (air bags), the ABS warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,110.

- Maywood, NJ, USA

problem #5

Sep 012016

Corolla

  • miles
I found out the car I purchased from a dealer is giving me problems with the tires beaks and alignment. The car had wrong size tires, the breaks were uneven also when I would drive over a puddle it would shake. I spend money on getting new tires paying for alignment and the problems continues, I found the axle and power steering rack with part problems. That need fixing also the steering wheel is not centered and the wheel hub has broken its bolts I think its a faulty manufacture issue. The tmps has also have problems with lighting up on the dash board and not turning off tmps I think is the air pressure in the wheels.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #4

Aug 012012

Corolla

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the rpms increased and the vehicle lurched forward without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal with force and the brakes responded. The failure recurred on several occasions while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Wakefield, RI, USA

problem #3

Sep 142014

Corolla

  • 130,000 miles
Upon starting my car, on this particular morning, I noticed a revving sound. It didn't sound like anything normally related to start-up, but I assumed that maybe it was a momentary glitch. I switched the car into reverse and the revving sound increased. It sounded as if someone had floored the accelerator. (I was later asked how many mph. To me, it sounded as though I were going about 50 mph.) while in reverse, and with the increasing revving sound and RPM, my brakes locked on me and the dashboard lights all came on. I was able to shift back into park and shut off the car. I contacted Toyota to inquire about any recalls on my car and explained what had taken place. I was told by the corporation that there were no recalls and to bring it in for servicing to the dealership. The dealership pulled up a service history report showing that they had done a recall repair on my car several years earlier. They dismissed my claim, saying that they could find nothing wrong with my car and that it was driver error. The service manager refused to submit a report for investigation into unintended acceleration, stating that he believed that an increase in RPM is unrelated to acceleration. He also made several attempts to sell me another car. I appealed to the corporate office for Toyota recall. I expressed my concern over the safety of my vehicle and the risk of continuing to operate it. Their sentiments were, "what do you want me to do?". over a several day period, Toyota stated they could find nothing- even with their advanced diagnostic process that they insisted I underwent. I took my car to a third-party certified mechanic, who was able to identify that part of the problem may have been related to a battery leak and a terminal that needed replacement. I do not feel that Toyota took a genuine interest in my issue, due to the lack of opportunity to profit from my problem.

- Zachary, LA, USA

problem #2

May 172014

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 90,891 miles
I was driving in the country with my daughter. I was driving slow because I had never driven that road before and there was a speed limit 30 and the 45 mph. There was a stop sign where I needed to turn right. I started slowing down but the car would complete the stop. So, I turned right and the car suddenly accelerated and got out of control. It was accelerating and moving left and right like crazy. I tried to hold the steering wheel tight but I wasn't able to do that because it was out of control. The brakes didn't work either. There were small hills on the both sides of the road that's why the car kept driving from side to side. Probably 3000-4000 feet from the stop sign there was a big iron gate leading to the pasture. My car knocked down the whole gate and kept moving into the pasture. Finally the car hit another pole and a fence and stopped. The car is totaled. Fortunately I didn't suffer any serious injures except I suffered constant headaches for a couple of weeks and my daughter had long scratches across her throat from a seatbelt. This is a miracle that we are alive. If it had happened on a highway, it would have been really bad. Two of our church members drove 2 minutes after me so that I received help from them. They didn't witness the crash but they saw where it happened, how the place of accident looked like, and long marks that my car left on the sides of the road. Also, I got a police report where it says that the driver didn't do anything improper and there is a map of the place of the accident attached. I have contacted Toyota and haven't had any response yet. First the representative said that it takes them 30 days to make a decision, later he said that it's 60 days. The inspector came and got the cdr data from the car. He didn't explain anything to me but he emailed a crash data files and said to wait a call from Toyota.

- Edmond, OK, USA

problem #1

Oct 292010

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 90,540 miles
In 2010, engine light started to come on and off, I went to Toyota, was told the light had to be on at the time for proper diagnosis at a fee. I have also gone to other service locations for a second opinion and was told, after a complimentary diagnosis, that it was caused by the throttle. Recently, I received a notice of a civil lawsuit from other Toyota owners with my VIN number ( last 4 digits) due to a defective throttle that has caused car crashes due involuntary acceleration. I have called a local Toyota dealer in hollywood, fl on taft street and 441, spoke with an employee who confirmed there was a recall for the defective throttle and scheduled an appointment to bring the car in for adjustment at no cost. I took the car in on Saturday, April 5, spoke with another employee who advised there was no recall for my car, will have it checked anyway. After 2 hours of waiting, he reiterated there was no recall for my car, advised there is a problem with ECM at a fee of $180 plus $3 - $4K for transmission and an extended list of other problems to repair. I have just checked site and see engine recall reflected for Toyota Corollas year 2003-2008, and am reaching out to you for your assistance. This is a fairly new car and should not have this problem that Toyota is not owning up to. Thank you for your attention and assistance.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

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