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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:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,333 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Toyota Corolla Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #1

Aug 212012

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 57,704 miles

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

I had my Toyota Corolla 08 serviced on 4/5/11 due to a recall for the engine control module. After the Toyota dealer looked at they determined it did not need to be replaced according to "lot #7238" and on 8-21-2012 my wife was driving on the highway going 55 mph when all of the sudden the vehicle's electrical system just cut off. Luckily there were no cars in front of her at a distance and it started to slow down until she was able to control it and manage to park at the median. She said that the breaks did not work and the power steering did not work. She was terrified at that moment and feared for her life. The next day I took the car to the dealer and explained what had happened. They just told me that there was a recall and it should be fixed immediately. I asked the representative why this recall was not taken care of the first time I went to the dealer. He had told me that at that time it was not necessary to change the part which affected the electrical system. Well they should not have wasted my time, but looking back they were negligent on their part. I could have lost my loved one or one of my beloved children which could have devastating for me.

- San Juan, PR, USA

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