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:
30 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
16 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,069 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.
I backed my 2008 Toyota Corolla out of my garage, with the steering wheel turned left. I used the remote control to close the garage door. I put my foot on the brake and put the car in drive, intending to pull forward and to the right up the drive. I gently gave the car some gas, but the car accelerated suddenly before I could turn the wheel. As a result, the unstoppable car shot off the driveway and down a slope where I crashed head on into a tree. The airbags failed to deploy.
The contact rented a 2008 Toyota Corolla. When the contact was making a left turn the vehicle accelerated briefly and crashed into another vehicle. The contact thought the vehicle accelerate due to operator error. The following while driving approximately 5 mph in reverse, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into another vehicle causing damage to the passenger of the vehicle. No one was injured during the crash. The contact returned the vehicle to the rental company since it was unsafe. The failure mileage was unknown.
I have a 2008 Toyota Corolla and the floor mat has gotten stuck under the gas pedal, similar to the situations leading up to the recall on the 2009-2010 Corollas. Over the course of a few days of driving, the floor mat will unhook from the hook in the floorboard and slowly get jumbled under the gas pedal as I move my feet by getting in and out of the car. I will put it back on the hook and it gets jumbled again.
My son was pulling into a driveway when the car accelerator pedal stuck and the car sped up and crashed through a fence before stopping after both feet were applied to the pedal. The car is a 2008 Toyota Corolla. There was $4650 damage to the car and over $600 damage to the fence.
Defective engine control module in the electronic throttle control system. As a result, the engine speed did not increase when the accelerator pedal was depressed when the traffic light turn green. Low speed driving (less than 20 mph) was used to remove vehicle from road. The car was towed to the dealer and the computer control module was replaced.
- Bethlehem, GA, USA
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A run away full throttle engine in a 2008 Toyota Corolla (purchased in fall of 2007). I accidentally backed up into a tree at 2 to 3 mph. The rear bumper of the car hit the tree squarely causing no visible damage to car. The engine of the car did not die out after the impact. Upon shifting from reverse to drive -- the car lurched full speed forward (with full acceleration) despite full application of the foot brake and no application of the accelerator. I quickly placed the car in neutral and shut off the engine to avoid running into pedestrians, building and trees. After inspecting the car for damage and any carefully placing the car in park with parking brake and foot brake engage I restarted the engine. The car has run normally since this incident which took place July of 2008.
When braking and almost at a full stop the engine RPM's rev up and vehicle lunges forward. At those instances, the vehicle will not stop even when I stand on the brake pedal.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. When the contact attempted to enter a parking space the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and crashed into a vehicle. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The identical failure occurred one month prior to the recent incident. The current and failure mileages were 19,997.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. While driving 5 mph out of a parking lot there was a loud popping sound and the vehicle began to accelerate into on coming traffic. The vehicle stopped after it crashed into a parked vehicle. The contact suffered a back injury during the crash but was not transported to the hospital. The vehicle was not destroyed and has been repaired. The contact does not know why the vehicle accelerated. The current mileage was 19,700 and the failure mileage was 19,500.
-the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving she applied the brake, she shifted into reverse and the vehicle suddenly shot backwards at approx 100 mph. The vehicle stopped after hitting the cement post in front of a supermarket. The contact stated that she had not experienced this failure in the past. There was no warning that the issue would occur. She spoke with both the dealer and the manufacturer who would not assume responsibility for the failure. The current and failure mileages were approximately 3,200. Updated 05/27/09. Updated 05/28/09. VIN updated smch**three voqs on same VIN: 10256808,10335955,10266580 *smch
2008 Toyota Corolla accelerated while the driver still had his foot on the brake. The consumer stated the vehicle accelerated backwards at a speed of 100 mph. The vehicle was totaled. Updated VIN smch**three voqs on same VIN: 10256808,10335955,10266580 *smch
From the day of purchase, the gas pedal was way too hard to press. It is similar to the tension of a clutch pedal. The regional/district Toyota service manager and the service reps at the at kearny mesa Toyota in san diego stated the it was normal and that all of the Corollas were the same. However, when san diego mossy Toyota service personnel were asked about this, they stated on 8 or 9 Jan 09 that there had been numerous complaints about the gas pedal having too much tension and that there probably would be a recall on it in the future. While this may not cause a major accident, I am sure that someone will try to accelerate slowly, and because of the tension, they will lunge forward and strike another vehicle. The pedal requires a constant awareness to avoid lunging. It is even more difficult to take off on an incline smoothly.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. While attempting to park the vehicle at 5 mph, it surged forward and struck another vehicle. The front end sustained damages. The current mileage is 2,580 and failure mileage was 2,480. *updated 12/12/2007 updated 12/12/07 the consumer stated she was driving less than 5 mph when she was attempting to execute a turn, when the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. Updated 04/05/10.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Wayne, NJ, USA