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4.6

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,467 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.

2011 Toyota Corolla drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2011 Toyota Corolla Owner Comments

problem #17

Jan 222024

Corolla

  • 86,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the accelerator pedal was released, and the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The check engine and traction control warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate while driving. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where it was diagnosed that the transmission valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

- Greenbelt, MD, USA

problem #16

Oct 012022

Corolla

  • miles
My Transmission On My 2011 Toyota Corolla Has Been Experiencing So Troubles.when being put into gear to drive it acts as if it's in Neutral and put on reverse the same thing. At first it was driving fine and Then a week later when you put it on driver I notice my rpms when getting ramped up but my it was slowly going up to 20 miles pre hour and you can fill it slipping. Now my car is undriveable

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #15

May 252019

Corolla

  • 72,523 miles
Whenever I am driving between 15-25 mph, the vehicle feels like it's dragging with cruise control on.the RPM would randomly surge then drop as the vehicle goes over 25 or under 15mph. Which feels like the transmission programming to switch between gears is having trouble to do so at the correct RPM for a smooth gear change!

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #14

Jun 102016

Corolla

  • 70,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 30 mph, the contact heard noises from the transmission without warning. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer assistance. The failure was not remedied. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Cloverdale, CA, USA

problem #13

Apr 142015

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 49,400 miles
I started to hear a loud roaring/road noise from front of my vehicle while driving at approximately 65-70 mph. Since my vehicle only has 49,000 miles on it, I assumed it was a tire problem and not a failed bearing. I took the vehicle to costco where I recently purchased tires. I informed the advisor there that the noise was coming from the front of the vehicle ( I did not specify a side). He then told me that there was nothing wrong with the tires and sounded like a failed/failing bearing. He also informed me that this was a common problem with the 2009-2013 Toyota Corolla's, specifically the front passenger side. I immediately took my vehicle to my local Toyota dealership (arlington Toyota) who confirmed that the front passenger wheel bearing had failed and the replacement would covered under the power train warranty. The dealership replaced the wheel bearing at no cost to me.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

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problem #12

Oct 192013

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 33,000 miles
Im writing to let notice of a possible defect in my car. At about 33000 miles my clutch release bearing started to make noise. Dealer replaced it. At about 44000 miles it began to make same noise. Dealer replaced clutch release bearing and pressure plate. Considering it failed twice, I believe there is a defect in the release bearings on this vehicle. I searched for complaints on google and many other people also reported the same problem. I also believe it is a safety issue because the release bearing could seized up and failure could be dangerous. Transmission might get stuck in one gear. Thanks for your time and im writing only to inform of a potential faulty design in a part, considering all the reported problems on forums on google search engine, personal experience, and it could be a safety issue.

- Burke, VA, USA

problem #11

Jun 102013

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 46,665 miles

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

When I drive my 2011 Toyota Corolla le (it has 46,665 miles on it) 40-60 miles per hour on the highway or interstate, the rpms jump slightly and it seems to decelerate or accelerate. It feels as though there is something wrong with the transmission. It seems like the transmission is slipping. I took it to a Toyota service center and they said there is nothing wrong with the transmission. Today the maintenance light came on and stayed on. Again, I took it to a Toyota service center, once again I was told that there is nothing wrong with the transmission. The man told me that he had to reset the computer and it should be fine for another 5,000. He said they can "flash" the computer if it keeps giving me trouble. On the way home (10 miles), once again it started doing the same thing. Is there a safety issue with this car. Can it be fixed"?"

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #10

Apr 232013

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 12,677 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the RPM reading decreased as the vehicle jerked abnormally. The failure occurred when the contact was driving between 40 and 60 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 12,677.

- Rich Square, NC, USA

problem #9

Feb 022013

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 18,899 miles
I was driving on the highway in cruise control set to 75mph, while on an incline, either approaching the hill down/up the vehicle begin to violently jerk back and forth (bumper to bumper). I took my vehicle to the dealership on Wednesday 06 Feb 2013, issue was not resolved and I was accused of wasting their time. Maintenance manager didn't attempt to recreate issue I experienced on an incline, but instead test drove it on a flat surface about 2 miles, the maintenance team checked the fluids and computer.. stated on maintenance slip that my transmission fluid is discolored and would need to be flushed soon, computer had no error codes. After I was verbally berated by the maintenance manager, I explained that I would install a video camera in my vehicle to record the events I was experiencing, upon asking if I recorded the issue, would they then take action and repair my vehicle, I was laughed at and essentially told that they would find a way to make sure that Toyota was not at fault. I was told by another dealership out-of-state, that fluid should not be discolored under 65K miles and that there was an obvious issue. After no further action was taken, I contacted Toyota customer care and filed a complaint, upper management at my dealership then offered to do a ride along, on 12 Feb 2013.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #8

Dec 012011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 1,500 miles
Transmission shift 1st to 2nd gear is hard, all other shifts are fine. Sometimes the transmission "chokes" and you get a hard bang in the drivetrain. Also, the driver's seat doesn't lock properly, sometimes I have to slam on the brakes really hard in order to get the seat front-to-rear adjuster to lock or "click" into place. The seat also squeaks while the car is in motion, and I weigh only 175 lbs. Car has about 3000 miles today, and the sales dealer will not schedule me for an appointment on my only day off from work (Saturday) so I guess I will have to take a personal day off during the week because apparently an oil change is more important.

- Metuchen, NJ, USA

problem #7

Jun 012011

Corolla

  • 4,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began to jerk back and forth while decelerating. The failure recurred constantly and was more noticeable when driving between 40-50 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000.

- Queen Creek, AZ, USA

problem #6

Sep 302011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 15 miles
Since leasing this brand new 2011 Corolla, I noticed that at speeds between 40mph and 60mph the car would feel as if it was decelerating, akin to being buffeted by strong headwinds, although the speed did not reflect it. I drive mostly around a city that has many zones where the speed limit is 40mph, so I was experiencing this phenomenon a lot. By the time I had 250 miles on the car, I knew that it was not just a quirk, and I made an appointment to take the car to the service department at the dealership. The person who booked me in for service said that he had never heard about this issue, but I had done some research and saw that many 2011 Corolla owners are complaining of the same problem. I told him to check online. I also complained about appalling mileage - I was averaging less than 20mpg - and he said that he would get their technicians to Focus on the two issues. Within 30 minutes he was back to say that not only had he found the deceleration issue online, he found it on Toyota's own service website, and he told me that the company had issued an official service bulletin. It is not showing that one was issued on this site, but I have seen it, and the dealership were able to reprogram the car's computer (they called it a "flash"). the conclusion was that the poor gas mileage was being caused by the mistiming, and should be addressed by the software update. If you are experiencing this issue, call your dealership and demand that they find the bulletin on Toyota's own site. It's there! my car is now driving much better and the gas mileage is improving...slowly.

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #5

Jul 122011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 100 miles
Intermittent deceleration issue: While driving and I take my foot off the gas to slow down, the car maintains the speed and does not decelerate until I put my foot on the brake. Takes few minutes to decelerate from 60 to 40, if you not gonna step on brake car still going with the same speed, and RPM does not drops. So unsafe. Scary to drive!!!!

- Manchester, NJ, USA

problem #4

Aug 152011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 3,900 miles
The engine seems to have a mind of it's own between 40 and 60 mph. When trying to go at an even speed on a level road the car bucks and kicks, the throttle speeds up on it's own, then slows down. I see variations of about 500 RPM on the tachometer. Sometimes when letting off the throttle pedal at these speeds the car keeps going and doesn't get the message it's supposed to slow down. This is scary, it's almost like the car thinks it's on cruise control when it's not at all.

- Apex, NC, USA

problem #3

Jul 012011

Corolla

  • 100 miles
My new 2011 Corolla le might have a safety defect in the transmission or fuel system. Whether at freeway or local, I can feel the pull-back while driving. Accordingly, the RPM was found to be fluctuated between 100-400rpm dropping instantly (1-2S). It happened a lot. Subsequently, the dealer service technicians duplicated my concern (sudden pull-back). They even found the pull-back (or RPM drops down suddenly) in cruise control at 60 miles. Then they opened the case and got the field technical specialists check this problem. It takes one week and the report said that "other vehicles are checked and same things observed. This vehicle was operated as designed and no repair necessary." But the weird thing is that the service manager (he is the only one that has communicated between these specialists and me) they told me that they also think something was wrong (possible software). They offered me a couples of month payment credit (700-1000$). and they told the service manager that they can't fix it and have to have that done in Japan. It takes a while. Now the service manager recommended me to claim to the Toyota customer service and get my money back. But the Toyota case manager is bad. He insisted that in Toyota's position, nothing was wrong. He declined my request. Now, it is still in the processing. But I am afraid that it is hard to get my money back. I also found the same complaint online. Please have a check. See the power train: Automatic transmission:

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #2

May 182011

Corolla 4-cyl

  • 100 miles
I purchased the car 4/22/11, two weeks later it began jerking and bucking. I thought it was me so at first I did not say anything. After some time it became a regular occurrence. Then on 2 occasions it accelerated on it's own. Even when I applied the brakes it was not slowing down. Finally it did but I was scared I was not going to be able to stop. I took the car to the dealer and, of course, it did not do it. They checked it and told me all was normal. Two days later the jerking and bucking returned and it drove itself again just the other day. The jerking and bucking occurs between 40 and50 mph. However, the other day it occurred at 35 and 55. When this happens the tach. Dips and dives and the mpg gauge drops to 99.9. no warning lights come on. This car scares me !!!!!!!!! I have found other people complaining of the same problem and doing all the same things I am doing including this report but to no avail. Toyota is doing nothing about this problem. I called them to report this on Tuesday 7/19/11 they gave me a case # and told me a manager would call me by Friday. I received no call.

- Hyde Park, NY, USA

problem #1

Apr 012011

Corolla

  • 56 miles
Intermittent deceleration issue: While driving and I take my foot off the gas to slow down, the car maintains the speed and does not decelerate until I put my foot on the brake, sometimes I have to pump brake to bring speed down. For lack of better description, it feels like the car is on cruise control. I have been back to the Toyota dealer three times and after test driving and running diagnostic testing, was told this is 'normal'?

- Toughkenamon, PA, USA

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