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2016 Toyota Corolla

Gas
Midsize Cars
6 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
A
Safety Signal
92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns1
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA213
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA34 mpg
202720262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Toyota Corolla is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Corolla LE Eco, is EPA-rated at 34 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 213 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Corolla LE EcoGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl304034$1,850
Corolla LE EcoGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl303833$1,900
CorollaGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl293732$1,950
CorollaGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl283631$2,000
CorollaGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl283631$2,000
CorollaGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl273530$2,100

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36803, 36804, 36801, 36800, 36802, 36799.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Toyota Corolla is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Air Bags

20TB03 / 20TA03
2,891,976 vehicles
ProblemToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.RiskIn the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.FixToyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
NHTSA campaign 20V024000reported Jan 17, 2020Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

NHTSA defect investigations

Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002

Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module — Electrical overstress closed

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with

Opened Apr 19, 2019 · closed Sep 19, 2024 · action EA19001

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
213complaints filed

66 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 56 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2015: 1 · 2016: 26 · 2017: 34 · 2018: 27 · 2019: 32 · 2020: 48 · 2021: 12 · 2022: 5 · 2023: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 5

Most-cited components

Air Bags65
Service Brakes29
Seat Belts26
Unspecified23
Vehicle Speed Control22
Steering22

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was rear-ended. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the other driver was driving at about 45 MPH when the contact's vehicle was rear-ended. A police report was fil…”Mar 26, 2024 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report
“I have been driving my car since 2016, however since Nov 24, 2023. Incidents that alarm me have happen. I have filed a police report but don't have the funds to get vehicle swept. All of these events occur while I am driving. Passenger windows goes up in and down a lot. Static in my speakers. Steering wheels lock. some…”Mar 10, 2024 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“The contact's daughter owned a 2016 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that the vehicle was stolen, and while being chased by the police, the suspect crashed into a supporting beam located on the expressway. The front end of the vehicle was damaged. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. The contac…”Mar 6, 2024 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆12%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Compare the 2016 Corolla with

2016 Honda Accord →2016 Hyundai Elantra →2016 Nissan Sentra →2016 Nissan Altima →2016 Lexus ES →

Other Corolla model years

A

2027 Toyota Corolla

0 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2026 Toyota Corolla

1 recalls · 15 complaints

B

2025 Toyota Corolla

2 recalls · 42 complaints

C

2024 Toyota Corolla

4 recalls · 70 complaints

D

2023 Toyota Corolla

6 recalls · 84 complaints

A

2022 Toyota Corolla

0 recalls · 102 complaints

A

2021 Toyota Corolla

1 recalls · 185 complaints

F

2020 Toyota Corolla

6 recalls · 307 complaints

D

2019 Toyota Corolla

6 recalls · 201 complaints

B

2018 Toyota Corolla

3 recalls · 141 complaints

B

2017 Toyota Corolla

3 recalls · 190 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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