2016 Toyota Corolla airbag problems
65 of the 214 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Corolla name the airbags (NHTSA’s “Air Bags” heading — airbags, their sensors and warning lights). Filed under the same heading: 1 recall, 2 NHTSA investigations. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the airbags
Source: NHTSA complaint database45 of the 65 reports a crash · 1 a fire · 47 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 3 · 2017: 11 · 2018: 6 · 2019: 6 · 2020: 26 · 2021: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 2
Half of the 42 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the airbag problem between 22,000 and 71,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
214 complaints in all about the 2016 Toyota Corolla, 2 filed in 2025. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Air Bags” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Toyota Corolla airbag problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the airbags. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Been waiting for dealers to fix the recalls my car has, they say they will call when they receive parts. Still waiting
My SRS airbag warning light came on out of nowhere. Shortly after that my steering wheel continually clicks when I turn it. And within the same day now my horn stopped working as well as all of the buttons on the steering wheel no longer work including the cruise control.
I was involved in an accident that was not my fault I was in a road where the speed liimit was 25-35 MPH. Mostly a straight road a few slight curves. A car came over into my lane and caused me to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting that person head on. I went into a ditch full of huge rocks.
I have been in two accidents where both times I was ran off the road into a ditch. In neither accident did any of the air bags deploy but I definitely hit hard enough in which they should had. One time my child was in the back seat.
I was driving southbound on the I-5 going 75 MPH when I veered off the road into a ditch. The entire vehicle is damaged, especially the front end. The vehicle is totaled and the air bags did not deploy. Ems took me to the hospital because I had horrible chest pain and it was hard to breathe.
What is on file about the airbags
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall filed under this heading
- 20V024000 HighJan 17, 2020 · 2,891,976 vehicles
- Toyota 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.
NHTSA investigations
- EA21002 Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Ruptureopened Sep 17, 2021 · 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 rupt…
- EA19001 Electrical overstressopened Apr 19, 2019 · closed Sep 19, 2024
- 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 vehicle…
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre airbag problems common on the 2016 Toyota Corolla?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 65 owner complaints naming the airbags on this model year (30% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 recall, 2 NHTSA investigations are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the airbags on the 2016 Toyota Corolla?
Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 20V024000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do airbag problems show up on the 2016 Toyota Corolla?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 35,000 miles; half of them between 22,000 and 71,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Air Bags" heading cover?
Airbags, their sensors and warning lights. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.