Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Toyota Corolla owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's wife owns a 1998 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while his wife was taking items out of the trunk of the vehicle, the trunk lid closed abruptly. The contact later noticed that the trunk lid driver's side hinge was fractured. The contact's wife did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the trunk lid hinges needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
A part in the door of my 1998 Toyota Corolla broke about two years ago. I could not open the driver's door from the outside. I got it fixed at the dealer for about $300. A few months ago, something in the same door malfunctioned. I am now unable to open the door from the inside. A few days ago, the original problem occurred again. I am now unable to open the driver's door.
1998 Toyota Corolla's driver side seat belt failed at the latch area where it hooks in . The trunk lock broke inside the cylinder and the drivers side door handle broke inside. The seat belt warning light illuminated and flashed although all the occupants had their seat belts buckled.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that the ceiling inside the passenger compartment was falling down. The failure worsens by the day. The manufacturer stated that nothing could be done. The dealer refuses to make any repairs. The failure mileage was 94,000.
Molding along all four doors is falling off. It looks like molding shrunk and glue did not hold. Once molding started coming off it became brittle and fell apart. Almost every '98 Corolla we have seen has had this problem, including ones being sold on Toyota dealerships.
While driving at 10 MPH, another vehicle going about 30 MPH hit consumer's vehicle from driver's side door, and driver's side air bag did not deploy, which did not protect the occupant in this crash. The driver side door was damaged due to the accident.
1998 Toyota Corolla. Accelerated on its own. On August 20, 1999, the consumer complained about a rubbing sound in the area of the right rear tire when the brakes were applied early in the mornings. The mechanic could not find anything wrong. The door panels were replaced due to the glue coming through the fabric. The dome light would not come on at times. The consumer suspected there May be an electrical problem. The consumer stated while driving at a speed of 44 MPH, the vehicle would accelerate and then decrease in speed. The consumer first noticed the problem when the air conditioner was on. Updated 05/26/10.
The front passenger door won't open both from inside and outside the vehicle. I took it the Toyota dealer and was told the problem is due to malfunction of the latch in door. The driver side door is starting to show the same problem. The problem was occurred some 2 years ago. It would cause serious consequence when the occupant(s) need to be evacuated from the vehicle should something happen in emergency, e.g. Fire, road hazard, crush, etc.
After the long hard rain we had in cincinnati yesterday labor day sept 1, here was approximately 1-2 inches of rain setting in the drivers side floor of my car. The sides of the floor were not damp as if it came from below but I am not sure.
The door failed to opened. The inside door handle broke off the vehicle which meant that the door could not be closed from the inside.
Body complaints in other Corolla years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1998 Toyota Corolla?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the body & structure of the 1998 Toyota Corolla, 11% of the model year's 225 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Toyota Corolla body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1998 Toyota Corolla. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Toyota Corolla body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.