Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Toyota Corolla owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. While driving various speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated. The accelerator pedal felt stuck. In 2007, a crash occurred when the contact's vehicle unintentionally accelerated and rear ended another vehicle. The contact stated that the air bag deployed after the crash. A police report was not filed. The contact sustained abrasions and contusions that required medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated on its own. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they kept it overnight. They found no failures with the vehicle. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. Once again, no failures were found. On one occasion, the vehicle accelerated and struck another vehicle. The occupants in the other vehicle were injured and the contact sustained chest pain from the seat belt. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they made repairs. The contact did not feel safe driving the vehicle; therefore, it was replaced with a 2006 Corolla. Currently, the 2006 Corolla is experiencing the same failures as the 2004 model. The dealer stated that she could bring in the vehicle and pay $98 per hour for a diagnostic. The contact is afraid to drive the vehicle. …
2004 Toyota Corolla--driving on right most lane at speed about 25 miles because snowing had started . Date 02-12-2008 on I 96 east near inkster , exit. Suddenly car turned into left lane and accelerated to very high speed. Crossed 3 left lanes and crashed on to concrete barrier between east and west lanes. Due to start of snowing ,all traffic was moving very slow. So all cars in other lanes stopped. My Corolla did not hit any other vehicle. Police gave ticket for speeding. (-police dept-livonia, mi-police. Car was total wreck with front damage and chasis bending outward on right side. Car was taken to troy collision , troy , mi. Citizen insurance declared " total ". Though I was not injured , it is close to worst crash and I had to buy new car spending $10,000 extra. I had no answer for sudden acceleration and vehicle turning and crashing. …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact was driving 5 MPH into a parking lot when the vehicle accelerated while the contact was depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle continued to idle and crashed into a building pillar although extreme pressure was applied to the brake pedal. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained minor injuries. The vehicle started to smoke after the crash. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer after it cooled down. The dealer stated that he could not repair the vehicle until they spoke with the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted and they stated that they would send the complaint to a claim adjuster which could take up to 10 days for a response. The vehicle was still at the authorized dealer when the complaint was filed. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 25,050 and the current mileage was 25,100. …
My 2004 Toyota Corolla had an unexpected acceleration while driving home from work. My mother (the driver at the time) removed her foot from the accelerator pedal and while braking the vehicle accelerated at full speed right before going over a speed bump near to our residence. My mother crashed into the side walk and she was able to stop the car using the parking brake and eventually shut it down. We were able to take the car home, where the car is currently parked but the car won't start again. Luckily, we didn't have any injuries, fire or mayor crash into anything. We contacted Toyota in west palm beach florida and they refused to further investigate this issue because the car is too old. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving on wet pavement at approximately 25mph,the vehicle accelerated without driver intent. The contact's vehicle was struck by two other vehicles traveling approximately 55mph to 60mph. The air bags never deployed. The illinois state police and ambulance responded. The contact was taken to the hospital with multiple fractures on the left side of his body and severe bruising. The contact was in the hospital for two days. A police report was filed and the contact had a copy of it. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was contacted and a case was filed. The manufacturer sent an investigator to inspect the vehicle on June 29, 2010. The results of the investigation would not be known for four to six weeks. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
I was on the highway 605 freeway in california on December 24,2014 at 10: am . I was driving 60mph and suddenly felt a very strong shake in my car that continued for about two minutes and then I suddenly went from 60mph to 15 MPH . I was really scared and concerned about this matter. If I didn't have control I would have gotten cars behind me or myself in a major accident due to this malfunction. I was very shaken up and stressed. I have never been this scared in my vehicle. I drove my car in search for an open mechanic and found one he did a full inspection which was very stressful due to the fact that it was a christmas eve . I really have been a loyal customer to Toyota my whole family and I really would like this to get taken care of. I don't see the need for me to spend more money when its a Toyota problem.
Sudden vehicle acceleration: this is the 3rd time this has happened to this car. The first time it resulted in an accident. That was reported in nhts complaint # 10405593 on 6/ 6/ 11. The second time an accident was avoided(also happened while parking) in 2013. This third time I was again turning into a parking space with my foot both off the accelerator and the brake and there was a sudden unintended increase in rpms and acceleration of the vehicle. I was able to break but not before hitting hard and going over the parking bumper in the parking garage. As after the first incident the car was taken to Toyota and they took no responsibility and said all was OK(on 12/12/14). I want to document this incident in case a future incident results in a fatality or serious incident for which Toyota would be liable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated as she was turning on to a side street at about 5mph the vehicle accelerated for three blocks and ran into a house. The vehicle revved up and would not stop as contact was depressing on the brakes because the accelerator pedal was stuck. The contact was injured and had to be taken to the hospital. She May not walk again. There is a police report available if needed. The vehicle was totalled and also the house that was hit had to be demolished because it was so badly damaged. The Toyota manufacturer was not notified about this incident. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance prior to the failure. The VIN number was unknown. The failure mileage was 14,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla. The contact was driving with the cruise control set to approximately 70 MPH. When the brakes were applied to disable the cruise control, the vehicle would not respond and instead, accelerated abnormally. The brake pedal fell into the floorboard and the contact applied the emergency parking brake but the vehicle still would not respond and the contact crashed into the rear of a vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had an engineer inspect the vehicle who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 66,771.
Acceleration complaints in other Corolla years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2004 Toyota Corolla?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2004 Toyota Corolla, 13% of the model year's 477 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Toyota Corolla acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2004 Toyota Corolla, though it has 9 recalls for other components. 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 2004 Toyota Corolla acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 43,000 miles, and 24% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 28 crashes, 0 fires and 13 injuries and 3 deaths to speed control & acceleration 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.