Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota Corolla owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla. The contact's son was driving at 55 MPH, another vehicle ran a stop sign and pulled into his path, resulting in a frontal collision with the side of the other vehicle. The contact's vehicle spun around and came to rest on the shoulder of the road. Despite the high-speed frontal impact, the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed, and the vehicle was towed to an auto body shop; it has not been repaired. The contact's son sustained a bruised knee, neck and back pain, and a headache, for which he was treated with Tylenol. The contact referenced NHTSA ID Number: 19V741000(AIR BAGS), recall repair was done a year before. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 265,000.
Inflator Rupture - front passenger inflator. A vehicle collision at Alma School and 8th Avenue where one vehicle turned left in front of the oncoming involved 2006 Toyota Corolla resulting in the Corolla striking the right side of the other vehicle. During the collision the airbags were commanded to deploy and the passenger inflator had a significant rupture/failure which sent shrapnel out of the dash, striking the passenger. Our unit has investigated two confirmed Takata inflator fatalities and after a brief visual inspection it was confirmed the passenger inflator is in several pieces. The appearance of the inflator is consistent with prior observed passenger side Takata inflators. The car has been preserved in our parking lot and the passenger side airbag, with related tears and shrapnel holes, was obtained and preserved as well. …
On March 17, 2023 at approximately 4:12 PM on Hwy 288 northbound just south of Southmore Boulevard I was struck from behind by a Blue Jetta. Skidding into me I think he was still going about 30 miles per hour if not a little more based on the violence of the crash. My vehicle was pushed forward into the car ahead of me damaging the front of my vehicle as well. Despite the impact, my air bags did NOT deploy. I had taken the vehicle in to the Toyota shop here in Humble, TX and had the "final fix" done on the airbags. I have been physically injured as a result of this automobile accident. I have filed with my Progressive Claim Adjuster and they are talking about totaling the vehicle. Policy Number 46753320. My concern is, despite the vehicle air bags being replaced, they did not deploy. The force of the impact should have been sufficient to activate them. …
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; and the contact was informed that there were no open recalls associated with the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
On my way to work when the I hit the brakes... brakes locked up causing me to be unable to come to a complete stop.. Driver side airbag deployed but the passenger side airbag caused the dash to explode causing a fire in the dash. With the dash exploding and the passenger side airbag not deploying correctly it cause the passenger to hit windshield! Unknown Unknown Just a check engine light for knock sensor.
We had recall work done for Airbag, sensor light came on after repairs. One dealer quoted $150 to look at the sensor another wanted $450+. The light was not on before recall work was done. It is clear that whatever they did for the recall caused this to happen, don't care if it's not under warranty the dealer caused the issue electrical whatever and should fix it. Obviously this is a known issue with the 2006 Toyota and should also be part of the recall.
The car went to replace the air bag with a hood and everything seemed fine but the SRS light activated every so often. this is happening since they changed the air bag and it turns it on and off whenever it wants for seconds the car has barely 22,000 miles and has not been crashed this has been happening since they changed the car's air bag air bag in the authorized toyota dealer of santana puerto rico
Dealer repaired airbag recall, now SRS light is on and won't turn off. Dealer now wants hundreds of dollars to check and or fix possible issue told that it may be something else and more work needed. This issue should be part of recall repairs. This car only has 63,200 miles on it well maintained should not have these issues.
There was a recall in 2015 and 2019 for airbags on my model of Toyota. I own a 2006 Toyota Corolla CE. I was sent a letter from Toyota to go into a local dealership to get this done. There's only one dealership in our tri-city area. I took it into our local dealership called Findlay Toyota in Prescott, Arizona. I will say ahead of time that they have over 50 - one star reviews on Yelp.com From the moment I left the dealership in December of 2019 my airbag light was on in the dash area and it's still there. When i went in and told Brian at the time he said it will go away. It never has. This warning was never on my dash prior to this recall. I've filed a complaint with the Attorney general's office of Arizona and Findlay have no recollection of me ever going into their dealership. …
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 10 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. The contact suffered from pain to the lower back and neck that required medical attention. The vehicle was driven from the scene. The vehicle sustained damages to the bumper. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and repaired for exterior damages. A police report was not filed. The air bags failed to deploy. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V285000 (air bags); however, the part needed to perform the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 157,000.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430,…
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Corolla, 2005-2008 Corolla Matrix, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly replaced under a prior recall.
Remedy: Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly or sub-assembly, free of charge.
Air bags
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles manufactured August 18, 2003, to August 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 Tundra vehicles manufactured March 18, 2003, to August 25, 2004.
Remedy: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory.
Air bags
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii,…
Remedy: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory.
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
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.
Airbag complaints in other Corolla years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2006 Toyota Corolla?
NHTSA has 454 complaints about the air bags of the 2006 Toyota Corolla, 54% of the model year's 840 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Corolla airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 19V-741 (inflator module, Oct 17, 2019); NHTSA recall 19V-627 (inflator module, Aug 28, 2019); NHTSA recall 15V-285 (air bags, May 13, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota Corolla airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 86,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 54 crashes, 3 fires and 48 injuries to air bags 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.