Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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).
I was westbound on broward blvd. In broward county, florida in stop and go traffic, when the car surged and rear ended another vehicle. Both occupants in the other vehicle were injured. Two other incidents of this nature have happened. One about four years ago in 2011 and one about two weeks ago during the first week of May 2015. Also, there has been numerous times that accelerator paddle seems to depress by it self speeding up the vehicle. I became aware of a pending investigating the dot NHTSA is conducting under case dp-14-003, opened on 09/19/14, by investigator stephen mchenry about low speed surging involving my year vehicle.
We bought a 2006 certified Corolla le on June 19, 2010 from a dealership in northern virginia. On August 18, 2010 my daughter was driving the car and while at stop light earlier that day her car hesitated and didn't want to move. That evening around 8:30 pm as she was driving her car, the road curved slightly to the right but she was not able to turn the wheel or depress the brakes. She crossed the on coming lane and the car was totaled. She was able to walk away from this with only hundreds of small cuts from glass. The initial thought was that she had hydroplaned but after further talking to my daughter she said that she tried to turn the steering wheel to follow the road but she couldn't because it was too hard and the brakes would not depress either. …
This is to report an accident I was involved in on Thursday September 30, 2010 in the morning around 4:30 am, in baltimore, maryland, on interstate I-95 northbound, close to exit 80, with my 2006 Toyota Corolla. My car was recalled back in late August 2010 and I took it to the dealer as soon as I received the notification. After inspecting the engine, the dealer confirmed that a computer in the engine was defective. However, they could not replace the missing part at the time but indicated that I will receive notice in the mail for when I could bring the car back. That Thursday morning it was raining and I was driving around 50 miles/hour when I noticed that the speed needle went completely to the end of the speedometer and came back. It did this twice before suddenly accelerating and sending the car off the road. My car hit a tree from the back passenger side before stopping. …
This issue has been on going for over 2 years; the engine reves up when starting the car, RPM goes into the red on the gauge & continues to go up & down for the first 30 minutes or so, while driving .the codes say it is an emissions issue/ charcoal canister, according to what I've researched. I took the car in for the ECU recall as instructed by the letter received. I was not experiencing any of these issues prior to the recall replacement?? I took the car to the dealership for a scheduled oil change and explained to the services person, I was told the emissions was fine, but they would be happy to run a diagnostic on it for $200, I have noticed that many other are having issues with the same codes/ emissions issues. Could you please help me with this, I don't know where or who to turn to from here. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact crashed into another vehicle head on. The contact's head struck the steering wheel and he sustained injuries. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was able to be driven from the scene. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also experienced a failure while driving approximately 60 MPH. The vehicle began to decelerate and suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician advised that the engine control module would have to be replaced. The failure persisted after the repair. The engine control module was replaced three times before the failure was corrected. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.
I was backing up out of a parking space, stopped and put car in drive position, and 2006 Toyota Corolla accelerated to a high speed, engine roared. I put my foot on brake immediately, shut off engine and pulled emergency brake. Lights on dashboard were lit, and I had no power steering. Car bolted forward and hit the back of a parked truck which stopped my vehicle. My daughter was in the passenger side and experienced this horrible event. I was bringing her home from an operation on her arm. Needless to say, we were both terrified. Had car towed to the Toyota garage. The service manager said he couldn't touch the car due to protocol, and gave me the 800 # for Toyota. That was on a Monday and on Friday I had to get my own rental car as I had not heard from Toyota in regard to a rental car.
I was driving my Toyota had just left my house and I turned the corner and just after I turned the corner the car shut off completely. I steered to move from middle of road so it restarted and I drove about 20 ft turned a corner to park the car and it shut off again. I then noticed smoke coming from under the hood. A minute or two later I'm on the phone w fire department cause my car was in flames. After fire was put out by fire dept the firefighter said the car is a total loss and I only had liability. They towed to a salvage yard and I was told by firefighter cause of fire is unknown, possibly something electrical May have shorted he was not sure. Two days later, I see a safety recall for my car on the news was announced for possible fire in engine compartment.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 10V384000 (engine and engine cooling). While driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle restarted and the check engine warning indicator intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine control module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred on three other occasions. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla. While driving at 35 MPH, the accelerator failed to respond. The contact turned off and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was unable to be restarted. The contact stated that the vehicle exhibited symptoms similar to the ones listed in NHTSA campaign number: 10V384000 (engine, engine cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 194,000.
I came home on 8/25/06 at 12:30 am, driving about 15 miles home from the restaurant, and parked the car in my apartment complex. At approximately 5:30 am the vehicle broke into a fire, and was burnt to the ground. The flames completely engulfed the car. My insurance investigator said that the fire started in the engine, and worked it's way around the driver side of the car. Have notified Toyota, and have a claims ticket with them, but getting them to return any phone calls has been completely unsuccessful at all.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 corolla and corolla matrix vehicles. The engine control module (ECM) for the subject models equipped with the 1zz-fe engine and two-wheel drive May have been improperly manufactured.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the production number of the ECM and replace the ECM if necessary. This service will be performed free of charge.
NHTSA investigations
Engine Stalling
On November 30, 2009, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a preliminary evaluation (PE09-054) to investigate alleged engine stalling, while driving in model year (MY) 2006 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles .In its response to ODI's information request submitted on March 2, 2010, Toyota indicated that it had identified two possible causes of production defects of the engine control units (ECU)…
Engine Stall
On August 26, 2010, Toyota submitted a Defect Information Report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding problems with Engine Control Modules that could result in engine stall while driving in certain model year (MY) 2005 through 2008 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Pontiac Vibe vehicles equipped with the 1ZZ-FE engine and two-wheel drive and manufactured between April 19, 2004 and…
Engine complaints in other Corolla years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Toyota Corolla?
NHTSA has 128 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Toyota Corolla, 15% of the model year's 840 complaints. The component named most often is engine (30 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Corolla engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-384 (engine and engine cooling, Aug 26, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota Corolla engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 3 fires and 9 injuries to engine & cooling 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.