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 2009 Toyota Corolla owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I had a vehicle accident on 5/11/17 of which caused a personal head injury laceration due to none of my airbags deploying inside of my vehicle when they should have. It advises that there was a recall on my vehicle for this back in 2014 for the drivers side airbags and there is no information stating that this recall had been done on my vehicle from the dealership or total loss records from my insurance company. I have attached 3 pictures of the damage done to my vehicle, as well as a picture showing no airbags deploying in the vehicle. Any information/documents needed for this please don't hesitate to ask.
Takata airbags-this is third time that I am filling this out. This website is difficult and I could not check all the boxes that I needed. This car had so many problems. It is the worst car that I have even owned. All of the paint was peeling off. I had to have the engine rebuilt. The lights kept blowing out. I had an accident and I hit the steering with my face. The airbag never deployed. I knocked myself out. I had facial contusion and almost knocked my teeth out.
I was in the parking lot trying to turn around when my car accelerators and crashes into mi rancho restaurant in silver spring, maryland. This is the second incident with this type of issue . The first time was December 4, 2011 in giant parking lot as I was parking it accelerated and hit the pole . Please there is a issue with this car and it is very unsafe because I have two granddaughter who could have be in the car with me at the time of this accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. While driving 5 MPH, the contact noticed smoke emitting from the front driver's side door. The door also became extremely hot. The vehicle did not catch fire. There was no police or fire report filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 114,820.
On sep 27 I was involved in an rear ended accident on highway 880 fremont ca and all the airbag were deployed (the car was totalled), the airbag caused injury to my forehead and I am still suffering from headache.
At approximately 11:00 a.m. On a beautiful sunny day, I was driving on the pa turnpike at the speed of 65 MPH when the power steering in my 2009 Toyota Corolla failed. My car unintentionally veered left and right as if I was encountering hurricane-like strong wind gusts. The car bounced back and forth for approximately 5 seconds, while feeling as if it was floating/hydroplaning, as I attempted to regain control. My attempts at correcting the power steering issue were unsuccessful and ultimately the front right side of my car crashed into the right guardrail. Fortunately, I was unharmed in this frightening accident and the state troopers and tow trucks responded in a timely manner. No other individuals were hurt and there was only minor guardrail damage. My car, however is extensively damaged. I am confident that this was not a result of driver error or unforeseen weather conditions. …
I had spoken to mike from carson Toyota regarding this recall more than 6 months ago. I found out about this recall from my coworker who has the same model and year car as mine. Mike had told me that only a few toyotas were on recall and the last time I had gotten my oil changed there, he told me that my model was not in that recall.. But I did get a letter in the mail. I told him that my coworker told me about the electrical window on the right side. Mike had told me that it wouldn't be covered. I would have to pay about $400 plus for that window that got stuck. Mike did tell me that my VIN model was not counted for. I am real upset. This past December, I drove to san francisco when it is raining and windy, this is a real big hazard for a branch to have come inside my car without my daughter being able to close to the window and had poked her arm some how.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that a recall notification was received with NHTSA campaign number: 19V741000 (air bags) and the vehicle was taken to lynch Toyota located at 179 tolland turnpike, manchester, ct 06042, [phone]) where the repair was completed. The contact stated that when the vehicle was picked up, the door locks of the vehicle failed to close securely. The contact informed the dealer about the doors failure. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The dealer informed the contact that there was a defect with the driver side air bag which needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
I was driving on the highway merging onto rt3 from I-95-s towards cape cod by south quincy area. The car in front of me stopped suddenly and I slammed on my breaks, the car behind me ended up rear-ending my car which resulted in me hitting my head on my heat rest which resulted in whiplash. The woman who hit me claimed she called the police and said that the cop told her we need to exchange licenses and registrations. We did exactly that but not phone number or anything. After we exchanged, she took off right away. The car that stopped in front of me left the scene right away. This was my first accident so I did not know what to do but now I am realizing that she May never have called the police considering that no one showed up and this happened on the highway.
My trunk even when properly raised in full does not stay up reliably. I had this problem for as long as I have had the car but in the past year I received a notice from Toyota that if I had a problem, they would do something to correct it. I brought it to the dealer and they assessed the car, decide it did qualify for the "repair" and allegedly took care of it. It has since still come down without warning and has hit me in the head several times. It occurred yet again on 11/30/2015 and really gave me a bad bump on my scalp and ultimately a large bruise on my forehead. I am as careful as I can be but it is hard to keep it from occurring repeatedly.
Body complaints in other Corolla years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2009 Toyota Corolla?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the body & structure of the 2009 Toyota Corolla, 3% of the model year's 1,459 complaints. The component named most often is body (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Toyota Corolla body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2009 Toyota Corolla, though it has 13 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 2009 Toyota Corolla body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 34% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 2 fires and 9 injuries 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.