2021 Toyota Corolla Engine Problems

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Toyota Corolla owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while his granddaughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the Parking Brake and Lane Tracing Assist malfunction indicators were illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine control unit software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 30,000.

The engine coolant bypass valve circuit short to battery or open and lower hose - Trouble Code - DTC: P268115. The error message "Engine Maintenance Required - Visit Your Dealer" was consistently popping up and I couldn't see my speed or dash or how many miles I had till empty even after acknowledging the message and pressing ok & back. It would stay on while my car was on no matter what. I couldn't use or see any of my information on my dash. The problem has come up multiple times by different people in the auto forum and I was warned that I would have to replace it again in 15 months. There was no light that came on on my dash just the message that would pop up and block my speed so I couldn't see how fast I was going or when I was going to be out of gas. I'm not sure if it's been inspected by the manufacturer. It first appeared after 3 years of owning my brand new car. …

Vehicle: 2021 Toyota Corolla Apex, 2.0L Engine Component Failure: The Engine Coolant Bypass Valve (also called Water Valve) malfunctioned. Its plastic housing cracked and leaked coolant, corroding the electrical connector. This prevents proper electronic control of engine temperature. The failed component is available for inspection if removed. Safety Risk: This issue poses a safety risk due to potential engine overheating. Overheating can lead to sudden loss of power or engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a collision, especially at high speeds. A roadside breakdown in unsafe conditions is also a risk. Confirmation: A Toyota dealership service center confirmed the problem, diagnosing it as a leaking coolant bypass valve requiring replacement. Inspection: The vehicle was inspected by a Toyota dealership technician. …

The vehicle displays an "Engine Maintenance Required" warning message shortly after the air conditioning is turned on. The warning does not usually appear immediately at startup but consistently appears when the A/C system is activated. The vehicle currently remains drivable, but the issue appears related to the engine cooling system and may involve the coolant bypass valve/flow control valve, which has been widely reported by other owners of similar model vehicles. The problem raises safety concerns because a cooling system malfunction could potentially lead to overheating while driving. The issue has been reproduced multiple times. A generic code scan at an auto parts store did not show stored engine codes. …

I went in after my vehicle displayed a check engine code after my recent visit to the dealer which included a regular oil change plus multi point inspection. At 51k miles the check engine went on and said immediately to go to the dealer. After paying for the dealer inspection, which was extra money, the issue was the engine coolant bypass valve for my vehicle that failed and leaked. I asked if this was common and the dealer said yes since they've been replacing them. I checked online forums and hundreds of people have had this issue at random miles. This costed me over $900 dollars to repair and could of damaged my cars engine leaving me without a vehicle or cause a safety accident. I paid a hefty bill for a faulty item that should have been recalled since it's quite "common" according to the toyota dealership. …

Apparently my car's Engine Coolant Bypass Valve is broken and it's a common case with my car's model that's made after 2020. Seems like it there's a need a recall for such a thing since it's a defective part they knew about since my car was screaming at me for an engine maintenance. However, the check engine wasn't on. I went to Toyota at Elk Grove, CA and knew what the issue was pretty quick and charging me $700 to get it replaced. I feel like it's intentionally being handled poorly so they keep charging me 700 every few years to replace a $80 part. As well my story is very common with other customers of Toyota Cars made after 2020. I wanted to report this since that's potentially harmful to put out a car that could have engine problems easily. Especially it's a fairly newer car. Also, they have yet to replace the part for the known recall on this vehicle.

The problem seems to occur when activating the Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) feature, as detailed next. During a recent trip, the car behaved in a potentially dangerous, life-threatening manner when the DRCC function was activated. Specifically, the car seems to increase the RPM of the engine to dangerous levels when going down a slope even if there is a speed limit set using the cruise control. In other words, the car does not change gear properly to keep the RPM in normal ranges. The engine's RPM getting close, entering the red zone indicated by the RPM tachometer, and staying there even for seconds may cause an engine explosion which at highway speeds can be extremely dangerous for the passengers and other nearby vehicles on the road.

Notification spontaneously received as Engine Maintenance Required; Visit Your Dealer. Service appointment immediately scheduled for Toyota of Plano for the following day. My service advisor recommended replacing the coolant bypass valve, which amounted to a total bill of $745. My agent informed me of CSP 24TE04, however my service advisor didn't acknowledge any eligibility of VIN pertaining to it. Toyota Brand Engagement Center also did not report any eligibility of my VIN number for secondary coverage reimbursement despite it meeting the criteria exactly.

My car reached 52,254 miles and I got a engine maintenance required a scary message I have never seen before I thought it was the oil maintenance one but it's not I keep dismissing the message because I can't see my speed and it stays in the way I have realized that if I start the car with AC on the message pops up but if I don't have ac on and start the car it never appears unless I turn on the ac as the car is already on so it seems to be the coolant valve bypass I received the error message as I was parked for no longer than 40 seconds at most

This Toyota Corolla hatchback is experiencing an issue where it is constantly giving an "ENGINE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED" light and when scanned, it says "coolant bypass valve malfunction". There is already a recall for many Toyota Corolla Sedans experiencing this issue of this bypass valve being defective, but because this is a hatchback, it is not part of the recall when it should be. There is already a recall for vehicles affected with this issue: T-SB-0112-24

Engine complaints in other Corolla years