Vehicle safety record

1981 Toyota Corolla Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 3 complaints about the 1981 Toyota Corolla with NHTSA, most often about the brakes (2) and the seats & seat belts (1). Those complaints describe 1 crash and 2 injuries. There are no recalls for it. For comparison, the 1980 has 2 and the 1982 has 5.

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NHTSA data checked 2 days ago

99/100Safety Index

AFar fewer problems than a typical Corolla year, for its age

#6 most complained-about 1981 vehicle

Complaints: 3
Recalls: 0
Crashes: 1
Fires: 0
Injuries: 2
Deaths: 0

Most common 1981 Toyota Corolla problems

Share of all 3 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

No recalls for the 1981 Toyota Corolla

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1981 Toyota Corolla. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.

What owners say

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3 complaints about the 1981 Toyota Corolla

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.

BrakesCrash1 injury

I was driving home and outside of my garage I put my car in park and got out and opened our garage door, when I put the car in drive it shot across our garage breaking stairs leading into our house, a workbench and did thousands of dollars of damage to my toyota corolla and our house. The sound of the tires screeching was like something on a race track. Luckily my 8 year daughter was asleep on the back seat of the car therefore did not get out and open the garage door, otherwise she would have been run over. I had...

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two neighbors by my house one a lawyer the other an engineer for bell labs and both agreed my car over accelerated. I was told to call the toyota regional office to report this and the regional office in philadelphia was extremely rude and said I must have stepped on the gas. First of all stepping on the gas would never have made the car go at that rate of speed. I think toyota has had this problem a long time, my bosses neighbor had the exact same thing happen to him. *Tr

Brakes

Consumer called complaining about intermittently brakes light has been for the last past year. Dealer has inspected the vehicle and could not duplicate or correct the problem. Please provide further information. Ts

Seats & seat belts1 injury

Driver's seat belt buckle failed during accident, causing driver to hit head on windshield/injury. *Skd

Toyota Corolla: every year compared

'70 '71 '73 '76 '77 '78 '79 '80 3'81 '82 '83 '84 '85 '86 '87 '88 '89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24 '25 '27

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Crashes	Top problem	Grade
1985	3	0	0	Electrical system	A
1984	6	2	1	Seats & seat belts	A
1983	1	0	0	Wheels & tires	A
1982	5	0	1	Acceleration & cruise control	A
1981	3	0	1	Brakes	A
1980	2	1	0	Acceleration & cruise control	A
1979	2	1	0	Electrical system	A
1978	0	1	0	-	A
1977	1	1	0	Engine & cooling	A

All Corolla years

1981 Toyota Corolla vs rivals

Vehicle	Complaints	Recalls	Crashes	Grade
1981 Toyota Corolla	3	0	1	A
1981 Honda Civic	1	0	0	A	Compare
1981 Volkswagen Jetta	0	4	0	A	Compare
1981 Toyota Pickup	4	0	1	C	Compare
1981 Toyota SR	1	0	0	-	Compare
1981 Toyota Toyota	1	0	0	F	Compare
1981 Toyota Corona	1	0	1	A	Compare

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

Questions about the 1981 Toyota Corolla

Does the 1981 Toyota Corolla have any recalls?

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1981 Toyota Corolla right now. Recalls can be announced at any time, and this page checks NHTSA every day. You can also check your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What are the most common problems with the 1981 Toyota Corolla?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the brakes (2), seats & seat belts (1).

How many complaints has the 1981 Toyota Corolla had?

3 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on June 5, 1995 and the latest on February 10, 2010. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 2 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 1981 Toyota Corolla a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 99 out of 100 (grade A: far fewer problems than a typical Toyota Corolla year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Toyota Corolla years have the most complaints?

2009 (1,533), 2010 (1,264), 2005 (944). See every Toyota Corolla year compared.

What should I do if my 1981 Toyota Corolla has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked 2 days ago. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data