While driving my 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross LE, the engine unexpectedly shut off while I was stopped at a red light during heavy rain with the windshield wipers operating. A warning message appeared on the dashboard indicating that the engine had shut off and instructing me to press the brake firmly. The check engine warning light also illuminated. I shifted the vehicle into Park and pressed the engine Stop button. The vehicle took approximately 20 seconds before the dashboard indicated that the ignition was on but the vehicle was not ready to drive until I pressed the brake and pressed the Start button. After restarting the vehicle, the warnings disappeared and the vehicle appeared to return to normal operation. I am concerned that an unexpected engine shutdown could create a serious safety hazard, particularly in traffic or at an intersection, where the vehicle could lose power unexpectedly and potentially leave me unable to accelerate when needed. I am also concerned about whether the issue could recur while the vehicle is moving or in an unsafe location. The vehicle has approximately 73,000 miles. This is the first time I have personally experienced this issue. I purchased the vehicle in [XXX] and subsequently drove it to [XXX]. This was one of the first times I had used the windshield wipers extensively since purchasing the vehicle, due to the heavy rain. The vehicle is equipped with an automatic Stop & Start system. The problem has not yet been reproduced or checked by a dealership or independent repair facility. To my knowledge, the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, a dealership, police, or insurance representatives in connection with this incident. The vehicle appeared to operate normally after restarting, but the cause of the shutdown has not been determined. The first symptoms occurred at the time of the incident. I am concerned about the safety implications of an unexpected engine shutdown. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)
Toyota Corolla Cross check engine light comes on
38 of the 321 owner complaints about the Toyota Corolla Cross describe check engine light, most of them for the 2023 model year.
- owner complaints
- 38
- worst model year
- 2023
By model year
- 20261
- 20252
- 20242
- 202331
- 20222
Often reported together
Wipers 10Start-stop 7Stalling 4Steering lock-up 3Won't start 2Warning lights 2Loss of power 2
What owners say
The fuel gage does not update to reflect a full tank. The check engine light has turned on twice along with a notification of a system malfunction. When the car was taken to the dealership the fuel level sender had to be replaced. The check engine light turned on again after having the fuel sender replace. After taking the vehicle to the dealership an additional time it was identified that the fuel tank was defective.
Engine turned off at stop light while stopped for about 30 seconds, then started a long beep. The engine light and the power steering light came on. The screen also said put in park and restart engine. I did and it started back up and the dashboard warnings went away. It was unsafe because when the light changed to green I couldn't immediately accelerate and the cars behind me could not either. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer, they cannot find anything wrong.
I purchased a brand-new 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross LE on [XXX], in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, selling price, $31, 500.00 Early July 2025, I started the vehicle, and unexpectedly, multiple lights emerged on the dashboard screen per below, Exhibit 1 - Check Engine - Visit your dealer Exhibit 2 -Drive Start Control Malfunction - Visit your dealer Exhibit 3 - Parking Brake Malfunction Exhibit 4 - Secondary Collision - Brake System Malfunction Exhibit 5- Parking System Malfunction The vehicle was taken to Island Toyota on July 5th. The codes were cleared by removing the battery terminal. Two days later, the warning lights reappeared. After the technician performed diagnostic testing, I received a phone call to pick up the vehicle. The total cost of the ordered parts exceeds $2,000, which includes a computer. This vehicle is under warranty, particular vehicle IS NOT TWO YEARS OLD. This vehicle is a LEMON. I spoke with Carlos Rivera, a Customer Service Agent at Toyota of Puerto Rico. I notified him of this matter via phone calls, and he responded. He stated that his department is the warranty department, solely responsible for ordering parts for vehicles with warranties. He advised me to speak Ms Charla Green, the General Manager for Toyota St. Croix. Not quite sure why she never returns calls and is virtually unfeasible to speak with customers is atrocious. The front desk agents seems to be programmed to let you know Ms Green is not available and the supervisor, Ms Francis, seems uninterested in the daily chronicles with ones vehicle. The Entire department running blind while upper management is collecting hefty salaries. When the poor man cries out in distress, it’s a deep yearning for help and reassurance from the workers getting paid to help. While traversing on the [XXX], with a passenger in the vehicle, approximately, on [XXX], the instrument cluster display went BLANK, the vehicle lost power, slowed down, INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552
Car purchased new from Toyota dealer. Picked up [XXX]. Immediately found faulty problems with interior and exterior of car. No quality control or post delivery checks were conducted. Car brought back to dealer the next working day ([XXX]) and spent a week there but repairs were not attempted. Complaint filed with Toyota USA headquarters and request for them to take the car back and give refund on July 1st. Car infotainment system blacks out, dashboard is warped and speakers are coming out of their place on dashboard. Steering wheel is puckering. Toyota headquarters said it will open a case to look into it. The car had less than 100miles on it. On July 26th I log into the Toyota complaints website to add more information and find that the case status is “closed” and no one is reachable to contact at the Toyota headquarters. [XXX] as I am driving the car on a main highway, the car suddenly completely stops without any warning. Engine light is on. “Hybrid system malfunction” and car brakes stop working. My life was threatened by this unreliable dangerous new car and car had to be towed back to dealer. Car never switched on again after that. A service department supervisor at the Toyota dealer (Pauly Toyota in Illinois) mentioned to me at the beginning of July that usually, new cars delivered to the dealer need to be inspected but pauly Toyota does not employ these special inspectors and instead “a regular mechanic does a look over”. He also said this model of Toyota (Corolla cross hybrid) is new and the team is not familiar with its repairs and parts need pre ordering as none can be available for such a new model. I relayed this information to Toyota headquarters on July 1st and again on July 26th but was told both times “Toyota trusts its dealers with the repairs”. My life was put in danger and this was preventable. Toyota USA refuse to do a recall on this vehicle when it is dangerous and not fit to be a car for humans. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(
Vehicle Stability Control Malfunction Secondary Collision Brake System Malfunction Parking Break System Drive Start Control System and a Check Engine
While returning home from an outing, I accelerated the gas to switch lanes and the check engine light came on, I heard a gravel like pop noise. And saw smoke coming from my car towards the back. A car next to me told me to pull over as my car was on fire. After finding a safe destination to pull over, the hood of my car and engine caught on fire. Thus resulting to a total loss of the car and assistance from the fire department as well as the police department to deal with the aftermath of the vehicle.
After the first issues with start stop car would just shut off in the middle of driving, came a new issues In august 2024 When all these lights came on car had been park over night and not driven so it was a fresh start . Warning lights included parking brake system, Drive start control, check engine, vehicle stability control and secondary collision brake system. Corolla cross would not back nor move this time . Took to dealership with no findings or solutions. Again September 2024 same warning lights and car had just been driven 8 miles and was in park. These warning lights are very much a safety concern. Have taken to dealership with no resolution or findings
AWD Transmission slips when trying to "shift" and sometimes feels like it loses power while gas is applied. Already brought to dealer for service, and they confirmed it will need a new CVT transmission. This is only after 6 months of ownership. There was no indication on the dashboard lights that the transmission was about to fail, nor was this brought up during regular service intervals. This [XXX] we were travelling up on [XXX] past Baker and the car lost forward momentum, even though I was pressing fully on the gas pedal. We had to coast to the side of the road while the trucks were whizzing by, and had to be towed to the closest Toyota dealership in Las Vegas. At first, there were no warning lights, but after turning the engine off and then on, warnings about the AWD system, Check Engine lights, and a "Drive-Start failure" message started showing. Engine itself had no issues, but it felt like the car was stuck on a high gear (or its CVT equivalent), and refused to move forward and actually rolled back as we were on an incline. Eventually it would move forward and then it seemed like it was no stuck on 1st/launch gear, which it kept up until we got dropped off by the tow truck to Autonation Toyota in Las Vegas, and the car handed off to them. Last update was that Toyota confirmed it was a transmission issue and the CVT will be replaced by them. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When driving in the rain and my start/stop function is turned on, my car will turn off and make a loud beep with a message stating “engine stopped steering power low”. The check engine light and the power steering light pop up on the dashboard and I have to restart the car. This happens in the middle of traffic and is scary to think that it can happen any time while I’m driving. My car has less than 15,000 miles on it. This has happened numerous times, but more and more frequently lately.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Toyota Corolla Cross check engine light
Why does the check engine light come on in the Toyota Corolla Cross?
Owners who report it most often also describe windshield wiper failure, start-stop system problems and engine stalls while driving.
Which Toyota Corolla Cross years have check engine light problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2023 (31 complaints), 2022 (2 complaints) and 2024 (2 complaints).
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