Check a VIN

2021 Toyota Corolla: headlights failing or too dim

5 of the 188 complaints about the 2021 Toyota Corolla describe headlights failing or too dim.

owner complaints
5
of this car's complaints
3%
recalls
0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

Headlights failing or too dim by model year

What owners say

Filed Aug 7, 2025 · Airbags, Electrical · CA · crash

My vehicle was backed into while ì was inside of it in a parking lot. Due to my horn failing., I was unable to alert the other driver to see me. The clock spring is what failed the first time at 95k they replaced it. I'm now at 147k and it failed again . Now I'm discovering that if it does not work, there's an electrical circuit failure and that the airbag will not deploy if I get in an accident. This is a serious safety issue and I feel Toyota should be responsible for it for the life of the vehicle . A horn should never go out. Especially if it not working will keep my air bag from functioning properly . 850 out of my pocket is way steep. The replacement part lasted half as long as the original part did when I bought the car that to me seems like a faulty part this should be obvious and they should just fix the problem cuz I might have to just consult an attorney should they choose not to. The attached photo shows what happens when you can't beep your horn at somebody who's about to back into your car !!! my car still has not turned on any kind of warning lamp for the airbag or any kind of malfunction light, no warnings on my radio. I have noticed that my Lane departure warning seems to work intermittently along with the automatic high beams that like to flash my high beams in people's face for some unapparent reason which also seems like a safety issue. If I had to take my car to an inspection station it would not pass an inspection due to the horn not working ! You cannot take your child to the Department of Motor Vehicles and let them take their drive test if your horn does not work ! which happened to be my case !! Very disappointing to say the least especially when you've paid $30,000 for a car.

Filed Oct 9, 2022 · Lights · CA · crash

Headlights are defective. There is a "V" shaped dark spot in the headlights of the vehicle when on low beam. The significant unlit "V" shaped area does not allow the driver to see objects in the roadway which come up on a driver rather quickly, resulting in collisions. Toyota is aware of the defect, but will not act on it. Toyota Claim # 220811002276. There have been two collisions involving items in the roadway due to this headlight defect. Total out of pocket costs on the damage have been in excess of $1,500.

Filed Dec 30, 2021 · Lights, Visibility · DC

I purchased this vehicle new in June 2021. It is the hatchback model. Prior to that I drove a motorcycle since 2015. I noticed right at the beginning that the headlights don't illuminate far enough ahead at night for what I consider safe. My ability to see off into the distance ahead of the vehicle is far less than what I would get from my motorcycle, which doesn't make any sense to me because this car has LED headlights which are supposed to be better. I live in Washington, DC and have family in New Jersey that I visit regularly. There are two ways I can go. The first is Interstate 95 which has a speed limit of 65 but I set my cruise control at 60. When I come to an area where there is no street lighting and there are no other cars around which are helping illuminate the roadway, I am overdriving my headlights. This is not safe. The second route is taking Route 50 to the Annapolis Bay Bridge, then getting on Route 301 North towards Middletown, Delaware and then New Castle, Delaware, over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and then Route 295 towards Burlington County where my family lives. Route 50 is 65 mph until you get to Annapolis where its reduced to 55, then stays 55mph all the way to Route 301, and then Route 301 is 55 mph, until the Delaware Memorial Bridge. When I get to Route 301 North there is very little other lighting on the road other than my headlights. There are far fewer cars than on Interstate 95 so I get very little illumination from passing cars. Even if I reduce my speed to 50 mph, I am still over-driving my headlights. There has to be something wrong with how the headlights have been positioned. They are not shining for any reasonable distance ahead of the car. I have gone to the Toyota dealer in Bethesda, MD where I purchased it, Jim Coleman Toyota three times to tell them about it. Each time they have told me that there is nothing wrong with the lights. But I don't know what they did to check them.

Filed Jun 9, 2021 · Brakes, Lights · 380 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated while driving down a dark road he was unable to see the roadway due to poor visibility from the headlights. The contact stated that the failure was evident while using the low-beam or hi-beam headlights. The contact stated that the electronic braking system was inoperable. The contact was concerned for his safety while driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 380.

Filed Sep 21, 2020 · Lights · 2,800 miles · TX

I-20 0400. Traveling in the right lane. 18 wheeler ahead was pulled to the shoulder. I moved over to the left lane. While moving over there was metal in the road(learned from state police later from the 18 wheeler). Unable to avoid the object the result was a blown tire. The design of the left headlight is made so on a two lane road the oncoming traffic wont be blinded. However, with an interstate if in the right lane the left lane has a blind spot. The headlight is 1/2 the length of the right headlight. Please please look into this. I was lucky with only a blown tire more severe damage or loss of life due to lack of visibility on dim setting is frightening.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2021 Toyota Corolla headlights

Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 2021 Toyota Corolla?

5 of 188 owner complaints about the 2021 Toyota Corolla (3%) mention headlights failing or too dim. The model year with the most reports is 2005.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2021 Toyota Corolla?

There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.

Other symptoms on the 2021 Toyota Corolla

Check engine light 10Wipers 10No deployment 6Stalling 6

All model years of the Toyota Corolla

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2021 Toyota Corolla?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history