Toyota Corolla fire or smoke problems

Filed Oct 15, 2026 · Electrical · 80,000 miles · NH · fire

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while the vehicle was unoccupied and parked in the driveway, the vehicle caught fire. The fire originated from the engine bayapproximately five minutes after the vehicle was started. The fire department extinguished the flames and determined that the source of the fire was the battery. Both the manufacturer and the dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Electrical · DE · fire

I pulled into XXX drive way at 6:53pm XXX. By 7:12 pm we were on the phone with 911. My car alarm when off. I went over to my car. It was smoking had a bad smell it smelt like it was about to explode. It wouldn’t let me unlock the car. Finally after 5 minutes it finally unlocked there is literal flames on the driver side dash and floor board. We used a fire extinguisher it was still smoking so we put water on it. When the fire department finally showed up the dash was still 182 degrees. They used their high water power fire extinguisher. The battery was also unplugs before the fire was completely out. And state farm called a tow truck to take it to pohanka in Salisbury Md.

Filed Jul 27, 2026 · Airbags, Body · MA · crash · 1 injury

I was broadsided at the front end of the drivers side on Saturday 07/25/2026 by a wayward vehicle drifting into my lane. After the crash, the airbags deployed and then I could not open the driver seat door. Three other passer-bys who kindly stopped to check on me could not open the door from outside either. Finally, after being stuck for at least 10 minutes in the car, the police arrived, who somehow managed to open the door and let me out. This is a serious safety hazard; if the car caught fire, I could be burnt alive.

Filed Dec 23, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · DE

after fueling strong fuel smell in vehicle within 100 miles check fuel cap light came on. next day check engine light came on. made appointment at dealership . dealership performed evap smoke test which found smoke coming from top of fuel cell. installed fuel pump ring and evap hose clip. performed evap test and smoke test -passed cleared codes. got car back next day less than 50 miles later ck engine code and fuel cap and fuel odor back.

Filed Aug 25, 2025 · SC · fire

While driving my vehicle Southbound on [XXX] in the Simpsonville/Fountain Inn area of South Carolina, my vehicle suffered some sort of catastrophic failure while driving and became completely engulfed in flames. The vehicle was a total loss. The vehicle had been serviced a little over a month prior to this incident happening. The fire department took a report for the fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 17, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

I have a 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. The problems started on July 21st, 2025. While driving my 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback, I noted white exhaust smoke, even after the engine was warm. One week prior, I had filled the coolant reservoir, but when I checked it, the coolant was almost gone again. There were no visible leaks or puddles under the car. I refilled the coolant, but within days the car began shaking severely upon startup and emitted a coolant-burning smell. 5 minutes after, multiple warning lights illuminated on the dashboard simultaneously. I replaced the car battery, and the warnings disappeared. However, while merging onto the freeway, the same warning lights came back, the car lost power, and I could not accelerate above ~25 mph. If this occurred in heavy traffic, it could lead to a serious collision. I exited the freeway and had the car towed. DTCs from the independent mechanic and the Toyota dealer included: P11ED00 P030085 P030027 P030200 (Cylinder 2 misfire) C142571 (Stop light relay actuator stuck) U1117 B2284 B15AD The Toyota dealer identified a “Port Injector #2 malfunction” and recommended replacing all four injectors (~$2,000) but could not confirm this would fix it. They noted a coolant-burning smell but advised addressing the misfire first before further diagnosis. There is an active class action lawsuit alleging that 2019–2023 Toyota Corolla and RAV4 models have defective coolant bypass valves that may cause engine issues, overheating, or coolant loss without visible leaks. This matches the coolant loss, white exhaust smoke, and eventual power loss while driving. I request that the federal safety agency investigate this issue in connection to the reported coolant bypass valve defects affecting 2019–2023 Toyota Corolla models.

Filed Nov 24, 2024 · Acceleration, Engine · FL

As I was driving my check engine light turned and also another message saying “Drive-Start control malfunction”. A few second after another light came one showing “Engine coolant Temp high. On 11/24/24 I experienced this mechanical failure as I was driving. I was driving behind another car, where my car suddenly lost power and randomly accelerated almost causing me to crash behind the car in front of me. Thankfully I had time to press on the brakes to prevent me from crashing. I also did some research to see if other drivers also experienced this fault and seems that a lot of people with these Toyota Corolla and RAV4 models. I also found that an active lawsuit is ongoing against Toyota regarding this same issue. This definitely should be something that needs to be recalled as it puts our lives at risks to either crash or even catch on fire due to overheating. My vehicle gets serviced regularly.

Filed Nov 8, 2024 · Driver assistance, Electrical · OH · crash

To start, on [XXX], I was going through an intersection on a country road and my automatic emergency braking engaged for no reason. My car stopped despite no other vehicle or object being in my way or anywhere close to me. I found it really weird but did not think much about after the fact. I have also heard a rattling noise under my hood since [XXX] and have reported this to Toyota and tried to have it fixed multiple times (and showed them videos) but they were never able to duplicate the noise so it has not been remedied. On [XXX] I was traveling on a highway during rush hour and the traffic in front of me came to a sudden stop. I braked as hard as I could; my automatic emergency braking did not engage and I rear ended the car in front of me (minimal damage to that car). We both immediately pulled partway onto the narrow left berm (we had both been in the left lane to get onto another highway). My car then turned off by itself and gave me an engine warning (I believe low engine oil- I had just had it serviced 3 days prior). The other car owner and I exchanged information quickly and decided to drive away because we were blocking rush hour traffic and it was dangerous. However, my car would not start back up. I called 911 and they came to use their vehicle to push me to the right side of the highway onto an exit where I was no longer blocking traffic. During the wait, I felt like I was going to die with traffic honking and swerving to avoid me. When the police officer was moving my car, the parking brake engaged when I put the car in neutral and would not turn off, so the smell of burning rubber was strong since the tires would not roll. Once the tow truck driver arrived he was able to use jumper cables to disengage the parking brake but the car still would not start. There were no prior warning lights. The car not starting was confirmed by the dealer- they are holding off doing maintenance to have an engineer check out the car and figure out what happened. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INF

Filed Nov 8, 2023 · Electrical · 8,000 miles · OH · fire

The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the driveway, approximately 12 hours later while the contact was sleeping, a sound woke the contact and it was discovered that the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and the fire also caused damage to the garage door, the side of the home, and the concrete driveway. The contact mentioned that the battery was replaced by AAA 3 weeks after the incident. No injuries were reported. A fire report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was later towed away. The cause of the fire was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the fire. The failure mileage was 8,000.

Filed Oct 18, 2023 · Airbags, Driver assistance · TX · crash

Coming home from work at 9:40pm a deer hit my car. I got no notification from my car about an object near my vehicle. I stopped my car lights were flashing and the operator on my car assist came on about detecting an accident. My cab filled with smoke and a funny smell. I thought the car was on fire. So I jumped out ambulance and cops showed up. My car got towed to Clifton collision in Clifton Texas. Later I found out that the air bags should have deployed . All my seat belts are locked up in the front and back. But no air bag deployment. The air bag light is on. After 4 months of my vehicle in the shop with me making payments and insurance payments still no vehicle back for me. My car sits at Toyota in Waco. Jeff hunter toyota waiting on emcu for the air bags with no eta. All the seatbelts had to be cut out of the car and the air bags replaced. I have called Toyota advocate to try to resolve my problem and still no help from them. This is a major safety concern that could take someone’s life.