There are 11 stored owner reports matching the electrical system leading-label group for the 1996 Toyota Corolla in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 11 of 11 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START DURING DAMP, COLD WEATHER WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON A FLAT SURFACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 112,800. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
AFTER TRYING TO START VEHICLE ENGINE WAS MAKING SOME NOISES, AND CONSUMER DECIDED TO TURN VEHICLE OFF. WHEN DOING SO, VEHICLE SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS ON. AFTERWARD, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK
BRAKE LIGHT AND TAILIGHT GO OUT WHEN VEHICLE HITS A BUMP. CONSUMER HAS AN APPOINTMENT AT DEALER FOR REPAIRS.*AK
I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT 10/23/00, IN WHICH I HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE FROM BEHIND. I WAS DRIVING AT 45MPH. MY AIR BAGS FAILED TO GO OFF. LUKILY, I WAS WEARING MY SEAT BELT. THE ESTIMATED DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE IS OVER $6,000, WHICH IS MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. ALSO, IN FEB. OF THIS YEAR, WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, ANOTHER DRIVER INFORMED ME MY LEFT TAIL LIGHT WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE CAUSED MY ALTERNATOR TO BLOW, AND THE BATTERY TO DRAIN. I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALER, THEY COULDN'T FIND THE CAUSE. I TOOK MY CAR TO A TOYOTA DEALER, AND NOT ONLY COULD THEY NOT FIND THE CAUSE, BUT THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT HAPPENING BEFORE. AFTER TOWING FEES, BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, ALL NEW FUSES, TAIL LIGHT AND WIRE HARNESS I SPENT $500.*AK
TAIL LIGHTS GO OFF AND ON INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN TAIL LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING, CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS OPERATIONAL, IT STOPS WORKING IF I TURN ON HEADLIGHTS. I HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER 8 OR 9 TIMES WHEN THIS IS HAPPENING AND AM ALWAYS TOLD THE BULB HAS BLOWN AND THEY REPLACE IT AND SEND ME ON MY WAY. THERE IS APPARENTLY A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BECAUSE WHEN WE PULL OUT THE "BLOWN" BULB AND PUT IT BACK IN, THE LIGHTS WILL WORK AGAIN. THE DEALER HAS BEEN OF ABSOLUTELY NO ASSISTANCE OVER THE PAST 6 YEARS.*AK
INTERMITTENTLY THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS WILL BLOW OUT. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE SOCKET AND THE CONDITION IS REOCCURRING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*JB
I SUSPECT THE ELECTRIC DESIGN HAS PROBLEMS, WHICH CAUSE THE STOP LIGHTS MALFUNCTIONING. THE BULBS ARE USUALLY OK IF YOU TEST THEM. I HAVE NOTICED MANY OCCURANCES ON 1994 THROUGH 1996 MODELS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. THANKS.
DASHBOARD FIRE.
WHILE DRIVING NOTICED SPARKS ON FLOORBOARD, PULLED TO SIDE, ENTIRE DASHBOARD WENT UP IN FLAMES, NO WARNING, SPEED 10 MPH, VEHICLE TOTALED; MANUFACTURER CLAIMED VEHICLE WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTENING. *AK
CONSUMER PULLED THE VEHICLE INTO THE GARAGE AND TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION, ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, AND CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. CONTACTED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THEY CAME AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THAT A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE WIRING HARNESS CAUSED THE FIRE. *AK
THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE REAR LIGHTS SOCKETS, THE INSIDE CONNECTOR IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND WHEN THEY GET HOT AND OLD IT MELTS, LOOSING THE CONNECTIONS WITH THE BOTTON OF THE LIGHT BULB, I HAVE TO PURCHASE FROM TOYOTA A NEW WIRING SET, BUT THE NEW ONES ARE MADE OF THE SAME PLASTIC, SO THEY WILL FAIL AGAIN, I HAVE SEEM PLENTY OF TOYOTAS COROLLAS WITH REAR LIGHTS MALFUNCTION IN THE ROAD. THANKS. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: May 4, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.