Showing the 2020 Corolla SE. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
About every 2020 Corolla
The 2020 Toyota Corolla has 313 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, and the engine drew the most, at 111. Its combined mpg ranges from 31 to 52 mpg, with a 5-year fuel cost of $6,250 to $10,480 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives it 5 overall stars. It has 6 recall campaigns that may apply, covering air bags, fuel system, lights, and others.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
31–52 mpgcombined; city 28–53, highway 36–52; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$6,250–$10,480U.S. average; Ohio $5,580–$9,360 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2020 Corolla. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 313 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Corolla. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
111
1
1
2
Unknown or other
79
4
0
4
Power train
40
1
0
3
Electrical system
35
0
1
0
Service brakes
24
6
0
3
Air bags
18
9
0
12
Visibility/wiper
17
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
14
0
0
2
Structure
13
2
0
3
Seat belts
9
2
0
4
Steering
8
1
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
7
2
0
3
14 more parts
Wheels
7
3
0
1
Vehicle speed control
5
1
0
1
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
1
0
0
Exterior lighting
3
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
3
0
0
0
Tires
3
0
0
0
Back over prevention
2
1
0
3
Lane departure
2
0
0
0
Carry handle, shell, base
1
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
1
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
1
0
0
0
Suspension
1
0
0
0
Tether, lower anchor (ON CAR SEAT OR VEHICLE)
1
0
0
0
Visibility
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2020 Corolla over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Corolla Hatchback vehicles. A rear hatch wire harness connector may have been damaged during assembly, which may cause the back-up lights to fail.
Risk: If the back-up lights fail, there can be an increased risk of a crash while the vehicle is reversing.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear hatch wire harness, free of charge. The recall began June 30, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB07 and 20TA07.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 C-HR and 2020 Corolla and Corolla Hybrid vehicles equipped with rear seat belt assemblies with a dual-mode locking mechanism. The seat belt webbing sensor locking mechanism may not lock as intended.
Risk: In the event of a crash involving multiple impacts, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seat belt assembly production dates, and replace the assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 19TB22 and 19TA22.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system or a loss of braking assist increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.
Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 256 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2020 Corolla, the latest on Aug 20, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (101), electrical system (70), engine (43), structure (36), engine and engine cooling (17).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Defect petition DP22005 Pedestrian alert sounds · covers 43 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2020 Corolla.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: compact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 7–10 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Corolla Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AV-S10)
Regular Gasoline
32 / 41 / 35
Corolla Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AV-S10)
Regular Gasoline
31 / 40 / 34
Corolla Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
30 / 38 / 33
Corolla Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
29 / 39 / 33
Corolla Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
29 / 36 / 32
Corolla Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
28 / 37 / 31
Corolla Hybrid Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
53 / 52 / 52
Corolla XLE Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
29 / 37 / 32
Corolla XSE Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AV-S10)
Regular Gasoline
31 / 38 / 34
Corolla XSE Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AV-S10)
Regular Gasoline
30 / 38 / 33
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data