Toyota Corolla

hecep

vic19 and anyone else: Ditto on corollarock's suggestion, and the sooner you get it to the dealer, the better. While you're there, you might want to have them look at the rear axle bolts (looseness problem possibly leading to lose of vehicle control. For further details, see http://www.safetyalerts.com/recall/a/02/v00150.htm). This affects 1/2002 thru 2/2002 manufacture dates.

If anyone out there would like to see pix of Vicarouza's install (#1787), raise your cursor!! Seriously, it would be great if you could post. Did you have to rework the dash's structural elements in order to get the depth, or was the depth already adequate to accept the P-907? How drastic was the install? Strictly a shop effort, or can a semi-capable DIY'er handle it?

To all: I noticed that two east coast dealers (per their web sites) are selling 2003 Corollas with premium JBL 3-in-1 ETS systems (approx. 300W). These appear to be the same type available on Sierras, Avalons, and Camrys. Looks like at least a couple of dealers out there are taking it upon themselves to offer attractive upgrades. I'll check out the So.Cal papers for similar offers. Based on the descriptions of said systems at the car makes' respective sites, the JBL sounds formidable, although I personally would still opt for aftermarket; it's more fun when you have to do the research. ;^)

tundradude

I have a single DIN Kenwood in CD/Tuner in my 89 with 4 Boston Speakers (4 inch in the front, and 5 or 5 1/4 in the back).

The 95 has two DIN units. One Kenwood cassette/tuner and one single CD and using the factory speakers.

Having a DVD would be nice for those long trips.

The installation in the 95 was a day job. I had to get a repair manual to get the dash taken apart. This was done in 99.

The 89 was done at a stereo place. It was done in 97.

jrct9454

The July issue of Consumer Rpts arrived today, and they gave an excellent review to the new Corolla. The positives and one negative will come as no surprise to regulars in this forum, nor to any owners. They liked just about everything except the driving position, a topic we have repeatedly beaten to death here.

Either you fit comfortably in this car, or you don't. For those who do, this is a really good choice in this part of the marketplace. CU continues to also recommend the Civic, and prefers it by a small margin - I prefer the extra refinement and small performance edge that the Corolla has, as well as the slightly larger trunk. It's actually a classic case of the differences between Toyota and Honda in each area of the market - in almost every case, the Toyotas are a bit more refined and softer in character, and the Hondas a little more hard-edged. I've gone back and forth over the years, depending on what I was looking for most at the moment.

Anyway, CU clearly thinks the car is a big improvement over its predecessor, as do I.

mpyne

whats your opinion??
anyone test them both and what are your opinions?

alpha01

While CR is not the final word on cars, I use them for an objective opinion on how cars perform and endure for the majority of the driving public. Car and Driver is for me, CR, for a broader view that fits..people like my parents. That said, too many people bash the magazine, and claim they are biased toward foreign cars. I thought the previous generation Corolla was good evidence to the contray... I'm glad the new one is again highly rated by this widely read magazine.
~alpha

civicw

That seems to be the difference between the Civic and Corolla. I haven't driven the Corolla, but also received my copy of CR today. The Civic has a well weighted steering, and is fun to drive, but comes with plenty of road noise. The Corolla , according to CU, has a light steering feel (numb?) but is very quiet. I'm waiting for the day that Honda does something about that road noise.

mralan

Has anyone priced a dealer added cruise control for the 03 automatic Corolla CE?

mpyne

I thought all corolla's were made in canada and NUMMI but 2 dealers websites located inmichigan have VIN numbers that look like they were built in Japan??

vic19

I drove the Civic last week when we were shopping. The Civic and the Corolla seem to drive about the same. The Corolla feels like a bigger, heavier car. I didn't drive the Civic very far but the Civic seems to handle a bit better. Neither the Corolla's heft or the Civic's better manners seems dramatic enough to be a deciding factor.

What struck me and my 16 year old daughter was the difference in the interior. The dash on the S really is the first econo box without that clunky disjointed look. The Corolla's dash doesn't have a bunch of cubby holes in random places. All the compartments have a lid. The dash has unbroken lines that seem to have been designed as a unit.

I haven't received my CU yet but I'm surprised that they say the Corolla's seat is uncomfortable. My daughter's car has a knob that adjusts the bottom of the seat to provide a nice seating position for practically anyone.

According to my daughter, two factors were crucial in her choice of an S. One, every kid in school has a Honda Civic and while she loves it's looks, the interior is the most important because that is what she looks at.

jrct9454

They didn't say the seat was uncomfortable - they said that "some of our drivers complained about the driving position", which has been a talking point on this board since the car came out.

The biggest area of contention is that the dead pedal, the flat area to the left where your foot rests, is too close to the seat. And some body types consider the pedals too close or the steering wheel too far away.

I'm 6' with a 32" inseam, and fit fine, but anyone with longer legs, regardless of height, is going to have a problem. We love the car in every respect, but this is a limitation that CU correctly called attention to.

lfan

I agree the '03 Corolla has very nicely integrated cubby holes with lids. However on a daily basis, I find myself using open cubbies more often than closed ones. For example, I drop my cell phone in one of the cup holders instead of the center dash cubbies.

If I keep my '03 center dash cubby lids open all the time, I am afraid that they will get broken off accidentally somehow.

I analyzed the dead pedal today to see if a more recessed one can be mounted; if it were available aftermarket. A inch or so lower would make a big difference. The bottom portion of the dead pedal is thick but the upper portion is pretty close to minimum material left. So it looks like we are stuck with this somewhat raised dead pedal.

bpi

What else did they review along with the Corolla and Civic?

alpha01

They did not review the Civic this time around.. their last review of the Civic was in the Feb or March issue of 2001, I think. They compared the new Corolla and its performance in their tests to that test. Tested with the Corolla for this issue were the Impreza 2.5RS, Protege LX 2.0, and Lancer LS.
~alpha

bpi

How did they rate the other three then?

vic19

J.D. Power and Associates 2002 Initial Quality Study

Car models ranking highest in their segment are:

Compact Car - Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius (tie)
Entry Midsize Car - Chevrolet Malibu
Premium Midsize Car - Buick Century
Full-Size Car - Buick LeSabre
Entry Luxury Car - Ford Thunderbird
Mid Luxury Car - Lexus GS 300/GS 430
Premium Luxury Car - Lexus LS 430
Sporty Car - Mazda Miata
Premium Sports Car - Chevrolet Corvette

Light-truck models ranking highest in their segment are:

Compact Pickup - Toyota Tacoma
Full-Size Pickup - Toyota Tundra
Entry SUV - Toyota RAV4
Midsize SUV - Toyota Highlander
Full-Size SUV - Ford Expedition
Luxury SUV - Lexus LX 470
Compact Van - Toyota Sienna

Since J.D. is financed by the auto industry, they don't publish the worst cars. Wouldn't that be interesting.

To add to Corolla's honors, Consumer Reports in it's most recent issue rates the Corolla's frequency of repair record as much better than average (it's highest award). The Corolla's nemesis, the Civic, was only average.

914

I just drove my new indigo Corolla S home. It had only two miles on it when purchased. GREAT car !!!

agreenberg

After 2 weeks with my 03 Corolla LE, something is rattling in the dashboard. I am going to bring it to the dealer tomorrow.

backy

Bear in mind that CR's latest frequency of repair ratings on the Corolla (also J.D. Power's latest report) are based on the prior generation, not the '03 model. Given Toyota's track record, the '03 should score well also, but we have seen (e.g. with the '01 Civic) that it is possible for a Japanese car with an excellent reliability record to slip early in its life cycle.

vicarouza

I will post pictures of my install here if someone can tell me how to do it!!....I can take the pix on my digital camera in jpg format AND THEN HOW DO I GET THEM ON HERE??

BTW my entire unit was installed by a really good installer I've known here (at Circuit City). The Navigation DVD unit was neatly and discreetly mounted under the rear parcel shelf between the 2 rear speakers. The "brains" of the P-907 in-dash monitor is mounted under the driver's seat and the Navigation speaker and satellite antenna is attached to the left hand corner of the dashboard just below the edge of the windshield

corollarocks

Agreenberg: My Corolla has developed a dashboard
rattle as well. :-( It started at 200 miles
on the odometer. It's seems to be coming
from up near the windshield. Mostly on
the drivers side but there is a slight creak
on the passenger side also. I think I'm just
going to take it in when I get my oil changed
in a couple of weeks. Please let us know if they
were able to fix your rattle. I'm a little concerned about them having to mess with the dash.
It almost sounds like it could be that plastic
weatherguard at the top of the hood, but it
seems to be in tight when i press on it. It's
a shame cause everything else about the car
is great, but rattles are really annoying.

vicarousa: Your best bet is to try one of
the sites that the moderator suggests
over in the Edmunds town hall, corolla
owners club..they suggest the following:

"You cannot upload photos directly from your computer into a message within a discussion. Your photo must reside elsewhere. Some have used free photo hosting sites (www.imagestation, www.fototime.com, www.clubphoto.com) to load their photos into a private folder and then post them within a message."

If your Internet provider gives you web space,
you could also put up a page there. If you
are still unsure how to proceed, let me know. :-)

bxkid

I have same problem with my 2003. It has developed the RATTLES and they are annoying!!!!!!!!!!! Have two. One on driver side and one on passenger side and there is only 1300 miles on it. The one on driver may be coming from area where gauges are? ANY IDEAS? Thanks.

corollarocks

I tried applying pressure on all the different dashboard panels while i was driving, and
it didn't have any effect.

I have seen a number of references to this
problem on different websites (Carpoint,
Edmunds, etc) but I never saw any follow-up
posts about how Toyota dealers responded,
whether the problem was corrected.

If any of the readers of this board
have had dashboard rattle defects
corrected, please post and let us know.
Thanks !

richardworth

I have a solution that might help with your dashboard rattles.

My wife and I drove home with a 2003 Corolla last week. As soon as I drove it off the lot, I started getting the same sort or rattles that 'corollarocks' and 'bxkid' describe (no rattles on the test drive, but started as soon as I left the dealership). I let it go for a day, thinking it would go away, but it got worse.

So I made an appointment to get it into the Service Center at the dealership where we got it. Halfway through the day working on it, the mechanic called and said they would have to keep it a few more days (had this car a week, 350 miles on it), so they were going to give me a loaner. Apparently they couldn't find the problem.

A few hours later I got a message from him and he said it was fixed. I asked him what the problem was and he said that they replaced the crash panel insulation. Had it back a week now and not one little creek or tick.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

vic19

J.D. Power Quality Survey
(complaints per hundred vehicles)
2002 2001
Toyota 107 115
Honda 113 133
GM 130 146
DaimlerChrysler 141 154
Ford 143 162
Volkswagen 152 159
Nissan 152 145
Kia 212 267

Since JD Powers in paid by the auto industry, they don't publish the bottom dwellers. But you get an idea of the bottom by Kia that was cited for the most improved.

This is initial quality. Consumer Reports frequency of repair record is long term reliability. There Toyota really shines compared with the competition.

corollarocks

richardworth: Thanks for the info !
I was VERY satisfied with my car till
the rattle struck. :-) I'm gonna give
the dealer a call on Monday then.
I wonder if Toyota has a database that
the dealers can access with problems/solutions
to these kinds of initial defects.

jrct9454

...that the dealers can share. Every major manufacturer does this. Ask them if there is a published tech bulletin on this particular problem.

Ours was built at NUMMI in early March, and has had no such noises develop; we are at 2300 miles and 10 weeks. I did notice that the foam that sits between the dashboard assembly and the firewall looks a bit irregular as you follow it around the base of the windshield, so it is possible they are having problems on the assembly line getting it installed right. We have no extraneous noises associated with this, but it would not surprise me to learn it could be a source of some of the noises being described on this board.

doozenberg

So I'm sure this has been a topic of discussion before, but I'm a little too lazy to go searching through 1828 posts for it.

If I'm planning on driving a new car for the next 10 years or to 200,000 miles, which is better: the Civic or the Corolla? I've heard that the Civic will give you fewer engine problems in the long-run. But then, the Corolla does seem to be a bit better in terms of build quality. Any thoughts on this?

Dan

britton2

I had a Corolla for 6 years, then I drove a Honda Civic for almost 15 years, now I'm driving a Corolla again - if you take good care of them they will both go to 200,000 miles - at least that's what alot of people have told me - personally I think Toyota makes a better automatic transmission - smoothly shifts - both are very good on gas -I have gotten as good as 34 MPG in the city with my '01 Corolla (4 speed auto) - I did not have any major mechanical problems with my Civic ('86) but the seat did split open after about 5 years - I am very happy with my Corolla in all aspects - my experience was that Toyota gave me a better deal - tough decision - both very good cars for the money IMO

alpha01

So, if you read my profile, you will see that my first car was a 94 Civic which I bought used with all maintenance records, the car was spotless. Just shy of 100K miles, the Head Gasket blew, and the car never ran right again after the repair. Stranded me a couple of times on major highways in NJ, so I sold the car at a BIG loss with just 105K on the odo.
That said, my dad had a 94 (or 93..same difference) Corolla that required MAJOR transmission work (it was the POS 3sp/1.6L powertrain) at 61K, just after warranty expriration. But because it was so close to milage and before 5 years, and the car was maintained well, and we are loyal customers, Toyota footed something like the 35% of the bill. Good customer relations, I thought. Kept my parents loyal...anyways...
So long term longevity for either... based on our experience... is really a 50/50 type of deal.
I think the Corolla is a better car right now, and it has a better basic warranty, so thats the one I'd go for, but thats my opinion.
~alpha

jrct9454

I prefer the Corolla, but the question of very long term reliability and running costs is basically a coin flip. You could argue that the timing chain in the Corolla is better than the belt in the Civic, but that is largely a theoretical rather than a real advantage. Heads, tails...

pulgo

jrct9454: I think a timing chain is a an advantage over a timing belt. Over 200 k miles the savings will be probably around $ 1000 or more (vs. timing belt changes at 60 K, 120k and 180k). When I bought my Toyota Echo and not the Honda Civic, one of the reasons was the timing chain ( I drive a lot and will keep my car for 300 k miles). If the new 2003 Corolla had been available then I would have chosen it over the Civic, no questions.

pat

The Town Hall is about to take on a new look in an effort to make content more easily searchable and accessible.

Have you seen the Letter from the Town Hall Manager on the Town Hall Welcome page? If not, you might want to follow that link to have a look.

And hang on to your seats. Change is never easy - for any of us - but resolving the Search problems we've had will be worth the pain.

Pat
Sedans Host

jrct9454

...I prefer the chain, too, for the same reasons, but as a veteran Mercedes owner, I can tell you that they do NOT last forever. They will stretch and the chain tensioner will wear, and eventually, you have to do something about one or both components. Before 200k miles? Well, yes, quite often on German cars, anyway, but perhaps not on Toyotas.

Not being argumentative - I've already voted with my checkbook. And there are a lot of other things to go wrong over a 200k mile lifespan that I still maintain would make the choice a real crapshoot. Too many variables to answer the question on the table - suffice to say these are both cars that will minimize the cost of ownership over the long haul.

civicw

Until the 2003 Corolla came out, Civic sales have always led Corolla sales by a big margin. But it looks like the Corolla (sedan and Matrix) sales may have a chance of outselling the Civic sedan, coupe, Si, and hybrid over the next 12 months. For May, Corolla sales were up 7% to 27K, Civic (all models) sales were down 5% to 31K. This in spite of the intro of the Si and Civic hybrid in April.

I've always been a Civic fan, but think Honda made the new Civic too evolutionary, while Toyota did a decent job with the 2003 Corolla. Will be interesting to see what Honda does, besides incentives to keep their compact car sales crown. Maybe the Civic 5-door will finally land up here.

pulgo

Jrct9454:

Yes, I agree, it is impossible to know if the decision is the right one. So many things can go wrong before 200 k. According to Edmunds the Honda Civic is one of the least expensive cars to own in the long run and there must be a reason so many people buy them. It's just not the right car for me!

alpha01

For what its worth, Motor Trend magazine tested a Corolla CE with manual tranny and ABS, and favored it over the other cars tested alongside (the Civic LX, Focus SE, and Lancer ES). I am not typically fond of MT, but I do like the new layout and it seems like they are finally picking and ranking when they do comparison tests. While I still think Car and Driver is a much higher quality publication, MT does usually get the best performance numbers. For this Corolla, they managed a 7.9 second sprint to 60.... thats on par with the automatic V6 Camry!!!!
~alpha

vic19

that's impossible. We have one, it's lucky to do that in 10 seconds. It's a nice car, but that's impossible.

mickeywdw

Hi,

Does anyone know when the Corolla will be crash tested? We are chosing between a civic or corolla and the civic has excellent scores while the corolla scores are from the 02 model. Thanks...

jrct9454

...the NHTSA tends to batch these cars, and because the Corolla is a 2003, don't be surprised if it is six months yet before a test is complete.

HOWEVER - it is difficult to believe this car won't significantly surpass the previous-gen Corolla. The chassis is significantly stiffer, and was made using computer-generated design parameters that are designed to insure that all of Toyota's new cars get the highest rating. I can say that I personally had no worries at all in this regard when choosing the new Corolla over the Civic.

bxkid

It is a single discrete noise and it is coming from tranny. It is like a loud click. Cant feel it. It can happen in any gear when car is standing still but usually from P TO R . Further use of car indicates that it may not be getting worse but is about same. Still happens in about 1 in 7-10 shifts. Auto tranny expert at dealership heard it and said that he wants to do further investigating, because he could not duplicate on another 2003! I am just trying to find anyone else with this trouble before I go back to dealer! Posted a similar notice on Trouble Board. Thx for any advice.

coolguyky7

Would be that it would be much improved. Look at Camry and how well it scored. The Camry grew in height and so did the Corolla. Corolla usually follows Camry in design so I would expect similar results proportionate to the Camry's. Like JRCT said, if Toyota went to all that trouble, you know that car is going to be safe. The 2003 Corolla was meant to really hit Civic hard and one way would have to be in the safety aspect.

alpha01

Hmmn. Is yours a manual transmission? If so, how many years experience do you have doing 0-60 sprints? Do you use wheelspin and clutch slip techniques to exploit full launch potential? Do you use laser measured distance timing?

Sure those arent exactly real-world ways of getting a 0-60 time (for that look to Car and Driver's "Street Start" 5-60 acceleration test). But if you have a stick Corolla and can't break 10 seconds, I'd say that 1) you arent very good at shifting and 2) you have a particularly slow sample. Jeez, even Consumer Reports (notorious for conservative acceleration tests that dont "brutalize the machinery") managd 9.8 seconds in their AUTOMATIC Corolla.
~alpha

ata3001

I just purchased a set of Toyota TRD wheels & Nitto tires (205-45/VR16) for my impulse red '01 Corolla S five speed. Has anyone else done this, and if so, how did they work out. Thanks :-)

wvelez

I'm told by Northeastern dealers that this option is not available in these parts; what gives?

jrct9454

See previous discussion regarding availability of ABS...Toyota originally planned to equip most cars that have the one option with the other, and ABS is currently off the production schedule due to parts shortages. When this will change is anyone's guess...

vic19

We just bought a Corolla S with every concievalbe option except ABS. I would have waited for another car but my 16 year old would have none of it. I hope I made the right decision.

914

vic19 - My indigo ink Corolla S arrived last week. I am very happy with the car - and the brakes - even though they are non-ABS. I think you will be too.

bjk2001

Toyota tries to get 03 Corolla into market ASAP (a lot of company do that) that's why some of the "important" options are not available. A car without ABS should brake as the same as a car with ABS. The only difference is during emergence situations. ABS cars you can slam on the brake as hard as possible without locking up the brake. Non-ABS cars, you have to pump the brake paddle to prevent locking up the brake. For old(mature) driver, who learned how to drive before ABS time, used to pump brake when it's an emergency situation, ABS car may not work as good. IMHO for teen drivers ABS is a must.

All my cars come with ABS now, I told my 16 years old daughter to watch where she is going when she drives. I hope she will not have to brake hard, but if she needs to brake hard just hold the steering wheel tight and slam the brake as hard as she can and hope she will not hit anything. (Cross my fingers)

vic19

My daughter has had me in the palm of her hand since she was born. But thinking about it now, I really think I made a mistake. ABS is a tremendous advance. It's irresponsible of Toyota not to make it standard equipment, and more irresponsible of me not to insist on it. The idiotic thing is that our new Camry is equipped with it, although it is optional.

yicetea

I got my 2003 Corolla about 3 weeks ago. But now there is noise from dashboard (or under dashboard). Also got noise from transmission when I shift from P to R.

I am going to take it to dealer next week. Thanks for any suggestion!