The Corolla achieved a good three-star rating and came close to gaining four stars. The car's structure performed well in the frontal crash and the driver's door operated normally after the impact. In the side-impact test, the car's weakest aspect was protection for the driver's chest. That said, it was good enough to meet legislation to be introduced for new models in October. Pedestrian protection earned two stars. The bumper area needed work to improve protection, however.
Front impact
The driver's door was almost undamaged: it supported the door aperture and helped the passenger compartment remain structurally stable. The facia support tube lower mounting was starting to pull away from the door pillar. The driver's head contact with the airbag was central and remained stable. The impact areas around his knees presented hazards, however, especially if his position at the wheel differed from that of the test dummy. And the steering column mount and lock presented particular risks. The column was partly shielded to protect his knees but some other areas remained unprotected.
Side impact
The driver's head hit the central door pillar, breaking the cover over the belt loop. Padding within the pillar cover was depressed, resulting in low head acceleration. His lower rib was the most heavily loaded after being struck by the rear of the door and the central pillar.
Child occupant
The rear outboard seat belts were designed to lock when child restraints are used and this was explained on the belt. Forward-facing child restraints recommended by Toyota for the test were compatible with the car's belts. Toyota does not publicly recommend any one child restraint system, however. In the frontal test, forward movement of the children's heads was good. In the side-impact test, the three-year-old's head was not contained within the child restraint shell but the 18-month- old's head was.
Pedestrian
Half of the head-impact sites met proposed legislative requirements. Protection for upper leg contact on the bonnet's leading edge was better than average. However, the bumper area was aggressive and needs design improvements.