2003 Toyota Corolla

small car / 4-door sedan

2003 Toyota Corolla 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Standard daytime running lights

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2003-08 models built after December 2002

Tested vehicle: 2003 Toyota Corolla LE 4-door

The Toyota Corolla was redesigned for the 2003 model year.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of the Corolla in two 40 mph frontal offset crash tests into deformable barriers. In the first test, forces on the right tibia were high enough to indicate the possibility of lower leg injury. This led Toyota to modify a portion of the padding underneath the carpeting on models produced after December, 2002. (Note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door.) The Institute tested a second Corolla that had been retrofitted with the improved padding, and forces on the lower right leg were reduced so that significant injury was unlikely.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the second of two frontal offset crash tests.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the second crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit the roof rail during rebound in the second test. Head acceleration from this hit was low.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low in the second test.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0223
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 7
Left (cm) 10
Center (cm) 10
Right (cm) 6
Brake pedal (cm) 4
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) -1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 4
Rearward (cm) -3
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0223
Head
HIC-15 182
Peak gs at hard contact 26
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm) 19
Maximum Nij 0.22
Chest maximum compression (mm) 26
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 2.2
Femur force - right (kN) 0.6
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.50
Maximum tibia index - right 0.71
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.3
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 67
Right 58

Rating applies to 2003 models built before January 2003

Tested vehicle: 2003 Toyota Corolla LE 4-door

The Toyota Corolla was redesigned for the 2003 model year.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of the Corolla in two 40 mph frontal offset crash tests into deformable barriers. In the first test, forces on the right tibia were high enough to indicate the possibility of lower leg injury. This led Toyota to modify a portion of the padding underneath the carpeting on models produced after December, 2002. (Note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door.) The Institute tested a second Corolla that had been retrofitted with the improved padding, and forces on the lower right leg were reduced so that significant injury was unlikely.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the first of two frontal offset crash tests.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the first crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Dummy movement was well controlled in the first test. During rebound, the dummy's head hit only the head restraint.

Forces on the lower right leg were high enough to indicate the possibility of injury in the first test.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0218
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 8
Left (cm) 13
Center (cm) 12
Right (cm) 8
Brake pedal (cm) 5
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 3
Rearward (cm) -2
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0218
Head
HIC-15 148
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.4
Extension bending moment (Nm) 31
Maximum Nij 0.29
Chest maximum compression (mm) 26
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.2
Femur force - right (kN) 1.7
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 2
Maximum tibia index - left 0.39
Maximum tibia index - right 1.04
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.0
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 4.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 71
Right 91

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2003-08 models

Tested vehicle: 2005 Toyota Corolla LE 4-door without optional side airbags

The Toyota Corolla was redesigned for the 2003 model year. Side curtain airbags designed to protect front and rear occupants’ heads became optional beginning with 2005 models, in addition to the optional side airbags designed to protect drivers’ and front passengers’ torsos available since 2003.

Two tests of a Corolla were conducted, one with optional side airbags for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the intruding barrier, producing high head injury measures.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the pillar behind the rear passenger door. This pillar is required by federal standard to provide some protection for occupants' heads.

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head being hit by the intruding barrier.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the pillar behind the rear passenger door.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0420 CES0421
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -3.5 -3.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0421
Head HIC-15 2,345
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.7
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 68
Lateral force (kN) 3.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 45
Average deflection (mm) 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.43
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.16
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.6
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.5
Combined force (kN) 5.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.2
L-M moment (Nm) 108
A-P moment (Nm) 44

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0421
Head HIC-15 401
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Compression (kN) 2.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 56
Lateral force (kN) 3.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 40
Average deflection (mm) 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.82
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.84
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.5
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.4
Combined force (kN) 2.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.3
L-M moment (Nm) 127
A-P moment (Nm) -70

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Seats with adjustable height

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Seats with adjustable height
Geometry
Backset (mm) 40
Distance below top of head (mm) 62
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 8.5
Head contact time (ms) 91
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 22
Max neck tension (N) 686

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.