Two problems related to clutch pedal/linkage have been reported for the 2009 Toyota Corolla. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2009 Toyota Corolla based on all problems reported for the 2009 Corolla.
I have a 2009 Toyota Corolla xrs and living in northern canada. During extreme temperatures in the -30 and above while driving at 50 km/hr or higher clutch pedal will stiffen to the point that at sometimes it will hesitate to return to position and will pop back and clutch not engaging right away causing slippage at that point. I have also noticed that the brake pedal stiffens during this time, I know that the clutch and brake are on the same hydraulic system. Clutch pedal will begin to loosen when driving in traffic or stopped for extended periods idling, as I believe this is because there's not much cold air blowing through the front of vehicle at slow speeds as it's warming the slave cylinder. As it was doing this at one point I pulled over and checked the temperature of the slave cylinder and it was extremely cold to touch. I am concerned that this could lead to premature clutch failure or even worse an accident. I have reported this to my local dealer and there are going to investigate it further.
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that the clutch and brake pedals are so close together that his feet become tangled, and he loses control of the vehicle. The failure has occurred on August 15, 30, and September 15, 2008 while driving 40 mph. He stated that the manufacturer needs to move the clutch pedal approximately 1 to 2 inches to the left away from the brake pedal in order to avoid depressing both pedals simultaneously. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The manufacturer will inspect the vehicle on September 25, 2008. The contact stated that manual transmission vehicles should have a shift pattern around the stick shift for correct shifting. He feels it is easy to miss fifth gear and shift into third gear by mistake. The failure mileage was 3,000 and current mileage was 7,000.