1988 Toyota Corolla E90

Overview

Engines

1.6L four-cylinder, carbureted, 1.6L four-cylinder, 1.6L twin-cam four-cylinder, GT-S

Came as

• Sedan
• Wagon
• Sport coupe
• All-Trac wagon

On record

1 warning, no recalls

What changed for 1988

• New generation: sedan, wagon, Sport coupe and All-Trac wagon, all with 16-valve twin-cam engines. Toyota, a published reference

Also on sale in 1988: 1988 5th gen

Compare 1988 with 1987

Colors

• Gray on Silver Metallic An owners' registry (unofficial)23E, 1988
• Light Blue Metallic An owners' registry (unofficial)8D8, 1988
• Blue Metallic An owners' registry (unofficial)8D7, 1988
• Medium Blue Metallic An owners' registry (unofficial)8D4, 1988
• Black on Gray Metallic An owners' registry (unofficial)29E, 1988–1989

Sources: An owners' registry (unofficial)

Specs

Engines

• 1.6L four-cylinder, carbureted 4A-F A published reference, an owners' registry (unofficial)

  95 hp · 1988–1989

• 1.6L four-cylinder 4A-FE engine page Edmunds, a published reference

  Fuel-injected, 102 hp

• 1.6L twin-cam four-cylinder, GT-S 4A-GE engine page Toyota, a published reference

  115 hp for 1988–1989, 135 hp for 1990–1991 · 1988–1991

Transmissions

• 5-speed manual Edmunds
• Automatic Edmunds

Drivetrains

• Front-wheel drive Toyota, a published reference
• All-Trac four-wheel drive Toyota, Curbside Classic, a published reference

Body styles

• Sedan A published reference
• Wagon A published reference
• Sport coupe (1988–1991) Edmunds, a published reference
• All-Trac wagon Curbside Classic, a published reference

Trims

• Standard Edmunds, a published reference
• DX Edmunds, a published reference
• LE Edmunds, a published reference
• SR5 A published reference
• GT-S A published reference

Figures for the whole 6th gen

• Model codes: AE92 front-drive sedan, coupe and wagon; AE95 All-Trac A published reference
• North American output: NUMMI and Cambridge built 279,000 of the 4.5 million AE92s made A published reference
• GT-S engine for 1990: A revised head and intake with higher compression and no T-VIS, 135 hp A published reference
• Frontal crash test, 1990: NHTSA gave three stars for the driver and two for the passenger Edmunds

Watch out

Faults owners and the press report, and how to spot each one.

• Rust underneath, All-Trac All years

  One source so far

  Check: Put the car on a lift and look at the floor, rear suspension mounts and rockers for rust.

  Two of the seven All-Trac owners commenting on Curbside Classic's article, an unofficial source, report rust underneath. Owners' reports (unofficial)

Recalls

No recall is written up here.

No recalls are listed. Checked against NHTSA records on November 2, 2026.

Owning

What owners and buyers say

• Sought after

  The Sport coupe and All-Trac All years

  One source so far

  SlashGear ranks the 6th gen fifth of twelve, picking out the GT-S coupe's pop-up lights and twin-cam engine and the All-Trac wagon's full-time all-wheel drive. SlashGear

• Sought after

  All-Trac durability All years

  One source so far

  Of seven All-Trac owners commenting on Curbside Classic's article, an unofficial source, five praise their wagons' durability, two of them past 345,000 miles. Owners' reports (unofficial)

Maintenance

No service schedule is added yet.