Roof Rack Weight Capacities and Weight Capacity for Roof on 2019 Toyota Corolla

Question:

Can you answer the above question? I cannot find it in the owners manuel

asked by: Leslie

Expert Reply:

A vehicle's roof weight capacity may not always appear in the owner's manual, although you certainly would expect to easily find this information there. Sometimes you will need to inquire at the local dealership to find this out. I checked the available online data on the Toyota website and could not find this information. Usually dealers can look up the car's VIN and confirm roof capacity.

The roof racks made for any given car, such as the 2019 Corolla sedan, can have a different weight capacity than the car's roof. Usually the aftermarket roof racks will have a capacity equal to or greater than the car itself. Different models of roof racks can have varying capacities too and different versions of a vehicle, say the hatchback versus the sedan, can have different capacities.

For instance, the Thule square bar roof rack for the 2019 Corolla sedan, parts # TH712100, # TH710501 and # TH145148, is itself rated for 165-lbs but I expect that the car itself can handle less weight. Most passenger cars have a roof rating of about 100 to 125-lbs, some more and some less. I recommend checking with the dealership to confirm the car's own capacity.

I will be glad to recommend a rack if you'd care to tell me your Corolla version and what you're looking to do with the rack in terms of roof bike or cargo carriers. The linked video and article may be of interest as you consider the available items.

expert reply by: Adam R