AI DamageToyota Celica: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Toyota Celica across 30 model years: 420 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9999 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 29 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 47 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 106 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | 29 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 19% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 18% of all complaints
- 3 Seat belts 11% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 7% of all complaints
- 8 Tires 6% of all complaints
- Air bags: 79 complaints (19% of all), 61 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 75 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 45 complaints (11% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 41 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 39 complaints (9% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.6 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1990–1993
- 1.8 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1994–2005named in 2 complaints
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1986–1989
- 2 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl 1988–1993
- 2.2 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1990–1999
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1984–1985
- 2.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl 1984–1986
- automatic, 4-speed 1984–2005
- manual, 5-speed 1984–2005named in 7 complaints
- manual, 6-speed 2000–2005named in 7 complaints
Drive: FWD, RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 420 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 79 | 61 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 75 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 45 | 3 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 41 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 39 | 7 | 0 |
| Structure | 30 | 4 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 28 | 9 | 0 |
| Tires | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Suspension | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Steering | 10 | 3 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
When the car rolled over several times, the airbags never deployed. This vehicle is available for inspection, The driver safety was put at risk with a neck injury due to the airbags, not deploying Yes, and auto repair business is aware that the airbags did not deploy.
There was only damage to my hood, headlights, and my bumper. I bought the car back from them, but all in all nothing was wrong with my car internally. I really can't afford oil every week but I do love this car. If there is anything you guys can do/help with I'd appreciate it.
Both are bruised from the seat belts & both driver and passenger have whiplash. I am thankful they were wearing seat belts but very concerned the airbags didn't perform as expected. Both the clean-up crew & officer at the seen were shocked that the airbags did not deploy....updated 07/23/14
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota celica. The contact was driving 65 mph when the accelerator pedal became stuck to the floorboard. The contact was not able to release the accelerator pedal and proceeded to crash into a guard rail.
The passenger side rear tire blew out, causing the car to spin out while driving n on I-55 between jackson, ms and memphis, tn resulting in a crash. Initial investigation did not show any nails, to cause the flat. The complete inside side wall of the tire came apart.
1992 toyota celica had a front tire blow out. The vehicle went off the roadway into a ditch. Ohio traffic crash report # 10-0551-89 updated 04/14/10
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.