AI Damage1990 Toyota Celica: common problems
Owners of the 1990 Toyota Celica filed 29 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 29
- involving a crash
- 9
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 38% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 17% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 5 Equipment 7% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 3% of all complaints
- Air bags: 11 complaints (38% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 5 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 3 complaints (10% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (7% of all).
- Equipment: 2 complaints (7% of all).
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
- 2 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 2.2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 29 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 | 11 | 8 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
My 1990 toyota celica has 'surged forward' frequently, always when using the brake. It caused me to rear end another vehicle in the early 90's, no people were hurt, but there was vehicle damage. The brake can be completly depresed, when the car will lurch forward and the brake tension will reduce.
While driving 45 mph the vehicle was involved in an accident yet neither air bag deployed and the seat belts did not properly restrain the passengers.
Driving at speed of 25mph, vehicle impact 12:00 position, driver's side airbag did not deploy.
Vehicle was sitting at stop sign and another car crashed into it, hitting both sides and the airbag did not deploy. 2nd time involved in a crash and also no deployment of air bag.
While driving at any speed, the contact stated that the vehicle would stall. He was able to restart the vehicle and then it would perform as normal. The contact did not inform the dealer or manufacturer due to the age of the vehicle.
Patches of the tire falling off as if it is a retread, very dangerous if I don't replace soon. Noticed it at 30k on tires.
While driving 45 mph consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the front of the vehicle. Suddenly the vehicle stalled. Consumer was not able to restart vehicle, and it was towed to a garage for inspection. Mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced.
The consumer pressed on the brake pedal and the vehicle failed to decelerate. The vehicle started to accelerate to 90 mph until owner pressed on brake pedal numerous times to stop vehicle. The consumer stepped on the brakes several times but had no booster.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 6,959 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 19% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Celica has 14 complaints (30 years in the data). This year has 29, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
- Celica 19824 sources
- Celica 19833 sources
- Celica 19843 sources
- Celica 19857 sources
- Celica 19869 sources
- Celica 19875 sources
- Celica 19886 sources
- Celica 198911 sources
- Celica 199127 sources
- Celica 199221 sources
- Celica 199313 sources
- Celica 199414 sources
- Celica 199522 sources
- Celica 19969 sources
- Celica 19978 sources
- Celica 19985 sources
- Celica 199910 sources
- Celica 2000106 sources
- Celica 200147 sources
- Celica 200229 sources
- Celica 200317 sources
- Celica 20044 sources
- Celica 20054 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1990 Toyota Celica?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, seat belts, electrical system. Total complaints: 29. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (17%), seat belts (17%), knocking, grinding or other noise (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1990 Toyota Celica?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1990 Toyota Celica from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1990 models
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 2026-11-06.