AI Damage1991 Toyota Celica: common problems
Owners of the 1991 Toyota Celica filed 27 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 27
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 37% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 26% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 15% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 5 Suspension 7% of all complaints
- 6 Electronic stability control 4% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 4% of all complaints
- 8 Equipment 4% of all complaints
- Air bags: 10 complaints (37% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 7 complaints (26% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 4 complaints (15% of all).
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (7% of all).
- Suspension: 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 27 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 | 10 | 7 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 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.
40 m.p.h., rear ended stopped vehicle causing front end impact to celica, drivers side air bag failed to deploy, driver's head struck windshield causing injury.
30-35 mph vehicle rear ended another vehicle, and driver's air bag failed to deploy. Dealer notified. Consumer would like nhtsa to provide additional information on why air bag failed to deploy.
Consumer was invovled in a reaerend collision while travleing about 15 mph and the driver's side air bag did not deployed, consumer noticed that there is extensive damage to the front end of the vehicle.
Vehicle started making sounds similar to that of one dragging a metallic object and the brake pedal became loose.
Both vehicles had the front passenger side stabilizer bar bracket mount failed due to corrosion.
Driver's side seatbelt will not fasten. This is a safety concern. Consumer paid for replacement.
Seat belt was pulled all way out and would not retract after consumer was putting on belt. Contacted dealer, and they will replace seat belt for $196.00.
Rear right tire tread separated. Consumer had to drive off the road, and it happened without a warning.
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 7,189 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 20% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Celica has 14 complaints (30 years in the data). This year has 27, 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.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
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 199029 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 1991 Toyota Celica?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, seat belts, service brakes. Total complaints: 27. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (22%), airbags did not deploy (19%), smoke, burning smell, fire (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 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 1991 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 1991 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 2026-11-05.