AI DamageToyota Tercel: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Toyota Tercel across 19 model years: 320 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 24% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 16% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 6% of all complaints
- 8 Tires 5% of all complaints
- Air bags: 76 complaints (24% of all), 54 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 52 complaints (16% of all), 14 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 45 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 26 complaints (8% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 24 complaints (8% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.5 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1984–1999
- automatic, 3-speed 1984–1999
- automatic, 4-speed 1995–1999
- manual, 4-speed 1984–1996named in 1 complaints
- manual, 5-speed 1984–1999named in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 320 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 | 76 | 54 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 52 | 14 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 45 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 26 | 8 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| Suspension | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Seats | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| Steering | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 6 | 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.
During this lane change the car steering wheel began to vibrate and then violently shake. I applied my breaks to slow down and pull over, but I could not stop nor control the direction of car. The car began to pulling to the left and started to spin.
After backing up, she put the car into drive where sudden acceleration occurred. As a result the car struck a retaining wall causing extensive damage. The police and ems were called and provided transportation to the hospital. My mother passed away as a result of her injuries at approximately 12pm on 12/29/2015.
The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not disclose if a police report was filed or not. The contact and the passenger sustained unknown minor injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,550.
I was ticketed for following too close which was not the case. I explained to the officer what happened when my gas pedal unexpectedly caused to car to accelerate but all he said is that I better get it fixed.
Tl contact owns a 1999 toyota tercel. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle was involved in a front end crash. The vehicle was completely destroyed and none of the air bags deployed. The passenger was killed and the driver was injured. A police report was filed. The contact has pictures.
1996 toyota tercel tire blew out. The vehicle ran off the road to the right and spun to the right striking a guardrail with it's left front. The vehicle again struck the guardrail with it's left rear and spun to the right making a 360 degree turn and came to rest in the right lane.
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.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
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.