AI Damage1992 Toyota Tercel: common problems
Owners of the 1992 Toyota Tercel filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 24
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 46% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 4% of all complaints
- 6 Exterior lighting 4% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel system 4% of all complaints
- 8 Latches, locks, linkages 4% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 11 complaints (46% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (13% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (4% of all).
- Engine: 1 complaints (4% of all), 1 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.
- 1.5 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- manual, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 24 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 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.
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.
Seat belt didn't tighten to secure the consumer which caused alot of knocking around. Manfacturer was sending adjuster out to inspect vehicle & wouldn't schedule appointment so that consumer could be present. The seat belt didn't tighten at the time of impact.
Consumer was in an accident and the the seat belt did not restrain her in seat, resulting in an injury.
I was driving a 92 toyota tercel. I was going up a steep hill on I-5 in oregon. All of a sudden the gas pedal lost pressure and fell to the floor with the engine at full acceleration. Luckily I was going up a hill. I reached down and wiggled the gas pedal and it was totally loose and just dropped to the floor.
The contact purchased the vehicle new in the spring of 1992, and 6 months later while driving 55 mph on a very nice day the engine seized and engine block cracked. The contact replaced the engine with a brand new engine at that time. The contact stated that the second engine seized 10 months later.
The driver's side seat belt started to entangle from the top to the bottom. Driver contacted the dealer by phone. Mechanic determined that the seat belt needed to be replaced.
Vehicle expelled high hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide at cruise. However at idle it was extremely low. After many repairs, it was found the fuel vapor recovery system had malfunctioned that would probably include the vacuum line from the charcoal canister and may also be affecting the catalytic converter.
2 new tires, less than 5,00 miles driven, sidewalls cracking and separating. (dot number: pl8jv9lr10 tiresize: p175/65r14)
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 7,585 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 21% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tercel has 17 complaints (19 years in the data). This year has 24, above average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1992 Toyota Tercel?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, engine and cooling, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 24. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (29%), engine failure or replacement (8%), knocking, grinding or other noise (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1992 Toyota Tercel?
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 1992 Toyota Tercel 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 1992 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.