Problems · NHTSA complaints
1996 Toyota Celica problems
Owners filed 9 complaints about the 1996 Toyota Celica with NHTSA between Jun 1996 and Mar 2010. The most-cited component is vehicle speed control (4).
Complaints
9
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Vehicle speed control4
- Service brakes, hydraulic3
- Electrical system1
- Steering1
- Fuel system, gasoline1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
4
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1997 | 4 |
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 2000 | 1 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Vehicle speed control
4 reports1 crash1 related recall
“THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN MY 1996 TOYOTA CELICA MALFUNCTIONED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON I-75 SOUTH NEAR PIQUA, OHIO. MY LANE OF TRAFFIC (PASSING LANE) WAS SLOWING DOWN DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, SO I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN. TO MY SURPRISE, MY BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT RESPOND (EITHER DUE TO A MALFUNCTION OF EITHER THE CRUISE CONTROL OR ACCELERATOR--OR BOTH), AND I HAD TO MOVE TO THE MEDIAN. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN I TRIED TO BRAKE AGAIN, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND THE MEDIAN ENDED. MY CAR TRAVELED AIRBORNE OFF THE MEDIAN AND PLUMMETED TO THE ROAD BENEATH I-75. MY CAR TOOK OUT A SET OF CABLE WIRES, JUMPED A FENCE, BEFORE LANDING ON THE BUSY ROAD BELOW AND STOPPED WHEN IT HIT A CONCRETE BRIDGE SUPPORT. AN AMBULANCE WAS CALLED AS WELL AS THE OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL. EVERYONE INVOLVED WAS SURPRISED THAT MY PASSENGER AND I WERE NOT INSTANTLY KILLED! WE DID SUFFER SOME MINOR INJURIES AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER STEPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL. I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA AND THEY WERE INITIALLY VERY COOPERATIVE AND UNDERSTANDING. THEY WOULD NOT PROMISE ANYTHING, BUT ASKED WHAT I EXPECTED. I TOLD THEM I THOUGHT THAT TOYOTA SHOULD AT…”
Service brakes, hydraulic
3 reports2 crashes
“BROKEN BOLT ON THE BRAKE CALIPER.”
Electrical system
1 report
“DIFFICULTY STARTING VEHICLE.”
Steering
1 report
“ALARM FAILED.”
Fuel system, gasoline
1 report
“WHENEVER LETTING UP ON ACCELERATOR/VEHICLE COASTING AND JERKS VIOLENTLY, ACCORDING TO DEALER, IT IS A DESIGN FEATURE OF FUEL INJECTION SHUT OFF VALVE SENSOR, NOTHING THEY CAN DO.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.