Problems · by component

2000 Toyota Celica engine and engine cooling problems

41 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2000 Toyota Celica cite engine and engine cooling, 39% of all 106 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
41
39% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the engine and engine cooling

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“CAR HAS 140,000 MILES ON IT, AND IS BURNING APPROXIMATELY 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY FOUR DAYS. BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM EXHAUST. FOUND SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE ONLINE WITH THE SAME CAR (2000-2002 CELICA GT 1.8L) WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. PROBLEMS WERE NOTICED AS EARLY AS 80,000 MILES. NO VISIBLE OIL LEAKS. FOUND INFORMATION ONLINE REGARDING A FIX THAT TOYOTA MADE TO THE ENGINE IN 2003 FROM 4 HOLES IN PISTONS, TO 8 HOLES AS WELL AS LARGER PISTON GROVE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 21, 2011Engine and engine coolingODI 10384910
“MY 2000 TOYOTA CELICA HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 3 TIMES WITHIN THE LAST 4 MONTHS DUE TO THE SERPENTINE BELT AND TENSIONER. BOTH WERE REPLACED AND WITHIN A MONTH THE PROBLEM HAS RECURRED. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTAS. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES TO PROPERLY FIX THIS ISSUE BEFORE IT CAUSES SERIOUS INJURIES OR FATAL ACCIDENTS. THANK YOU FOR YOU CONSIDERATION. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 12, 2010Engine and engine coolingODI 10360175
“1. I PURCHASED A 2000 TOYOTA CELICA GT. 2. ABOUT EVERY 1500 MILES THERE'S A QUART OF OIL BURNED OFF. I'VE CHECKED MYSELF A FEW TIMES FOR ANY SIGNS OF LEAKS, AND HAD IT LOOKED AT BY A MECHANIC, NEITHER OF US HAVE FOUND ANY SIGN AT ALL OF OIL LEAKING OUT. I'VE DONE RESEARCH ON IT AND IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 1ZZ ENGINE IN THE 2000-2002 CELICA GT AND IN SOME CASES HAS CAUSE SERIOUS ENGINE PROBLEMS. 3. CHECKING THE OIL LEVEL CONSTANTLY AND ADDING OIL AS NEEDED”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 23, 2010Engine and engine coolingODI 10321636
“2000 TOYOTA CELICA GT PURCHASED 05/2008 SO FAR MY CAR IS NOT FIXED SO ALL MY MONEY IS IN FIRST DESLUDGING OF MOTOR(2 WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE OIL LIGHT CAME ON & WAS TOTALLY EMPTY) & OIL. AT FIRST I WENT THRU 1/2 TO 1 QRT EVERY OTHER WEEK. I LIVE 35 MILES FROM WORK & 76 MILES FROM FAMILY SO PUTTING ABOUT 500 MILES A WEEK ON VEHICLE.IT SLOWLY STARTED TO GET TO BE MORE AND MORE OIL.IN 01/2009 IT THRU CAT CONV.WORKING BELOW EFFICIENCY ZONE 2 CODE. IN LAST 2 MONTHS STARTED TAKING 2QTRS ON MONDAYS & 2QRTS ON WEDNESDAYS TO GET BACK & FORTH TO WORK. MORE IF I VISITED MY FAMILY (HAD TO RELOCATE AWAY AFTER LOSING HOUSE IN KATRINA.) THEN 2 WEEKS AGO I GOT A CALL WHILE AT WORK THAT MY DAD (WHO ISIN A NURSING HOME) WAS HAVING PROBLEMS. I PUT 2QRTS IN DROVE 35MILES FROM WORK TO MY DAD. PUT 2 MORE QRTS IN IT BEFORE LEAVING TO RETURN HOME & WHEN I GOT OF INTERSTATE 76 MILES AWAY I PUT IT IN FIRST GEAR COMING TO A RED LIGHT & OIL LIGHT FLASHED. I PULLED DIRECTLY INTO CHEVRON THERE WAS NOTHING READING ON DIP STICK. I WENT BOUGHT 4 MORE QRTS OF OIL. AND LIMPED HOME ABOUT 1.5 MILES AWAY. I WENT THRU 8QRTS OF OIL THAT DAY @4.99 A POP.HASN'T BEEN DRIVEN SINCE. I'M SCARED MOTOR WILL…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 18, 2010Engine and engine coolingODI 10311857
“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA CELICA. EVERY THREE MONTHS, THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE WOULD CONSUME ALL OF THE OIL. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, A KNOCKING SOUND WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 94,553 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 25, 2009Engine and engine coolingODI 10274921
“PROBLEM: MY ENGINE IS BURNING EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL. EVENTUALLY I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. ON OCTOBER 2007 I BOUGHT A USED 2000 TOYOTA CELICA GT. IN DECEMBER 27, 2007 THE CHECK OIL LIGHT WENT ON. IN NOVEMBER 2008, ENGINE WOULD NOT START IN THE MORNING. I HAD JUST HAD AN OIL CHANGE ABOUT 1,000 MILES BEFORE THIS DAY. THIS MORNING I FOUND OUT ALL THE OIL BURNED OUT AND THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE CAR, SO I ADDED OIL. I VISITED THE DEALER AND THEY EXPLAINED AWAY THE PROBLEM, STATING THEY SUSPECT THE GUY WHO CHANGED MY OIL SIMPLY FORGOT TO ADD OIL. COME ON - HOW COULD I DRIVE 2,000 MILES WITH NO OIL INTO HE ENGINE? IN DECEMBER THE CAR STALLED AN ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED OVER AND CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL TO FIND THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE PAN AND WHEN I ADDED OIL IT LEAKED OUT. I TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THEY FOUND A HOLE IN THE OIL PAN, SO THEY REPLACED THE OIL PAN. IN JANUARY, I HAD THE DEALER DO AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. THEY APPARENTLY MARKED THE OIL PAN AND I CAME IN AGAIN AND THEY CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL. THEY SAID I AM ONLY BURNING 1/2 QUART OIL PER 1,000 MILES. THEY ARE LYING! I CHECKED MY OIL LEVEL AFTER 1,200 MILES AND FOUND THE OIL BURNED…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 21, 2009Engine and engine coolingODI 10262662

Showing 6 of 41 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.