Problems · NHTSA complaints
1996 Toyota Previa problems
Owners filed 15 complaints about the 1996 Toyota Previa with NHTSA between Nov 1996 and Jan 2011. The most-cited component is vehicle speed control (3).
Complaints
15
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
5
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Vehicle speed control3
- Service brakes, hydraulic3
- Seat belts2
- Visibility2
- Exterior lighting1
- Electrical system1
- Structure1
- Equipment1
- Latches/locks/linkages1
- 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 12, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
6
3
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 2 |
| 1997 | 6 |
| 1998 | 3 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 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
3 reports2 crashes
“NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK”
Service brakes, hydraulic
3 reports
“WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY OR FLAT SURFACE ROADS ABOUT 30 MPH AND UP, WHEN STEPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, IS HARD TO STOP AND FEELS A BIG VIBRATION LIKE A KICK BACK. *AK”
Seat belts
2 reports
“SEAT BELT BUCKLES MAKE NOISE. QCAW”
Visibility
2 reports
“SLIDE/SIDE DOOR WINDOW FAILED.”
Exterior lighting
1 report
“I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER WHILE DRIVING AND GO OFF AND ON. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF AND WOULD NOT COME BACK ON TILL I TURNED THE POWER OFF IN THE CAR AND RE-STARTED THE CAR. MY HUSBAND HAS INSTALLED NEW HEADLIGHTS TWICE BUT THIS HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN GREENVILLE, NC AND THEY TOLD ME I DID NOT HAVE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I CONTINUE TO ONLY HAVE ONE HEADLIGHT TO DRIVE WITH, THE LEFT OR RIGHT, I USUALLY START OUT WITH BOTH ON AND THEN ONE WILL GO OUT. I AM VERY SCARED ABOUT DRIVING MY CAR AT NIGHT. I CALLED THE TOYOTA 1-800 NUMBER TO ASK FOR ADVICE BUT THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND TO TAKE MY CAR TO A TOYOTA GARAGE. *TR”
Electrical system
1 report1 fire
“WHILE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING, THE STERING COLUMN BECAME VERY HOT. RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE TOTALING DESTROYED BY FIRE”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 12, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.