Problems · NHTSA complaints
1996 Toyota Tercel problems
Owners filed 44 complaints about the 1996 Toyota Tercel with NHTSA between Dec 1995 and May 2015. The most-cited component is air bags (7).
Complaints
44
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
11
Reported by owners
Fires
4
Reported by owners
Injuries
15
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Air bags7
- Seat belts4
- Engine and engine cooling4
- Visibility4
- Suspension4
- Steering3
- Tires3
- Service brakes, hydraulic3
- Exterior lighting2
- Electrical system2
- Power train2
- Wheels1
- Service brakes1
- Vehicle speed control1
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
6
14
7
2
0
0
1
1
2
3
0
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 1 |
| 1996 | 6 |
| 1997 | 14 |
| 1998 | 7 |
| 1999 | 2 |
| 2000 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 2 |
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
Air bags
7 reports5 crashes
“(1) AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT WHILE AVOIDING COLLISION WITH A DEER. ACCIDENT CAUSED SEVERE FRONT END DAMAGE AND BENDING OF THE UNI-BODY FRAME. (2) FAILURE OF AIR-BAGS TO DEPLOY. (3) NO CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN AS THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. SOME PARTS HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF, IE. ASSORTED TRIM AND THE FRONT FENDERS.”
Seat belts
4 reports
“FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NO LONGER GRAB. PART SEEMS DEFECTIVE, BUT NO APPEARANCE OF ANY CRACK, OR DAMAGE. *JB”
Engine and engine cooling
4 reports1 fire
“OIL SLUDGE 1996 TOYOTA TERCEL. THE MOTOR STARTED TO KNOCK. THE DEALERSHIP PICKED UP THE CAR AND SAID IT WAS A LACK OF MAINTENCE PROBLEM. MY HUSBAND HAD DONE THE MAINTENCE. THE OIL LOOKED LIKE SLUDGE. I COULD NOT AFFORD TO FIX THE MOTOR SO IT WAS REPOSED AND SOLD AT AUCTION FOR ABOUT $3,000. WHICH LEFT ME TO PAY THE DIFFERENCE I AM STILL PAYING FOR THE CAR. I WAS IN LPN SCHOOL AND PREGNANT AT THE TIME THE CAR BROKE DOWN. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTOOD ON THE LEMON LAW WAS THAT THE CAR HAD TO BE IN THE SHOP 5 TIMES FOR THE SAME CONDITION BEFORE THE LEMON LAW WOULD APPLY. I ALMOST MISCARRIED MY THIRD CHILD AND WAS ADVISED BY MY DOCTOR TO GET RID OF MY STRESS SO I DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL AND FORGOT ABOUT THE CAR. I HAVE BEEN READING ABOUT THE TOYOTA OIL SLUDGE PROBLEM AND I BELIEVE THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR. HERE IS THE LIST OF PROBLEMS THAT MY CAR HAD. 11-20-97 O-RING AND SEAL, 12-15-97 TRANSMISSION LEAK, FRONT PUMP SEAL, O-RING, RR TRANSMISSION AXLE AND REPLACE O-RING, TORQUE CONVERTER, 2-25-98 SLOW TO LOCK INTO REVERSE WHEN COLD AND WAS LOW IN FLUID (DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM), 3-17-98 SLOW TO LOCK INTO REVERSE AGAIN (DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND THE…”
Visibility
4 reports1 fire
“REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER FAILED.”
Suspension
4 reports
“FRONT SUSPENSION FAILURE.”
Steering
3 reports1 crash
“STEERING WHEEL BECAME LOOSE WHILE PARALLEL PARKING. CAR WON'T STEER.”
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.