Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 9 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1996 Toyota Celica, most frequently naming the driver assistance, brakes and electrical categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 38 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 1996 | 1 | 1 |
| Jan 1997 | 1 | 2 |
| Sep 1997 | 1 | 3 |
| Nov 1997 | 1 | 4 |
| Dec 1997 | 1 | 5 |
| Oct 1998 | 1 | 6 |
| Oct 2000 | 1 | 7 |
| Oct 2003 | 1 | 8 |
| Mar 2010 | 1 | 9 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
ENGINE SEIZURE
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
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 LEAST REPLACE MY CAR. THEY DID NOT SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS. THEY LATER ASSUMED NO LIABILITY AND REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING. TO FOLLOW UP, I WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO COME UP WITH $25,000 TO HIRE AN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTIONIST. I DID NOT HAVE THAT AMOUNT OF CASH, SO I DROPPED IT. I RECENTLY HAVE BEEN AMAZED IN READING SEVERAL COMPLAINTS VERY SIMILAR TO MINE AND THINK THAT THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR TOYOTA TO RIGHT WHAT WAS OBVIOUSLY A WRONG IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MY CAR. MY PASSENGER HAS SWELLING TO HER LEFT EYE THAT HAS HEALED, BUT I HAVE HAD PAIN IN MY ELBOW AND SHOULDER EVER SINCE. THANKS FOR LISTENING. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO ASSIST. I CAN NOT PROVIDE THE VIN #, AS THE CAR WAS TOTALED SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I LEFT THE NUMBER [XXX] AS THE VIN NUMBER. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S
CONSUMER'S VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AS STATED IN RECALL 96-E-001-000 CONCERNING SUDDEN ACCELERATION. DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED.*AK
THE IDLE CONTROL VALVE IS DEFECTIVELY DESIGNED; IT GETS CLOGGED, MAKING MY CAR STALL REPEATEDLY WHEN IT IS COLD. IT HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED ABOUT ONCE A YEAR. LAST YEAR THEY TOLD ME THE PART HAD BEEN REDESIGNED AND I WOULDN'T HAVE ANY MORE TROUBLE. THIS YEAR THEY ADMITTED IT IS UNFIXABLE (EXCEPT BY REPLACEMENT EACH YEAR). TOYOTA REFUSES TO PROVIDE A LIFETIME WARRANTY FOR THE DEFECTIVELY DESIGNED PART. I THINK THEY SHOULD EITHER COVER THE PART FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR, OR BUY THE [XXX] THING BACK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
IDLE CONTROL VALVE GETS CLOGGED UP, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO START.IDLE CONTROL VALVE WAS REPLACED TWICE, BUT PROBLEM CONTINUES. DEALER CLAIMS THIS PROBLEM APPERA IN THE 1996 AND 1997 MODELS.
DIFFICULTY STARTING VEHICLE.
ALARM FAILED.
BROKEN BOLT ON THE BRAKE CALIPER.
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.
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
AIR BAGS; EQUIPMENT; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2023 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin. Follow the Procurement Procedure in this bulletin to request a replacement certification label or VIN plate.
BACK OVER PREVENTION; SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL; TIRES; WHEELS
POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be available to any customer that requests it. Customers can find this information on the Owner?s section of Toyota.com. Dealers can locate a copy of this guide on the Claims Processing & Resource Center in Dealer Daily as well.
BACK OVER PREVENTION; SERVICE BRAKES
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
EQUIPMENT
TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2021 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin. Follow the Procurement Procedure in this bulletin to request a replacement certification label or VIN plate.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 40.2 |
| 2002 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 52.3 |
| 2001 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 45.5 |
| 2000 | 106 | 3 | 1 | 58.8 |
| 1999 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 35.7 |
| 1998 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1997 | 8 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1996Viewing | 9 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1995 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 46.0 |
| 1994 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 46.6 |
| 1993 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 38.6 |
| 1992 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 54.0 |
| 1991 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 53.2 |
| 1990 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 60.4 |
| 1989 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 46.9 |
| 1988 | 6 | 1 | 2 | — |
| 1987 | 5 | 1 | 2 | — |
| 1986 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.