1996 Toyota Celica Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1996 Toyota Celica, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance440.0%
- Brakes330.0%
- Electrical110.0%
- Fuel system110.0%
- Steering110.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
BROKEN BOLT ON THE BRAKE CALIPER.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
DIFFICULTY STARTING VEHICLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
ALARM FAILED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .