ENGINE SEIZURE
1997 Toyota Celica
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1997 Toyota Celica, most frequently naming the visibility, electrical and airbags categories. 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 43 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.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 1997 | 1 | 1 |
| Nov 1998 | 1 | 2 |
| Sep 2000 | 1 | 3 |
| Jun 2003 | 1 | 4 |
| Jun 2004 | 1 | 5 |
| Jan 2005 | 1 | 6 |
| Oct 2012 | 1 | 7 |
| Feb 2013 | 1 | 8 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Visibility333.3%
- Electrical222.2%
- Airbags111.1%
- Body & structure111.1%
- Brakes111.1%
- Tires & wheels111.1%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
MY REAR DEFROST HAS NOT WORKED IN YEARS. I LOOK AT THE CONNECTION WHERE THE HATCH MEETS THE CAR AND FIND THAT THE CONNECTOR HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE AND MELTED THE CONNECTOR AND THE WIRE. I AM HAVING TO RECONNECT THE 2 WIRES TO GET MY REAR DEFROST WORKING AGAIN. *TR
- NHTSA ID
- 10498061
- Incident
- Jan 28, 2011
- Mileage
- 175,000 mi
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA CELICA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP BY SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL AND APPLYING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE LEAKING BRAKE FLUID DUE TO SEVERE CORROSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 108,000. UPDATED 02/13/13*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS DRIVING 45 MPH AND WHEN APPROACHED SOME CURVES IN THE ROAD, HE APPLIED THE BRAKE. HE SOON REALIZED THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING AND PULLED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE . THE REAR WHEELS LOCKED AND HE SPUN OUT TO A STOP. THE CONSUMER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED THERE WAS NO BRAKE FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR, WHICH LEAKED OUT ONTO THE BRAKE LINES, WHICH HAD ROTTED. UPDATED 02/14/13
- NHTSA ID
- 10481401
- Incident
- Oct 16, 2012
- Mileage
- 108,000 mi
WHILE LOWERING CONVERTIBLE TOP UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS AND WITH NO OBSTRUCTIONS, BACK GLASS EXPLODED FOR NO APPARENT REASON.*AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10106136
- Incident
- Dec 27, 2004
CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A PAINT SHOP FOR A PAINT JOB. TECHNICIAN INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE TWO PILLAR ATTACHMENTS FOR THE ROOF WERE BONDED TOGETHER BY GLUE. TECHNICIAN WOULD NOT TOUCH THE VEHICLE UNTIL IT WAS FIXED. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10075595
- Incident
- Jun 2, 2004
MY DAUGHTER WAS INVOLVED IN A VERY MINOR ACCIDENT, AND THERE WAS AN APPROXIMATELY 10-15 SECOND DELAY AFTER THE CAR WAS PLACED IN PARK WHEN HER AIRBAGS SUDDENLY DEPLOYED, CAUSING MINOR INJURY TO HER, AND MORE DAMAGE THAN THE ACCIDENT ITSELF CAUSED TO HER VEHICLE. I AM CONCERNED TO KNOW WHY THEY DEPLOYED AT ALL CONSIDERING HER SPEED OF APX 5 -7 MPH,. AND IF THERE HAD BEEN A HIGH SPEED ACCIDENT IF THEY WOULD HAVE DEPLOYED IN TIME TO PROTECT HER AS THEY ARE DESIGNED. THE PERSON SHE BUMPED INTO AND PASSENGER ARE WITNESSES TO THE DELAYED DEPLOYMENT, AS WELL AS THE OFFICER ON SCENE.*AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10023813
- Incident
- Jun 19, 2003
- Mileage
- 66,490 mi
WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH RIGHT FRONT TIRE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. TIRE WAS A CONTINENTAL GT8000, TOURING, P205/55R15. TIRE WAS A REPLACEMENT TIRE PURCHASED AT A PRIVATE OWNED TIRE DEALERSHIP. TIRE'S MILEAGE WAS 27,000. *AK CONSUMER STATED ANOTHER TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION AND THE OTHER TIRES HAVE CRACKED SIDEWALLS, VEHICLE SUSTAINED DAMAGE DUE TO FAULTY TIRE.. *SLC
- NHTSA ID
- 871680
- Incident
- Sep 21, 2000
THE SAME EVENING THAT I PURCHASED MY CELICA AND EVERY EVENING SINCE THEN I NOTICE THAT MY HEADLIGHTS AND INSTRUMENT LIGHTS DIM WHEN I APPLY MY BRAKES. ONLY WHEN I RELEASE MY BRAKES DO THEY BRIGHTEN BACK-UP. I'VE TAKEN MY CELICA IN TWICE TO HAVE IT TESTED BUT TOYOTA SAID THAT EVERYTHING TESTED NORMAL BOTH TIMES. IS THIS NORMAL ON THESE CARS.
- NHTSA ID
- 700708
DURING NORMAL CONDITIONS WHILE LOWERING CONVERTABLE TOP OF CAR THE REAR WINDOW GLASS SHATTERED. THERE WAS NOTHING OBSTRUCTING THE LOWERING OF TOP, SO THERE WAS NO REASON FOR IT TO BREAK. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 816744
- Incident
- Sep 12, 1997
Manufacturer communications
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.
AIR BAGS
Toyota Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
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.
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.
Compare model years
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 | — |
| 1997Viewing | 8 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1996 | 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.