RoadVitals

1981 Toyota Cressida

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
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Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Mar 16, 1981
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
2
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains no NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1981 Toyota Cressida. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 15 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.

Safety recalls

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.gov
81V031000

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES

Mar 16, 1981
9,171 units potentially affected
The defect: ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE RETRACTOR SPOOL RELEASE WARNING LIGHT AND BUZZER OF THE SEAT BELT SYSTEM MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY ROUTED AT THE TIME OF ASSEMBLY. THIS CAN CAUSE MECHANICAL INTERFERENCE WITH THE DRIVER"S SIDE G-SENSOR LOCKING FUNCTION. CONSEQUENTLY, THE EMERGENCY LOCKING RETRACTOR OF THE DRIVER"S SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT MAY NOT OPERATE PROPERLY EVEN THOUGH THE G-SENSOR IS OPERATIONAL. (THE PASSENGER SIDE IS NOT AFFECTED).
The remedy: THE WIRING HARNESS WILL BE REROUTED, IF NECESSARY, AND A CLAMP WILL BE ADDED TO ELIMINATE POSSIBLE FUTURE INTERFERENCE.
TOYOTA MOTOR CO., LTD.View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

DP86007ClosedDefect Petition

SUDDEN ACCELERATION

Opened Apr 2, 1986
Closed Jun 9, 1986

SUDDEN ACCELERATION

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES
EA85045ClosedEngineering Analysis

SUDDEN ACCELERATION

Opened Aug 30, 1985
Closed Feb 18, 1988

SUMMARY:TOYOTA RECALLED APPROXIMATELY 5,000 1982 CRESSIDA, CELICA, ANDSUPRA MODELS TO REPLACE POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE CRUISE CONTROL COMPUTERSIN SEPTEMBER 1986. THEY REPORT THAT NO OTHER DEFECT OR PROBLEM HAS BEENFOUND THAT WOULD CAUSE SUDDEN ACCELERATION.ANALYSIS:THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY HAVEPROBLEMS OTHER THAN THE DEFECT FOR WHICH TOYOTA RECALLED. HUMAN ERRORIS ALSO CONSIDERED TO BE A PRIMARY CAUSE IN MANY OF THESE INCIDENTS.STATUS:INVESTIGATION OF THE CRUISE CONTROL AND OTHER VEHICLE SYSTEMSCONTINUES AMONG THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN RECALLED.PEDAL GEOMETRY AND OTHER HUMAN FACTORS FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE BEINGCOMPARED TO PEER GROUP VEHICLES. CLOSED 2/18/88. RECALL 86V-132.===

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGESLed to recall 86V132000

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

No owner complaints recorded for this model year

Either none have been filed with NHTSA, or this vehicle is too new for reports to have accumulated.

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB003220

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.

Toyota PRO19-02

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.

T-SB-0032-20 Rev

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.

T-SB-0304-17 Obs

EQUIPMENT

TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 07, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0032-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates

T-SB-0032-20

EQUIPMENT

TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. PG021-88, PG015-89, PG0015-90, PG002-91, PG002-93, PG005-97, PG007-01, PG007-07, PG006-01, PG004-97, T-SB-0144-08, and T-SB-0304-17. The aforementioned bulletins are obsolete, and any printed versions should be discarded. 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 ? 2020 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.

PG004-97-Obsolet

EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Technical Service Bulletin: OBSOLETE NOTICE: July 31, 2018: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0304-17.

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

Toyota Cressida by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1995000—
1992200—
1991700—
1990400—
1989100043.8
1988200—
1987500—
1986501—
1985401—
1984222—
1983112—
1982112—
1981Viewing012—
1980000—
1979100—

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.