1989 Toyota Supra 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 1989 Toyota Supra, 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
- Engine640.0%
- Seat belts213.3%
- Visibility213.3%
- Brakes16.7%
- Steering16.7%
- Other / unspecified16.7%
- Heating & air conditioning16.7%
- Driver assistance16.7%
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
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM A USED CAR LOT AND PAID TO GET THE DMV PROCESSED AND THE SMOG CHECK WAS DONE PRIOR TO PURCHASE. AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THE OWNER TOLD ME HE WAS SUING THE AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS NEXT DOOR BECAUSE HE WAS FALSIFYING THE SMOG CHECKS ON CAR THE USED CAR DEALER TOOK TO HIM. MY VEHICLE, I LEARNED WAS NOT OWNED BY HIM WHEN HE SOLD IT TO ME. MY VEHICLE HAD TWO PINK SLIPS WITH THE ORGINAL BEING IN MISSISSIPPI. AS A POLICE OFFICER I INVESTIGATED IT WITH DMV FROM JUNE OF 2000 TO FEBRUARY OF 2002 WHEN I WAS ABLE TO TALK THE GUY IN MISSISSIPPI INTO RELEASING THE VEHICLE. I NEVER NEEDED A SMOG CHECK UNTIL JULY 2002. MY VEHICLE FAILED BECAUSE OF HIGH HC. I WAS TOLD THAT MY ENGINE NEEDED REBUILTING AND I AM CURRENTLY GETTING MY ENGINE REBUILT. I THINK HYARCS AUTO REPAIRS AH190682 ALSO FORGED MY SMOG CHECK. THE OWNER OF PASADENA AUTO SALES HAD A FALLING OUT DURING THE YEAR AND A HALF IT TOOK ME TO GET THE OWNERSHIP TITLE TO THE CAR HE SOLD ME.*AK
BLOWN HEAD GASKET, BLOWN PISTON DUE TO OVERPRESSURE, STALLED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVER'S SEATBELT FAILED WITHOUT WARNING, WILL NOT RETRACT AND TIGHTEN, CAUSING LOSS OF PROTECTION. *AK
AIR CONDITIONER FAILED. *SD
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
POWER WINDOW BUTTON FELL OFF.
MOLDING ON BOTH SIDEVIEW MIRRORS CRACK BETWEEN VEHICLE AND MIRROR, CAUSING MIRRORS TO FALL OFF, DEALER'S REPLACED TWICE, ONCE UNDER WARRANTY. TT
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
AIR CONDITIONER FAILED. *SD
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
AIR CONDITIONER FAILED. *SD
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
I OWNED A 1989 TOYOTA SUPRA TURBO FROM 1989 TO 1999. IN THE MID- TO LATE-1990'S I EXPERIENCED ONE INSTANCE IN WHICH MY GAS PEDAL GOT PINNED TO THE FLOOR BY AN AFTERMARKET FLOOR MAT THAT HAD SHIFTED OUT OF POSITION. THIS OCCURRED AT A LARGE INTERSECTION ON THE FAR NORTH SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS, AS I WAS APPROACHING A LEFT-TURN ARROW. WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR TO MAKE THE TURN, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE FULL-THROTTLE. I QUICKLY DETERMINED THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE LEFT TURN SAFELY, SO I VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND WENT STRAIGHT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. THEN I TURNED THE KEY OFF AND COASTED INTO A PARKING LOT, VERY FRIGHTENED BY WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND LOOKED DOWN, AND IMMEDIATELY SAW THAT THE FLOOR MAT HAD SHIFTED FORWARD AND SNAGGED THE BOTTOM OF THE GAS PEDAL WHEN I PRESSED IT DOWN TO ACCELERATE. THROUGH SHEER LUCK THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS IN THE INTERSECTION AT THE TIME, AND MY QUICK REACTION AVOIDED ANY ACCIDENT. I THREW THE FLOOR MATS AWAY, AND MADE SURE TO REPLACE THEM WITH ONES THAT WERE FASTENED DOWN. I NEVER EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM AGAIN. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Heating & air conditioning
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
From owner reports, verbatim
AIR CONDITIONER FAILED. *SD
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
I OWNED A 1989 TOYOTA SUPRA TURBO FROM 1989 TO 1999. IN THE MID- TO LATE-1990'S I EXPERIENCED ONE INSTANCE IN WHICH MY GAS PEDAL GOT PINNED TO THE FLOOR BY AN AFTERMARKET FLOOR MAT THAT HAD SHIFTED OUT OF POSITION. THIS OCCURRED AT A LARGE INTERSECTION ON THE FAR NORTH SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS, AS I WAS APPROACHING A LEFT-TURN ARROW. WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR TO MAKE THE TURN, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE FULL-THROTTLE. I QUICKLY DETERMINED THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE LEFT TURN SAFELY, SO I VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND WENT STRAIGHT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. THEN I TURNED THE KEY OFF AND COASTED INTO A PARKING LOT, VERY FRIGHTENED BY WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND LOOKED DOWN, AND IMMEDIATELY SAW THAT THE FLOOR MAT HAD SHIFTED FORWARD AND SNAGGED THE BOTTOM OF THE GAS PEDAL WHEN I PRESSED IT DOWN TO ACCELERATE. THROUGH SHEER LUCK THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS IN THE INTERSECTION AT THE TIME, AND MY QUICK REACTION AVOIDED ANY ACCIDENT. I THREW THE FLOOR MATS AWAY, AND MADE SURE TO REPLACE THEM WITH ONES THAT WERE FASTENED DOWN. I NEVER EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM AGAIN. *TR
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 .