Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 22 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1989 Toyota Tercel. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–22 of 22
IN 1989 TOYOTA HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH THE TERCEL.. I HAD ONE THEY DID A FIX BUT NOT A RECALL.. I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE BUT I BET IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM.. THEY TREATED ME HORRIBLE AND I ABOUT DIED... THEY KNEW THEN THAT TYPE OF ACCELERATOR WOULD STICK,, THEN KNEW ALL THE WAY BACK THEN AND DID NOTHING.. I SO HOPE THIS HELP AND GET INVESTIGATED.. THEN KNEW IN 1989 ON THE TERCEL. *TR
DEFECT IN WORKMANSHIP ON THE ALTERNATOR.*MR THE CONSUMER PURCHASED A REMANUFACTURED ALTERNATOR WHICH ONLY LASTED FOR THREE DAYS. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED. *JB
WHILE PUSHING ON BRAKES, VEHICLE DOES NOT MAKE A COMPLETE STOP, INSTEAD BRAKE PEDAL WILL TOUCH THE GROUND, RESULTING IN USE OF EMERGENCY BRAKE TO MAKE A COMPLETE STOP.*AK CONSUMER STATES THE MASTER CYLINDER IS OUT. DRUMS WERE TURNED BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO THIN. THE FRONT AXLE IS LEAKING BAD. GOODYEAR TIRES ARE BAD, P155/80R13, DOT NUMBER MDE4E70119. INSIDE THE VEHICLE THERE IS A FUEL ODOR. *JB
WHILE DRIVING 40-45 MPH RIGHT FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP FOR NO REASON, CAUSING VEHICLE TO GO OUT OF CONTROL AND CRASH. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. POLICE OFFICER STATED THIS PROBLEM ALSO HAPPENED TO HIM. THE LOCKED WHEEL, WHILE DRIVING, WAS RELATED TO THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE OPTION. *AK
IT HAPPENED ALL OF SUDDEN IN THE MORNINGS WHEN STARTING UP THE VEHICLE. IT WILL START SHAKING, AS TIME PROGRESSED IT WILL GET WORSE. CONTACTED THE DEALER, THEY SAID IT WAS INTERNAL IN THE CARBURETOR. *AK
THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONG SERVICE PERSONNEL AT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN SARASOTA, FLORIDA AND AMONG MECHANICS. WE WERE TOLD THE CARBURETOR IS UNREPAIRABLE. WE COULD PURCHASE A NEW CARBURETOR, ONLY TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH STALLING AND EVENTUAL FAILURE DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN. WE HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS REPAIRING THE FUELING SYSTEM AND CARBURETOR. ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT WE HAVE PURCHASED "THE WORST CAR TOYOTA EVER MADE" WITH A DEFECTIVE CARBURETOR. *AK
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCING SPUTTER AND JERKING WHEN IDLING DUE TO A DEFECTIVE CARBURETOR. REPLACEMENTS WERE DONE. *YC
ENGINE RACES WHEN STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED . DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
VEHICLE EXHIBITING TRUNK LEAKAGE, REPAIRS WHERE MADE, PROBLEM STILL EXIST. *YC
WHENEVER IT RAINS THE WATER IS GETTING INTO THE TRUNK OF THE VEHICLE WHICH IS CAUSING A LEAKAGE. *AK
WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE DRIVER TURNED KEY TO START VEHICLE, PUT VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND VEHICLE SHOT OUT SO FAST IN REVERSE THAT THE DRIVER HAD NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE. APPLYING THE BRAKES DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHEN CRASHING INTO A PARK VAN. THE VEHCLE IS BEING REPAIRED. *AK
DEALERSHIP DID NOT USE THE PART SPECIFIED IN THE HEADLIGHT BULB RECALL NOTICE. (QCAW)
THE CARBURETOR FAILED RESULTING IN DANGEROUS ACCELERATION, NO POWER, HESITATION, AND STALLING.
THE CONSUMER HAD AN ACCIDENT AND THE FRONT SHOULDER RETRACTOR DIDN'T RETRACT. *AK
CARBURETOR FAILURE.
BRAKE PEDAL TOO CLOSE TO THE GAS PEDAL, CAUSING DRIVER TO HIT BOTH PEDALS SIMULTANEOUSLY WHEN TRYING TO STOP.
WINDOWS ROLL DOWN HALF WAY. *SD
VEHICLE STALLS IN TRAFFIC DUE TO DEFECTIVE CARBURETOR. TT
THE CARBURETORS DO NOT WORK RIGHT WHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKE, CAR CUTS OFF ON ITS SECOND CARBURETOR, DEALER SAID THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM . TT *SLC
DOOR LOCK ON PASSENGER SIDE FAILS TO LOCK/UNLOCK FROM OUTSIDE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
DRIVERS SEAT TRACK HAVE BEEN STRIPED TWICE AND HAS BROKEN. PLEASE EXPLAIN. TT
CARBURATOR CAUSES THE CAR NOT TO ACCELERATE WHEN ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED AND THEN THE CAR TAKES OFF. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .