Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
17
Latest Nov 25, 2005
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.
3
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Feb 14, 1996
What this page shows
Our database holds 17 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1991 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.
Complaints, most recent first
Showing 1–17 of 17
Electrical
Filed Nov 25, 2005
THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ON MY 91 TOYOTA TERCEL SEEMS TO HAVE A DEFECT. OCCASIONALLY, WHEN I TURN ON MY TURN SIGNAL, OR MY HEATER FAN, THE HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS, AS WELL AS THE RADIO WILL TURN OFF FOR ABOUT HALF A SECOND, AND THE CAR WILL STUTTER A BIT. SO FAR, THE LIGHTS AND EVERYTHING HAVE COME BACK ON WITH NO PROBLEM, BUT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THEM STAYING OFF AT SOME POINT AND LEAVING ME UNABLE TO SEE OR BE SEEN. IT DID IT TONIGHT AFTER I HEARD A LOUD CLICKING AND TURNED OFF MY HEATER TO SEE IF IT WAS COMING FROM THERE, AND THEN TURNED THE HEATER BACK ON. *NM
NHTSA ID
10143631
Incident
Nov 24, 2005
Mileage
218,800 mi
Interior & seats
Filed Jun 5, 2001
A PART OF THE DOOR MECHANISM THAT CONTROLS THE LATCH BECOMES DISENGAGED TO WHERE THE DOOR CAN NOT BE OPEN FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. *AK
NHTSA ID
746460
Incident
Jun 5, 2001
Interior & seats
Filed Jan 25, 2000
THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH (THE ONE OPERATED BY HAND FROM OUTSIDE) SEEMS TO STICK IN THE OPEN POSITION. THE SPRING DOES NOT RETURN IT BACK TO THE SECURE POSITION. *AK
NHTSA ID
717862
Incident
Jan 14, 2000
Seat belts
Filed Mar 9, 1999
DRIVER SIDE SHOULDER SEAT BELT NEEDS REPLACEMENT. THE SEAT BEALT THREADS ARE ALL LOOSE, IS ALL TORNED APART. WEARING THE SEAT BELT IS NOT PROVIDING ANY PROTECTION AT ALL. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE IT, NOT EVEN IN OLDER AND MORE USED CARS.
NHTSA ID
704193
Engine
Filed Jan 28, 1999
DUE TO A DEFECTIVE THEROMOSAT, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND OIL LEAKED, DAMAGING THE ENGINE WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN #. *AK
NHTSA ID
834196
Incident
Nov 1, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Dec 7, 1998
DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT IS JAMMED WITHIN THE RETRACTING MECHANISM, CAUSING THE SHOULDER BELT TO BECOME INOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAIL. *AK
NHTSA ID
831872
Seat belts
Filed Aug 28, 1998
Crash reported1 injury reported
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 5-10 MPH VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, THE RESTRAINTS DID NOT RETRACT, CAUSING THE DRIVER'S HEAD TO GO INTO THE WINDSHIELD . THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTFIED. *AK *ML
NHTSA ID
827336
Incident
Oct 20, 1997
Seat belts
Filed Apr 8, 1998
WHILE DRIVING THE SEAT BELT BROKE AND THE DRIVER WAS NOT RESTRAINED IN THE SEAT. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. THE OWNER HAD TO PAY TO HAVE THE BELT CORRECTED. OWNER THINKS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT. *AK
NHTSA ID
822311
Incident
May 12, 1994
Seat belts
Filed Dec 12, 1997
DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT IS RIPPING APART. THE OWNER HAS MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER . *AK
NHTSA ID
819954
Heating & air conditioning
Filed Oct 28, 1997
AIR CONDITIONER FAILED, WETTING FRONT FLOOR ON PASSENGER'S SIDE.
NHTSA ID
524027
Seat belts
Filed Mar 24, 1997
THE DRIVER'S SIDE PASSIVE RESTRAINT SHOULDER BELT WOULD FREQUENTLY NOT ALLOW THE DRIVER TO LEAN FORWARD IN SEAT; DRIVER WOULD HAVE TO PRESS HIS BODY BACK AND FORTH AGAINST THE SHOULDER BELT TO REGAIN SOME SLACKNESS IN THE SHOULDER BELT. ALSO, SHOULDER BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT FULLY, SHOULDER BELT WOULD GET CAUGHT WHEN DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO MANUALLY RESTRAIN. *AK
NHTSA ID
808680
Incident
May 31, 1991
Interior & seats
Filed Jul 24, 1996
SEAT DESIGN DOES NOT ACCOMMODATE CHILD SAFETY SEATS. *AW
NHTSA ID
506580
Engine
Filed Jul 12, 1996
Fire reported
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE, PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
NHTSA ID
986813
Incident
Jul 4, 1996
Seat belts
Filed Jul 2, 1996
Crash reported2 injuries reported
TERCEL WAS HIT HEAD ON; SHOULDER BELTS DID NOT RESTRAIN DRIVER & PASSENGER. *AK
NHTSA ID
986482
Incident
Jun 23, 1996
Seat belts
Filed Jun 3, 1996
HEAD RESTRAINTS INOPERATIVE, DUE TO HEADREST RESTAINTS INTERNAL BOLT BREAKING, CAUSING DETACHMENT FROM SEAT, SECOND OCCURRENCE. *AK
NHTSA ID
985193
Engine
Filed May 7, 1996
ENGINE FAILED TWICE. *DSH
NHTSA ID
504238
Incident
Dec 1, 1993
Engine
Filed Feb 14, 1996
ENGINE MOUNTS BROKE ON VEHICLE, UNABLE TO DRIVE VEHICLE. TT
NHTSA ID
979207
Incident
Feb 1, 1996
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.
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