1993 Toyota Tercel 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 1993 Toyota Tercel, 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
- Airbags2451.1%
- Seat belts510.6%
- Engine48.5%
- Brakes36.4%
- Tires & wheels24.3%
- Electrical24.3%
- Driver assistance24.3%
- Visibility12.1%
- Body & structure12.1%
- Fuel system12.1%
- Interior & seats12.1%
- Exterior lighting12.1%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
AIR BAG, DRIVERS SIDE DID NOT DEPLOY DURING REAR-END CAR ACCIDENT. *NM
DEALER FIRST SAID NOTHING WRONG. RESET . THEN CAME ON AGAIN. SAID MAY BE BAD SENSOR. I NOTICED 50 AIRBAG COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE. THIS AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN A CRASH AND DEALER/TOYOTA WILL NOT REPAIR THIS OBVOIUS SAFTEY DEFECT.*AK
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN 25 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ALSO, DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK UP UPON IMPACT. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHILE IN A CHAIN REACTION ACCIDENT WAS HIT FROM THE FRONT AND BACK, THE SHOULDER BELTS FAILED TO RESTRAIN. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE EXHIBITS WHITE SMOKE, CONSUMER HAD TWO DIFFERENT MECHANICS INSPECT VEHICLE AND BOTH STATED THAT THE RINGS ARE SHOT AND ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT THE ENGINE OVERHEATED. *TT
ENGINE PREMATURELY FAILED AT 72,000 MILES. CONSUMER HAD TO BUY A REBUILT ENGINE.*AK
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
WHILE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKE WHICH CAUSED WHEELS TO LOCK. BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, AND WOULD NOT RETURN. PROBLEM CAUSED VEHICLE TO REAR END ANOTHER VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAIL ON THIS MATTER. *AK
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES WHILE DRIVING OVER A PUDDLE, BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, CAUSING CONSUMER TO SUSTAIN BURNS TO THE SKIN. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
THAT DAY, WHEN I DRIVE IN RT 21, I SUDDENTLY LOST CONTROL, HIT TO ANOTHER SUV, WE SLOW DOWN( DOT NUMBER: )
AFTER PUTTING AIR IN ALL TIRES, CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY FOUND OUT THAT TIRES HAD A TREAD SEPARATION WITHOUT A PRIOR WARNING. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON. YH
VEHICLE STALLS IN TRAFFIC. WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
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
ENGINE CONTINUES TO RACE AS IF GAS PEDAL WERE DEPRESSED AFTER GAS PEDAL HAS BEEN RELEASED AND MANUAL TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL.
THE THROTTLE STICKS AND CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS NOT BEING APPLIED. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
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
HAVE LOOKED AT SEVERAL OTHER 1993 TERCELS. MOST I HAVE NOTICED HAVE A HORIZONTAL CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD. I AM WONDERING IF THIS IS A PROBLEM IN MOST OF THAT YEAR? I FIND IT STRANGE THAT THE TERCELS I HAVE SEEN HAVE THE SAME TENDENCY TO CRACK IN THE SAME AREA IN THE SAME WAY. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
IN MINOR IMPACT THE BUMPER SUSTAINED EXCESSIVE DAMAGE. MJS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED SMELL STRONG CHEMICAL FUMES INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT(PLASTIC MATERIAL) DEALER HAS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN SEAT BACK IS RELEASED, SEAT FLYS FORWARD WITH GREAT FORCE. *DH
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
BOTH DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S SIDE HEADLIGHTS ARE INOPERABLE.
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 .