1994 Toyota Celica

Routine

Owners filed 14 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags › frontal. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Air Bags › Frontal4
403
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip2
101
Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage2
000
Air Bags2
101
Tires › Sidewall1
000
Suspension › Front1
000
Power Train1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Air BagsCrash1 injured
Filed Jan 6, 2016CA

I WAS IN A FRONT ON COLLISION ON A CITY STREET. I WAS TRAVELING 25 AND OTHER CAR 35 HIT ME HEAD ON. MY PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG EXPLODED WHEN IT DEPLOYED TAKING OUT WINDSHIELD SCATTERING GLASS EVERYWHERE WHICH CUT ME. I BREATHED IN THE POWDER FROM THE AIRBAG AND HAD DIFFICULTY BREATHING FOR SOME TIME. I INITIALLY SUFFERED ALMOST TOTAL HEARING LOSS RIGHT EAR AND PERMANENT DIMINISHED HEARING. REPORTED TO TOYOTA WHEN OCCURRED AND NEVER RECEIVED ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF MY CONCERN AND COMPLAINT. I COMPLAINED THAT ABOUT MY INJURIES AND CONCERN THAT HAD SOMEONE BEEN IN PASSENGER SEAT THEY MOST PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DIED OR BEEN SEVERELY INJURED. I HAVE MANY PICTURES AND DOCUMENTATION OF MY INJURY IF THIS IS OF INTEREST TO NHTSA SO MANY YEARS POST OCCURRENCE.

Power Train
Filed Feb 10, 201524,000 milesCA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 TOYOTA CELICA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE, THE GEAR LEVER WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILED RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Jan 26, 2005108,000 milesNV

STEERING, SUSPENSION, CLUTCH AND BRAKES, COOLING SYSTEM AND DRIVEABILITY, FUEL AND FLUID BREAKDOWN. SEVERE COMPONENT FAILURE LEADING BACK TO ECU AND EMISSION SYSTEM SENSORS NOT ACTIVATING WARNING LIGHTS NOR SENDING TROUBLE CODES. ENGINE COMPRESSION FANTASTIC, ENGINE SENSORS CHECK OK BUT CAR IS TOO UNSAFE TO DRIVE NOR RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION.*AK

Tires › Sidewall
Filed Sep 2, 2003180,000 milesMI

ON 11/02/02 WE PURCHASED 4 KELLY SPRINGFIELD 185/70R14 METRIC TIRES WITH A MFGS 50,000 MILE WARRANTY FOR OUR TOYOTA CELICA. ON 11/25/2002, THE DEALER REPLACED THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WHICH DEVELOPED A BULDGE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE. ON 08/30/03 MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CELICA ON THE FREEWAY AND THE LEFT FRONT TIRE EXPERIENCED A BLOW OUT. INSPECTION OF THE TIRE REVEALS THAT THAT THE BLOWOUT PRODUCED A VERTICAL GASH FROM THE RIM TO THE TIRE TREAD. THE TIRE WILL BE TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT ON 09/04/03. THE TIRES HAVE LESS THAN 12,000 MILE OF WEAR ON THEM. *AK

Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage
Filed Aug 6, 2002OH

BOTH OF MY REAR SEATBELTS, WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN USED VERY OFTEN, HAVE BROKE. THE FIRST BROKE A WHILE BACK. WE DON'T USE THIS CAR TO TRANSPORT OUR CHILDREN VERY MUCH, AND I'M SURPRISED THAT THEY BOTH BROKE. PART OF ME SUSPECTS THAT TOYOTA PUT IN A CHEAPER SEATBELT ASSEMBLY ASSUMING THAT THE BACK SEAT IN A SPORTS CAR WOULD NOT BE USED ALL THAT OFTEN. THE DEALERSHIP I WENT TO(BRUNSWICK AUTO MART) WANTED TO REPLACE THE SEAT BELTS, CITING IT AS A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT TOYOTA SAYS NO. MY IMPRESSION WAS THAT IT WAS NOT THAT UNCOMMON OF A PROBLEM, AND I THINK IT SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION.*AK

Air Bags › FrontalCrash1 injured
Filed Feb 7, 2000CO

UPON A FRONT END COLLISION AT 45 MPH WITH OVER 4500.00 WORTH OR DAMAGE THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHICH CAUSED SERIOUS INJURIES TO MYSELF. THEN AFTER REPAIRS THE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OFF SHOWING A FAILURE THAT THEY WERE NOW INOPERABLE YOU TAKE YOUR PICK WHICH IS WORSE!

Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage
Filed Aug 9, 1999MD

PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT ANCHOR LOOSENED AND DETACHED. AND MY THROTTLE STICKS IN THE CLOSED POSITION MAKING CITY-TRAFFIC DRIVING A REAL MOTHER. CHEERS AND HAVE A NICE DAY NOW!

Air Bags
Filed Jul 23, 1999FL

THE AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON DUE TO A DEFECTIVE AIRBAG UNIT WHICH BURNED OUT AND WON'T DEPLOY IN EVENT OF A CRASH, SO IT WONT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Mar 26, 1999MA

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH HAD A DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED, BUT NOT THE PASSENGER'S AIRBAG WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Oct 20, 1998GA

RIGHT REAR ABS BRAKES FAILED.

Suspension › Front
Filed Sep 16, 1998PA

VEHICLE SEVERELY PULLS TO THE LEFT, EVEN AFTER FRONT END ALIGNMENTS.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited SlipCrash1 injured
Filed Aug 26, 1996IN

WIFE DRIVING VEHICLE, HAD SEAT BELT ON, COMING TO A STOP LIGHT, TOUCHED BRAKES (ABS) TO SLOW DOWN, VEHICLE SHIFTED TO RIGHT AND THEN SPUN AROUND, VEHICLE THEN HIT LAMP POLE, AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND BURST WINDSHIELD.*AK

Air Bags › FrontalCrash1 injured
Filed Jan 29, 1996ND

WHEN INVOLVED IN A LOW SPEED COLLISION BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND PASSENGER AIR BAG SHATTERED WINDSHIELD AND SHREADED AIR BAG. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT

Air Bags › FrontalCrash1 injured
Filed May 17, 1995CA

CAR WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. TT

14 of 14 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20054100Routine
20044000Routine
200317100Routine
200229100Routine
200147100Routine
2000106323Fatalities reported
199910100Routine
19985100Routine
19978010Routine
19969100Routine
199522001Fatalities reported
1994 — this page14000Routine
199313110Routine
199221120Routine
199127120Routine
199029220Routine

Compare every Celica year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.