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.
1994 Toyota Celica
Owners filed 14 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags › frontal. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags › Frontal | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Tires › Sidewall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension › Front | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsTL* 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.
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
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
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
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!
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!
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
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
RIGHT REAR ABS BRAKES FAILED.
VEHICLE SEVERELY PULLS TO THE LEFT, EVEN AFTER FRONT END ALIGNMENTS.
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
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
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| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2004 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2003 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2002 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2001 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2000 | 106 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Fatalities reported |
| 1999 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1998 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1997 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1996 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1995 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1994 — this page | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1993 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1992 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 1991 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 1990 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
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.