TOYOTA CELICA · model year

1999 TOYOTA CELICA

11 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1999TOYOTACELICA carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1999 CELICA is tires:tread/belt with 3 filings, followed by seat belts (2) and visibility:sun/moon roof assembly (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 1999 CELICA, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

11
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
TIRES:TREAD/BELT3
SEAT BELTS2
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM1
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION1
TIRES1
AIR BAGS1

Recent Complaints

20200415AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA CELICA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V03300 (AIR BAGS), HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. HAMER TOYOTA (11041 SEPULVEDA BLVD., MISSION HILLS, CA 91345, (818) 365-9621) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE REMEDY PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

20150622SEAT BELTS

THE SEAT BELT STOPPED ROLLING AND LOOSE. THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING REGARDLESS OF AGE. MY SON BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION ON JUNE 21, 2015.

Mileage: 100,000

20150622SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA CELICA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT, WHICH CAUSED THE SEAT BELT TO BECOME LOOSE. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. UPDATED 09/03/15*LJ UPDATED 12/16/2015 *JS

Mileage: 100,000

20080811TIRES

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA CELICA. THE VEHICLE HAS COOPER LIFELINER TOURING SLE TIRES, SIZE 205/55R16. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO WOBBLE ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE METAL BELT BUSTED THROUGH AND THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRES. APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS LATER, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE. APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK LATER, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE FAILED AS WELL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 156,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.

Mileage: 155,000

20070619POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA CELICA. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE STOPPED AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AS OF JUNE 19, 2007, THE TRANSMISSION HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 6,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,500.

Mileage: 5,500

20040818FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPUTTERS WHILE DRIVING WHEN GEARS SHIFT. THIS OCCURS BECAUSE THE 1ST CYLINDER IS ONLY OPERATING AT 1/2 ITS PRESSURE CAPACITY. A MECHANIC INDICATED THAT THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY A CRACKED O-RING. *AK

Mileage: 60,000

20020726STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

THE CONVERTIBLE TOP LEAKS WHEN WASHED. ALSO THE PINS THAT HOLD THE TOP TOGETHER HAVE COME APART.*AK

20020514TIRES:TREAD/BELT

CONSUMER STATES TREAD ON TIRES IS VERY UNSTABLE AND ROCKY, VEHICLE CONSTANTLY PULLS TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT EVEN AFTER A WHEEL ALIGNEMENT, VEHICLE SHAKES UNCONROLLABLY AT 80 MPH, AND THERE IS NO PICK UP WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS FLOORED, CONSUMER HAS COMPLAINED TO DEALERSHIP AND NO ONE IS ABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM.(MICHELIN TIRES P2055R15)*JB

20011113TIRES:TREAD/BELT

CONSUMER STATES TREAD ON TIRES IS VERY UNSTABLE AND ROCKY, VEHICLE CONSTANTLY PULLS TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT EVEN AFTER A WHEEL ALIGNEMENT, VEHICLE SHAKES UNCONROLLABLY AT 80 MPH, AND THERE IS NO PICK UP WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS FLOORED, CONSUMER HAS COMPLAINED TO DEALERSHIP AND NO ONE IS ABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM.(MICHELIN TIRES P2055R15)*JB

20010613TIRES:TREAD/BELT

ORIGINAL MANUFACTURED EQUIPMENT ON A 1999, TOYOTA, CELICA ,TIRE SIZE P20555R15. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY TREAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM SIDEWALL. NO COLLISION AND NO INJURIES. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE GOODYEAR EAGLE GT TIRE TREAD ON THE LEFT REAR LAUNCHED 50 FEET ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND ALL THAT REMAINED WERE THE TWO SIDEWALLS. *SLC

19990611VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

SUN ROOF LEAKS IN A HEAVY RAIN STORM OR IF VEHICLE IS TAKEN THROUGH A CAR WASH. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

Compare 1999TOYOTACELICA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1999 TOYOTA CELICA have?
The 1999 TOYOTA CELICA has 11 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 TOYOTA CELICA?
The most-complained component for the 1999 TOYOTA CELICA is TIRES:TREAD/BELT with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS and VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY.
Is the 1999 TOYOTA CELICA safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.