Total Complaints
9 filings
Toyota Tercel · model year
1983 Toyota Tercel
9 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 9
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1983 Toyota Tercel posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 37%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1983ToyotaTercel carries 9 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.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1983 Tercel is electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1) and suspension:front:macpherson strut (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 1983 Tercel, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
9
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1983 Toyota Tercel
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
19981211ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
AT STOP SIGNS VEHICLE'S ENGINE CONTINUALLY STALLS EXTENSIVE REPAIRS TO FAULTY COMPONENTS DID NOT RECTIFY STALLING CONDITIONS.
19981211SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT
FRONT STRUTS FAILED.
19981211ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
WATER PUMP FAILED.
19981211ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
SPARK PLUGS AND DISTRIBUTOR CAP AND ROTOR REPLACED DUE TO STALLING.
19981211FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
FUEL PUMP FAILED.
19981211ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
STARTER FAILED.
19981211ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
ALTERNATOR BELT FAILED.
19981211SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
BRAKE HOSES FAILED.
19950615ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
ALTERNATOR FAILED TWICE. *AW
Compare 1983ToyotaTercel to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1983 Toyota Tercel have?▼
The 1983 Toyota Tercel has 9 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1983 Toyota Tercel?▼
The most-complained component for the 1983 Toyota Tercel is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT.
Is the 1983 Toyota Tercel 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.
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1983 Toyota Tercel; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.