Total Complaints
12 filings
Toyota Tercel · model year
1984 Toyota Tercel
12 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports. 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
- 12
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1984 Toyota Tercel posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 42%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1984ToyotaTercel carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 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 1984 Tercel is engine and engine cooling:engine with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (2) and visibility:windshield (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 1984 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.
12
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1984 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
2 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 |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | 1 |
Recent Complaints
19960930CrashENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
VEHICLE STALLED, CAUSING ACCIDENT. (NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE REPORT)
19960815CrashENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
VEHICLE STALLED, CAUSING ACCIDENT.(NEW JERSEY POLICE REPORT)*SD
19960725EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
AIR CONDITIONER REPAIRED. *SD
19960725SUSPENSION:FRONT
MISALIGNMENT, CAUSING POOR DIRECTIONAL. *SD
19960725ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
MOTOR MOUNTS REPLACED. *SD
19960725POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION FAILED. *SD
19960725ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
ENGINE FAILED. *SD
19960725SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
BRAKES REPAIRED. *SD
19960725STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
TIE RODS REPAIRED. *SD
19950822SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
THE BACK SEATBELTS WILL NOT RETRACT. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
19950816STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE REAR RUSTED OUT AND IT ALMOST CAUSED THE REAR WHEEL WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
19950601VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
REAR DRIVER'S SIDE GLASS WINDOW OPENED SO FAR; ATTEMPTED TO OPEN WIDER; WINDOW BROKE/SHATTERED INTO LOTS OF LITTLE PIECES. TT
Compare 1984ToyotaTercel to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1984 Toyota Tercel have?▼
The 1984 Toyota Tercel has 12 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1984 Toyota Tercel?▼
The most-complained component for the 1984 Toyota Tercel is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD.
Is the 1984 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 1984 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.