Total Complaints
9 filings
Toyota Tercel · model year
1988 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 1988 Toyota Tercel posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 32%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1988ToyotaTercel 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, 2 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 1988 Tercel is electrical system with 4 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (2) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system (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 1988 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
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1988 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 | 4 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
19990310FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VEHICLE FIRE DUE TO ELECTRICAL SHORT.
19981020FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL SHORT CAUSED VEHICLE FIRE.
19980816ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
LACK OF POWER, RUN-ON, FLAT SPOTS, WILL NOT GO WHEN ENGINE IS COLD.
19980513ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AS A RESULT OF REOCCURRING ELECTRICAL SHORT, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE.
19980316FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
KNOWN CARBURETOR PROBLEMS WITH THE VARIABLE VENTURI CARBURETOR IN THIS MODEL. VEHICLE CUTS OFF AT SPEEDS 58-62 MPH. AUTOMATICALLY RESTARTS WHEN SPEED DROPS TO APPROX. 56 MPH.
19971003ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL FIRE.
19961210ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
INTERMITTENT STALLING.
19961105STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE
REAR HATCH LEAKS IN RAIN/REAR HATCH GASKET REPLACED FOUR TIMES. *AK
19961017ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
CARBON BUILDS UP IN THE VACCUUM LINES OF THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM, CAUSING VEHICLE TO OPERATE IMPROPERLY, VEHICLE FAILED EMISSION TEST 3 TIMES. *AK
Compare 1988ToyotaTercel to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1988 Toyota Tercel have?▼
The 1988 Toyota Tercel has 9 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 Toyota Tercel?▼
The most-complained component for the 1988 Toyota Tercel is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM.
Is the 1988 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 1988 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.