Total Complaints
25 filings
TOYOTA TERCEL · model year
25 NHTSA complaints, 7 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
The 1997TOYOTATERCEL carries 25 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 7 crashes, 0 fires, 10 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 1997 TERCEL is air bags:frontal with 6 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (3) and seat belts:front:retractor (2). 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 1997 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.
Total Complaints
25 filings
Crashes Reported
7 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 6 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 3 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 2 |
| TIRES | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS | 2 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| TIRES:SIDEWALL | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:REAR WINDOW | 1 |
BOTH THE DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLES AREN'T WORKING PROPERLY. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU THINK YOU'RE BUCKLED IN THE SEAT BELT WILL RELEASE ALL OF A SUDDEN.
BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELTS STOPPED WORKING ABOUT THE SAME TIME. I WOULD BUCKLE MYSELF UP AND MY PASSENGER WOULD THE SEAT BUCKLE POP'S RIGHT OUT OF THE ANCHOR. I AM BREAKING THE LAW EVERY TIME I GET IN MY CAR. I CAN NOT GO ON HIGHWAYS OR FREEWAYS. I CAN NOT HAVE A PASSENGER RIDE IN THE FRONT SEAT.
Mileage: 150,000
WHILE I WAS ADDING OIL TO THE ENGINE OF MY 1997 TOYOTA TERCEL, I NOTICED A BOLT ATTACHING THE BELT ASSEMBLY TO THE ENGINE WAS STICKING OUT 4 OR 5 INCHES PAST THE BELT ASSEMBLY, RUBBING AGAINST A HOSE. IT DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT, SO I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO TIGHTENED IT BACK UP. HE SAID THE BOLT HAD JUST "WORKED ITSELF LOOSE". MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS LOOSE BOLT IS INDICATIVE OF A MORE SERIOUS PROBLEM, OR THAT SOMEONE HAS BEEN TAMPERING WITH MY CAR. THE CAR HAS AROUND 159,000 MILES ON IT. *TR
Mileage: 159,000
WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS PASSING THROUGH AND BOTH VEHICLE COLLIDED.UPON IMPACT AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE IS LEAKING OIL FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. *AK
THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AFTER IMPACT. *NLM
ALL WINDOWS VEHICLE GET FOGGY ALL THE TIME FOR NO REASON AT ALL. TS. *AK
THE ENTIRE TIRE JUST BLEW APART. BOTH SIDWALLS CAME AWAY FROM THE TREAD. I HAVE PICTURES I CAN EMAIL IF ANYBODY WANTS THEM.*AK
THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE BUMPED AN EMPTY CONSTRUCTION BARREL, AS A A RESULT THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED CAUSING LOSS OF VISIBILITY CAUSING THE DRIVER TO STRIKE A CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE, THE CONSUMER FEELS THE AIR BAG SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED WITH JUST SLIGHT IMPACT. NLM
TRACKING IS GONE ON FRONT SEAT. LATCH WILL NOT HOLD AND SEAT WILL SLIDE BACK AND FORTH WHEN COMING TO A STOP. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER CHECKED SEAT, AND STATED NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE ITS OUT OF WARRANTY.*AK
THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE BUMPED AN EMPTY CONSTRUCTION BARREL, AS A A RESULT THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED CAUSING LOSS OF VISIBILITY CAUSING THE DRIVER TO STRIKE A CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE, THE CONSUMER FEELS THE AIR BAG SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED WITH JUST SLIGHT IMPACT. NLM
1995 CHEVROLET 1500 PICKUP RAN STOP SIGN, TERCEL BROADSIDED THE TRUCK AT 30 MPH. DESPITE HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE STRAIGHT ON, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED IN THE CAR. THE TERCEL WAS TOTALLED AND DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES FROM THE SEATBELT. *AK
1995 CHEVROLET 1500 PICKUP RAN STOP SIGN, TERCEL BROADSIDED THE TRUCK AT 30 MPH. DESPITE HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE STRAIGHT ON, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED IN THE CAR. THE TERCEL WAS TOTALLED AND DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES FROM THE SEATBELT. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON A MAIN ROAD AND ANOTHER VEHICLE RAN STOP SIGN AND HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AND DUAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T GO OFF, CONSUMER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. *AK ALSO VEHICLE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN IN ACCIDENT WHERE THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *SLC
OIL IS LEAKING ONTO THE GROUND.DEALER ATTEMPTED TO FIX VEHICLE, BUT DEFECT STILL OCCURS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
CONSUMER BELIEVES DEALER COST TO INSTALL AIR BAG ON/OFF SWITCH IS TOO MUCH. NLM
TIRE PRESSURE TOO HIGH WHEN DELIVERED CAUSING POOR STEERING CONTROL.
CONSUMER WAS INVOVLED IN AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE WAS STRUCK ON BOTH FRONT AND REAR. DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. IMPACT SPEED UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY FRONT BALL JOINTS SNAPPED, CAUSING OTHER PROBLEMS, INCLUDING RUPTURE OF BRAKE LINES. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY FRONT BALL JOINTS SNAPPED, CAUSING OTHER PROBLEMS, INCLUDING RUPTURE OF BRAKE LINES. *AK
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 1997 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.