Total Complaints
4 filings
TOYOTA TERCEL · model year
1998 TOYOTA TERCEL
4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. 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 1998TOYOTATERCEL carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 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 1998 TERCEL is air bags:frontal with 1 filings, followed by seat belts:front:anchorage (1) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (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 1998 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.
4
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 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 |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
Recent Complaints
19991129ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE NOISE AND HESITATION, SEVERAL REPAIR ATTEMPTS, HOWEVER UNABLE TO RECTIFY. MJS
19991129EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
AIR CONDITION INSTALLED AND IS CONTINUALLY EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. MJS
19990429SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
SEAT BELT FAILURE. *YC
19990108CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 35MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS REARENDED BY THE TERCEL. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
Compare 1998TOYOTATERCEL to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1998 TOYOTA TERCEL have?▼
The 1998 TOYOTA TERCEL has 4 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 TOYOTA TERCEL?▼
The most-complained component for the 1998 TOYOTA TERCEL is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1998 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.
Vehicle Safety Guides
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 1998 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.