TOYOTA VAN · model year

1989 TOYOTA VAN

3 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1989TOYOTAVAN carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1989 VAN is electrical system:wiring:front underhood with 1 filings, followed by latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch (1) and vehicle speed control:linkages (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 1989 VAN, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

3
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

3 filings

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

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES1

Recent Complaints

20000518CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

ACCELERATOR LINKAGE COVER LOCATED BETWEEN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE GAS PEDAL, CAUSED A REAR END CRASH BECAUSE DRIVER'S FOOT CAUGHT ON THE COVER, AND WAS NOT ABLE TO PUSH ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. VAN WAS TOTALLED IN THE CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

19990408LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

INNER DOOR LOCK RELASE FAILED.

19951219FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, UNDER THE HOOD, ELECTRICAL SHORT. TT

Compare 1989TOYOTAVAN to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1989 TOYOTA VAN have?
The 1989 TOYOTA VAN has 3 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 TOYOTA VAN?
The most-complained component for the 1989 TOYOTA VAN is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES.
Is the 1989 TOYOTA VAN 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 as of 2025. 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.