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Toyota Tercel Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 320 owner complaints across 21 model years of the Toyota Tercel (1980–2000). The most-complained-about year is 1995.

2
safety recalls, all years
320
owner complaints, all years
1980
year with most recalls
1995
year with most complaints

Pick your Toyota Tercel model year

Model yearRecallsComplaints
2000 Toyota Tercel01
1999 Toyota Tercel01
1998 Toyota Tercel03
1997 Toyota Tercel020
1996 Toyota Tercel040
1995 Toyota Tercel051
1994 Toyota Tercel040
1993 Toyota Tercel043
1992 Toyota Tercel024
1991 Toyota Tercel017
1990 Toyota Tercel119
1989 Toyota Tercel122
1988 Toyota Tercel18
1987 Toyota Tercel113
1986 Toyota Tercel06
1985 Toyota Tercel03
1984 Toyota Tercel05
1983 Toyota Tercel02
1982 Toyota Tercel12
1981 Toyota Tercel10
1980 Toyota Tercel10

What Toyota Tercel owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 320 complaints with NHTSA. The 1995 model year has the most, with 51.

All Toyota Tercel recalls (2)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Toyota Tercel, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

  1. Headlights (exterior lighting)

    NHTSA 92V111000 Reported 360,399 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR CO., LTD.

    There can be interference with the headlamp housing if headlamp bulbs are replaced with any brand other than koito brand bulbs.

    Remedy: Toyota dealers will provide a new koito brand bulb with no charge if a non-koito brand bulb is now installed, or should a headlamp bulb burn out in the future. "caution labels" will also be placed on each headlamp…

    Model years: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990

  2. Suspension: rear

    NHTSA 86V038000 Reported 359,000 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR CO., LTD.

    The lower control arms, which support the rear wheels, are subject to corrosion if operated in areas where a large amount of road salt is used to aid in snow and ice removal. Consequence of defect: continuous exposure to road salt may cause corrosion failure of the lower control arm affecting vehicle operation; this could result in loss…

    Remedy: Rust proof or replace lower control arms. (owner notification will begin in may 1986).

    Model years: 1980, 1981, 1982

Other Toyota models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.