IllustrationDRIVER SIDE SHOULDER SEAT BELT NEEDS REPLACEMENT. THE SEAT BEALT THREADS ARE ALL LOOSE, IS ALL TORNED APART. WEARING THE SEAT BELT IS NOT PROVIDING ANY PROTECTION AT ALL. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE IT, NOT EVEN IN OLDER AND MORE USED CARS.
1991 Toyota Tercel
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tercel years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 1 of 17 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Seat Belts. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
Seat Belts complaints
7 reportsDRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT IS JAMMED WITHIN THE RETRACTING MECHANISM, CAUSING THE SHOULDER BELT TO BECOME INOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAIL. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 5-10 MPH VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, THE RESTRAINTS DID NOT RETRACT, CAUSING THE DRIVER'S HEAD TO GO INTO THE WINDSHIELD . THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTFIED. *AK *ML
WHILE DRIVING THE SEAT BELT BROKE AND THE DRIVER WAS NOT RESTRAINED IN THE SEAT. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. THE OWNER HAD TO PAY TO HAVE THE BELT CORRECTED. OWNER THINKS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT IS RIPPING APART. THE OWNER HAS MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER . *AK
THE DRIVER'S SIDE PASSIVE RESTRAINT SHOULDER BELT WOULD FREQUENTLY NOT ALLOW THE DRIVER TO LEAN FORWARD IN SEAT; DRIVER WOULD HAVE TO PRESS HIS BODY BACK AND FORTH AGAINST THE SHOULDER BELT TO REGAIN SOME SLACKNESS IN THE SHOULDER BELT. ALSO, SHOULDER BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT FULLY, SHOULDER BELT WOULD GET CAUGHT WHEN DRIVER ATTEM…
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THE DRIVER'S SIDE PASSIVE RESTRAINT SHOULDER BELT WOULD FREQUENTLY NOT ALLOW THE DRIVER TO LEAN FORWARD IN SEAT; DRIVER WOULD HAVE TO PRESS HIS BODY BACK AND FORTH AGAINST THE SHOULDER BELT TO REGAIN SOME SLACKNESS IN THE SHOULDER BELT. ALSO, SHOULDER BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT FULLY, SHOULDER BELT WOULD GET CAUGHT WHEN DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO MANUALLY RESTRAIN. *AK
TERCEL WAS HIT HEAD ON; SHOULDER BELTS DID NOT RESTRAIN DRIVER & PASSENGER. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.