Illustration(1) AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT WHILE AVOIDING COLLISION WITH A DEER. ACCIDENT CAUSED SEVERE FRONT END DAMAGE AND BENDING OF THE UNI-BODY FRAME. (2) FAILURE OF AIR-BAGS TO DEPLOY. (3) NO CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TAKEN AS THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. SOME PARTS HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF, IE. ASSORTED TRIM AND THE FRONT FENDERS.
1996 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: 10 of 40 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.
- Air Bags. 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 →
- Suspension. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
11 crash reports4 fire reports8 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
7 reportsWHILE DRIVING 45MPPH HAD A HEAD-ON COLLISION AND DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE, CAUSING SERIOUS INJURIES.*AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG DURING VEHICLE COLLISION.
DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING FRONT END COLLISION. HIT DIVIDER AT 60 MPH AND BOUNCED INTO GUARDRAIL. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES.
AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY DURING A 35 MPH FRONTAL IMPACT.
DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING FRONT END COLLISION, VEHICLE HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED, VEHICLE #1 GOING UPHILL 25 MPH. OWNER WILL PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION, NOT CHECKED BY DEALER. *AK
DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING FRONT END COLLISION; HIT ANOTHER SLIGHTLY MOVING VEHICLE AT INTERSECTION, SPEED 40 MPH. *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.