Reliability & cost of ownership
Toyota Celica Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Toyota Celica? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Toyota Celica problems by model year
10 recall entries and 261 owner complaints on file across 11 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Celica | 1 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 Celica | 0 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Celica | 1 | 17 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Celica | 1 | 29 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Celica | 1 | 47 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 Celica | 3 | 106 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1999 Celica | 1 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 Celica | 1 | 5 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 Celica | 0 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1996 Celica | 1 | 9 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 Celica | 0 | 22 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Toyota Celica, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- engine and engine cooling61 complaints
- air bags36 complaints
- power train33 complaints
- vehicle speed control26 complaints
- structure22 complaints
- tires17 complaints
- fuel system14 complaints
- service brakes14 complaints