"How reliable is the 1990 Toyota Celica?"

"Based on 34 NHTSA complaints, the 1990 Toyota Celica has a median complaint mileage of 109000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL."

"What are common problems with the 1990 Toyota Celica?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1990 Toyota Celica is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, accounting for a significant portion of the 34 total complaints filed."

1990 Toyota Celica: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 34 complaints

Total Complaints

109,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

20,000 25th Percentile

109,000 Median Mileage

125,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

AIR BAGS

EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CAR WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY THE SPEED LIMIT WAS 30 MPH. TT"

"SEATBELT BUCKLE SPRING BROKE, THEREFORE BUCKLE DOES NOT LATCH SECURELY. TT"

"NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S AIR BAG DURING ACCIDENT, RESULTING IN INJURIES. *SKD"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 7 NC: 4 MD: 4 HI: 4 VA: 3 OH: 2 IL: 2 NM: 1 PA: 1 IN: 1

Who Files Complaints?

17.6%

Original Owners

82.4%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Celica — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	35	-	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	9
1992	24	-	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	13
1994	24	108,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	7
1995	25	92,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	9
2000	130	68,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	15
2001	55	90,500	ENGINE	10
2002	37	65,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	21
2003	21	47,800	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	1

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28