"How reliable is the 2002 Toyota Celica?"

"Based on 37 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Toyota Celica has a median complaint mileage of 65000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Toyota Celica?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Toyota Celica is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, accounting for a significant portion of the 37 total complaints filed."

2002 Toyota Celica: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 37 complaints

Total Complaints

65,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

21,000 25th Percentile

65,000 Median Mileage

89,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

AIR BAGS

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

STRUCTURE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK *JG"

"2002 CELICA GT IS CONSUMING 3/4 OF A QUART OF OIL EVERY 1000 MILES. TOYOTA SAYS THAT THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM THAT IT MUST CONSUMER 1 QUART EVERY 1200 MILE TO OK A ENGINE TEARDOWN FOR REPAIR. MY CAR IS ON TRACK TO USE 2.63 QUARTS OF OIL EVERY OIL CHANGE OF 3500 MILES. THE RECOMMENDED INTERVAL BY THE ..."

"DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM, BUT INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. MAYBE I NEEDED TO BE SERIOUSLY INJURED? DT"

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

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