1990 Toyota Celica problems & reliability
29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 Toyota Celica. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
6 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1990 Toyota Celica vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 11 | 38% |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 17% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 7% |
| Equipment | 2 | 7% |
| Structure | 2 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“"takata recall" I have a 1990 toyota celica gt, my airbag light came on back around 2003, I took it to the local toyota dealership to have it fixed. A service member came out to my car with a handheld device and plugged it into the car. Bottom line, he tried several times to reset the airbag with no success. My airbag…”
Air Bags · filed Jan 10, 2016
“My 1990 toyota celica st was in an accident in san leandro feb 22, 2003. I was staying in fremont, ca. My air bag burst open and the chemicals burned my face and arms. I went to the emergency room at washington hospital, fremont,ca. *tr”
Air Bags · filed Jun 10, 2011
“Tl*the contact owns a 1990 toyota celica. While driving at any speed, the contact stated that the vehicle would stall. He was able to restart the vehicle and then it would perform as normal. The contact did not inform the dealer or manufacturer due to the age of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed May 6, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
28 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1990 Toyota Celica. The 10 most recent:
TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2023 model year vehicles may be…
TSB003220 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 17, 2023
POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be…
Toyota PRO19-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2022
TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2021 model year vehicles may be…
T-SB-0032-20 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 3, 2021
TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 07, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0032-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates
T-SB-0304-17 Obs · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2020
TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. PG021-88, PG015-89, PG0015-90, PG002-91, PG002-93, PG005-97, PG007-01, PG007-07, PG006-01, PG004-97, T-SB-0144-08, and…
T-SB-0032-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 6, 2020
Technical Service Bulletin: OBSOLETE NOTICE: July 31, 2018: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0304-17.
PG006-01-Obsolet · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2018
Technical Service Bulletin: OBSOLETE NOTICE: July 31, 2018: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0304-17.
PG004-97-Obsolet · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2018
TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 31, 2018 Rev2: ? The Supersession Notice has been updated. January 11, 2018 Rev1: ? The Supersession Notice has been updated. Any previous printed versions of this bulletin should be discarded…
T-SB-0304-17_Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 31, 2018
TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. PG021-88, PG015-89, PG0015-90, PG002-91, PG002-93, PG005-97, PG007-01, PG007-07, and T-SB-0144-08. Service Bulletin…
T-SB-0304-17_Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 11, 2018
TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE November 21, 2017: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0304-17.
T-SB-0144-08_Obs · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 21, 2017
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1990 Toyota Celica in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1990 Toyota Celica?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.