The 1998 Toyota Celica has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 138,842 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS20V0330002020-01-22138,842 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 1998-2000 RAV4, 1998-1999 RAV4 EV and Celica and 1997-1998 Supra vehicles. These vehicles were equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) and do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a…
Consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant, and increases the risk of serious injury or death.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and owners will have the option to self-inspect, or have a dealer inspect the steering wheel on their vehicle to determine if their vehicle may be equipped with an affected inflator. Potentially affected steering wheel serial numbers will be inspected by a dealer. Based on the inspection,…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD
1
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
1
TIRES
1
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
1
Total complaints8
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Toyota has failed to notify me of the faulty airbag recall and has failed to fix the faulty airbag and in addition, my car is stalling without cause.”
“Toyota has failed to notify me of the faulty airbag recall and has failed to fix the faulty airbag and in addition, my car is stalling without cause.”
“Tl* the contact owns cooper life liner sle tires p205/55r 15 on a 1998 toyota celica. The contact stated while driving 65 mph the vehicle started shaking randomly, so the contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact looked at the tires and saw no damages. The contact rubbed her hand on…”
“The rear window of the convertible was designed such that raising and lowering the automatic top was not given enough clearance. As a result the back window of the vehicle repeatedly rubs against the sharp top of the rear seat upon opening and closing. This causes the rear window to disengage from…”
“Driving for 10 minutes in the car threw a rod, cracked the block, sheards of metal thru oil pan & water coolant system. Also rod dented hood so body work being required. Over $5500 damage on a 4 year old car! Mr”
“Driving for 10 minutes in the car threw a rod, cracked the block, sheards of metal thru oil pan & water coolant system. Also rod dented hood so body work being required. Over $5500 damage on a 4 year old car! Mr”
“Driving for 10 minutes in the car threw a rod, cracked the block, sheards of metal thru oil pan & water coolant system. Also rod dented hood so body work being required. Over $5500 damage on a 4 year old car! Mr”
“Windshield motor was working but the wiper blades were not operable. Consumer contacted the dealership, and they told her that warranty had expired. *ak”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP02004 Opened 2002-04-30 · closed 2002-06-20
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Toyota Celica as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.