1997 Toyota Tercel Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1997 Toyota Tercel. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 25 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Both the driver side and passenger side seat belt buckles aren't working properly. Sometimes when you think you're buckled in the seat belt will release all of a sudden.”
“Both the driver and passenger side seat belts stopped working about the same time. I would buckle myself up and my passenger would the seat buckle pop's right out of the anchor. I am breaking the law every time I get in my car. I can not go on highways or freeways. I can not have a passenger ride…”
“While I was adding oil to the engine of my 1997 toyota tercel, I noticed a bolt attaching the belt assembly to the engine was sticking out 4 or 5 inches past the belt assembly, rubbing against a hose. It didn't look right, so I took it to a mechanic who tightened it back up. He said the bolt had…”
“While backing out of the driveway and without prior warning another vehicle was passing through and both vehicle collided.upon impact air bags didn't deploy. *ak”
“While traveling on the highway the vehicle is leaking oil from underneath the vehicle. *ak”
“All windows vehicle get foggy all the time for no reason at all. Ts. *ak”
“The entire tire just blew apart. Both sidwalls came away from the tread. I have pictures I can email if anybody wants them.*ak”
“The vehicle was involved in a frontal collision while driving 30 mph. The air bags deployed after impact. *nlm”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Toyota Tercel as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.