1997 Toyota Tercel

No photo available — body style shown for reference.

The Verdict

Worst problem area

Airbags & Restraints

Airbags & Restraints leads by volume: 10 of 20 complaints (50%) mention it.

Complaints filed fell from 40 in 1996 to 20 in 1997.

Fuel cost, fuel economy, and complaint history by model-yearScroll sideways to see all 5 years. Fuel figures show the range across trims for years with more than one EPA-rated configuration.
Category	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	vs. 1997 Subcompact Cars
Annual fuel cost ($)	2,000–2,150	1,950–2,150	2,000–2,300	2,100–2,300	2,000–2,300
Combined MPG	29–31	29–32	27–31	27–30	27–31
City / Highway MPG	26–28 / 32–35	26–29 / 32–36	25–28 / 31–35	25–27 / 30–35	25–28 / 30–36
CO₂ tailpipe (g/mi)	287–306	278–306	287–329	296–329	287–329
Complaints filed	51	40	20	3	1	Not compared
Recalls issued	2	2	2	1	1	Not compared
Crash-involved complaints	21	11	5	1	1	Not compared
Fire-involved complaints	1	4	0	0	0	Not compared
Injuries reported	15	15	6	0	1	Not compared
Deaths reported	0	0	0	0	1	Not compared
Configurations compared	4	4	3	3	3

2 NHTSA recall campaigns as of Sep 16, 2026. Check your VIN with NHTSA to see whether one applies to your car.

Airbags & Restraints: 10 of 20 NHTSA complaints (50%) mention it.

EPA rates it 27–31 MPG combined across 3 configurations.

EPA estimates $2,000–$2,300 a year in fuel costs, using EPA's assumptions.

Every EPA-rated configuration on this page, one row each.A number tagged (low) or (high) is this page’s own cost-table figure of that name, above.
Configuration	Transmission	Cylinders	Displacement	Drivetrain	Fuel Type	Vehicle Class	City	Highway	Combined	Annual Fuel Cost	CO₂
Configuration 1	Automatic 3-spd	4	1.5L	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Subcompact Cars	25 mpg (low)	31 mpg (low)	27 mpg (low)	$2,300 (high)	329 g/mi (high)
Configuration 2	Automatic 4-spd	4	1.5L	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Subcompact Cars	26 mpg	34 mpg	29 mpg	$2,150	306 g/mi
Configuration 3	Manual 5-spd	4	1.5L	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Subcompact Cars	28 mpg (high)	35 mpg (high)	31 mpg (high)	$2,000 (low)	287 g/mi (low)

Complaints by category, in the same fixed order on every page
Category	Complaints	Crash-Involved	Injuries
Engine	3	0	0
Transmission & Drivetrain	0	0	0
Fuel System	0	0	0
Electrical	0	0	0
Brakes	2	0	3
Steering	0	0	0
Suspension, Wheels & Tires	4	0	2
Airbags & Restraints	10	5	3
Driver Assistance & Speed Control	0	0	0
Body, Seats & Latches	1	0	0
Visibility & Lighting	1	0	0
Other	0	0	0

A complaint that names more than one category is counted in each, so the rows can add up to more than the total number of complaints.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS · Campaign 08E050000 · Aug 14, 2008
Defect: K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Consequence: WITHOUT THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS, THE LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY BE AFFECTED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING · Campaign 06E026000 · Mar 23, 2006
Defect: CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Consequence: WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.