Model year record
The 2001 Toyota Celica has 1 safety recall and 47 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (14 complaints).
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
| Frontal crash | Not Rated |
|---|---|
| Side crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover | Not Rated |
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
| City / highway | 25 / 32 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,400/year to fuel
| City / highway | 24 / 30 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,500/year to fuel
| City / highway | 20 / 29 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Premium Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Manual 6-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,550/year to fuel
| City / highway | 20 / 27 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Premium Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S4) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,550/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and engine coolingEngine; Engine › Gasoline | 14 | 96,000 mi |
| Engine | 8 | 124,000 mi |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 66,727 mi |
| StructureBody › Hatchback/liftgate › Support device/strut; Body | 5 | 30,000 mi |
| Power trainManual transmission | 5 | 96,000 mi |
| Tires | 4 | — |
| Air bagsFrontal | 4 | 61,055 mi |
| Seat beltsFront | 3 | — |
| Service brakes, hydraulicFoundation components | 2 | — |
| SuspensionFront | 1 | — |
| VisibilityDefroster/defogger/hvac system | 1 | — |
| Unknown or other | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
THIS ENGINE HAS A KNOWN OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE. IT CAN CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE AT ANY GIVEN TIME. I HAVE HAD A MOTOR COMPLETELY FAIL WHILE ON THE FREEWAY WITH A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER DUE TO OIL LEVELS RUNNING DRY. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTAS RECALL DEPARTMENT ANT THEY SAID UNLESS NHTSA MAKES THIS A RECALL THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR OWNERS OF THESE CARS. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THIS HAPPENS TO SOMEONE AND THEY LOSE THEIR LIFE OVER A POORLY DESIGNED MOTOR. PLEASE HELP WITH THIS ISSUE BEFORE IT DOES LEAD TO LOSS OF LIFE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA CELICA. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE GEAR SHIFTIER DID NOT WORK AND MADE A GRINDING NOISE. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER APPROXIMATELY SEVEN YEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 72,000.
SINCE THE RECALLS HAVE CAME OUT FOR THE CELICA OIL ISSUES MY WIFE HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET A SOLUTION FROM TOYOTA. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT HER CAR IS NOT PART OF THE ISSUE HOWEVER TSB EG 6020 HER CAR IS A PART OF THE ISSUE. I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE OF THE CARS THAT WERE RECALLED AND HERS THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME ENGINE SAME PARTS. SO BOTTOM LINE SHE SHOULD OF BEEN TAKING CAR OF BY TOYOTA AND THE ENGINE REPLACED. SHE NOW HAS A CAR THAT IS ABOUT TO CATCH ON FIRE AND NOT ABLE TO DRIVE AND FOR YEARS SHE HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET ANSWERS AND PUSHED AWAY. WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU LOOK INTO THE PARTS OF THE ENGINES THAT WERE RECALLED AND HER PARTS. YOU WILL SEE THERE ALL THE SAME.…
AS SOON AS I BOUGHT MY CAR IN MAY 2017, I REALIZED THAT MY CAR WAS RUNNING OUT OF OIL SUPER FAST. I CHECKED TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY LEAKS OR PROBLEMS, BUT THERE WERE NONE. TO THIS DAY DEC 2018 I'VE SPENT ABOUT 2K ON OIL ALONE. I KNOW THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM IN THE CELICAS. I RECENTLY WENT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY CAR WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO EVEN BE CONSIDERED FOR THE RECALL. I HAD GOT INTO A ACCIDENT WITH A DEER ABOUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AND MY INSURANCE TOTALED MY CAR OUT. THERE WAS ONLY DAMAGE TO MY HOOD, HEADLIGHTS, AND MY BUMPER. I BOUGHT THE CAR BACK FROM THEM, BUT ALL IN ALL NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR INTERNALLY. I REALLY CAN'T AFFORD…
NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH ANYTHING NOT WORKING BUT SINCE I'VE NOTICED THE FRONT AIRBAG LIGHTS ON THE CRUISE CONTROL AND HORN HAS STOPPED WORKING DON'T KNOW IF IT COULD HAVE BEEN A RELATED ISSUE TO THE AIRBAG HAVE CHECKED THE FUSES AND ALL OF THEM WAS GOOD BUT MY HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL HAS STOPPED WORKING. ONE OTHER THING I HAVE NOTICED AND ABOUT MY CELICA IS THEY CAR VIBRATIONS HAVE MADE THE DOOR BOLTS COME LOOSE DOOR STAYS SHUT BUT VERY NOTICEABLE CAUSE THE DOOR LIGHTS STAY ON AND YOU COULD SEE WHERE THE INTERIOR LIGHTS IS OFF BUT ONCE YOUR DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE INTERIOR LIGHTS START BLINKING AND HAVE TO TIGHTEN THEM UP EVER SO OFTEN SO THIS INCIDENT DON'T HAPPEN. *TR
JUST ANOTHER BURNING OIL COMPLAINT HERE. I BOUGHT THIS CAR AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MY TAHOE FOR WHEN I DRIVE 1.5 HOUR AWAY FOR WORK. I WASN'T EXPECTING TO HAVE TO PUT IN NEARLY A QUART OF OIL WITH EVERY TRIP. SEEMS TO ME LIKE THIS PISTON ISSUE IS WELL KNOWN, WELL DOCUMENTED, HEAVILY COMPLAINED ABOUT, AND THAT TOYOTA SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. THEY HAVE A REPUTATION FOR PRODUCING ENGINES THAT GO 300,000 MILES EASILY AND OURS ARE DYING OUT AT 150,000. TURNS OUT ONE OF MY FRIENDS HAD THE SAME YEAR CELICA AND THEIR ENGINE GAVE OUT ON THEM WHILE DRIVING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN DES MOINES. THIS COULD BE FATAL. HOW MANY HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF THESE CARS OUT THERE THAT COULD JUST STOP WORKING…
THE ENGINE MAKES A HORRIBLE TICKING SOUND AND CONSUMES ALMOST 4 QUARTS OF OIL FOR EVERY FOUR HUNDRED MILES I DRIVE, SO BASICALLY EVERY TIME I FILL UP WITH GAS I'M ALSO FILLING MY CAR WITH OIL. WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THIS IN 2011 I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. THEY SAID I COULD PAY THEM TO TAKE APART THE ENTIRE ENGINE, BUT THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE THEY WOULD FIND THE PROBLEM. AT FIRST I WOULD ADD AN EXTRA QUART OF OIL EVERY TIME I FILLED UP WITH GAS, BUT NOW THIS HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE - TO FOUR QUARTS FOR EVERY FOUR HUNDRED MILES. THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME AND JUST TODAY IT STARTED FLASHING. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON I…
I PURCHASED A TOYOTA CELICA 2001 WITH A 1ZZ-FE ENGINE IN MAY OF THIS YEAR 2014 AFTER ANOTHER DRIVER TOTALED MY CAR. IT GOT A FRESH OIL CHANGE FROM PEPBOYS AND CONSUMED THE OIL IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS. THIS HAS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO CREATE A LOUD CONSTANT KNOCKING SOUND OVER TIME WHICH IS ANY TIME I'M NOT GOING OVER 40 MPH AND AFTER DOING MORE RESEARCH ONLINE I SEE THAT IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE AND THE ONLY PERMANENT SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE IT WITH AN 03-05 MODEL 1ZZ-FE ENGINE. I HAVE SINCE BEEN TO A MECHANIC MULTIPLE TIMES WHO RECOMMENDED I REPLACE THE RODS TO "BUY SOME TIME" UNTIL IT DIES AND THE ANXIETY OF IT DYEING ALONG WITH THE SOUND ITS MAKING IS ENOUGH TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I…
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.