What breaks most · 1991 to 2001 model years
Toyota Previa problems by year
Owners have filed 223 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Previa across model years 1991 to 2001. Three years stand out: 1991 for visibility complaints, 1993 for air bags complaints and 1992 for equipment and infotainment complaints. The quietest years are 1997, 1996 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 1991, 1993, 1992
- Fewest complaints: 1997, 1996, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 2231991 to 2001, all trims
- Worst year
- 199174 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 2418 fires · 26 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 146kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 3Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 3 | 2 | Visibility (17) | |
| 35 | 4 | 0 | Equipment and infotainment (5) | |
| 41 | 5 | 0 | Air bags (8) | |
| 19 | 1 | 0 | Seat belts (6) | |
| 30 | 7 | 0 | Air bags (8) | |
| 11 | 2 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (3) | |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | Engine and cooling (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (1) |
What fails on the 1991 Toyota Previa
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 23% |
17 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 1991 Toyota Previa |
| Equipment and infotainment | 11% |
8 | 0 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 9% |
7 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1991 Toyota Previa |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 9% |
7 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1991 Toyota Previa |
| Tires | 8% |
6 | 0 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 7% |
5 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1991 Toyota Previa |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
5 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1991 Toyota Previa |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Under campaign 93v113000, dealer only replaced passenger side wiper motor/arm/pivot, driver's side was brought in, dealer says it's not under recall *ak
-
While driving brakes would make squeaking/squealing noises. The problem gets louder when air conditioner is on. Took vehicle to dealership. Mechanic informed owner the auxilliary shaft needed replacing. *ak
-
1992 toyota previa accessory shaft was replaced 4 times, at the rate of 1 every 50,000 miles. Going bad for the 5th time now. Common problem from other owners of this model.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Toyota Previa years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1991, 1993, 1992 carry the most filings on the Toyota Previa. The 1991 alone has 74 complaints, led by visibility.
What is the most common Toyota Previa problem?
On the 1991 model year, the most-reported component is visibility with 17 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Previa problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Previa complaints that include mileage is about 146,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.