What breaks most · 1990 to 2003 model years
Toyota Toyota problems by year
Owners have filed 81 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Toyota across model years 1990 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2002 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2003 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2000 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1993, 1990 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 2002, 2003, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1993, 1990, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 811990 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200226 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 71 fires · 4 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 36kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Child Seat (1) | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (5) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 26 | 3 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (4) |
What fails on the 2002 Toyota Toyota
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 15% |
4 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 15% |
4 | 0 | Shop all latches and locks parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 15% |
4 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 12% |
3 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 8% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Parking Brake | 8% |
2 | 2 | — |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 8% |
2 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure 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.
-
The vehicle did not move out of gear, and if it did move out of gear, it abruptly down shifted to second gear while driving.*ak 2002 toyota spyder) *jb
-
2003 toyota 4dr. Consumer states unintended acceleration. *tgw the consumer stated she was attempting to park when the vehicle suddenly accelerated and struck a fence. The consumer believed the accelerator was stuck. *jb
-
Complete engine failure at 21,000 miles. Main bearings, cross-hatching gone from cyclinders walls, water pump leaking. *jb
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 Toyota years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2002, 2003, 2000 carry the most filings on the Toyota Toyota. The 2002 alone has 26 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Toyota Toyota problem?
On the 2002 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 4 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Toyota problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Toyota complaints that include mileage is about 36,000 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.