2004 Toyota Celica: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2004 Toyota Celica
Only 4 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 2004 Toyota Celica, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported complete transmission failure.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 70k | — | 0.1 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$900 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 14k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Complete transmission failure
At around 70,000 miles (around jan 2012), my celica (manual transmission) began slipping out of 3rd gear, sporadically. I consulted with a toyota dealership about the problem, and they told me the most effective way of fixing the problem was to replace the whole transmission (given how labor-intensive opening the transmission is). Given the low mileage (I'm now at 79,000), I'm outraged! I called customer experience center, and they told me they would not assist in repairs because I was past the 60,000 warranty. I asked the person who took my call if he would agree that it was ridiculous that my car could fall apart at 60,001 with no recourse, and he said, "I would agree that it's ridiculous." it costs $2288.82 for a new transmission, plus around $1036 to install. The car now won't stay in 3rd gear at all now. So, I've been bypassing the 3rd gear, knowing that I'm on borrowed time. *tr
Other brake problem
2/5 had calipers, rotors, brake pads replaced. 11/30/05 took it to a repair shop said I needed all this repaired again. I spoke to toyota dealership took it to the dealer for an inspection stated to my significant other I drive to fast. So therefore it was deemed as wear and tear. I then spoke over the phone to toyota new england rep and she said it was normal wear as well. I had 2 other service providers tell me that its not normal wear and tear because of the way I drive. *jb
Every year of the Toyota Celica
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2000-2005 generation, 2003 Toyota Celica scores best at 62 and 2002 Toyota Celica worst at 71.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2004 Toyota Celica are complete transmission failure (1 report, around 70k miles), seat belt or retractor failure (1 report), other brake problem (1 report, around 14k miles) and other speed control problem (1 report). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Other years of the same model do have enough: 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. The mechanical parts are often shared across those years, so their pages are the better guide to what this one is likely to do, with the caveat that a shared part is not a shared production line.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed