Toyota Previa Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 219 consumer complaints across the 7 model years of the Toyota Previa (1991–1997) that have at least 5 complaints. 1991 has the most, with 74. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (25 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Previa model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 9 | 130,750 | 1 | 29 | — | Not enough data |
| 1996 | 11 | 113,090 | 0 | 26 | — | Not enough data |
| 1995 | 30 | 149,000 | 0 | 27 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 19 | 136,500 | 0 | 27 | — | Stable |
| 1993 | 41 | 234,000 | 0 | 25 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 35 | 100,000 | 0 | 25 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 74 | 200,000 | 2 | 25 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling25 16%
- Brakes25 16%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)23 14%
- Air bags21 13%
- Tires18 11%
- Equipment17 11%
- Vehicle speed control16 9.9%
- Body and structure16 9.9%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1994: “I started the car and noticed that it smelled strange. I put it into reverse and started to back up when the passenger side airbag deployed, spiderwebbing the windshield and filling the cabin with a smoke that smelled intensely of the bad smell from before. There was no collision nor even contact with any thing else by the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11242055, filed 2019-08, 130,000 miles1997: “My Toyota Previa had a incident with a stuck accelerator. I was eventually able to control and stop vehicle with maximum foot brake pressure to the point of grinding brakes and turning ignition off when away from other traffic on highway. I believe this incident with the stuck accelerator and red-lining of RPM's LED to a blown head gasket that was not physically repairable by recommendation of authorized Toyota repairman.”
NHTSA complaint #10314810, filed 2010-02, 121,500 miles1995: “I have owned my 1995 car for 5 years. Just recently I was unable to start the car when the alarm went of. I didn't even know I had an alarm in this car.the alarm would not allow me to start my car. I finally took off the negative battery cable and put it back on and sometimes the car would start, but it would drive rough and stall out. I knew it had something to do with the acr alarm, so I contacted the company that made it. …”
NHTSA complaint #10281377, filed 2009-08, 267,940 milesOther Toyota models
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About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology