How can I find out if a 96 Toyota Tercel has air bags?

The 1995 Tecel (which I think is the 5th gen made from 95–99) had dual airbags. Source

The easiest way to find out, assuming you can’t tell just by looking at the sterring wheel and dashboard, is to find a place full of car geeks and ask :)

From what I see, @Lightlyseared is correct about the ‘96 Tercel having dual airbags.

However, I question whether or not the early airbags actually make you much safer. I mean, there are many other factors in crash safety than the presence/absence of airbags, so I have to wonder if it’s a safety issue for you or whether you are just trying to see if you qualify for the insurance discount that many places give for factory-installed safety equipment like that.

I did a little poking in that vein and found that the NHTSA rated the ‘96 Tercel at 3 stars for front-impact safety for the driver and 4 stars for the passenger. As is normal for older cars, side impact tests were not performed on the ‘96 Tercel.

Overall, the ‘96 Tercels are about average in safety… which is better than a lot of cars of that vintage. By comparison, my ‘85 Corolla rates 2 stars