99 starter issue & recalls

The '88, '90 and '91 all had straight cut gears on the starter pinion rather than a beveled edge to minimize wear. This changed in 1992, so your new starter problem is likely something different. Check the battery first - that's the most common source of problems, and if it is the original almost certainly your cause. Battery can be load tested at most aftermarket parts stores test at no charge. If you have a hydrometer, you can also check for variation between cells and state of charge.

This is not totally unlike the symptoms I dealt with two months ago on my 99 Camry. I heard my wife "barely" get it started with a year old battery. An hour later she called that the starter must be bad - it only clicked / buzzed. Jumped it, found tail and license plate lights on in broad daylight with switch off. Suspected bad battery, but Toyota found nothing. A few days later found instrument panel lights and tail lights came on when the ventilation fan was turned on (and stayed on when it was turned off). Ultimately, two weeks off and on in the shop, they replaced the "integration relay". Probably not your problem, but it can cause very difficult intermittent symptoms across a range of otherwise not connected electrical circuits. Mine was not the only one they had seen recently. Expensive so hope I'm wrong!