The 2003 Toyota Avalon has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,379,442 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 353 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS15V0430002015-01-281,006,849 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004, 2003-2004 Avalon vehicles manufactured June 5, 2002, to December…
Consequence
Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. GM issued an interim notification to owners on March 27, 2015. …
STEERING10V3450002010-07-29372,593 affected
Defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2000-2004 AVALON VEHICLES. DUE TO IMPROPER CASTING OF THE STEERING LOCK BAR, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A MINUTE CRACK MAY DEVELOP ON THE SURFACE OF THE LOCK BAR. SUCH A CRACK MAY EXPAND OVER A LONG PERIOD OF REPEATED LOCK AND UNLOCK OPERATIONS, AND EVENTUALLY THE LOCK BAR…
Consequence
SHOULD THE STEERING LOCK BAR BREAK, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD LOCK AND THE DRIVER WOULD LOSE THE ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING INTERLOCK DEVICE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
181
14crashes7injuries1deaths
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
45
33crashes20injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
18
STEERING
18
2crashes3injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
8
4crashes2injuries
ENGINE
7
2crashes1fires3injuries
SEAT BELTS
6
1injuries
SUSPENSION
6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
5
4crashes1deaths
SERVICE BRAKES
4
1crashes1injuries
Total complaints353
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“March 13, 2026, I was on a road trip from ca to az and while driving around 75-80mph (speed limit), something in the driver's side seat belt or the shoulder holster exploded, the belt tightened, and something metal or plastic flew off. Shortly after (within 30 seconds or so), the passenger's side…”
“March 13, 2026, I was on a road trip from ca to az and while driving around 75-80mph (speed limit), something in the driver's side seat belt or the shoulder holster exploded, the belt tightened, and something metal or plastic flew off. Shortly after (within 30 seconds or so), the passenger's side…”
“I was driving back home, out of no where my car went out of control, went left, then right, hit something and flipped over twice to end in a hill against the traffic with 4 flat tires. The air bag did not deployed. I did hit the windshield. The car was total.”
“Purchased car used 11/2020 jan 14 2021 had 2 open recalls steering casting defect and wire harness filter to deflect noise from ecm . I lost control of communication of operations. 12/2022 steering lock bar the past 2 years uncovered everything on my own. Learned somebody died in 2003 avalon in…”
“Turn off the lights inside panel. The level of heat all the way up, the same with the gasoline level. The internal lights blink. Loss of power.”
“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? 1- aug 2020- mega moters- purchassed auto- carfax and auto guro- recommended this vehiscal and sales pitch included these companies- he said he does good business- he said he will fix all issues if…”
“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? 1- aug 2020- mega moters- purchassed auto- carfax and auto guro- recommended this vehiscal and sales pitch included these companies- he said he does good business- he said he will fix all issues if…”
“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? 1- aug 2020- mega moters- purchassed auto- carfax and auto guro- recommended this vehiscal and sales pitch included these companies- he said he does good business- he said he will fix all issues if…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Toyota Avalon as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.