The 2004 Toyota Avalon has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,799,768 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 252 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. …
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING11V5390002011-11-09420,326 affected
Defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AVALON VEHICLES; 2004 AND 2005 CAMRY, CAMRY SOLARA, HIGHLANDER, AND SIENNA VEHICLES, 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID; 2004 AND 2005 LEXUS ES330 AND RX330; AND 2006 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 2004 THROUGH MARCH 31, 2005, EQUIPPED WITH THE 1MZ-FE OR 3MZ-FE ENGINE.…
Consequence
IN SOME CASES, THE BELT FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP MAY BECOME DETACHED FROM THE PULLEY WHICH COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND A SUDDEN INCREASE IN STEERING EFFORT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER IT WAS PRODUCED BY THE U.S. SUPPLIER. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PULLEY WITH A NEW ONE AT NO CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING EARLY JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
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
122
4crashes4injuries
STEERING
24
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
23
16crashes8injuries2deaths
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10
1crashes
SEAT BELTS
7
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
5
4crashes4injuries2deaths
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
4
1crashes
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
ENGINE
3
1crashes
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
3
2crashes
Total complaints252
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Ella tuvo realmente la culpa”
“Ella tuvo realmente la culpa”
“I've noticed that sometimes I smell something burning, electrical, coolant or something. My mechanics finds no leaks, but I checked once and the coolant reservoir was empty, find no leaks. Somehow, the passenger side rear mud flap came off and the trunk lid doesn't line up. It always looks like…”
“I've noticed that sometimes I smell something burning, electrical, coolant or something. My mechanics finds no leaks, but I checked once and the coolant reservoir was empty, find no leaks. Somehow, the passenger side rear mud flap came off and the trunk lid doesn't line up. It always looks like…”
“I've noticed that sometimes I smell something burning, electrical, coolant or something. My mechanics finds no leaks, but I checked once and the coolant reservoir was empty, find no leaks. Somehow, the passenger side rear mud flap came off and the trunk lid doesn't line up. It always looks like…”
“Car makes a very, very loud screeching sound when started with a/c or heating on (but more commonly with a/c). The sound will sometimes die down or stop once a/c is turned off, but not always. Puddles can trigger the sound as well. Sound can be heard mainly upon inital startup but can occur after…”
“Car makes a very, very loud screeching sound when started with a/c or heating on (but more commonly with a/c). The sound will sometimes die down or stop once a/c is turned off, but not always. Puddles can trigger the sound as well. Sound can be heard mainly upon inital startup but can occur after…”
“Air bag dashboard light occasionally flickers and begins to glow for a few seconds. Seems to occur more frequently in wet weather. My steering wheel will lock when I turn left or right while driving. Reversed backwards a little bit and wiggled the steering wheel, it wouldn't budge then I went…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2004 Toyota Avalon as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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