IllustrationSEVER SIDE IMPACT CRASH ON A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON RESULTED IN A FAILURE OF THE SRS AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. *LA
2003 Toyota Avalon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Avalon years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Toyota Avalon are substantially higher than the model-year median of 101.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Avalon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
210–25K
1425–50K
2250–75K
3475–100K
31100–150K
16150K+
138 reports with mileage · 155 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 184 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
49 crash reports2 fire reports20 injury reports
What owners actually said
293 reportsTHE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE.*MR THE CONSUMER WAS ATTEMPTING TO BACK UP IN ORDER TO DRIVE STRAIGHT INTO THE GARAGE. WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE RACED BACKWARDS OUT OF CONTROL, HIT A PARKED VAN, A TREE AND STOPPED SIDE WAYS ON THE GRASS. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED A BADLY BRUISED L…
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THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE.*MR THE CONSUMER WAS ATTEMPTING TO BACK UP IN ORDER TO DRIVE STRAIGHT INTO THE GARAGE. WHEN PLACED IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE RACED BACKWARDS OUT OF CONTROL, HIT A PARKED VAN, A TREE AND STOPPED SIDE WAYS ON THE GRASS. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED A BADLY BRUISED LEFT HAND AND INDEX FINGER. CONSUMER REQUESTED TOYOTA TO REFUND THE FULL PURCHASE PRICE OF THE VEHICLE, COST OF EXTENDED WARRANTY AND COST OF REPAIRS. *PH *JB UPDATED 04/30/10.*JB
THERE WAS FLUTTERING WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS DUE TO WEAK SPRINGS IN THE SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY. *AK THE AIR DAM (WIND DEFLECTOR PART OF THE MOON ROOF) FLUTTERED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND CAUSED A SHOCK WAVE/EXTREMELY LOUD NOISE IN THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *SCC *JB
VEHICLE COMES EQUIPPED WITH A FUEL RANGE FINDER THAT SHOWS THE MILEAGE PER GALLON. THE FUEL RANGE FINDER IS FAILING, AND IS GIVING INCORRECT READING. DEALERSHIP IS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE.*AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION, JUMPED A CURB AND ENDED UP IN STORE FRONT. *MR THE CONSUMER HAD DRIVEN IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TOYOTA TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE AND REFUND THE FULL PURCHASE PRICE. *SCC *JB
EXCESSIVE WIND NOISE FROM DRIVER SIDE WINDOW DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING. *LA
THE PAINT SEEMS TO BE CHIPPING VERY EASILY ON MY NEW AVALON WITH THE DESERT SAND MICA COLOR. YOU WOULD THINK I DROVE BEHIND GRAVEL TRUCKS THE WHOLE TIME I'VE HAD IT. AND I'VE ONLY HAD IT FOR 6 MONTHS, AND 8500 MILES. LOOKING AT IT YOU'D THINK IT HAD A LOT MORE MILES ON IT. *LA
WHEN DRIVING AND APPLYING BRAKES ENGINE WOULD START TO REV THIS WOULD CAUSE A HESITATION IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS DEPRESSED. HAD TAKEN TO DEALER AND THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED.*AK
THIS PERTAINS TO A NEW 2003 TOYOTA AVALON LXS BRAKING SYSTEM. AT RANDOM TIMES THE BRAKES APPEAR TO BE AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED. THEY BECOME EXTREMELY HOT AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SHIMMY AND SEVEREL VIBRATE. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO MACHINED THE FRONT ROTORS AND SANDED THE PAD, THE SECOND INCIDENT OC…
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THIS PERTAINS TO A NEW 2003 TOYOTA AVALON LXS BRAKING SYSTEM. AT RANDOM TIMES THE BRAKES APPEAR TO BE AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED. THEY BECOME EXTREMELY HOT AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SHIMMY AND SEVEREL VIBRATE. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO MACHINED THE FRONT ROTORS AND SANDED THE PAD, THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED IN JUNE 03. THE DEALER ROTATED THE TIRES. THE THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED THE END OF JUNE 03. A REGIONAL SERVICE TECH WAS CALLED BY THE DEALER AND WHILE HE WAS IN THE VEHICLE THE CONDITION OCCURRED AGAIN. THEY REPLACED TH MASTER CYCLINDER & HYD FLUID. IT OCCURRED 4TH TIME ON 29 JULY 03.IT WAS VERY DIFFICIUTL TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. AGAIN THIS WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALER ON 30 JULY 02. STIL WAINTING ACTION . VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WITH THIS CONDITION SINCE THERE IS NOT CONTROL OVER WHEN THE CONDITION OCCURS. AT TIMES IT IS SO BAD IT IS NECESSARY TO STOP. *AK
PROBLEMS WITH VIEWING GEAR SHIFT POSITIONS DURING NIGHT DRIVING. *MR WHEN THE CONSUMER HAD TOOK POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE, THE INTERIOR HAD BECOME DARK. THE DISPLAY OF THE GEAR POSITION COULD BE SEEN IN THE DAYLIGHT HAD BECOME HARD TO SEE. (ILLUMINATION OF THE SELECTION LEVEL) THE PROBLEM PLACED A STRAIN ON THE CONSUMERS E…
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PROBLEMS WITH VIEWING GEAR SHIFT POSITIONS DURING NIGHT DRIVING. *MR WHEN THE CONSUMER HAD TOOK POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE, THE INTERIOR HAD BECOME DARK. THE DISPLAY OF THE GEAR POSITION COULD BE SEEN IN THE DAYLIGHT HAD BECOME HARD TO SEE. (ILLUMINATION OF THE SELECTION LEVEL) THE PROBLEM PLACED A STRAIN ON THE CONSUMERS EYES. *SCC *JB
Official recalls
215V043000 · Air Bags:frontal
Jan 28, 2015
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 20, 2004, and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured January 18, 2002, to April 27, 2004. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.
Consequence & remedy
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. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V-029 and 14V-147. Vehicles that had a noise filter installed as the remedy for one of those campaigns need to have the air bag control module replaced under this campaign.
10V345000 · Steering
Jul 29, 2010
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 COULD BREAK.
Consequence & remedy
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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.