2003 Toyota Avalon

Complaint history

When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.

Problems owners report

Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.

AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.

Recalls

• NHTSA recall #15V043000January 28, 20151,006,849 vehicles affected

  air bags: frontal

  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.

  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.

• NHTSA recall #10V345000July 29, 2010372,593 vehicles affected

  steering

  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.

  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.

Other model years

• 1995 80
• 1996 109
• 1997 125
• 1998 178
• 1999 92
• 2000 173
• 2001 134
• 2002 116
• 2003
• 2004 205
• 2005 228
• 2006 360
• 2007 243
• 2008 349
• 2009 91
• 2010 46
• 2011 106
• 2012 30
• 2013 137
• 2014 96
• 2015 42
• 2019 71