2003 Toyota Avalon Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Avalon years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 28 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 293 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Toyota Avalon. That ranks 3rd out of 28 Avalon model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (184 complaints, 63%), typically at around 99,250 miles. Complaints mention 49 crashes, 2 fires, 28 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 293owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 49complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Toyota Avalon problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 184 | 63% | 99,250 | “air bag” (26%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 51 | 17% | 58,180 | “suddenly accelerated” (20%) | — |
| Steering | 19 | 6% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 18 | 6% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 11 | 4% | 31,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 9 | 3% | 47,850 | — | — |
| Engine | 7 | 2% | 96,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 7 | 2% | 65,750 | — | — |
| Power Train | 6 | 2% | 38,122 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 2% | 112,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 2% | 86,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 1% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 4 | 1% | 129,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 1% | 99,070 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 1% | 174,457 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 141,362 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 1% | 78,276 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 1% | 31,898 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 1% | 550 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 34,955 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 0% | 60 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 0% | 34,955 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 131,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Toyota Avalon recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: 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.
Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.
Fix: 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.
Steering
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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.
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle started smoking and the engine stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the engine needing to be replaced…
Other Toyota Avalon years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Avalon | 8 | 0 |
| 2021 Avalon | 21 | 2 |
| 2020 Avalon | 10 | 3 |
| 2019 Avalon | 71 | 4 |
| 2018 Avalon | 24 | 2 |
| 2017 Avalon | 14 | 2 |
| 2016 Avalon | 23 | 3 |
| 2015 Avalon | 41 | 2 |
| 2014 Avalon | 96 | 4 |
| 2013 Avalon | 137 | 4 |
| 2012 Avalon | 30 | 4 |
| 2011 Avalon | 106 | 1 |
| 2010 Avalon | 46 | 7 |
| 2009 Avalon | 91 | 7 |
| 2008 Avalon | 349 | 6 |
| 2007 Avalon | 243 | 6 |
| 2006 Avalon | 360 | 7 |
| 2005 Avalon | 228 | 7 |
| 2004 Avalon | 205 | 3 |
| 2003 | 293 | 2 |
| 2002 Avalon | 116 | 1 |
| 2001 Avalon | 134 | 2 |
| 2000 Avalon | 173 | 2 |
| 1999 Avalon | 92 | 1 |
| 1998 Avalon | 178 | 1 |
| 1997 Avalon | 125 | 1 |
| 1996 Avalon | 109 | 0 |
| 1995 Avalon | 80 | 0 |
See all Toyota Avalon problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
Similar Toyota models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Toyota Avalon?
Owners most often report air bags, vehicle speed control, steering problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 184 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Toyota Avalon?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Toyota Avalon a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Avalon model years, the 2003 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.