2003 Toyota Avalon Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 184 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2003 Toyota Avalon, 63% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 99,250 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (26% of reports).
- 184air bags complaints
- 99,250median miles at failure
- 16mention a crash
- 7mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 31%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 48 of 184 complaints (26%)
- Bags updated: mentioned in 16 of 184 complaints (9%)
- Electronic control: mentioned in 13 of 184 complaints (7%)
- Supplemental restraint: mentioned in 10 of 184 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 62 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 184 complaints, 16 mention a crash, 7 an injury.
Toyota Avalon air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Avalon | 1 | 13% | — |
| 2021 Avalon | 12 | 57% | — |
| 2020 Avalon | 1 | 10% | — |
| 2019 Avalon | 1 | 1% | 6,029 |
| 2018 Avalon | 6 | 25% | 9,650 |
| 2017 Avalon | 2 | 14% | — |
| 2016 Avalon | 4 | 17% | 43,142 |
| 2015 Avalon | 7 | 17% | 39,000 |
| 2014 Avalon | 7 | 7% | 16,000 |
| 2013 Avalon | 14 | 10% | 49,190 |
| 2012 Avalon | 6 | 20% | 56,100 |
| 2011 Avalon | 2 | 2% | 78,545 |
| 2010 Avalon | 2 | 4% | 70,000 |
| 2009 Avalon | 5 | 5% | 67,300 |
| 2008 Avalon | 8 | 2% | 60,000 |
| 2007 Avalon | 20 | 8% | 49,000 |
| 2006 Avalon | 27 | 8% | 45,000 |
| 2005 Avalon | 12 | 5% | 101,000 |
| 2004 Avalon | 127 | 62% | 81,482 |
| 2003 Avalon | 184 | 63% | 99,250 |
| 2002 Avalon | 35 | 30% | 159,500 |
| 2001 Avalon | 21 | 16% | 108,000 |
| 2000 Avalon | 26 | 15% | 74,150 |
| 1999 Avalon | 22 | 24% | 56,000 |
| 1998 Avalon | 16 | 9% | 50,000 |
| 1997 Avalon | 5 | 4% | 220,000 |
| 1996 Avalon | 5 | 5% | — |
| 1995 Avalon | 8 | 10% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are 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.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE SRS WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BEECHMONT TOYOTA (8667 BEECHMONT AVE, CINCINNATI, OH 45255, [redacted]) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO RETRIEVE A FAULT…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Toyota Avalons have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 184 owner complaints about air bags for the 2003 Toyota Avalon (63% of the 293 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Toyota Avalon air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 99,250 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2003 Toyota Avalon?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 48 of 184 complaints, followed by “bags updated” (16).
Other 2003 Toyota Avalon problems
See all 2003 Toyota Avalon problems or air bags problems across all Avalon years.