2004 Toyota Avalon Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Avalon years
- Far more complaints than other years 6th of 28 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 205 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Toyota Avalon. That ranks 6th out of 28 Avalon model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (127 complaints, 62%), typically at around 81,482 miles. Complaints mention 27 crashes, 17 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 205owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 27complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 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 | 127 | 62% | 81,482 | “air bag” (30%) | — |
| Steering | 28 | 14% | 55,200 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 25 | 12% | 56,541 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 11 | 5% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 3% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 2% | 47,807 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 2% | 7,800 | — | — |
| Power Train | 4 | 2% | 47,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 2% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 2% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 4 | 2% | 106,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 4 | 2% | 61,700 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 1% | 91,256 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 1% | 79,982 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | 34,406 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 1% | 104,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 1% | 32,700 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control | 1 | 0% | 7,361 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 45,400 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 0% | 16,520 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Toyota Avalon recalls (3)
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.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: 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. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
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.
Ella tuvo realmente la culpa
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…
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…
The ecu itself is not working, which they are supposed to never stop working. Well ours stopped working and the licensed mechanic will not work on it if it is recalled. We are literally waiting on toyota to fix our car. They have not done so. The hole ecu not just part of it.
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…
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 | 205 | 3 |
| 2003 Avalon | 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 2004 Toyota Avalon?
Owners most often report air bags, steering, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 127 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Toyota Avalon?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 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 2004 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.