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Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (2)
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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.
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.
Risk and remedy
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.
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.
Canadian recalls (3)
Show 3 Canadian recalls
Airbag
2014-12-10 · campaign 2014-560
On certain vehicles, a defect in the supplemental restraint system could result in an inadvertent deployment of the front airbag(s) and/or seatbelt pretensioner(s). Unintended seatbelt pretensioner and/or airbag deployment, in a non-warranted (non-impact) situation, could startle the driver, which could result in a vehicle crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. In some instances, inadvertent deployment could cause minor injuries to vehicle occupants. Correction: Dealers will replace the airbag control module and may install an in-line jumper wiring harness to correct the issue. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 2013032 and 2014097. Vehicles that were repaired under the previous campaign and did not receive a new airbag control module will also need to be repaired under this campaign.
Airbag
2014-03-27 · campaign 2014-097 · 681 vehicles
On certain vehicles, a defect in the supplemental restraint system could result in an inadvertent deployment of the front airbag(s) and/or seatbelt pretensioner(s). Unintended seatbelt pretensioner and/or airbag deployment, in a non-warranted (non-impact) situation, could startle the driver, which could result in a vehicle crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. In some instances, inadvertent deployment could cause minor injuries to vehicle occupants. Correction: Dealers will install an in-line jumper wiring harness to correct the issue.
Steering
2010-07-29 · campaign 2010-253
On certain vehicles, a minute crack may develop on the surface of the steering lock bar, which is a component of the steering interlock system. Such a crack may expand over a period of repeated lock and unlock operations, and eventually the lock bar could break. If this occurs, the interlock system may become difficult to unlock when stationary. If the vehicle is steered to the right while in motion with sufficient lateral acceleration, a broken and loose lock bar may move toward the steering shaft. If the engagement hole in the shaft happens to line up at the specific time the broken lock bar has moved, this could cause the steering wheel lock bar to engage, resulting in a sudden loss of steering control. Correction: Dealers will replace the steering interlock device.
Owner complaints (293)
Owners filed 293 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Toyota Avalon (49 crashes, 2 fires, 28 injuries, 1 deaths reported). Among 28 model years of this model, it ranks #3 for the most complaints (median 106).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Air bags | 184 | |
| Vehicle speed control | 51 | |
| Steering | 19 | |
| Electrical system | 18 | |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 11 | |
| Suspension | 9 | |
| Structure | 7 | |
| Engine | 7 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2003 Toyota Avalon.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2003 Toyota Avalon 4-DR. w/SAB | – | – | – | – |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2003 Toyota Avalon version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Avalon 3.0 L Automatic 4-spd | 19 | 27 | 22 | $3,050 |
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Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.