2003 Toyota Avalon

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 seat belt did something similar where something in the seat belt mechanism exploded and another part went flying. There was an electrical buzzing noise. I was looking for a place to pull over when the air bags went off. There was no bump in the road or a dip and I did not hit anything. I don't remember the order the air bags exploded but it was one after the other. The driver's side air bag exploding left a red abrasion on my left hand. The vehicle was brought to a nearby dealership (Anderson Toyota) where they said they could not verify what the issue was. The safety of myself and others on the road were at risk as the explosions were very loud and the air bags occluded my view while traveling at a high speed. The vehicle has been inspected by a 3rd party representative from Bosch (Apr 2nd) as sent by Toyota corporate and Toyota has not given me any updates. Calling them several times they have failed to return calls, and after a call today, they said the case was filed as closed without my prior notice. I do not recall warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms.

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, (513) 388-3800) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO RETRIEVE A FAULT CODE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 230,807.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING OR IMPACT. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE FACE, BUT MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT REQUIRED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO RICE TOYOTA (2630 BATTLEGROUND AVE, NC GREENSBORO, NC 27408, (336) 387-6004), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: 1808082730. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 244,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (PUEBLO TOYOTA, 2220 U S 50 W, PUEBLO, CO 81008) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 174,457.

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO RUN OVER A CURB. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THEIR LEGAL DEPARTMENT WROTE TO THE CONTACT, STATING THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT RECALL RELATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V043000 (AIR BAGS). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING AND OBSCURED THE DRIVER'S VISION. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE DIVIDER. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER WAS NOT INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED AND WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 116,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V043000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.