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2003 Toyota Avalon

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Avalon years

Owner complaints for the 2003 Toyota Avalon are substantially higher than the model-year median of 101.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

138 reports with mileage · 155 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 184 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

49 crash reports2 fire reports20 injury reports

What owners actually said

293 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 11, 2003
Electrical System

ON 4/01/03, I LEASED A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON XL FROM PRESTIGE TOYOTA OF RAMSEY, N.J. BY THE TIME I SIGNED ALL OF THE PAPERWORK AND TOOK POSSESSION OF THE CAR, IT HAD BECOME DARK OUTSIDE. THE DISPLAY OF GEAR POSITIONS (P, R, N, D, 2, L) WHICH WAS OBVIOUS IN DAYLIGHT, WAS NOW IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DISTINGUISH. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED…

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ON 4/01/03, I LEASED A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON XL FROM PRESTIGE TOYOTA OF RAMSEY, N.J. BY THE TIME I SIGNED ALL OF THE PAPERWORK AND TOOK POSSESSION OF THE CAR, IT HAD BECOME DARK OUTSIDE. THE DISPLAY OF GEAR POSITIONS (P, R, N, D, 2, L) WHICH WAS OBVIOUS IN DAYLIGHT, WAS NOW IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DISTINGUISH. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED HOME, MY EYES WERE STRAINED FROM TRYING TO READ THE LETTERS, THUS CREATING A HAZARDOUS DRIVING EXPERIENCE. FROM DUSK TO DAWN, IT IS UNNERVING TO SEARCH FOR LETTERS ON THE DASH BOARD PANEL. WHILE ALL OTHER INDICATORS ARE ILLUMINATED, THE GEAR POSITION PANEL IS NOT. THE LETTERS ARE OF A LIGHT WHITE COLOR AND ARE ENCLOSED WITHIN A THIN-LINED GREEN NEON SQUARE WHICH BLURS THE LETTERS EVEN MORE. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY TO VOICE MY CONCERN AND REQUEST AN EXCHANGE FOR A SAFER VEHICLE, BUT I WAS TOLD THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION, THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT. I HAVE MADE PHONE CALLS TO THE DEALERSHIP, TOYOTA CUSTOMER RELATIONS (#200304030875)(TEL.# 800-331-4331), MY LEASE COMPANY (SOUTHTRUST BANK) AND STATE SENATOR TOM MORAHAN, AS WELL AS A VISIT TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AT CONSUMER AFFAIRS IN WHITE PLAINS, NY, ALL TO NO AVAIL. PLEASE CONSIDER MY REQUEST AND COMPLAINT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10014289

Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2002
Service Brakes, HydraulicStructureVehicle Speed Control

WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS IN THE DRIVE POSITION, IT CAN'T BE SEEN FROM 40MPH AND UP. IN ORDER TO SET THE CRUISE CONTROL, THE DRIVER WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE ATTENTION OFF OF THE ROAD BECAUSE THEY'RE UNABLE TO VIEW THE SPEEDOMETER DUE TO THE STEERING WHEEL OR THE DASHBOARD DESIGN. TS THE BRAKES NEEDED EXCESSIVE EFFORT IN ORDE…

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WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS IN THE DRIVE POSITION, IT CAN'T BE SEEN FROM 40MPH AND UP. IN ORDER TO SET THE CRUISE CONTROL, THE DRIVER WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE ATTENTION OFF OF THE ROAD BECAUSE THEY'RE UNABLE TO VIEW THE SPEEDOMETER DUE TO THE STEERING WHEEL OR THE DASHBOARD DESIGN. TS THE BRAKES NEEDED EXCESSIVE EFFORT IN ORDER TO STOP. UPON THE SECOND APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES, THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS DISENGAGED. SCC

NHTSA ODI #10001386

3,398 miles · Dec 9, 2002
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

CONSUMER STATED AFTER APPLYING FORCE TO BREAK PEDAL TO MAKE A STOP VEHICLE WENT INTO EXTENDED STOPPING. TS ON OTHER OCCASIONS, THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL LOCKED UP AFTER APPLYING FORCE TO BREAK PEDAL. DEALERSHIP FOUND BRAKE LINES WERE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *TT

NHTSA ODI #8023943

Official recalls

2

15V043000 · Air Bags:frontal

Jan 28, 2015

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

10V345000 · Steering

Jul 29, 2010

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.