RecallMyCar

2003 Toyota Avalon Recalls, Complaints & Specs

2 safety recalls list the 2003 Toyota Avalon, and owners have filed 293 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

2
safety recalls
293
owner complaints to NHTSA
49 / 2
complaints citing a crash / fire
22
MPG combined (EPA)

2 safety recalls for the 2003 Toyota Avalon

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Air bags: frontal

    NHTSA 15V043000 Reported 1,006,849 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

    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…

    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…

  2. Steering

    NHTSA 10V345000 Reported 372,593 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

    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.

    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.

293 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2003 Toyota Avalon have filed 293 complaints with NHTSA; 49 describe a crash and 2 describe a fire. Reports cite 28 injuries and 1 death. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 84,531 miles. Complaints peaked in 2015 with 88 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“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 s”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, April 20, 2026 · Air bags

“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”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, May 22, 2023 · Air bags

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2003 Toyota Avalon. Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Combined22 mpg
City / Highway19 / 27
FuelRegular
EPA classLarge Cars
Engine6 cyl, 3 L
TransmissionAutomatic 4-spd

Compare Toyota Avalon model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Toyota Avalon model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1995 Toyota Avalon080
1996 Toyota Avalon0109
1997 Toyota Avalon1125
1998 Toyota Avalon1178
1999 Toyota Avalon192
2000 Toyota Avalon2173
2001 Toyota Avalon2134
2002 Toyota Avalon1116
2003 Toyota Avalon2293
2004 Toyota Avalon3205
2005 Toyota Avalon7228
2006 Toyota Avalon7360
2007 Toyota Avalon6243
2008 Toyota Avalon6349
2009 Toyota Avalon791
2010 Toyota Avalon746
2011 Toyota Avalon1106
2012 Toyota Avalon430
2013 Toyota Avalon4137
2014 Toyota Avalon496
2015 Toyota Avalon241
2016 Toyota Avalon323
2017 Toyota Avalon214
2018 Toyota Avalon224
2019 Toyota Avalon471
2020 Toyota Avalon310
2021 Toyota Avalon221
2022 Toyota Avalon08

Checking a specific 2003 Toyota Avalon

How do I know if my 2003 Toyota Avalon has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 2 campaigns currently list the 2003 Toyota Avalon; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Toyota dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 10V345000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Toyota models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.