There are 50 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2003 Toyota Avalonin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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.
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 not deployed. I did hit the windshield. The car was total.
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.
AIR BAG INDICATOR AND SEAT BELT NOT ON INDICATORS KEEP COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNLESS THESE INDICATOR COMES ON WHEN THEY DO THE TEST DRIVE. SO IT'S NOT ALWAYS REPRODUCIBLE BY THE DEALERSHIP.
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
THE RECALL REMEDY FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN 15V043000 IS A FAILURE. AN IDENTICAL SYMPTOM TO THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM HAS RECURRED ON TWO OCCASIONS (INTERMITTENT ILLUMINATION OF THE SRS SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT). PRIOR TO THE RECALL, WE ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE ERROR CODE DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALERSHIP FOLLOWING ILLUMINATION OF THIS WARNING LAMP. HOWEVER, NO ERROR CODES WERE STORED. NOW, THE DEALERSHIP (LOU FUSZ, ST. LOUIS) CLAIMS THAT THEY MUST CHARGE US TO ATTEMPT TO READ ANY STORED CODES. OBVIOUSLY, TOYOTA ENGINEERS DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AFTER HAVING A FIRST RECALL THAT FAILED FOLLOWED BY A SECOND RECALL AND NOW RECURRENCE OF IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS.
TAKATA RECALL I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE ABOUT THE PASSENGER FRONT AIRBAG ON MAY 2 2016. I WENT TO WALKER JONES SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN WAYCROSS, GA ON MAY 3. I WAS TOLD THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PART AND HAVE ONLY RECEIVED ONE REPLACEMENT PART. I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD CALL ME WHEN TOYOTA SENT THEM THE PART. I CALLED AGAIN ON MAY 16 AND THEY SAID THE SAME THING. I WANT MY VEHICLE REPAIRED SO I CAN SAFELY USE IT. WHY ARE THE PARTS NOT AVAILABLE??? THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. WHEN THESE NOTICES ARE SENT OUT WHY DO WE HAVE TO GET THE RUNAROUND ABOUT THE PARTS?
I HAVE BEEN WAITING OVER A YEAR FOR THIS TO BE REMEDIED. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE
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.
TAKATA AIRBAGS: HAVING RECEIVED TAKATA RECALL NOTICES, I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER FOR ACTION. HE SAID MY VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE TAKATA AIRBAGS. ACCORDING TO NHTSA SITE, IT DOES. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE WERE ANY 2003 TOYOTA AVALON MODELS SOLD WITH SOME OTHER AIRBAGS THAN TAKATA. IF I DO INDEED HAVE TAKATA AIRBAGS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU. *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 MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. UPDATED 04/06/16*LJ UPDATED 11/20/2017*JS
STILL WAITING, OVER 1 YEAR LATER, FOR RESOLUTION OF NHTSA RECALL 15V043. THIS RECALL IS DATED 27 JAN 2015. TODAY IS 03 FEB 2016. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE DELAY FOR A SAFETY RECALL. IS THERE NO ENFORCEMENT ACTION THAT COULD BE UTILIZED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE?
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V043000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE REPAIRS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
TAKATA RECALL - I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AGO AND HAVE CALLED MY DEALER AND TOYOTA. THEY INFORM ME THAT PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. THE AIRBAG LIGHT HAS COME ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES, BUT HASN'T STAYED ON. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND HAVING AN ACCIDENT AND/OR INJURY DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE INTERSTATE AT THE TIME. THIS RECALL CONCERNS THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT BEGAN TO FLICKER OFF AND ON. AFTER TURNING THE ENGINE OFF AND BACK ON, THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A 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 MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V043000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE REPAIRS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026