NHTSA model-year recall report

2003 Toyota Avalon Recalls

2 campaigns in our verified NHTSA snapshot, with source consequences, remedies, and VIN-specific next steps.

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NHTSA campaigns

Affected systems

Urgent advisories

Jan 28, 2015

Latest campaign date

At a glance

What the record says

This model year's count is below the Toyota Avalon average of 3.7 campaigns per listed year. That is context only—not proof that this year is safer or less safe.

The most frequent affected category is Air Bags › Frontal, appearing in 1 campaign.

1
Read
Review every campaign and urgent instruction below.
2
Verify
Check your exact VIN with NHTSA or the manufacturer.
3
Repair
Contact an authorized dealer if a campaign applies.

Source campaign records

All 2003 Toyota Avalon recall campaigns

Shown newest first. NHTSA summary, consequence, and remedy text is preserved without truncation.

NHTSA campaign 15V043000

Air Bags › Frontal

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Reported Jan 28, 2015

What is recalled

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.

Safety consequence

Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.

Manufacturer 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.

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

NHTSA campaign 10V345000

Steering

Manufacturer: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Reported Jul 29, 2010

What is recalled

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.

Safety 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.

Manufacturer 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.

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

Other Toyota Avalon model years

Compare campaign histories within the same model. Counts are descriptive, not a safety grade.

20212 campaigns 20203 campaigns 20194 campaigns 20182 campaigns 20172 campaigns 20163 campaigns 20152 campaigns 20144 campaigns 20134 campaigns 20124 campaigns

View all model years

Other 2003 Toyota recall reports

2003 Toyota Corolla13 campaigns 2003 Toyota Tundra10 campaigns 2003 Toyota Sequoia7 campaigns 2003 Toyota Tacoma5 campaigns 2003 Toyota 4RUNNER3 campaigns 2003 Toyota Matrix3 campaigns

2003 Toyota Avalon recall questions

How many recalls does the 2003 Toyota Avalon have?

This verified dataset contains 2 NHTSA campaigns associated with the 2003 Toyota Avalon. A campaign can apply to some, not all, vehicles of the same model year.

Does this confirm an open recall for my 2003 Toyota Avalon?

No. This page is a model-year campaign history. Use NHTSA's official lookup or an authorized dealer to confirm whether a campaign applies to your exact VIN and whether the repair remains open.

Are vehicle recall repairs free?

When a safety recall campaign applies to your VIN, the manufacturer remedy is generally provided at no charge through an authorized dealer. Confirm eligibility and scheduling with the manufacturer or dealer.

Source: NHTSA. Dataset includes campaigns through Jul 30, 2026. Last processed Aug 8, 2026. Methodology