Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Toyota Avalon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
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. …
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 55 MPH, another vehicle sideswiped the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact's vehicle crashed into a second vehicle. The two frontal air bags deployed. It was unknown if the contact sustained any injuries or if a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and later taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the air bags were not supposed to deploy with such minimal damage to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
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.
2003 Toyota Avalon. Consumer writes in regards to air bag malfunction during vehicle accident. On November 16, 2013 while driving at 55 MPH in the 4th lane, another vehicle in the consumer's lane 100 yards away from him, suddenly stopped. Traffic was light, so the consumer switched to the 3rd lane left of him. When he got within six car lengths of the stopped vehicle in the right lane, he was suddenly side swiped by an automobile wanting to move into his lane. The contact to his vehicle caused the frontal air bag to deploy in an alarming and strange way. The driver air bag barely made itself out of the steering column, then slowly continued to inflate and blocked his vision. …
The subject of this complaint is my 2003 Toyota Avalon lx which had a total mileage of approximately 17,100 miles. This vehicle was last serviced at 9,000 miles plus. On April 29, 2014 the subject vehicle was parked in the back parking lot of a small Mini mall at 3601 e. Foothill blvd.,pasadena, california. After we finished shopping at the Mini mall, we returned to the our vehicle and strapped ourselves in the car with our seatbelts. When I turned on the ignition of the subject vehicle I had my left foot on the parking brake and my right foot on the driving brake. After the vehicle started, I released my left foot from the parking brake and shifted the gear to the drive position when my car unintentionally accelerated forward. I tried to slow or stop my car by pressing on driving brake but to no avail. …
Rec'd both notifications last year, but this exceeds reasonable amount of time waiting for a fix. One day last spring (2015) I had just started the car while in my driveway. The airbag indicator lite stayed on longer than usual. Also, my seat belt tightened up on me by itself while driving in town. I also smelled hot wires another time. I called Toyota several times and was told the part is unavailable, though I explained my issues. I requested the airbag be disconnected which they refused to do. I called Toyota again on 2/22/16. They said the part is in, but the manager of the dealership (Toyota) states they won't replace it in my vehicle unless the airbag light is on. Does that mean I will have fair warning? Does that mean I will have to drive a dangerous vehicle about 50+ miles to the nearest dealer to have it fixed at that time? This is nuts! I am angry! …
The fix for this recall is long overdue! What action is being taken to expedite the fix? We have been waiting close to 7 months for this repair! NHTSA recall number: 15V043 recall date: January 27, 2015 manufacturer recall number: e3g summary: the electronic control unit (ECU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) in these vehicles could have been manufactured with integrated circuits that are susceptible to internal short circuiting when exposed to certain electrical noise from various vehicle electrical components. If internal short circuiting occurs, the front airbag(s) and/or seat belt pretensioners could inadvertently deploy. An airbag that deploys inadvertently can, under some circumstances, increase the risk of minor injury and the possibility of a crash. …
Airbag illuminates at different times while driving. This has been a recurring problem since 2003. When recall notice was received took car into Toyota dealer for repair. Upon arriving at home with vehicle noticed that inside dome ceiling lights blinks on and off until ignition is turned off. Returned to Toyota one week later to report problem. I was told that the system was resetting and that the blinking would stop. During the next three weeks the blinking continued and the airbag continued to illuminate while driving. I returned to the dealer and three hours later was told that the car has a $700 electrical problem that needed repair and that would fix both problems. The car did not have an electrical problem when it was initially taken into the dealer. They are trying to get additional monies to make up for fixing the airbag problem for free. …
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal
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,…
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.
Airbag complaints in other Avalon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2003 Toyota Avalon?
NHTSA has 184 complaints about the air bags of the 2003 Toyota Avalon, 63% of the model year's 293 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Toyota Avalon airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-043 (frontal, Jan 28, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Toyota Avalon airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 16 crashes, 0 fires and 8 injuries and 1 death to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.