Problems with 2003 Toyota Avalon AIR BAGS

We own a 2003 toyota avalon. we received the safety recall notice regarding the supplemental restraint system (srs) electronic control unit (ecu) for this vehicle in march of 2014. the red airbag light in the dash has been on, making the vehicle unsafe to operate. since this involves the very safety and well-being of my family, we called the local west covina dealer, at least four (4) times and made at least one (1) drive-in visit, to get this matter resolved. each time we were told there was no ' srs ecu ' replacement part available. on our last attempt to reach out to them, we left a message for the service advisor at the west covina toyota location and was not even given the courtesy of a return phone call. we are thoroughly disappointed and frustrated! since this places our family at great risk of harm and endangers their well-being, out of desperation, we are reaching out to you. it has now been over two (2) years since receipt of the initial safety recall notice. surely, this is sufficient time to be able to rectify the problem! please feel free to contact via email at either [xxx] to discuss this matter. or, you may reach out to us by phone at [xxx](h) or [xxx] (c). it is my hope that your assistance will provide the impetus needed to resolve this matter. sincerely yours, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).' *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. the contact received a notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v147000 (air bags); however, the part needed 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 failure. the contact had not experienced a failure.

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.

2003 toyota avalon. consumer writes in regards to air bag malfunction during vehicle accident. *smd 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. in a panic mode to get the partially filled air bag out of his face, the consumer apparently turned the steering lightly to the right, which caused the passenger side front wheel to hit and then skidded off the back driver side wheel of the vehicle that originally stopped 100 yards in front of him. the consumer stated the air bag should have never deployed; especially in the manner in which they did. *jb the consumer stated he has received five letters regarding the air bag. he was informed by toyota, there was nothing they could do without permission from headquarters. updated 08/04/16.*jb updated 02/16/17.*jb

I was a mile from home when i noticed that my air bag light had just come on. next thing i know i hear a sound like a gun shot and the steering wheel airbag deployed - while i was driving. (it was not caused by an impact and i had not hit a pothole.) the airbag did not hit my face so there was no injury, and i was able to pull over into a turn lane to call roadside assistance. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 227,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle lost power intermittently. the contact stated that warning lights illuminated on the instrumental panel. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the contact was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v147000 (air bags) but the dealer determined another failure. the failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 21,000.

the electronic control module went out on my 2003 toyota avalon. i was denied my claim for reimbursement for the $ 760.00 charge as it was a defective part. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. after the vehicle was started, the air bag warning indicator illuminated intermittently. the failure recurred on several occasions. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v043000 (air bags). however, the part needed 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 failure. the failure mileage was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the supplemental restraint system warning light illuminated intermittently. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 85,000.

My wife was driving down the freeway when the seatbelt began tightening down on her to the point she felt she couldn't maintain her posture to drive safely and breath. she pulled off the road and released the seatbelt. she was unable to refasten the seatbelt/shoulder strap. she drove home without a seatbelt. this was in addition to occasional flashing of airbag warning light which has continued to occur since replacement of seatbelt mechanism. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. while driving 40 mph and making a left turn at an intersection, another vehicle made an illegal turn into the contact's lane and crashed into the passenger side bumper. the air bags failed to deploy. the contact was not injured and a police report was filed. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v147000 (air bags). the dealer stated that the parts were not available for repair. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 69,000.

Airbag warning light on dash appeared. the source of this warning has been identified as the spiral cable (clock spring in steering column). this part has not been identified as a recall by toyota for this model but spiral cables have been identified as a recall for numerous other toyota models. i suggest this problem may be systemic to a larger group of toyota products than previously identified by toyota and since it is a potential safety issue it needs to be addressed accordingly. *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.

Airbag system warning indicator light flashes intermittently. independent repair shop found no codes stored during vehicle check. illumination of warning light is inconsistent, has no apparent connection to speed or conditions, but has occurred repeatedly. due to the seriousness of airbag system failure, and the apparent trend of complaints for this specific problem on a range of toyota avalon model years, inaction by nhtsa and toyota must cease. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. the contact stated that the air bag warning lamp illuminated sporadically. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not repaired because the warning lamp was not illuminated at the time of inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. while driving approximately 25 mph, the contact noticed a squealing coming from the engine. the contact stated that the noise was coming from the crankshaft pulley. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 11v539000 (engine and engine cooling) but the recall did not include the 2003 models, only 2004. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000. updated 01/04/12*lj the consumer also stated the air bag light has been on since 2008. updated 01/09/12

Tl* the contact owns 2003 toyota avalon. the contact stated that the srs air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. the contact received a recall notice under nhtsa campaign id number: 14v147000 (air bags) however, the part needed for the repair was unavailable. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was unknown.

Air bag system light is now luminated on dasbord which indicates indicates the system is disabled. this started on 8/1/2011 had auto repair shop do scan down on vehicle and no codes are appearing to show problem with airbag system. this vehicle was bought new in 2003 fromtoyota dealership. current odm reading 97,500. any body else have this problem?will be calling toyota manufacturer. *tt

Air bag light on since i have this vehicle dealer cannot fix it . also noise from pulley loud noise i see a recall on the 2004 avalon but not on the 2003 but it's making the same noise as the 2004. *kb

Air bag warning light began flashing then stopped. took to dealer who discovered a error code b0166 stored in the computer (open circuit in left side airbag) but was not flashing when evaluated. one day later the light again came on. the dealer wants $1700.00 plus labor to fix and that it would be inoperative in an accident. i contacted toyota--[xxx] at 800-331-4331 who advised me it was out of warranty and toyota would take no responsibility for fixing a federally mandated safety feature which has no maintenance or wear and tear expectation. it is a part not expected to fail. i am now waiting on a supervisor, [xxx], to call me back but [xxx] assures me he will not be helpful either. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. the contact stated the air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have nhtsa recall campaign id number 10v354000, steering repair performed in august of 2003 and the air bag light has been on since the recall repair. the steering recall remedy included replacing the steering interlock device. the dealer replaced the air bag on the steering wheel and the clock spring. whenever, the air bag light came on the dealer offered several solutions, but none of them have were performed. the failure mileage was unknown. the current mileage was 171,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota avalon. upon starting the vehicle the air bag light illuminated on the dashboard. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on numerous occasions where it was repaired. the failure continued to recur so the vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer where he was informed the front drivers side seat needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 58,000.

2003, toyota avalon, backing up, sudden acceleration, pole stopped car, brakes didn't stop racing engine, put car in drive, shot forward into golf course, brakes wouldn't work, put car in park, didn't stop car, hit trees, utility pole, tried to steer, little or no response, turned key off, car finally stopped, car totaled, airbags did not deploy, seat belt on, but impact made head hit left side of windshield, received concussion, overnight hospital stay. reported to toyota, they wanted car, we refused to let them have it. toyota sent inspector he refused to open hood, or put auto on hoist to examine, refused to examine, just took pictures. then toyota attorney sent letter saying they couldn't see from their examination that the car failed. had 3 wittiness that toyota inspector refused to inspect car. my automobile insurance totaled auto and settled, they took auto. *jb

My mother-in-law who always wore her seat belt was driving home at night and somehow ran off the road hit a little cherry tree and was thrown from her car & killed her. the side nor the front air bags went off. and apparently the seat belts failed too. the highway partrol can't figure out what happened.*ak

When applying the brakes the vehicle surged forward. as a result, the vehicle crashed into a garage. no report of air bag deployment or injuries. *ak the consumer had come to a complete stop, then pulled forward when the vehicle surged forward. the vehicle went over a 4-5 inch curb in the back of the garage crushing everything. the consumer tried to use the brakes but they didn't respond and the air bags did not deploy. the dealership stated that everything was fine. *sc *jb

After starting the vehicle air bag warning light illuminated. dealership repaired the problem four times, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Stepped on brake and car accelerates into very high speed. *jb

While driving 5 mph, the driver applied the brake pedal and without warning the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. the driver was not able to maintain control of the vehicle and collided into a fence. both frontal air bags failed to deploy. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic was unable to duplicate the problem. *jb

Srs warning light continues to illuminate at different occasions while driving. a recall was issued in 2014 and vehicle was taken to toyota dealer for recall repair. after repair srs light continues to illuminate while driving. vehicle was taken back to toyota dealer for repair but nothing could be done because it could not be duplicated or diagnostic equipment could not find or pull any malfunction codes. what now??? *tr

Sever side impact crash on a 2003 toyota avalon resulted in a failure of the srs airbag to deploy. *la

While pulling inside of a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated uncontrollably. the consumer placed both feet on the brake pedal. but vehicle continued to accelerated. the consumer turned off the vehicle in order to stop it. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection but mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *ak when the vehicle went out of control the last time, the consumer hit a wall and the air bags did not deploy. *jb