IllustrationMY CAR KEYS CAN BE REMOVED WITHOUT PUTTING THE CAR IN P.THE CAR WAS STATIONARY IN A PARKING SPACE AND ROLLED BACK.
2004 Toyota Avalon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Avalon years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Toyota Avalon are substantially higher than the model-year median of 101.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Avalon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
200–25K
2025–50K
2550–75K
1575–100K
26100–150K
8150K+
114 reports with mileage · 91 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 127 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
27 crash reports0 fire reports13 injury reports
Unknown Or Other complaints
4 reports2004 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE PARTS UNAVAILABLE TO COMPLETE RECALL. *SMD
I AM WRITING YOU TO ASK TOYOTA TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IMPLEMENTING THIS RECALL REMEDY. AFTER RECEIVING THE INTERIM NOTICE, I HAVE BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE "FIX" OR REMEDY. HOWEVER I HAVE BEEN STONEWALLED IN A CALL TO TOYOTA -- TOYOTA CONTINUES TO SAY "NO REMEDY IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE" AND THAT THEY WILL "NOTIFY YOU WHEN T…
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I AM WRITING YOU TO ASK TOYOTA TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IMPLEMENTING THIS RECALL REMEDY. AFTER RECEIVING THE INTERIM NOTICE, I HAVE BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE "FIX" OR REMEDY. HOWEVER I HAVE BEEN STONEWALLED IN A CALL TO TOYOTA -- TOYOTA CONTINUES TO SAY "NO REMEDY IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE" AND THAT THEY WILL "NOTIFY YOU WHEN THE REMEDY IS READY." HOW LONG WILL NHTSA ALLOW TOYOTA TO KEEP DELAYING "PREPARING THE REMEDY?" I AM DELAYING DRIVING THIS CAR UNTIL THE "REMEDY" HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED. I AM ASKING THE NHTSA TO DIRECT TOYOTA TO IMPLEMENT THIS REMEDY IN MY CAR. *TR
RECEIVED SAFETY RECALL NOTICE BEGINNING OF MAY 2014. AT THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST I CHECKED WITH TOYOTA'S OFFICE IN CALIFORNIA AND SPOKE WITH NICOLE (CUST. SVC. SUPV.) HER OFFICE PHONE NUMBER IS 1-800-331-4331 EXT. 73824. THEY FOUND A "SOLUTION", TO THE PROBLEM IN EARLY MAY 2014. VEHICLES NEED TO BE "FITTED" WITH A NOISE FILTER,…
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RECEIVED SAFETY RECALL NOTICE BEGINNING OF MAY 2014. AT THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST I CHECKED WITH TOYOTA'S OFFICE IN CALIFORNIA AND SPOKE WITH NICOLE (CUST. SVC. SUPV.) HER OFFICE PHONE NUMBER IS 1-800-331-4331 EXT. 73824. THEY FOUND A "SOLUTION", TO THE PROBLEM IN EARLY MAY 2014. VEHICLES NEED TO BE "FITTED" WITH A NOISE FILTER, BETWEEN "THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE AND THE WIRE HARNESS". BUT I WAS TOLD BY NICOLE, "THAT THEY STILL DON'T HAVE THE PART READY FOR INSTALLATION". I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN BECAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT I WAS INVOLVED IN, MAY 28TH 1996. (IT WAS IN A 1991 LINCOLN TOWNCAR, THE FIRST YEAR CARS HAD AIRBAGS) BECAUSE OF MY "PERSONAL INJURIES", I'VE BEEN TOTALLY DISABLED EVER SINCE. THAT WAS OVER 18 YEARS AGO! I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN TO NICOLE "BECAUSE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE!" WHAT THE RECALL STATES IS, "THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) 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 PRETENTIONERS COULD INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY." THEN THE RECALL GOES ON TO DESCRIBE WHAT "COULD HAPPEN", TO OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE.
Official recalls
315V043000 · Air Bags:frontal
Jan 28, 2015
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.
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.
11V539000 · Engine And Engine Cooling
Nov 9, 2011
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AVALON VEHICLES; 2004 AND 2005 CAMRY, CAMRY SOLARA, HIGHLANDER, AND SIENNA VEHICLES, 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID; 2004 AND 2005 LEXUS ES330 AND RX330; AND 2006 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 2004 THROUGH MARCH 31, 2005, EQUIPPED WITH THE 1MZ-FE OR 3MZ-FE ENGINE. THE AMOUNT OF ADHESIVE AGENT APPLIED BETWEEN THE OUTER RING AND THE TORSIONAL RUBBER DAMPER (INNER RING) IN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY MAY BE INADEQUATE. IF THE ADHESIVE IS INSUFFICIENT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE OUTER RING MAY BECOME MISALIGNED AND IT MAY NOT PROPERLY ROTATE WITH THE INNER RING, CAUSING NOISE AND/OR ILLUMINATION OF THE BATTERY DISCHARGE INDICATOR LIGHT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN SOME CASES, THE BELT FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP MAY BECOME DETACHED FROM THE PULLEY WHICH COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND A SUDDEN INCREASE IN STEERING EFFORT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER IT WAS PRODUCED BY THE U.S. SUPPLIER. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PULLEY WITH A NEW ONE AT NO CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING EARLY JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
10V345000 · Steering
Jul 29, 2010
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.
Consequence & remedy
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.
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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.