One problem related to air bag on-off switch has been reported for the 2003 Toyota Avalon. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Toyota Avalon based on all problems reported for the 2003 Avalon.
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 hi 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.