There are 6 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2003 Toyota Avalonin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I DROVE INTO A PARKING SPOT, PUT MY CAR INTO PARK & RELEASED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE. THE CAR ROLLED BACK AS IF IT WAS IN REVERSE. I APPLIED THE BRAKES, SHIFTED THE GEAR INTO DRIVE & DROVE BACK UP INTO THE SPACE. I PUT THE CAR BACK INTO PARK, RELEASED THE BRAKES, ONLY TO HAVE THE CAR ROLL BACK AGAIN. I PULLED BACK UP INTO THE PARKING SPOT, SHIFTED BACK INTO PARK & THIS TIME PUT ON PARKING BRAKES. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR & WENT INTO THE STORE. WHEN I CAME BACK, MY CAR WOULD NOT START. NOT ONLY WOULD IT NOT START, IT WOULD NOT MAKE ANY SORT OF NOISE (WHICH IS HOW I KNEW IT WASN'T THE BATTERY). I CALLED FOR A TOW & THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO START IN GEAR NEUTRAL.
THE GAS PEDAL ON OUR 2003 TOYOTA AVALON BEGAN STICKING WHEN CAR WAS 5 YEARS OLD. IT WAS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN THE CAR WAS STOPPED AND WE WANTED TO BEGIN MOVING. IT BECAME HARD TO DEPRESS UNTIL A GOOD BIT OF PRESSURE, AND THEN THE CAR WOULD LURCH FORWARD OR BACKWARD VERY QUICKLY. WE TRIED LUBRICATING THE PEDAL MECHANISM BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK. THE DEALER SAID THEY FIXED IT AT OUR 100,000 MILE CHECK BUT IT STILL STUCK. THE RECENT PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA GAS PEDALS MAY HAVE BEEN AROUND A LOT LONGER THAN THOUGHT. *TR
WHEN I TRY TO DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR OF MY 2003 TOYOTA AVALON, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I FEEL RESISTANCE. IF I PRESS TO OVERCOME THE RESISTANCE, IT THEN RACES AND DOES NOT RETURN TO NORMAL POSITION. IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST 4 YEARS W/O ANY PATTERN. NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT IT. *TR
TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH INTO A PARKING LOT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16930. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED FOR A SECOND OPINION, HOWEVER, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 17000.*AK UPDATED 04/12/07. *JB
CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN PUT ON BRAKES AND PUT IN NEUTRAL HAS NOT DONE THAT AGAIN WHEN I WENT TO TOYOTA TO REPORT INCIDENT WAS BRUSHED OF HAVE NEVER FELT SAFE IN THIS CAR SINCE. *TR
PROBLEMS WITH VIEWING GEAR SHIFT POSITIONS DURING NIGHT DRIVING. *MR WHEN THE CONSUMER HAD TOOK POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE, THE INTERIOR HAD BECOME DARK. THE DISPLAY OF THE GEAR POSITION COULD BE SEEN IN THE DAYLIGHT HAD BECOME HARD TO SEE. (ILLUMINATION OF THE SELECTION LEVEL) THE PROBLEM PLACED A STRAIN ON THE CONSUMERS EYES. *SCC *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026