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2003 Toyota Camry Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

946 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.32 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious04V346000

Air Bags:Side/Window

IF THIS OCCURS, THE CSA MAY NOT DEPLOY RAPIDLY ENOUGH WHEN ACTIVATED IN A SIDE IMPACT COLLISION.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CSAS AND REPLACE THE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 6, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH CURTAIN SHIELD AIR BAGS (CSA), ONE OR BOTH OF THE CURTAIN AIR BAGS MAY BE TWISTED NEAR THE INFLATOR DUE TO IMPROPER ASSEMBLY.

Complaint volume

946 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

300Crashes
13Fires
140Injuries
5Deaths

Across 946 complaints. Severity Index 1.32.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Vehicle Speed Control231 · 24%Engine And Engine Cooling52 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic52 · 5%Engine52 · 5%Air Bags51 · 5%Steering38 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…32 · 3%Vehicle Speed Control · A…28 · 3%
  1. Vehicle Speed Control — 231 reports
  2. Engine And Engine Cooling — 52 reports
  3. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 52 reports
  4. Engine — 52 reports
  5. Air Bags — 51 reports
  6. Steering — 38 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 32 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal — 28 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 26 reports
  10. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 22 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (5) · 1996 (7) · 1997 (4) · 1998 (3) · 1999 (2) · 2000 (4) · 2001 (4) · 2002 (4) · 2003 · 2004 (3) · 2005 (5) · 2006 (5) · 2007 (10) · 2008 (8) · 2009 (10) · 2010 (9) · 2011 (5) · 2012 (2) · 2013 (2) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (1) · 2016 (2) · 2017 (3) · 2018 (8) · 2019 (6) · 2020 (3) · 2021 (1) · 2022 (1) · 2023 (2) · 2024 (1) · 2025 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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