2003 Toyota Matrix

MY 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX XR SOMETIMES ACCELERATES UNCONTROLLABLY. USUALLY WHEN I AM CRUISING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WHEN I LET OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR'S THROTTLE STILL FEELS LIKE IT'S IN THE OPEN POSITION, CAUSING THE CAR TO SPEED UP INSTEAD OF SLOWING DOWN. IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE IF THE CRUISE CONTROL IS TURNED ON AND THE CAR IS TRYING TO MAINTAIN SPEED. MY CRUISE CONTROL WAS TURNED OFF DURING EACH OF THESE INCIDENTS, AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THEY WERE TURNED ON AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENTS. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS AND I USUALLY DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THEM. THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN EVENTUALLY THE THROTTLE WILL CLOSE AND THE CAR WILL SLOW DOWN AND THEN I WILL APPLY THE BRAKES GENTLY. I HAVE INFORMED MY TOYOTA DEALER OF THIS BUT THEY USUALLY JUST BRUSH THE COMPLAINT OFF AND SAY THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS. I PERSONALLY THINK IT'S AN ELECTRONICS ISSUE WHERE THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM OVERRIDE THE MANUAL SYSTEM WITHOUT THE INPUT OF THE DRIVER. *TR

WHILST DRIVING AT 55 MPH THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO GRIND AND THEN LOCKED UP. AT 66,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT. READING ON EDMUNDS THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. HERE IS THE LINK. HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/WEBX/.F0D9B0E I HAD TO PUT A USED TRANSMISSION IN AT A COST OF $2,000 AND SUSPECT THE SAME FAILURE WILL HAPPEN WITH THIS ONE. I'M FILING A COMPLAINT NOW DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF OTHER MATRIX DRIVERS THIS IS HAPPENING TOO. *TR

I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT AT AN APT. COMPLEX; I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE SO AS NOT TO HIT THE CURB; THE CAR BECAME AIRBORNE, JUMPED THE CURB AND LANDED ONTO A CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND STOPPING JUST SHORT OF HITTING A TREE. I STILL HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, NOW PRESSED TO THE FLOOR. I ASKED MY PASSENGER TO GET OUT OF THE CAR, I THEN BACKED UP OVER THE CURB AND BACK ONTO THE MACADAM. *TR

MY 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. A BEARING IN THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO FAIL (NOISE) AT 80,000 MILES. THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IS COMMON FOR BOTH THE MATRIX AND THE PONTIAC VIBE (IDENTICAL CAR). LUCKILY I HAD IT CHANGED BEFORE ANY ACCIDENT OCCURRED. NEITHER TOYOTA NOR GM ARE PROVIDING ANY CUSTOMER SUPPORT DESPITE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE 2003 MANUAL TRANSMISSION. *TR

A RATTLING NOISE STARTED UNDER THE CAR. IT WOULD DISAPPEAR WHEN THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS PUSHED DOWN. OVER A 2 DAY PERIOD, THE NOISE BECAME VERY LOUD AND BECAME MORE LIKE A CLACKING NOISE, BUT NOT CONSTANT. WE TOOK THE CAR TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST. THE TRANSMISSION IS SHOT AND WE'VE ORDERED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I TOLD THE TECHNICIAN THERE WERE LOTS OF REPORTS ABOUT THE '03 AND '04 TRANSMISSIONS. WHEN THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN SPOKE TO TOYOTA ABOUT ANY FREQUENCY OF THIS HAPPENING WITH THE '03 MATRIX, TOYOTA SAID THEY HADN'T HAD ANY REPORTS ON IT. (I UNDERSTAND THEY FIXED PROBLEMS BY '05) THIS IS THE 3RD TOYOTA WE HAVE HAD. NEVER HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. I HOPE THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY OUR (03 TOYOTA MATRIX, MANUAL TRANS), (NORTH BOUND I-45 CONROE, TEXAS) THE CAR ABRUPTLY STARTED A THUMPING SLAPPING SOUND. FROM THE FROUNT END. ASAP! PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, STOPPED AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. MY HUSBAND ARRIVED, TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. HE HAD ME TURN THE CAR ON WITHOUT STARTING AND PUSHED THE VEHICLE. THE THUMPING, SLAPPING SOUND IS COMING FROM UNDER THE ENGINE. TO BE CONTINUED. *CN

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX DIED AFTER 100,000 MILES AND IT'S A MANUAL. I PURCHASED THE CAR USED AND IT HAD ABOUT 70K MILES ON IT. I HAD A TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSH AT ABOUT 80K. THE CAR STARTED MAKING NOISES AND THEN I COULDN'T SHIFT IT INTO GEAR AND THEN IT COMPLETELY DIED. I HAD TO HAVE A NEW/REBUILT TRANSMISSION PUT INTO THE CAR FOR ABOUT $2,500. APPARENTLY THIS IS FAIRLY COMMON WITH THE MATRIX AND I DON'T THINK IT'S SPECIFIC TO THE 2003 CAR. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY ONE EVENING, AN ODD CLICKING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE FRONT END OF OUR 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX (MANUAL TRANSMISSION WITH 88,000 MILES). THE SOUND WAS LOUDER WITH ACCELERATION. AFTER GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY, THE SOUND WAS NOTED TO BE LOUDER IN HIGHER GEARS, AND ABSENT WHEN THE CLUTCH WAS PRESSED DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE AT OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER THE NEXT MORNING. AFTER PAYING A $95 DIAGNOSTIC FEE, WE WERE TOLD THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AT THE ESTIMATED COST OF $3300, WITH NOTHING BEING COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY OR RECALL. WE BROUGHT THE CAR TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST FOR A REBUILD. THE BEARINGS, RINGS, AND TWO TRANSFER GEARS WERE REPLACED, ALONG WITH THE CLUTCH, AT A COST OF $2100. IT IS NOTED THAT THE MECHANIC HAD A DELAY IN GETTING THE PARTS DUE TO A MANUFACTURER BACK ORDER, REPORTEDLY FROM A HIGH DEMAND DUE TO MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL CAR! THIS IS OUR FIRST TOYOTA, WHICH WE BOUGHT DUE TO THEIR GOOD REPUTATION. IT HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED AND SUBJECTED TO ONLY NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. WE HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE WITH TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND ARE SHOCKED THAT THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR WAS NEEDED ON SUCH A YOUNG CAR. TOYOTA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR COVERING THE COST OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE WIDESPREAD TRANSMISSION FAILURE DUE TO DEFECTIVE/INFERIOR PARTS USED ON THIS VEHICLE! *TR