2003 Toyota Matrix

MY CLUTCH WENT OUT AT 29K MILES. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. I HAVE BEEN DRVING A STND FOR YEARS NOW AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE CLUTCH ON THE 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX XRS IS A DESIGN ERROR AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR IT TO BE DRVING HABITS. TOYOTA SHOULD TAKE CARE OF IT'S CUSTOMERS AND RECTIFY THIS SITUATION!*AK

TOYOTA MATRIX 2003 (ALSO APPLIES TO PONTIAC VIBE 2003) AS INSTRUMENTS ARE THE SAME. USE OF ALL "RED" COLORED INSTRUMENTS, (SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, FUEL GAUGE, ETC.) MAKES THEM DIFFICULT TO READ, READING TRIP METER REQUIRES REMOVING SUNGLASSES TO READ. CAN BECOME IMPOSSIBLE TO READ IN BRIGHT SUN. BECAUSE SPEEDOMETER IS DIFFICULT TO READ, DRIVER CAN EASILY BE PUT IN POSITION OF DRIVING WITH EXCESSIVE SPEED BECAUSE SPEEDOMETER IS HARD TO READ OT MAY REQUIRE SUNGLASSES TO BE REMOVED TO READ SPEEDOMETER. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TELLS ME THAT BY TAKING A FEW SECONDS TO READ INSTRUMENTS CAN PUT A DRIVER IN A POTIENTALLLY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN IN SOME TRAFFIC SITUATIONS. COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENTS OR DEATH. "COMPLAINTS" ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ARE NOTED IN THE REVIEWS ENTERED BY INDIVIDUALS ON THE WEB SITE WWW.EDMUNDS.COM, SPECIFICALLY: HTTP://WWW.EDMUNDS.COM/USED/2003/TOYOTA/MATRIX/100074126/RATINGS_CONSUMERSDETAIL.HTML?DCR_SID=100074126&DCR_USEIN=U&TID=EDMUNDS.U.RATINGS_CONSUMER.CONTENT..4.TOYOTA*. PLEASE ALSO SEE ALSO CAR & DRIVER 6/2002 PAGE 62 IN AN ARTICLE TITLED "COMPARISON TEST: BOXES SIZE SMALL", WHICH STATES IN PART: "...THE RED INSTRUMENTS ARE HARD TO READ THROUGH SUNGLASSES, AND THE DIALS SEEM PECULIARLY LOCATED DOWN IN DARK TUNNELS...". PLEASE NOTE THAT BOTH TOYOTA AND PONTIAC CORRECTED THIS IN THEIR 2004 MODELS OF THE TOYOTA MATRIX AND PONTIAC. ACTION REQUESTED: REQUIRE BOTH TOYOTA AND PONTIAC TO OFFER OWNERS OF THE 2003 MODELS THE CHOICE OF UPDATING THEIR INSTRUMENT PANELS TO THE 2004 MODEL INSTRUMENTS. *AK

THE ENGINE DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH COMPRESSION TO HOLD THE CAR WHEN PARKED IN GEAR EVEN ON LOW INCLINES. IT WILL SLOWLY ROLL AWAY ON LOW INCLINES AND ROLLS FASTER THE STEEPER IT IS. TOYOTA SAY THIS IS NORMAL AND THE MANUEL SAYS TO USE THE E-BRAKE. I DO OF COURSE USE THE E-BRAKE IF IT IS STEEPLY PARKED. BUT SINCE E-BRAKES FREEZE IN COLD CONDITIONS, I HAVE A REAL SAFETY CONCERN HERE. I HAVE PARKED MANY OTHER STANDARD CARS IN THE SAME LOCATIONS THE MATRIX ROLLS AWAY IN AND THEY DON'T MOVE. AT MY DEALER THE MAINTENANCE MANAGER AGREED IT WAS A PROBLEM ON THE TEST DRIVE, AS DID HIS TECHNICIAN UNTIL IT WAS FOUND ALL TOYOTA MATRIX DID THE SAME THING. NOW TOYOTA CANADA IS INVOLVED AND ALL SAY THERE ISN'T A PROBLEM NOW. TOYOTA NEED TO WARN PEOPLE PRIOR TO A TEST DRIVE WHEN SOMETHING AS BASIC AS PARKING IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER STANDARDS.

AFTER PURCHASE, COMPLAINED OF "STEERING WANDER." NOT ONLY DID THE DEALER CARMAX TOYOTA NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT RETURNED THE CAR WITH THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONING. AFTER SEVERAL MORE TRIPS TO THE DEALER, THEY FINALLY REPLACED THE STEERING RACK ADMITTING PROBLEMS WITH SOME UNITS. UPON BEING INFORMED THAT THIS MADE NO DIFFERENCE, AND WITHOUT FURTHER RETESTING, CARMAX AND TOYOTA REFUSE TO PERFORM ANY MORE ATTEMPTS AT FIXING EITHER PROBLEM. SO NOW I'M FILING UNDER MARYLAND'S LEMON LAW BECAUSE I'M STUCK WITH A WANDERING CAR WITHOUT FULL POWER STEERING. IN ADDITION, I HAD CARMAX CHANGE THE OIL AT 300 MILES. SUBSEQUENTLY, I CHANGED THE OIL AT 400 MILES AND WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THAT IT WAS BLACK AS COAL INDICATING PISTON BLOWBY. I JUST CHANGED THE OIL AT 3000 MILES AND THE OIL IS A BLACK AS COAL, AS IF THE ENGINE HAD CLOSER TO 90,OOO MILES ON IT.

I HAD A FLAT TIRE AND CHANGED IT BUT WHEN I TOOK OFF THE TIRE THE BRAKE DRUM CAME OFF WITH THE RIM. I PUT ON THE SPARE AND THE NEXT DAY DRIVING TO DISCOUNT TIRES IN LYNNWOOD ON THE FREEWAY I HAD NO BRAKES, THE BRAKE FLUID HAD LEAKED OUT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MAGIC TOYOTA IN EDMONDS AND THEY SAID IT WAS MY FAULT BECAUSE I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN AND THAT IT " SOMETIMES HAPPENS." I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT HAPPENING AND NOT BEING A MECHANIC I HAD NO IDEA, OTHER MECHANICS I HAVE TALKED TO SAY IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. TOYOTA REFUSED TO COVER BRAKE REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. *LA

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX XRS AND THE ENGINE INTERMITTENTLY SHUTS OFF WHEN I PUSH IN THE CLUTCH. THIS HAPPENS ON CITY STREETS WHEN I AM GOING SLOW. TODAY IT HAPPENED TWICE WHEN I WAS SLOWING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. IT HAS HAPPENED MANY MANY TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR LAST NOVEMBER. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET IT TO HAPPEN WITH ANYONE FROM THE SELLING TOYOTA DEALER OR FROM THE TOYOTA REGION IN MY CAR. I DO HAVE AT LEAST 4 WITNESSES WHO HAVE BEEN IN MY CAR WHEN IT HAPPENED. I KNOW OF ANOTHER MATRIX OWNER IN SOUTHERN CALIF WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ANOTHER MATRIX OWNER IN KANSAS HAD THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM IN 2002 AND HE GOT TOYOTA TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RESURFACED. I AM AT MY WITS END AS TO HOW TO GET MY CAR FIXED. IT IS DANGEROUS AND I AM GOING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT ONE OF THESE DAYS. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS. *LA

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE SPEEDOMETER. THE SPEEDOMETER HAS A RED BACK LIGHT AND AS A RESULT THE DRIVER CANNOT SEE THE VEHICLES SPEED WHILE DRIVING DURING THE DAY LIGHT. THE DRIVER HAS NO PROBLEMS WHILE DRIVING DURING NIGHT TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THIS WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THEM. *AK *TS *NLM