2003 Toyota Matrix

CLUTCH BEGAN SLIPPING AT 35000 MILES WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. DEALER CLAIMED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND NO ADJUSTMENT REQUIRED. CLUTCH CONTINUED TO GET WORSE. ON SUBSEQUENT TRIPS TO THE DEALER, THEY REPEATED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND THAT THE CLUTCH WAS NORMAL. AN INDEPENDENT SHOP TOLD ME OTHERWISE. THE SLIPPING CONTINUED TO GET WORSE UNTIL BY 75000 MILES IT WAS UNDRIVABLE. THEN THE DEALER SAID IT NEEDED A CLUTCH AND THAT THE WEAR WAS NORMAL. I HAVE DRIVEN MANUAL TRANSMISSION CARS FOR 40 YEARS AND NEVER ENCOUNTERED SUCH A SHORT LIFESPAN ON A CLUTCH OR A MORE UNRESPONSIVE DEALER. I HAVE SERVICE RECORDS INDICATING THAT THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND ON MORE THAN ONE OTHER OCCASION AND THAT THEY DID NOT ADEQUATELY INSPECT FOR THIS ISSUE. *TR

5-SPEED MANUAL: FOR THE LAST 10K MILES, ENGINE COMPARTMENT HAS BEEN MAKING AN UNUSUAL NOISE WHEN GAS IS APPLIED OR WHEN DOWNSHIFTING. AT 120K MILES, PROBLEM BECAME MUCH WORSE AND WHEN APPLYING GAS, SOMETIMES A LOUD WHIRRING NOISE, LIKE A SPINNING SAWBLADE, COMES AND GOES. MECHANIC DRAINED TRANSMISSION AND FOUND METAL PARTICLES. $2200 FOR REBUILT TRANSMISSION. *TR

TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON INTERSTATE 15 I CHANGED LANES FROM THE RIGHT HAND LANE INTO THE RIGHT HAND MERGE/EXIT LANE TO FRIAR RD EXIT. I WAS ON MY WAY TO CHURCH ABOVE MISSION VALLEY. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR, AS I WAS CHANGING LANES THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY NO LONGER CONTROLLED THE WHEELS. I MOVED THE STEERING WHEEL ONLY ENOUGH FOR A LANE CHANGE BUT THE STEERING LOST ALL CONNECTION WITH WHEELS. THE FRONT WHEELS APPEARED TO HAVE LOST CONNECTION WITH THE STEERING, THE CAR LURCHED FIRST LEFT THEN RIGHT, I PUT MY FOOT ON THE CLUTCH TO TRY TO GET IT TO SLOW DOWN. I DIDN'T HIT THE BRAKES WHILE CAR WAS IN UNCONTROLLED MOVEMENT. THEN THE CAR DID AT LEAST ONE COMPLETE 360 SPIN, CAME OUT OF THE SPIN FACING THE CURB AT THE SHOULDER, BOUNCED OVER THE CURB. APPARENTLY IT MAY HAVE GONE AIR BORNE AND SHEARED OFF A SMALL TREE. WENT DOWN THE EMBANKMENT ON ITS WHEELS AND ENDED UP AT THE BOTTOM STILL ON ITS WHEELS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE SPUN AROUND FOUR TIMES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GROUND WAS DRY AND THERE WERE NO ROAD HAZARDS. THE CONTACT MERGED ONTO THE SHOULDER FOR ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES AND THEN DROVE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND A CLAIM WAS FILED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000. UPDATED 09/27/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED SHE APPLIED THE BRAKE VERY LIGHTLY AND THE VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL. IT APPEARED EITHER THE BRAKE LOCKED OR THE ACCELERATOR LOCKED. UPDATED 09/30/11

MY SON WAS DRIVING OUR 2003 TOYOTA MATIX, ACCELERATING UP TO SPEED AFTER PULLING ONTO THE INTERSTATE ON-RAMP WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MAKE A LOUD CLICKING SOUND. THERE WAS NO ENGINE WARNING LIGHT OR SMOKING FROM THE ENGINE OR EXHAUST SYSTEM. HE REDUCED SPEED, PULLED OVER AND EXITED AT THE NEXT EXIT. ALTHOUGH THE CAR HAD LOST SIGNIFICANT POWER, HE WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP, LOCATED NEARBY. THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH HAD FAILED AND THE OIL HAD LEAKED OUT. THERE WAS NO LEVEL ON THE DIPSTICK. AFTER REPLACING THE SWITCH, ADDING OIL, THE ENGINE STILL HAS A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND, IS LOW ON POWER AND WILL NOT IDLE. IT IS NOT BURNING OIL. DIAGNOSIS IS INTERNAL ENGINE DAMAGE AND THAT ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED. THE CAR HAS 129,000 MILES ON IT, HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS ONE MONTH AND 1500 MILES SHORT OF ITS NEXT OIL CHANGE. DEALER VERBAL ESTIMATE IS $5000 FOR REPLACEMENT ENGINE, FROM A BREAKER'S YARD. INDEPENDENT ESTIMATE IS $3000 - 4000. BASICALLY, THE CAR IS AN ECONOMIC WRITE-OFF. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RIGHT REAR DOOR GLASS SEPARATED FROM THE WINDOW REGULATOR. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE AWARE OF THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, DID NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE RECALL NUMBER: 08V162000 (VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR) ONLY PERTAINED TO THE FRONT WINDOW. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 134,868 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 134,800.

OWN A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX-1ST OWNER OF THIS CAR. THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED WITH 9 MILES IN IT. WHEN IT WAS FIRST PURCHASED WITHIN 2 DAYS THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION BEARINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE PURCHASED AND THE TECHNICIANS SAID THERE WAS NO NOISE. THE NOISE NEVER WENT AWAY AND THE DEALER JUST IGNORED IT-NEVER FIXED IT. ALSO, THE BACK SEAT BELT WOULD GET STUCK FOR NO REASON, THIS WAS ALSO BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALER TECHS, BUT ALSO "NOTHING WAS WRONG" UP TO THIS DATE, THE SEAT BELTS KEEP GETTING STUCK AND MY KIDS USE IT THAT WAY. ANOTHER DEFECTIVE THING ABOUT THIS CAR WERE THE SENSOR DAYLIGHTS, ONCE THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF, THE LIGHTS AUTOMATICALLY WOULD GO ON AND OF COURSE THE NEXT DAY THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. THIS WAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION ON THE DEALER AND FINALLY, THEY DECIDED TO FIX SOMETHING OF THIS CAR. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A DEFECT FROM THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

FRONT PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE SHATTERED ON OPENING, DOOR WAS UNLOCKED, THIS WAS THE SECOND ONE ON THIS CAR TO SHATTER, THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE BROKE IN THE SAME WAY ABOUT 1 YEAR AGO. DOORS ARE UNABLE TO OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE, BESIDES NOT BEING ABLE TO OPEN DOORS NORMALLY, THIS OCCURRENCE COULD HAMPER RESCUE MEASURES IF DOOR/HANDLE BREAKS WHEN RESCUERS ARE TRYING TO GET VICTIMS OF AN ACCIDENT OUT OF THE VEHICLE IN AN ACCIDENT PRIOR TO THE PROPER RESCUE EQUIPMENT ARRIVING ON SCENE. MILEAGE CURRENT FAILURE - 110,100 PREVIOUS MILEAGE FAILURE - @90,000. *TR

MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX. MOSTLY HIGHWAY MILES, MAINTAINED REGULARLY AT THE DEALER. NOTICED A NOISE AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID EVERYTHING WAS FINE. A FEW THOUSAND MILES LATER, THERE WAS A HIGH PITCHED WHINE OUT OF FIFTH GEAR. UPON STOPPING AND RESTARTING, PRETTY MUCH ALL THE FORWARD GEARS WERE GRINDING, POPPING, SQUEALING. REPAIR AT THE DEALER WAS QUOTED $2500 FOR A USED TRANSMISSION AND $3200 FOR A NEW! ABOUT HALF THE VALUE OF THE CAR. *TR