IllustrationTOYOTA MATRIX 2005 MODEL PURCHASED ON OCT 2004 AND EXPORTED TO CANADA ON FEB 2009, ABOUT 42K MILES. ECM PROBLEM. WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION, THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT TURNED ON AND KEPT ON AFTER THEN. THE CAR "JERKS" FROM TIME TO TIME WHILE MOVING. SENT TO DEALER, DIAGNOSED AS ECM PROBLEM, WHICH IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. *TR
2005 Toyota Matrix
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Matrix years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Toyota Matrix are substantially higher than the model-year median of 70.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Matrix years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
280–25K
2225–50K
1350–75K
3275–100K
16100–150K
14150K+
125 reports with mileage · 88 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 103 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints
2 reportsECM FAILURE ON 2005 TOYOTA MATRIX. CAUSED LURCHING,ACCELERATION CHANGES DURING AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTING., CAUSING UNSAFE DRIVING BY DRIVER. DEALER SAID VEHICLE OUT OF WARRANTY AND MILEAGE TOO HIGH (80,500) FOR THEM TO REPLACE AT THEIR COST. *TR
Official recalls
110V384000 · Engine And Engine Cooling
Aug 26, 2010
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2008 COROLLA AND COROLLA MATRIX VEHICLES. THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) FOR THE SUBJECT MODELS EQUIPPED WITH THE 1ZZ-FE ENGINE AND TWO-WHEEL DRIVE MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A CRACK MAY DEVELOP AT CERTAIN SOLDER POINTS OR ON VARISTORS ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THERE ARE A VARIETY OF WARNINGS AND CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEFECT. THE ENGINE WARNING LAMP COULD BE ILLUMINATED, HARSH SHIFTING COULD RESULT, THE ENGINE MAY NOT START, OR THE ENGINE COULD SHUT OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. AN ENGINE SHUTOFF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE PRODUCTION NUMBER OF THE ECM AND REPLACE THE ECM IF NECESSARY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. TOYOTA WILL MAIL AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION THE MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER 2010 TO ADVISE OWNERS OF THIS DEFECT AND RECALL. THIS INTERIM NOTIFICATION WILL INFORM OWNERS THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE A FUTURE NOTIFICATION WHEN PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE TO HAVE THE FREE REMEDY PERFORMED ON THEIR VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 29, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.