2005 Toyota Matrix

ON JULY 17, 2013, MY CAR HAS MADE SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF ENGINE SHUTTING OFF EITHER AT INTERSECTONS, OR WHILE IN MOTION. GOOD THING IT DOES START BACK UP BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL AUTO SHOP AND IT WAS DIAGNOSE AS CODE TO REPLACE THE THERMOSTAT AND GASKET COOLANT SENSOR. TWO WEEKS LATER, ENGINE SHUT-OFF AGAIN WHILE DRIVING SEVERAL TIMES. RETURN IT BACK TO THE LOCAL AUTO SHOP AND HAD THEM LOOK AT IT AGAIN. THEY FOUND NO OTHER PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, THEY INFORMED ME TO TAKE IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, AS THE ECM MAY BE AT FAULT. ON JULY 31, 2013, TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE AND AFTER SEVERAL HOURS, THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS A FAULTY BATTERY.! MY BATTERY IS ONLY THREE YEARS OLD AND I KNOW ITS NOT THE BATTERY, AFTER TELLING THEM TO CHECK THE ECM. THEY WOULDN'T PROCEED UNTIL I BUY A BATTERY FROM THEM! ON 8/30/13, TOOK MY CAR TO ANOTHER AUTO SHOP FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND EXPLAINED "THE ENGINE TURNS OFF WHILE DRIVING" ISSUE AGAIN. THEY DIAGNOSE AS CARBON BUILDUP AND DID A THROTTLE BODY CLEANING. NOW ITS 9/6/13, AND PROBLEM OF ENGINE STALLING STILL PERSISTS!. ONE DAY, THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF THREE TIMES WHILE DRIVING. SUBSEQUENTLY, TOYOTA HAS ANOTHER SECOND RECALL ON LEXUS AND RAV4 MODELS THIS WEEK. THE ECM WAS RECALLED AND REPLACED ON MY CAR ON 8/31/11. CAN THE ECM BE FAULTY AGAIN! OR OTHER PARTS CAUSING THE PROBLEM BE UNDIAGNOSED IN LIGHT OF TOYOTA MANUFACTURE RECALLS.SYMPTOMS: ODOMETER LIGHT FLICKERS AND ENGINE EVENTUALLY SHUTS OFF.

THE ODOMETER ON MY 2005 TOYOTA MATRIX WILL NOT ADVANCE PAST 299,999 MILES. I HAVE CHECKED ON LINE AND HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE MATRIX. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND WAS REFERRED TO MY DEALER. I WORKED WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER WHO SAID THAT HE HAD RECENTLY SEEN A PRIUS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THE GENERAL MANAGER TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND THAT WHOEVER DESIGNED/ENGINEERED THE ODOMETER ARBITRARY DECIDED TO STOP THE ODOMETER READING AT 299,999. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: 1. I AM UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE NORMAL SERVICE INTERVALS FOR THE VEHICLE. THIS INCLUDES: A. INTERVALS FOR OIL CHANGES B. OTHER SERVICES SUCH AS OTHER FLUID CHANGES, ETC CAN NOT BE TRACKED OR DETERMINED WHEN THEY ARE DUE. C. INTERVALS FOR TIRE ROTATION. I. MY TIRES HAVE A WARRANTY THAT IS PRO-RATED ON MILEAGE. THAT WARRANTY IS NO LONGER OF USE TO ME IN THAT I CAN NOT PROVIDE THE CORRECT MILEAGE. II. THE DEALER THAT I PURCHASED THE TIRES FROM OFFERS FREE ROTATION BUT I CAN NO LONGER ACCESS THAT SERVICE IN THAT THE MILEAGE DOES NOT ADVANCE PAST THE 299,999 MARK. 2. MY STATE REQUIRES THAT THE MILEAGE BE STATED WHEN A CAR IS SOLD. I CAN NO LONGER GIVE THAT INFORMATION ACCURATELY. 3. ACCORDING TO THE GENERAL MANAGER OF MY DEALER, IF I WERE TO TRADE IN THIS MATRIX, I WOULD HAVE THE TRADE IN VALUE DECREASED BECAUSE I COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ACCURATE ODOMETER READING. 4. IF THE VEHICLE IS DAMAGED IN AN ACCIDENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND MY INSURANCE COMPANY CAN NOT DETERMINE THE CORRECT MILEAGE. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT MY CAR IS THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE, AS STATED ABOVE. THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON FOR THIS ODOMETER TO STOP AT 299,999. THIS IS PURELY A DESIGN/ENGINEERING DECISION, NOT A WORN OUT PART. I REQUEST THAT YOUR AGENCY INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE.

DRIVER ENTERS A SMALL PARKING LOT IN SAN DIEGO. DRIVER PULLS UP SLOWLY TO ONE OF FIVE PERPENDICULARS STALLS IN THE LOT. AS HE IS PRESSING BRAKES, THE VEHICLE TAKES OFF, HITS THE CONCRETE STOP AND THEN A FRAME WALL A FEW FEET AFTER THE STOP. THERE IS SOME DAMAGE TO THE BUMPER BUT NONE TO THE ENGINE OR RADIATOR. DRIVER HITS THE STEERING WHEEL. AIRBAGS DO NOT GO OFF. WALL IS DAMAGED. DRIVER PUTS THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE TO PULL BACK. THE CAR TAKES OFF AND LOUNGES BACKWARDS, JUMPS THE CURB FROM THE PARKING LOT TO THE STREET, AND STARTS MOVING BACKWARDS AT HIGH SPEED, SMOKING ITS FRONT TIRES AND DOING A "DONUT" WHERE THE FRONT WHEELS (THIS IS A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE) ARE SPINNING AND THE VEHICLE IS CIRCLING BACKWARDS. FINALLY AT HIGH SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE TRAVELS AND SLAMS BACKWARDS INTO A TOYOTA PICKUP TRUCK STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT AND STOPS. THE BACKEND DAMAGE IS EXTENSIVE AND THE REAR LEFT WHEEL IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. VEHICLE IS DECLARED A TOTAL. THIS IS A CASE OF SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. *TT

MY CAR DIED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A SATURDAY. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM, THEY CONFIRMED IT WAS DUE TO THE RECALL ON THE ECM [1ZZ-FE], YET I HAD TO PAY TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED IN. THEY SAID THEY WOULD RUN TEST TO CONFIRM THAT WAS THE PROBLEM THEN FIX IT. 3 HOURS LATER THEY CALLED AND SAID THAT CHANGING THE COMPUTER PART THAT WAS RECALLED COULD FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY - I ASKED FOR A LONER CAR SINCE IT WAS NOT MY FAULT I WOULD BE WITHOUT A CAR, THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. THEY WOULD DO AN EMERGENCY ORDER AND THE PART WOULD BE IN ON TUESDAY - THEY WOULD CALL ME IN THE MORNING. ON TUESDAY THEY DIDN'T CALL I HAD TO CALL, I HAD TO CALL MULTIPLE TIMES TO REACH ANYONE, AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE PART, IT WAS BACK-ORDERED AND COULD BE UP TO A FEW WEEKS. I AGAIN PUSHED FOR A LONER CAR, THEY SAID THEY WOULD SEE IF THEY COULD AUTHORIZE IT AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING. IN THE MORNING THEY HAD SOMEHOW MANAGED TO FIND A PART, PUT IT IN, I WAS THEN TOLD THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION BEFORE THIS, THERE IS NO WAY THE FUEL SYSTEM MIRACULOUSLY WENT BAD AT THE EXACT SAME TIME THAT THE RECALLED PART WENT OUT - IT HAD TO BE CAUSED BY THE COMPUTER FAILURE. BESIDES THAT I WAS TOLD THAT THE COMPUTER PART WAS THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH MY CAR. THEN THEY TRIED TO OVERCHARGE MY BY $600 FOR THE FUEL SYSTEM, ALL THE WHILE STILL NOT GIVING ME A LONER CAR. IN SUMMARY MY CAR DIED ON MY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, I HAD TO PAY FOR MY TOWING, MISS HOURS OF WORK, BE CARELESS FOR 6 DAYS AND PAY FOR A NEW FUEL SYSTEM ALL THANKS TO THE RECALLED PART. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE PARTS THAT WERE DAMAGED BY THE RECALL PROBLEMS.