2005 Toyota Matrix

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ONE MORNING AND I HEARD A LOUD GRINDING AND WHINING SOUND COMING FROM WHAT SOUNDED LIKE THE ENGINE. I CAME TO A RED LIGHT AND GOT OUT TO SEE IF I COULD SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY BUT SAW NOTHING. I THEN GOT BACK IN AND PUT IT IN GEAR TO GO AND NOTHING I WOULD LET OUT THE CLUTCH AND IT WOULDN'T MOVE. I TRIED TO PUT IT IN REVERSE TO MOVE IT OUT OF THE STREET AND WHEN I WOULD LET OFF THE CLUTCH IT WOULD POP OUT OF GEAR IT WOULDN'T STAY IN REVERSE. I HAD TO GET IT TOWED AND FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS MY TRANSMISSION. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. EVIDENTLY TOYOTA MADE A BAD DESIGN WITH THE 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION AND ONE OF THE BEARINGS DOSE NOT GET LUBRICATED AND BURNS OUT FALLING APART AND RUINING THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS AND WILL NOT FIX THIS. *TR

I ALREADY TURNED IN AN INCIDENT BUT DID NOT GET AN E-MAIL OR ANY REPLY BACK SO AM DOING IT AGAIN TO MAKE SURE. MY AIR BAG LIGHT HAS BEEN GOING ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR 1.5 YEARS. I WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA THAT IT WOULD COST $180 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND WAS NEVER TOLD THAT WHEN MY AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON THAT MY AIR BAG WOULD NOT GO OFF. I RECENTLY FOUND THIS OUT SO HAD IT CHECKED OUT. TURNS OUT IT IS A FAULTY CLOCK. TOYOTA HAS THE CLOCK AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THEIR AIR BAGS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY PUT MY FAMILY AT RISK BECAUSE OF A CLOCK. IT COST ME $560 TO FIX AS WELL. THERE WAS NEVER ANY ASSISTANCE ON TOYOTA'S PART TO ASSIST ME, LOWER THE COST. MY CLOCK BY THE WAY WORKS PERFECTLY FINE AND IT TOOK THEM 1.5 HOURS TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY STAYS ON SINCE SEPT. 2012, BUT NOW STAYS ON MOST OF THE TIME SINCE AUGUST 2013. THIS LIGHT MEANS THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN A COLLISION. WAITING FOR A RECALL LETTER FROM TOYOTA. NO RECALL YET FOR 2005 MODEL AND NEWER. THIS IS ALSO AN ISSUE WITH TOYOTA MATRIX AND COROLLAS BEFORE 2005. *TR

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.

I WAS HEADED TO WORK LIKE I USUALLY WOULD M-F THEN OUT OF NO WHERE THE STEERING WHEEL HAD LOCKED. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO LOOSE CONTROL. THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN WAS SPINNING AROUND AND EVENTUALLY IT FLIPPED LANDING ON ITS SIDE. TO TOP IT OFF NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED! I WAS PULLED OUT OF THE CAR MY WHOLE BODY ACHING, ESPECIALLY MY ARMS. THIS WAS BECAUSE I WAS HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE PRAYING THAT I WILL COME OUT OF IT ALIVE. LUCKILY, NO ONE WAS IN THE CAR BUT MYSELF, BUT I KNOW I DO NOT NEED THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME TWICE SO I WILL NO LONGER WILL PURCHASE A TOYOTA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL WIRING FOR THE AIR BAGS FAILED. THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE FOR THE SUPPLEMENT RESTRAINT ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,000.

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT SOMETIMES COMES ON AND STAYS ON. IF I STOP THE CAR AND REMOVE THE CAP FROM THE GASOLINE TANK FOR A MINUTE, THE REPLACE THE CAP AND RESTART THE CAR, THE AIRBAG LIGHT GOES OFF. AIRBAG LIGHT MAY REMAIN OFF FOR MANY DAYS. AIRBAG LIGHT HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT IN THIS FASHION FOR PAST 10,000 MILES. NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHY GAS TANK PRESSURE SHOULD AFFECT AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT SENSOR SYSTEM, BUT IT APPEARS TO DO PRECISELY THAT. AIRBAG HAS NEVER BEEN DEPLOYED NO VEHICLE ACCIDENT HAS OCCURRED. HOWEVER THE NUMEROUS INTERNET COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE AIRBAG LIGHT COMING ON IN THE 2005 TOYOTA MATRIX AT ABOUT 80,000 MILES SUGGESTS A DESIGN DEFECT ON THE PART OF TOYOTA. LOCAL MARIN TOYOTA DEALERSHIP (IN SAN RAFAEL, CALIF.) ADVISES THAT IF THERE IS A COLLISION WHEN THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON, THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION AND THE ENGINE FAILED TO START. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE MALFUNCTION WAS RELATED TO THE ECM, WHICH WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED AT THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.