2008 Toyota Matrix

THE BRAKES ON MY 2008 TOYOTA MATRIX FAILED AGAIN JANUARY 30, 2010. THE BRAKE PEDAL WILL NOT DEPRESS FOR A MOMENT AND THEN ONCE THE PRESSURE IS TAKEN OFF AND REAPPLIED IT WILL ENGAGE. IT HAS BEEN AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT STARTED SEPT. 2009. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AND THE TECHNICIANS COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE CASE WENT TO ARBITRATION AND WAS FOUND IN FAVOR OF TOYOTA. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO TOYOTA SEVERAL TIMES AFTER ARBITRATION. THEY KEPT IT FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND PUT 4 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. THEY SCHEDULED A "LEAD" TECHNICIAN TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND CANCELED THE APPOINTMENT THE DAY BEFORE. UNFORTUNATELY I FELT THAT NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO TOYOTA IT WAS NOT GOING TO BE TREATED AS A SERIOUS MATTER. *TR

ON THE EVENING OF JANUARY 26, 2010, I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 TOYOTA MATRIX AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER DRIVER. PRIOR TO THE CRASH, I HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT ROUGHLY 35 MPH. THERE WERE NO OTHER PEOPLE IN MY CAR AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THE IMPACT WAS GREAT ENOUGH FOR THE DRIVER AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. THE REAR SEATS ARE A 60/40 SPLIT; THE 60 SIDE HELD A CHILD'S BOOSTER SEAT AND THE 40 SIDE HELD A CHILD'S CARSEAT. BOTH SIDES WERE LOCKED INTO PLACE PRIOR TO THE CRASH. AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH, THE 60 SIDE FLEW FORWARD, SMASHING THE BOOSTER SEAT IN BETWEEN THE FRONT SEAT AND THE, NOW FLAT, REAR SEAT. THE 40 SIDE REMAINED IN PLACE, DUE TO THE CARSEAT BEING LOCKED INTO PLACE, HOWEVER WHEN THE CARSEAT WAS REMOVED, I DETERMINED THAT THE 40 SIDE OF THE REAR SEAT WAS NOT LOCKED INTO PLACE, JUST LIKE THE 60 SIDE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CAR IS MOST LIKELY CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

2008 TOYOTA MATRIX XR....CAR DRIFTS SEVERELY TO THE LEFT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS...ESPECIALLY WHEN IN THE LEFT LANE. I REALIZE THERE IS A CROWN TO EVERY ROAD, BUT OUR OTHER VEHICLES DO NOT DO THIS ON THE SAME STRETCH OF HIGHWAY IN ANY LANES. TO GIVE AN INDICATION OF THE SEVERITY, AT 65+MPH, THE CAR WOULD BE IN THE MEDIAN WITHIN 2-3 SECONDS WITHOUT THE CONSTANT RIGHTWARD PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. I DID NOT NOTICE THE DRIFT ON THE TEST DRIVE AT THE DEALER. FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, THE NEW ROADWAY NEAR THE DEALER IS NEARLY PERFECTLY FLAT. ALSO, THE CAR DOES NOT SEEM TO DRIFT AS MUCH WITH TWO ADULTS IN THE CAR AS WAS THE CASE DURING THE TEST DRIVE. I NOTICED IT IMMEDIATELY UPON DRIVING THE CAR A LONGER DISTANCE ON OTHER MAJOR HIGHWAYS WITH ONLY MYSELF IN THE CAR. I NOTIFIED THE SALESMAN RIGHT AWAY. I HAVE NOT YET HAD AN ACCIDENT, BUT MUST MAINTAIN CONSTANT RIGHTWARD PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL...ESPECIALLY ANY TIME I VENTURE INTO THE LEFT LANE. IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH OF A DISTRACTION TO IMAGINE A SCENARIO WHERE THE CAR DRIFTS INTO THE ONCOMING LANE, OR WORSE, AN ONCOMING CAR. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO DEALER THREE TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS. NOW I AM GETTING THE RUN-AROUND (DEALER FROM WHICH I PURCHASED THE CAR IS TRYING TO PUSH ME OFF ON ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALER WHO DID THE FIRST "WARRANTY" ALIGNMENT WHICH DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. *TR

DRIVING NEW TOYOTA MATRIX (<400 MILES) ENTERING FREEWAY, HEAR A POP BEHIND DRIVER. CAR CONTINUES TO DRIVE FINE. WHEN STOPPED, NOTICED THAT ENTIRE REAR QUARTER WINDOW GLASS IS SHATTERED. NO EVIDENCE OF HAVING BEEN HIT BY ANYTHING (HIGHLY IMPROBABLE GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES OF WHEN POP WAS HEARD). NO HOLE IN WINDOW. BY THWE NEXT DAY SHATTERED WINDOW GLASS IS FALLING OUT OF FRAME. DEALER NOTIFIED , TAKING NO ACTION AS YET. REAR PASSENGER, IF PRESENT, WOULD HAVE BEEN ENDANGERED BY THE SHATTERED GLASS. *TR