2003 Toyota Matrix

ON 6 SEPTEMBER 2007,MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE 2003 MATRIX, WHEN WITHOUT WARNING THE MOTOR STARTED TO MAKE AN EXCESSIVE NOISE IN THE ENGINE, SHE PULLED OVER A CALLED ME, I MET HER WHERE SHE WAS AND VERIFIED THE NOISE SOUNDED TERMINAL, CALLED FOR A WRECKER, HAD CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER, 2 DAYS LATER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE HAD THROWN 3 RODS, MILEAGE ON THE CAR WAS 60,886, JUST OUT OF WARRANTY, SPENT THE NEXT WEEK IN TOYOTA USA ARBITRATION,THEY DEEM LACK OF LUBRICATION CAUSED THE DAMAGE AND WASHED THEIR HANDS OF THE ENGINE REPAIR. ON 21 SEPTEMBER, I PAID ALMOST $4500, FOR WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A NEW SHORT BLOCK. WELL, THE NEW SHORT BLOCK HAS AS MUCH ROAD GRIME AS THE TRANSMISSION, AND 52 MILES LATER THE ENGINE WAS "WHISTLING", OPENED THE HOOD TO CHECK THE ENGINE, THE COOLANT WAS 1/2 GALLON LOW, THE OIL IS 1/2 QUART LOW AND A COUPLE OF LOOSE BOLTS, ONE OF WHICH MOUNTS THE ACCELERATOR CABLE/BRACKET TO THE ENGINE. CALLED THE DEALER, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS CLOSED, BUT THE RECEPTIONIST RECOMMENDED I GO BUY ANTIFREEZE AND OIL AT THE LOCAL SUPERMARKET. I ONCE AGAIN, CALLED TOYOTA USA, CREATED ANOTHER TICKET WITH THEM.. CURRENTLY IMPATIENTLY WAITING FOR MONDAY MORNING WHEN I CAN GO TO THE DEALER/SERVICE DEPARTMENT.. *JB

MY HUSBAND, WILLIAM PALMER-TAYLOR, BOUGHT OUR 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX IN THE BOSTON, MA AREA BEFORE JOINING ME IN CALIFORNIA. BECAUSE OF A PROGRAMMING FAILURE, THE 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX (IZZ-FE ENGINE) CATALYTIC CONVERTER BURNS OUT EARLY EMITTING A NOXIOUS SULFUR DIOXIDE ODOR. THE PROBLEM IS PROBABLY MORE OF FINANCES THAN HEALTH (THE REPAIR COST IS $1200 AT LEAST). TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS, EVIDENCED BY TSB ISSUED 10/8/04, EGO26-04. HOWEVER, NO RECALL HAS BEEN IN EFFECT AND THE CONSUMER IS AT RISK. THE WARRANTY ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ENDS AT 80,000 MILES. MINE BURNED OUT AT 100,000. TOYOTA HAS REFUSED ANY ACCOUNTABILITY. THEY SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR AT LEAST THE PART AND REPROGRAMMING OF THIS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE HOME WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON STEADY. I DID NOT PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO IT AS I REALIZED THAT MORE THAN LIKELY THE PROBLEM WAS AN OXYGEN SENSOR OR SOMETHING EMISSIONS RELATED. 5 MORE MINUTES WENT BY AND THE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING, ACCOMPANIED BY A PINGING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE THAT COINCIDED WITH ENGINE RPMS. WITHIN 30 SECONDS THE CAR DIED. AFTER A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP RECEIVED THE TOWED VEHICLE, THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. THE PINGING"WAS CAUSED BY THE PISTON HITTING THE SPARK PLUG. TRANSLATION, I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. WHEN THIS HAPPENED FOR 30 SECONDS IT CAUSED AN ELECTRICAL SHORT WHICH CAUSED THE CAR TO SUDDENLY FAIL. THE CAR HAD 82,000 MILES ON IT , AND I HAD BABIED IT SINCE DAY ONE WITH NOTHING BUT SYNTHETIC OIL.*AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON CONSTANTLY. THIS STARTED 3-4 MONTHS AGO. THE DEALER HAS HAD TO RESET THE CODES SEVERAL TIMES. THE LIGHT WILL STAYED OFF FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THEN THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. SHE SAID THE CAR DIED O 4 TIMES, AND SHE HAS HAD TO REBOOT IT. THE BATTERY WAS GOOD. NO ONE WAS ABLE TO TELL HER WHY THE CAR WOULD NOT START. SHE SAID THE CAR WAS RUNNING GOOD. *AK

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR, IT WILL START TO MISS OUT AND THEN STALL. UPON RESTARTING, THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER. THAT HELPED FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND THEN PROBLEM RECURRED. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND WE THEN REPLACED THE IGNITORS. ONCE THAT WAS COMPLETE THE CAR RAN FINE FOR 2 MONTHS. NOW IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN, AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. IT HAPPENED TO ME TODAY FOR INSTANCE WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSTECTION MAKING A A TURN. WHEN THE CAR STALLS, I HAVE LIMITED STEERING. THIS ALSO HAPPENS TO ME WHILE I'M ON THE INTERSTATE. CLEARLY THERE IS A SEVERE PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR THAT GOES BEYOND THE COMPUTER AND IGNITORS. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE, BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE SINCE IT IS THE ONLY CAR THAT I HAVE.

I'M AN OWNER OF A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX AND MY ENGINE HAS THE FAMOUS SLUDGE ISSUE RELATED TO PAST TOYOTA AUTOS OF RECENT YEARS. I DON'T HAVE ALL MY RECEIPTS (I REALLY ALMOST NEVER SAVE THEM) FOR MAINTENANCE BUT I HAVE A FEW... WELL, TOYOTA IS REFUSING THE WARRANTY AND I'M STARTING TO SEE MORE COMPLAINTS ABOUT POSSIBLE ENGINE PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR! MY CAR HAS 36,000 MILES ON IT AND IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND JUST TODAY I'VE BEEN TOLD THE ENGINE CAN'T BE SAVED! I'M LIVID AND FEEL THAT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE WRONG CAUSING THESE ISSUES BUT TOYOTA ISN'T SAYING EITHER WAY. I'M RETAINING A LAWYER AND POSSIBLY DROPPING THE CAR IF THIS ISSUE ISN'T ADDRESSED! THERE ARE 4 SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA SITE ALREADY AND I BE WE SEE MORE AS THESE MODELS CROSS THE 24K MILE MARKER! *JB

I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX WITH APPROXIMATELY 38,000 MILES ON IT. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 6 OR MORE HOURS WHEN IT BEGAN A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND, AND STARTED TO LOSE POWER. THEN THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. AS IT TURNED OUT, THE CAR HAD THROWN A ROD THROUGH THE FRONT OF THE BLOCK, AS WELL AS BLEW THE STARTER FROM THE TRANSMISSION HOUSING. IN ADDITION THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE BACK OF THE OIL PAN ABOUT 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER. FROM THE SPOT WHERE THE ENGINE BLEW UP I TOOK MEASUREMENTS. THE INITIAL OIL SPOT WAS 121" LONG BY 18" WIDE. FROM THERE THE CAR SPRAYED OIL 1104' AVERAGING 15" TO 18" WIDE AS IT COASTED DOWNHILL TO A STOP WHERE IT MADE ANOTHER OIL SPOT ABOUT 15" WIDE BY 24" LONG. THE DEALERSHIP (NEWARK TOYOTA 1344 MARROWS RD.. NEWARK, DE 19711) IS ALLEGING THAT THE CARE HAD NO OIL IN IT ALTHOUGH I PROVIDED MAINTENANCE RECORDS AND A VIDEO OF THE OIL SPILL FROM THE START OF THE BREAKDOWN TO THE FINISH. THEY SAID THEY WERE DENYING THE WARRANTY WORK FOR LACK OF MAINTENANCE. *LA

I TOOK THE MATRIX IN TWICE SHORTLY AFTER I BOUGHT IT BECAUSE THE CAR WOULD UNEXPECTEDLY LUNGE FORWARD WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP. I ALSO COMPLAINED THAT THE BRAKES FELT "LOOSE" AND DID NOT "CATCH" AS THEY SHOULD. I WAS ADVISED BOTH TIMES BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THAT NOTHING ABNORMAL WAS FOUND WITH CAR. WHILE I WAS BEGINNING TO LOOK INTO "LEMON LAWS", IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL FULLY ENGAGED. DUE TO MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES WITH THE CAR LUNGING FORWARD, I WOULD KEEP SEVERAL FEET BETWEEN ME AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THIS TIME THE CAR NOT ONLY LUNGED FORWARD, BUT IT WAS LIKE THE ACCELERATOR STUCK-I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE BUT COULD NOT STOP THE CAR AFTER IT LUNGED FORWARD AND I HIT A CAR THAT WAS IN FRONT OF ME AT THE LIGHT. MY CAR DID NOT STOP UNTIL I WAS ALMOST PARALLEL WITH THE OTHER CAR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE! I HAVE HAD THE CASE LOOKED AT BY TOYOTA, AND THEIR LEGAL DEPARTMENT HAS ADVISED THAT NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR-THEIR ONLY EXPLANATION IS THAT THE VEHICLE OPERATES TO "NORMAL" SPECIFICATIONS. THEY HAVE ADVISED THAT THE CAR WILL LUNGE FORWARD WHILE THE AIR CONDITIONER IS AS WHEN THE AC COMPRESSOR CYCLES, IT INCREASES THE ENGINE RPM AND THE VEHICLE WILL MOVE FORWARD. MY AIR CONDITIONER WAS NOT ON AT THE TIME OF THIS ACCIDENT, HOWEVER. *LA