2006 Toyota Matrix

AFTER OWNING MY NEW CAR FOR ABOUT A YEAR (AROUND 25,000 MILES), I WAS INFORMED THAT MY TIRES WERE CUPPING AND ALL NEEDED REPLACED. THIS ISSUE WAS BLAMED ON ALIGNMENT ISSUES. I HAD THE ALIGNMENT FIXED AND TIRES REPLACED. I HAD READ DISCUSSION BOARDS OF OTHER MATRIX OWNERS, MANY OF WHOM HAD SIMILAR TIRE/ALIGNMENT COMPLAINTS. A WORKER AT THE CAR DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE MATRIX. I COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA, WHO BLAMED BOTH MY DRIVING AND DRIVING CONDITIONS (I DON'T DRIVE RECKLESSLY--TYPICALLY ALL MY DRIVING IS HIGHWAY), AS WELL AS THE TIRE MANUFACTURER (BUT MY WARRANTY HAD ALREADY RUN-OUT). I'VE BEEN GETTING MY TIRES ROTATED ON A REGULAR BASIS, BUT ABOUT A YEAR AFTER THE AFOREMENTIONED REPAIRS (MAY 2008), THE TECH ROTATING MY TIRES NOTED ONE OF MY TIRES WAS CUPPING AND TO HAVE MY REAR ALIGNMENT CHECKED. AGAIN, MY ALIGNMENT WAS OFF AND THE CAR HAD TO BE RE-ALIGNED. NOW, TWO MONTHS LATER, I AM AGAIN HAVING POSSIBLE ALIGNMENT ISSUES (WILL BE CHECKED THIS WEEK). I THINK THE TOYOTA MATRIX HAS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW CONSIDERING SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING ALIGNMENT/TIRE ISSUES WITH THEIR CARS. *TR

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA MATRIX XR. DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT THE DEALER THE CAR HAD ABOUT 7500 MILES. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS UNUSUAL TIRE WEAR, CUPPING, ON THE TIRES AND THEY SHOULD PROBABLY BE REPLACED AT MY NEXT MAINTENANCE. THESE TIRES WERE RATED FOR APPROXIMATELY 30,000 MILES. THE MANAGER AT THE TOYOTA REPAIR SHOP SAID THIS WAS SOMETHING HE HAD NOTICED WITH MATRIX TIRES. BECAUSE I HAD DONE ALL OF THE CORRECT MAINTENANCE CHECKS INCLUDING TIRE ROTATION THE REPAIR SHOP SAID IT WAS NOTHING THAT I HAD DONE. AT THE NEXT SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE I HAD THE TIRES REPLACED WITH A DIFFERENT BRAND OF TIRES (JUST IN CASE IT WAS A TIRE PROBLEM). TOYOTA AGREED TO PAY FOR 1/2 OF THE TIRE COST BECAUSE MANY MATRIX OWNERS WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF INSTALLATION AND BALANCING BUT WHEN I COMPLAINED ABOUT THESE FEES WAS GIVEN A DISCOUNT. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I FILE A REPORT WITH TOYOTA ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES. WHEN I CALLED TO REPORT IT THEY SAID THEY HAD NOTHING ON FILE ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH THE MATRIX AND UNUSUAL TIRE WEAR. THEY STATED IT WAS PROBABLY A PROBLEM WITH THE ACTUAL TIRES AND THAT I SHOULD CONTACT THE TIRE DEALER. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA STATING WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME BY THE MAINTENANCE SHOP BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE REPAIR SHOPS ARE INDEPENDENT AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH TOYOTA. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 6,000 MILES ON MY NEW TIRES, UNEVEN WEAR IS APPARENT AND THERE IS A LOUD NOISE CREATED BY THE TIRES WHEN I REACH SPEEDS OF ABOUT 35 MPH OR ABOVE. *TR

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA MATRIX MY TIRES ARE WEARING IMPROPER. THE TIRES ARE CUPPING, AT 3,000 TO 5,000 MILES. AFTER RESEARCHING I FOUND THAT EVERY MATRIX, PONTIAC VIB AND COROLLA OWNER IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND IT IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. ALL OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. A SOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN FOUND BUT THE TOYOTA DOES NOT WANT TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *TR

VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR SERVICE TO INVESTIGATE A LOUD VIBRATION NOISE COMING FROM THE TIRES AS LONG AS VEHICLE WAS ROLLING. THE CAR HAS ABOUT 18,000 MILES ON IT. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE SEVERELY CUPPED. THE DEALER CONTACTED THE FACTORY REFERENCE THE TIRES AND THE FACTORY RECOMMENDED THE TIRES BE REPLACED. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE REPLACED AND WERE ALIGNED TO SPEC. UPON LEAVING THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER A NEW TIRE NOISE WAS NOTICED. IT WAS NOT THE SAME VIBRATION NOISE BUT A LOUD ROAR AS LONG AS THE TIRES WERE ROLLING. *TR

2006 TOYOTA MATRIX WITH ALLOY WHEELS AND CONTINENTAL TIRES : AT 5,000 MI ROTATION THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD MOVE BACK AND FORTH A BIT, SHIMMY. AT 10,000 MI ROTATION SHIMMY WAS WORSE AND NOISE WAS NOTICED. AT 14,000 MI DEALER SERVICE SAID THAT NOISE WAS DUE TO SEVERE CUPPING AND ALL TIRES NEEDED REPLACED BUT THAT CONTINENTAL HAD NO WARRANTY (EVEN THOUGH CAR CAME WITH A CONTINENTAL WARRANTY PAPER). REPLACED TIRES WITH YOKOHAMA AT DEALER. *TR

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA AWD MATRIX WITH 25,000 MILES. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK A VIBRATION I FELT WHEN DRIVING THE CAR. THEY TOLD ME THE TIRES (ALL 4) ARE CUPPING AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRES HAD BEEN ROTATED TWICE ( AT 8,000 AND 21,000 MILES). I SEARCHED THE INTERNET TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAD PROBLEMS AND FOUND THE PROBLEM WITH CUPPING AND PREMATURE TIRE WEAR WAS COMMON. THE POSTINGS REFER TO A MANUFACTURE PROBLEM. IRONICALLY TOYOTA DISCONTINUED AWD IN 2007 AND OWNERS OF THE NEWER MODELS REPORTED NO TIRE WEAR PROBLEMS. *JB