2006 Toyota MATRIX problems and owner complaints

VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING. AFTER RESTARTING, VEHICLE WOULD ONLY RUN IN LOW SPEED, AND STALL AGAIN. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. SERVICE CENTER REPLACED ENGINE COMPUTER AND THROTT BODY ASSEMBLY. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 19,805 miles reported. Look up ODI 10212073 at NHTSA ↗

MY TOYOTA MATRIX ENGINE STOP RUNNING AND HAD TO REPLACE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AT 5,393 MILES. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 5,393 miles reported. Look up ODI 10224275 at NHTSA ↗

VEHICLE COMPLETELY STOPPED IN A LINE OF TRAFFIC. WHILE WAITING TO MOVE ON, WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE,THE ENGINE ALL OF A SUDDEN ROARED AND THE VEHICLE SHOT FORWARD AND HIT THE VEHICLE (APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 7 FEET) IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT OPEN AND THE HIT TO THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS MORE LIKE A PUNCH. I TRIED TO STOP MY FORWARD THRUST BUT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT HOLD THE VEHICLE. UPON STRIKING THE OTHER VEHICLE THE ENGINE ROAR STOPPED AND EVERYTHING SEEMINGLY RETURNED TO NORMAL. MINOR DAMAGE WAS DONE TO BOTH VEHICLES AND NO ONE WAS…

Owner-reported narrative. 28,450 miles reported. Look up ODI 10203648 at NHTSA ↗

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT FAILED AND BEEN REPLACED ON THE 2006 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CAR HAD JUST RECEIVED A VERY THOROUGH 30,000 MILE CHECKUP AND THERE WERE NO CAUSES FOR THE FAILURE. THIS FAILURE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND IT ALMOST COST ME MY LIFE. THE ECU SPONTANEOUSLY QUIT WHILE IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE, AT 6:30 PM PITCH DARK, IN HEAVY COMMUTER TRAFFIC IN THE BOSTON BELTLINE OF RT 128. THE BRAKES WERE AS HARD AS CONCRETE, AND THE CAR DECELERATED SO FAST THAT I COULD NOT CHANGE LANES AND I WAS LEFT WITH AN ELECTRONICALLY DE…

Owner-reported narrative. 32,143 miles reported. Look up ODI 10214142 at NHTSA ↗

I DROVE A 2006 TOYOTA MATRIX AND LOST CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. I WAS TRYING TO CHANGE LANE TO MY RIGHT AND FOUND THERE WAS A CAR APPROACHING AND HORNED ME. I HAD NOT LEFT MY LANE AND TRIED TO PULL MY CAR STRAIGHT. THE CAR REACTED BY SHIFTING TOO MUCH TO THE LEFT AND I TRIED ONLY TO ADJUST IT, KEEPING IN MIND THAT IT WAS A POWER-STEERED SYSTEM. TO KEEP IT STRAIGHT. THERE WAS A 1-2 SECONDS AFTERWARDS THE CAR SEEMED TO BE ON TRACK AND I WAS DRIVING FINE. AFTER THAT TIME PERIOD, THE CAR VEERED TOWARD THE LEFT ALL OF A SUDDEN. I TRIED TO MAI…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10153679 at NHTSA ↗

I HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON SO I WENT TO THE DEALER TO GET IT FIX. THEY TOLD ME I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 6,949 miles reported. Look up ODI 10224293 at NHTSA ↗

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL BUT THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION. THE ENGINE STARTED TO STALL OUT. I SLOWLY PULLED OVER, PUT THE CAR IN PARK, PUT THE KEY ON THE OFF POSITION AND I TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY WAS WORKING BUT IT WOULD NOT START. I DID THIS PROCESS FIVE MORE TIMES TO NO SUCCESS. I FINALLY CALLED AAA AND WAS TOWED HOME. THE NEXT DAY, MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, THE VEHICLE STARTED RIGHT UP BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON. SO, I BROUGHT IT TO THE TOYOT…

Owner-reported narrative. 47,751 miles reported. Look up ODI 10297994 at NHTSA ↗

ON OCTOBER 3, 2008, WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 TOYOTA MATRIX I HAD TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY TO MERGE ONTO A BUSY STREET. I IMMEDIATELY SMELLED A ODOR COMING FROM MY VENTS OF BURNING WIRING. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED OVER AND MADE SOME CALLS TO SERVICE STATIONS AND THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. WAS ADVISED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER. DID. AFTER INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE FOR SEVERAL DAYS THEY DECIDED MY ECM WAS BAD AND REPLACED IT. WITH THE RECENT TOYOTA RECALLS, I FINALLY DECIDED YESTERDAY THAT I SHOULD CHECK INTO IF I AM INVOLVED. MY VEHICLE IS T…

Owner-reported narrative. 30,093 miles reported. Look up ODI 10319016 at NHTSA ↗

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

Owner-reported narrative. 8,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10207714 at NHTSA ↗

1. DRIVING DOWN ROAD AT 35MPH ON A CLEAR SUNNY DAY. 2. 2006 TOYOTA MATRIX JERKED UNCONTROLLABLY TO THE SIDE AS IF THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HELD STRAIGHT FOR NORMAL DRIVING. THIS RESULTED IN LOSING CONTROL OF THE CAR AND NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT WITH OUR INFANT IN THE BACKSEAT. 3. TOWED TO MAINTENANCE CENTER AND THEY MENTIONED THEY HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE. THEY TOLD US OF A STEERING TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ST005-01 THAT MENTIONED THIS PROBLEM. WE HAVE NOW TOWED IT TO THE DEALER AND ARE WAITING F…

Owner-reported narrative. 19,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10274742 at NHTSA ↗

NOVEMBER 18 MY 2006 TOYOTA MATRIX BEGAN TO ACCELERATE UNCONTROLLABLY AFTER FILLING UP TANK WITH FUEL. I PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE THEN WOULD NOT START SO IT WAS TOWED TO WINDSOR TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. TEST DROVE & CHECK FOR WATER IN TANK ELIMATED CODE P0171 AND GAVE ME FREE INJECTOR CLEANER. SHOULD THE DEALER CHECK GAS PEDAL RECALL ON HIS 2006. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 71,006 miles reported. Look up ODI 10304631 at NHTSA ↗

2006 TOYOTA MATRIX. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE ENGINE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED AT IDLE AND WOULD NOT RESTART AT TIMES. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE TECHNICIAN FOUND NO COMMUNICATION WITH THE MASTER TECH DIAGNOSTIC SCANNER. HE ALSO FOUND NO ENGINE SPARK OR FUEL INJECTOR PULSE DUE TO ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAILURE. HE FOUND A MAJOR FUEL LEAK AT THE FUEL INJECTOR RAIL. THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE, FUEL INJECTOR, O-RINGS AND SEALS. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE, …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10396416 at NHTSA ↗