2003 Toyota COROLLA MATRIX: complaints, problems and recalls

2003 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX. CONSUMER STATES NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE ACCELERATOR STICKING. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED DUE TO THE ACCIDENTS, THE AXLE AND TRANSMISSION WERE DAMAGED. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED THE FIRST ACCIDENT, SHE TRIED TO REDUCE HER SPEED ON A CURVE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO AND CONSEQUENTLY HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE SECOND ACCIDENT, SHE WAS DRIVING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL STREET AND AGAIN SHE WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE WHEN SHE APPROACHED A CURVE. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE, SHE HIT A CURB AND THE VEHICLE FLIPPED OVE…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10324231 at NHTSA ↗

ODOMETER FAILURE DUE TO TOYOTA BUILDING AND INSTALLING A DEFECTIVE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 299,999 miles reported. Look up ODI 10370726 at NHTSA ↗

IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE THE FIRST TIME THE CIL TURNED ON. IT STAYS ON FOR A COUPLE DAYS THEN STAYS OFF FOR LIKE A MONTH. IT HAS BEEN DOING THAT SINCE 2012. I HAD MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CHECKED BY A TECH AND HE SAID THAT HE HAS SEEN THE P0770 CODE MANY TIMES FOR THE MATRIX AND COROLLA. HE PRINTED OUT THE TSB (HTTP://WWW.MATRIXOWNERS.COM/TSB/T-EG020-02.PDF) AND ADVISED ME TO TAKE IT TO A TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER. I TOOK IT TO CARSON TOYOTA IN CA AND THEY PRETTY MUCH SAID THE ONLY THING I CAN DO IS FIX THE ISSUE OUT OF MY POCKET WHICH WAS ALMOST…

Owner-reported narrative. 120,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10510380 at NHTSA ↗

I HAVE MY TOYOTA MATRIX ABOUT 5 OR 6 YEARS. HAD 4 OR 5 TIMES RECALL ON THE DIFFERENT PARTS. I DON'T FEEL SAFE ANY MORE WITH THIS CAR. HOW SHOULD I TRUST FOR ANOTHER PARTS ARE OK. I HAVE A KID WITH ME WHEN I'M DRIVING. THEY SHOULD GET THE CAR BACK AND PAY FOR IT. I WORKED SO HARD TO PAY FOR THIS CAR. SHAME ON TOYOTA. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 87,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10526437 at NHTSA ↗

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. CAR ENGINE RANDOMLY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL NOT GO OFF. I CANNOT DRIVE CAR BECAUSE I CANT PASS SMOG EITHER (DUE TO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT). I HAVE FILED TWO FORMAL COMPLAINTS WITH TOYOTA. TOYOTA REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MANUFACTURING. DEFECT. I AM EXPECTED TO PAY OVER $2000 TO REPLACE A CATALYTIC CONVERTER THAT THEY KNOW IS DEFECTIVE. (EXCERPT FROM ONE COMPLAINT I FILED) THERE WAS A RECALL ON MATRIX AND COROLLA: TOYOTA ISSUED A RECALL FOR 2005 TO 2008 MODEL YEAR COROLLA'S AN…

Owner-reported narrative. 118,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10541714 at NHTSA ↗

THREE INCIDENTS - 2ND OCCURRED IN MAY 2014, 3RD IN AUGUST 2014. VERY LARGE, CLEAN CRACKS KEEP APPEARING IN THE SAME SPOTS ON THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WITH NO POINT OF CONTACT. THEY BEGIN FROM THE MIDDLE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD WHERE THE HEAT VENTS START AND IN A U-SHAPE COME OUT OR AT THE TOP MIDDLE - BEHIND REAR VIEW MIRROR - WHERE HEAT VENTS START - LIKE A SMILEY FACE TO NEARLY THE TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD OR A LINE DOWN DIRECT FROM MIDDLE OF WINDOW. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS USING THE HEATER . THE SECOND TIME AND 3RD TIME IT WAS PARKED OVE…

Owner-reported narrative. 115,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10626423 at NHTSA ↗

THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG INFLATOR MODULE. DESPITE SEVERAL NOTICES AND A FEDERAL REMINDER TO HAVE THIS FIXED AS A CUSTOMER, TOYOTA AS A COMPANY HAS NO REMEDY AS OF YET. ALL PAPERWORK STATES "ANY AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALER CAN INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE AIRBAG INFLATOR MODULE...PLEASE CONTACT ANY AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALER DEALER TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE REMEDY PERFORMED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE." AFTER MAKING THIS APPOINTMENT AND LEAVING MY CAR OVERNIGHT, I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO REMEDY AVAILAB…

Owner-reported narrative. 117,636 miles reported. Look up ODI 10651609 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, A LOUD SCRAPPING NOISE EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE UPPER CONTROL ARM WAS RUSTED AND FRACTURED OFF OF THE REAR SUSPENSION CROSS MEMBER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 117,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10659650 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2013-01-30 (January 30, 2013)

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The supplemental restraint system (SRS) circuits are susceptible to internal shorting. The electrical short may create an abnormal current flow and increased heat which can damage the circuits. This could result in an inadvertent deployment of the front airbags and/or seat belt pretensioners.

Consequence: Inadvertent deployment of the airbags or the seat belt pretensioners may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Toyota will re-notify their owners who have already had their vehicles repaired with a noise filter, but did not receive a new airbag control module, and General Motors will re-notify theirs. Dealers previously installed a supplemental harness containing an electrical filter between the airbag control module and its wire harness, free of charge. Dealers will replace the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on March 13, 2013. The manufacturer has not yet provided a schedule for second notices. For more information, Toyota owners may call 1-800-331-4331 and Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668.

Reported: 2015-01-28 (January 28, 2015)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004, 2003-2004 Avalon vehicles manufactured June 5, 2002, to December 20, 2004, and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured January 18, 2002, to April 27, 2004. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

Consequence: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. GM issued an interim notification to owners on March 27, 2015. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V-029 and 14V-147. Vehicles that had a noise filter installed as the remedy for one of those campaigns need to have the air bag control module replaced under this campaign.

Reported: 2015-05-13 (May 13, 2015)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles manufactured August 18, 2003, to August 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 Tundra vehicles manufactured March 18, 2003, to August 25, 2004. On June 16, 2015, Toyota expanded the recall to include an additional 1,270,468 vehicles, including model year 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 Sequoia, 2005-2006 Tundra, 2003-2007 Corolla, 2003-2007 Corolla Matrix, 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe and 2002-2007 Lexus SC vehicles. This is to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag. The recall began on July 13, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-762-2737. NOTE: This recall supersedes recall 14V-312 in its entirety.

Reported: 2015-05-13 (May 13, 2015)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. On June 16, 2015 Toyota expanded the recall to cover an additional 769,055 vehicles, including certain model year 2002-2004 Lexus SC, Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix, Toyota Corolla, Pontiac Vibe, and Toyota Tundra vehicles, as well the vehicles covered by the May 13, 2015 notification in the portions of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas that were not previously included. The inflators in the front passenger air bags are susceptible to rupture in the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the front passenger air bag.

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota began the recall on July 13, 2015. Pontiac Vibe owners may contact GM at 1-800-762-2737. GM began the recall on June 29, 2015. NOTE: This recacll supersedes recall 14V-655 in its entirety. For vehicles located in the U.S. states not listed above, please see Toyota recall 15V-285 which covers all other U.S. states.

Reported: 2018-01-09 (January 9, 2018)

On January 9, 2018, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 14,585 model year 2010-2012 Yaris vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. As of January 30, 2018, Toyota is additionally recalling 3,347 model year 2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles located in states listed above. Also included in this recall filing is 98,194 model year 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles, located throughout the U.S., that previously received a “like-for-like” interim air bag inflator replacement. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assemblies with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0R (Zone B), and H0A (Zone C), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A).