2004 Toyota COROLLA MATRIX: complaints, problems and recalls

SAFETY RECALL NOTICE (TO FIX SRS AND ECM) WAS RECEIVED FROM TOYOTA IN THE SECOND WEEK OF FEBRUARY, 2013. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER (LEE'S TOYOTA, 139-65, QUEENS BLVD, JAMAICA, NY, 11435) ON 04/03/2013, TO HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM. SINCE THE CORRECT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT THE SERVICING CENTER, THE REPRESENTATIVE HAS INFORMED ME THAT, THEY WILL PLACE AN ORDER FOR THE PARTS AND WILL INFORM ME ONCE THE PARTS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE SERVICE CENTER (PER THE SERVICE CENTER THE WAIT PERIOD FOR THE PARTS IS ABOUT COUPLE WEEKS). TO…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10510116 at NHTSA ↗

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THREE BLOCKS FROM OUR HOME ON A NEIGHBORHOOD GOING 20 TO 25 MPH. WE TOOK TO OUR TOYOTA DEALER ( [XXX] ) IN OKLAHOMA CITY. HE SAID WE HAD TO FILE A CLAIM WITH TOYOTA AND GAVE US A NUMBER. WE FOUND OUT LATER THAT DAY THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE AIRBAG SYSTEM AND WE HAD NOT RECEIVED A NOTICE IN THE MAIL. HE DID NOT INFORM US THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH TOYOTA'S WEBSITE SHOWED THE CAR WAS PART OF THE RECALL. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALER, [XXX] OF OKLAHOMA CITY. THEY…

Owner-reported narrative. 170,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10519641 at NHTSA ↗

I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN I FIRST STARTED TO APPLY PRESSURE TO MY BRAKES. THERE WAS NO TENSION WHAT SO EVER. I WAS STANDING ON THEM AND THE BRAKE PETAL WAS HITTING THE FLOOR. AS A RESULT, I RAN THOUGH A STOP SIGN AND HIT A CONCRETE BARRIER. MY STEERING WHEEL ALSO LOCKED UP AND MY AIRBAG NEVER DEPLOYED. I LOST MY ENTIRE FRONT BUMPER AND THE TANK THAT HOLDS THE WINDSHIELD FLUID WAS CRACKED. THE CAR WAS TOWED. I CONTACTED TOYOTA'S MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD " IT HAPPENS". I FEEL THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND …

Owner-reported narrative. 59,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10551673 at NHTSA ↗

MY SRS WARNING LIGHT HAS COME ON AND NOT GONE OFF. I FOUND A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS BUT I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE. IF I TAKE MY CAR TO MY DEALER WILL I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR? *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 133,322 miles reported. Look up ODI 10567107 at NHTSA ↗

MY SRS LIGHT CAME ON. IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A CODE B1181 FOR SPIRAL CABLE ASSEMBLY. A RECALL IS IN PLACE OR 1.7 MILLION VEHICLES IN THE US, BUT DOESN'T COVER THE 2004 MATRIX (DOES COVER THE PONTIAC VIBE THOUGH). CONTACTED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FILED A COMPLAINT, BUT THEY CURRENTLY WON'T COVER REPLACEMENT AS MY MODEL YEAR ISN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I BELIEVE MY CAR TO BE UNSAFE DUE TO MANUFACTURER'S FAULT AND BELIEVE REPAIR SHOULD BE COVERED BY TOYOTA. PLEASE HELP. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 115,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10615097 at NHTSA ↗

I OWN A 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX WITH DEFECTIVE AIRBAGS. I THINK IT IS APPALLING THE TOYOTA WITH THE BLESSING OF NHSTA IS ALLOWED TO CHOOSE WHICH VEHICLES TO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE BASED ON LOCAL HUMIDITY. ALTHOUGH VERMONT IS NOT AS HUMID AS GUAM WE CERTAINLY HAVE HIGH HUMIDITY DAYS AND WHAT IF SOMEONE BOUGHT MY CAR AND TOOK IT SOUTH? EITHER THEY ARE SAFE OR THEY ARE NOT SAFE AND WE KNOW THEY ARE NOT. I AM LEFT WITH NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO MAKE ALL PASSENGERS RIDE IN THE BACK SEAT TO PROTECT THEM, HOW MANY MORE DEATHS WILL BE NEEDED TO CHANGE THIS…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10651062 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V162000 (VISIBILITY) HOWEVER, THE REMEDY DID NOT DETER THE FAILURE FROM OCCURRING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A LOUD POP WHEN THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW WAS OPENED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

Owner-reported narrative. 42,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10716299 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 15V285000 (AIR BAGS), 14V043000 (POWER TRAIN), AND 13V029000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS NEEDED FOR THE REPAIRS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10748558 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).