2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix Problems

This safety problem pertains to all vehicles sold in the U.S., not only my make and model. I was horrified to learn that the crash ratings are inaccurate for most women and all short people, because they were developed only for average sized men. It should be no surprise that when collisions occur, more women than men are seriously injured. More women than men are injured when air bags deploy. More women than men are injured by their shoulder belts. I am afraid to purchase a new car, because the crash ratings that I have relied on in the past are unreliable for me as a short woman. I am very disappointed that my own government, to which I pay taxes, has been so misleading to the public on important safety issues. Please develop and implement collision ratings for various height groups. In the meantime, please include notices with crash ratings that explain which height ranges the ratings are most accurate for.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact called the dealer to inquire about a recall for the air bag and was informed there were 2 previous air bag recalls that were repaired in the past. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The approximate failure mileage was 159,086.

Car has over 290,000 miles, sole owner of car. Just learned the odometer will freeze at 299,999 miles based on issue known by Toyota for a few models. Odometer freeze was not disclosed even though Toyota has selectively repaired some cars odometers at no charge to customers or split costs with customers. Odometer freeze makes safe maintenance of car more difficult. Toyota apparently added a 9 year warranty extension because of its knowledge of problems but didn't notify owners. My 2004 vehicle would have been covered through 2013, but I was not given an opportunity to have the problem repaired under warranty. Toyota apparently knew this problem affected Corolla (up through 2008), Matrix & Vibe (1st generation) and 1st generation Prius cars. My car manual says that the odometer "shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven." My ability to continue safely using my car will be compromised when my odometer reaches 299,999 and Toyota chose not to warn and repair this defect which affects their customers, and our ability to safely operate our cars on the road. If I had known about the problem sooner I would have addressed it sooner. Toyota knew but chose to only address the issue on a case by case basis even though the cars were apparently designed with this defect which was hidden.

MOTOR VEHICLE SOME PROBLEMS VEHICLE MANUFACTURER

This safety problem pertains to all vehicles sold in the U.S., not only my make and model. I was horrified to learn that the crash ratings are inaccurate for most women and all short people, because they were developed only for average sized men. It should be no surprise that when collisions occur, more women than men are seriously injured. More women than men are injured when air bags deploy. More women than men are injured by their shoulder belts. I am afraid to purchase a new car, because the crash ratings that I have relied on in the past are unreliable for me as a short woman. I am very disappointed that my own government, to which I pay taxes, has been so misleading to the public on important safety issues. Please develop and implement collision ratings for various height groups. In the meantime, please include notices with crash ratings that explain which height ranges the ratings are most accurate for.

I have been unable to have my dealer repair the recalls on this car despite repeated times calling up Toyota and dealing with Larry H Miller Toyota dealership. They refuse to give me a replacement car while they fix it and won't say how long it will take. I also discovered that there are no child seat anchors in the back. I was told this is unlawful given the date of this car's manufacture. I hope NHTSA will help force Toyota to fix these recalls and install car seat anchors and give em a replacement vehicle to drive to work and for children while they fix it.

This safety problem pertains to all vehicles sold in the U.S., not only my make and model. I was horrified to learn that the crash ratings are inaccurate for most women and all short people, because they were developed only for average sized men. It should be no surprise that when collisions occur, more women than men are seriously injured. More women than men are injured when air bags deploy. More women than men are injured by their shoulder belts. I am afraid to purchase a new car, because the crash ratings that I have relied on in the past are unreliable for me as a short woman. I am very disappointed that my own government, to which I pay taxes, has been so misleading to the public on important safety issues. Please develop and implement collision ratings for various height groups. In the meantime, please include notices with crash ratings that explain which height ranges the ratings are most accurate for.

all door handles broke off.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW HAS MADE NOISE WHEN LOWERED AND RAISED SINCE SHORTLY AFTER THE TIME OF PURCHASE IN 2004. IN 2008, WE HEARD ABOUT THE RECALL ON 2003-04 MATRIX VEHICLES FOR DEFECTS WITH THE FRONT DOOR GLASS BOLT (WE ALSO HAVE A 2003 COROLLA, AND RECOGNIZED THAT THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE RECEIVED FOR THE COROLLA MATCHED THE PROBLEM WE WERE HAVING WITH THE MATRIX). WE TOOK OUR CAR IN 2008 TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DISTRIBUTOR, WHERE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW, BUT WERE TOLD THAT THE RECALL DID NOT APPLY TO OUR MATRIX, BECAUSE THE MATRIX VIN WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE NOISE WHEN USING THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW CONTINUED TO BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED SINCE 2008, AND NOW THE NOISE HAS BECOME SO LOUD THAT WE ARE CONCERNED THE WINDOW WILL BREAK IF LOWERED. I'VE CONTACTED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER, AND THEY SAY THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN/WILL DO, BECAUSE THE CAR'S VIN INDICATES THAT IT WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. IF WE WANT TOYOTA TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PROBLEM TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT MIGHT BE DUE TO A DEFECTIVE PART, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER SAID THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY TOYOTA FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE WINDOW MAKES THE LOUD CLUNKING SOUND AT ALL TIMES WHEN BEING LOWERED, WHETHER THE CAR IS IN MOTION OR STATIONARY. THE WINDOW NOISE HAS BEEN PRESENT FOR AT LEAST 7 YEARS, AND HAS WORSENED OVER TIME. SINCE THE SYMPTOMS MATCH THOSE DESCRIBED IN THE 2008 RECALL NOTICE, IT SEEMS VERY LIKELY THAT THE WINDOW BOLTS ON OUR 2004 MATRIX ARE SUFFERING FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AS DESCRIBED IN THAT RECALL.

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.

My daughter was driving as usual when she went to apply the brakes about 5 car lengths back and the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably despite braking. Her foot was not on the accelerator, she does not have floor mats that would cause anything to hit the accelerator. This has happened on 5-6 occasions which almost resulted in an accident. She barely got stopped mere inches away from the car in front of her despite braking earlier than normal because she encountered this once already during her trip. No check engine codes, the brakes are good, the car idles high. That is really it. This is a serious issue that seemingly cannot be diagnosed. After doing research to see what the problem may be, I have seen countless complaints of a similar nature. My daughters life is invaluable. This needs to be addressed.

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 THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. ALL I WANT IS MY CAR FIXED BUT NO ONE WILL GIVE ME THE TIME OF DAY. I BOUGHT THE CAR IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THE CAR WAS PRE-CERTIFIED. THANK YOU. *TR

TOYOTA ISTAKING TO LONG TO SEND PARTS FOR REPAIR TO SOUTH DAKOTA TOYOTA DEALERS FOR KNOW AND REPORTED FAULTS THAT COULD LEAD TO INJURY AND/OR DEATH.

I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION CROSS-MEMBER (PART # 51206-12190) IN MY 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX IS ABOUT TO FAIL DUE TO RUST. WHILE DOING SOMETHING ELSE MY MECHANIC HAPPENED TO NOTICE THE ISSUE. HE SHOWED ME THE PROBLEM AND SAID IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE CAR HAS LOW MILEAGE FOR BEING 16 YEARS OLD (ABOUT 8K A YEAR). THIS CAR WAS BUILT IN CANADA AND SOLD IN NEW YORK STATE SO IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO TAKE MANY YEARS OF WET/WINTER ROAD CONDITIONS. IF MY CAR HAD 16K MILES PER YEAR IT WOULD ONLY BE 8 YEARS OLD. SHOULD A PART THAT HOLDS THE DIFFERENTIAL UP (NOT LET IT DROP TO THE ROAD) GO BAD IN EVEN 20 YEARS ON THE ROAD? I ONLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BY CHANCE. OTHERWISE I COULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND POSSIBLY HAD A FATAL ACCIDENT DUE TO THE REAR PARTS OF THE DRIVE TRAIN DROPPING TO THE ROAD. THE CAR LOOKS FINE OTHERWISE. SO HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO OWN THE SAME CAR THAT IS THE SAME AGE, OR NEWER OR A BIT OLDER, HAVE NO IDEA THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS? IF EVEN ONE OWNER OF THIS CAR HAS AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY THIS PROBLEM AND IS HURT OR KILLED THAT WOULD BE VERY BAD! AND THAT PERSON COULD HAVE BEEN ME - BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL ISSUED INTENDED TO CHECK FOR THIS POTENTIAL FAILURE. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH TOYOTA ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY TOLD ME I AM ON MY OWN, THAT THEY COULDN'T/WOULDN'T HELP ME. THE TWO PEOPLE I TALKED WITH NEVER SAID THAT THEY WOULD DO ANYTHING TO BE SURE OTHER TOYOTA MATRIX OWNERS WERE INFORMED ABOUT THIS POSSIBLE RUST ISSUE.

MOTOR VEHICLE SOME PROBLEMS VEHICLE MANUFACTURER

I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION CROSS-MEMBER (PART # 51206-12190) IN MY 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX IS ABOUT TO FAIL DUE TO RUST. WHILE DOING SOMETHING ELSE MY MECHANIC HAPPENED TO NOTICE THE ISSUE. HE SHOWED ME THE PROBLEM AND SAID IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE CAR HAS LOW MILEAGE FOR BEING 16 YEARS OLD (ABOUT 8K A YEAR). THIS CAR WAS BUILT IN CANADA AND SOLD IN NEW YORK STATE SO IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO TAKE MANY YEARS OF WET/WINTER ROAD CONDITIONS. IF MY CAR HAD 16K MILES PER YEAR IT WOULD ONLY BE 8 YEARS OLD. SHOULD A PART THAT HOLDS THE DIFFERENTIAL UP (NOT LET IT DROP TO THE ROAD) GO BAD IN EVEN 20 YEARS ON THE ROAD? I ONLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BY CHANCE. OTHERWISE I COULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND POSSIBLY HAD A FATAL ACCIDENT DUE TO THE REAR PARTS OF THE DRIVE TRAIN DROPPING TO THE ROAD. THE CAR LOOKS FINE OTHERWISE. SO HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO OWN THE SAME CAR THAT IS THE SAME AGE, OR NEWER OR A BIT OLDER, HAVE NO IDEA THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS? IF EVEN ONE OWNER OF THIS CAR HAS AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY THIS PROBLEM AND IS HURT OR KILLED THAT WOULD BE VERY BAD! AND THAT PERSON COULD HAVE BEEN ME - BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL ISSUED INTENDED TO CHECK FOR THIS POTENTIAL FAILURE. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH TOYOTA ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY TOLD ME I AM ON MY OWN, THAT THEY COULDN'T/WOULDN'T HELP ME. THE TWO PEOPLE I TALKED WITH NEVER SAID THAT THEY WOULD DO ANYTHING TO BE SURE OTHER TOYOTA MATRIX OWNERS WERE INFORMED ABOUT THIS POSSIBLE RUST ISSUE.

A 205/55/R16 tire exploded when I was driving on the freeway at 9:15 am. I had driven less than 3 miles. The tire that exploded had less than 16,000 miles. I didn't run over an object or I would have also punctured my front tire too. At the time of the explosion I didn't know what happened, but heard a loud noise that I thought was from a car next to me. Once both cars moved ahead of me, I realized the loud noise was coming from under my car. I then was able to pull to the side of the freeway. Once I pulled over I saw the tire had exploded. I took photos of the tire and took both parts to the tire shop where my tires are under warranty. I had inspected my tires the prior Monday, two days prior and didn't see an issue with any of the tires. I've never had a tire blowout before. The tire shop threw the tire away even though I asked for a report of the incident to appropriate entities. The tire shop told me the tire was under inflated or that I hit a road hazard but couldn't prove that's what caused the explosion. Also the tire shop did not show me where a road hazard penetrated the tire. In the past if a tire had run over an object this tire shop would show me the object. I have 3 of the same tires on my car which I don't trust because my tire exploded without warning.

My daughter was driving as usual when she went to apply the brakes about 5 car lengths back and the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably despite braking. Her foot was not on the accelerator, she does not have floor mats that would cause anything to hit the accelerator. This has happened on 5-6 occasions which almost resulted in an accident. She barely got stopped mere inches away from the car in front of her despite braking earlier than normal because she encountered this once already during her trip. No check engine codes, the brakes are good, the car idles high. That is really it. This is a serious issue that seemingly cannot be diagnosed. After doing research to see what the problem may be, I have seen countless complaints of a similar nature. My daughters life is invaluable. This needs to be addressed.