Problems · NHTSA complaints

2004 Toyota Matrix problems

Owners filed 138 complaints about the 2004 Toyota Matrix with NHTSA between Nov 2003 and Mar 2021. The most-cited component is power train (37).

Complaints
138
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
18
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
17
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train37
  2. Air bags35
  3. Vehicle speed control15
  4. Visibility13
  5. Electrical system9
  6. Structure8
  7. Steering8
  8. Fuel system, gasoline7
  9. Engine and engine cooling6
  10. Tires6
  11. Suspension5
  12. Engine4
  13. Equipment3
  14. Service brakes, hydraulic3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20032
200410
20057
20065
20073
200815
200914
201023
20115
20123
20135
20147
201523
20169
20174
20181
20191
20200
20211

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

37 reports
“LOW NOISE FROM ENGINE AREA, THEN HEARD A POP OR THUD. AFTER THIS CAME A SCRATCHY/GRINDING NOISE WHEN CAR WAS IN GEAR AND COASTING. THE NOISE WENT AWAY WHEN CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED OR CAR WAS TAKEN OUT OF GEAR TO COAST. I CALLED A SERVICE REPAIR TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT THE SAME DAY. THE VERY NEXT DAY THE CAR LOCKED UP AND WAS UNDRIVEABLE. SOUNDED LIKE THE ENGINE HAD FALLEN OUT THE BOTTOM WITH HORRIBLE METAL GRINDING NOISE. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED ($150) AND THE SERVICE CENTER SAID I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH AND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA MATRIX AND COROLLA. AFTER READING ONLINE, IT SEEMS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA OWNERS WITH LOW MILES HAVING BEARING ISSUES AND THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS GONE UNADDRESSED. EVEN THOUGH I WAS GOING ONLY 10 MILES PER HOUR, THE CAR LOCKS UP. THIS ISSUE WILL KILL SOMEONE, SOMEDAY. COST OF REPAIR WILL BE AROUND $3,100+. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 27, 2013Power trainODI 10549687

Air bags

35 reports4 crashes1 fire
“TAKATA RECALL WILL SOMEONE GET TOYOTA TO REPAIR MY CAR? I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET MY AIRBAG HAZARD REPAIRED SINCE 2014 RECALL CAME OUT. NO SUCCESS TO DATE. MEANWHILE FORCED TO DRIVE POTENTIAL BOMB. IT APPEARS TOYOTA IS GIVING PEOPLE THE RUN-AROUND. I STAYED ON THE LINE FOR GREAT LENGTH OF TIME AND WAS TOLD TO CALL BACK LATER AND CUT OFF. DEALER IS NOT CALLING BACK. ANY HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, THANK YOU, *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 11, 2019Air bagsODI 11185906

Vehicle speed control

15 reports6 crashes
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX. WHILE DRIVING 3 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSED A CRASH. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. IT WAS UNKNOWN IF THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BECAUSE THE CONTACT COULD NOT REMEMBER. MOTTER AUTO REPAIR OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA WAS MADE AWARE OF THE CRASH AND REPAIRED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE PASSENGER DOOR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE CRASH. IN ADDITION, THE FAILURE RECURRED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY WITHOUT WARNING AGAIN. THERE WAS NO CRASH AND THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY WITHOUT WARNING AND CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S GARAGE DOOR. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE LEFT LEG AND LEFT HAND, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DAMAGED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 16, 2017Air bags, Vehicle speed controlCrash reportedODI 10995610

Visibility

13 reports1 crash1 related recall
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE RAISING OR LOWERING THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW, THERE WAS A CLICKING AND RATTLING SOUND HEARD. THE WINDOW ALSO SEEMED TO LOOSER THAN NORMAL. THE CONTACT BECAME AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V162000 (VISIBILITY) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED OR NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 143,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 18, 2021VisibilityODI 11403738

Electrical system

9 reports1 fire
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 15V285000 (AIR BAGS) AND 15V043000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 14, 2015Electrical system, Air bagsODI 10782210

Structure

8 reports
“TAKATA RECALL. I'VE BEEN RECEIVING RECALL NOTICES FOR THIS VEHICLE FOR YEARS. I HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO HAVE THREE ISSUES RESOLVED, ONLY ONE OF WHICH IS THE TAKATA AIRBAG PROBLEM. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE REPAIRS AT THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER TO ME (ABOUT A 2.5 HOUR-RT DRIVE FROM MY HOME) FOR THE PAST YEAR+, BUT I AM REPEATEDLY TOLD THAT THEY ARE AWAITING THE PART(S) FOR THE TAKATA AIRBAG REPAIR. TO MAKE THINGS WORSE, I CONSTANTLY RECEIVE FLYERS FROM TOYOTA URGING ME TO HAVE THE REPAIRS DONE ASAP. I WOULD LIKE TO. BUT APPARENTLY, TOYOTA IS HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING THE PARTS TO THEIR DEALERSHIPS. IN THE MEANWHILE, I'M DRIVING A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CAR.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 21, 2017Air bags, Structure, Unknown or otherODI 11018686
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.