2009 Toyota Matrix vehicle speed control problems

“MY MATRIX 2009 HAS HAD INTERMITTENT SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. I MENTION IT AT MY REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHECK UPS, BUT RECEIVE NON-COMMITTAL REPLIES. I FIGURE I MUST BE LOSING IT. OVER THE LAST 8 MONTHS OR SO, IT GOT EXTREME: THE CAR WILL LURCH FORWARD AT DIFFERENT TIMES: WHEN I START UP THE CAR, IDLING AT A LIGHT, OR SLOWING TO A STOP. TODAY, SUNDAY MORNING, AS I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT AT WALMART, I BEGAN TO BRAKE SLOWLY WHEN THE TRANS ROARED AND LURCHED FORWARD. IT JUMPED THE CURB AND PLOWED INTO THE FRONT END OF THE CAR FACING ME. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE HIT THE GAS - BUT NO. MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE - ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I STILL OWE MONEY ON THIS CAR. I RUINED THE FRONT END OF ANOTHER CAR. I AM A SINGLE MOM OF 2 AND A TEACHER. I DON'T KNOW HOW I AM GOING TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS. I DO NOT INTEND TO REPAIR THIS CAR. IT IS NOT SAFE. THANK GOD THE OTHER CAR WAS EMPTY. THIS CAR COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE. AND, NO: NO TICKETS/ACCIDENTS/AGEISM. JUST A REGULAR MIDDLE-AGE LADY WHO BOUGHT A USED CAR 4.5 YEARS AGO, TOOK GOOD CARE OF IT, AND AM NOW SERIOUSLY STUCK AND STRESSED. SO, THANK YOU TOYOTA. I SAW ON OTHER BLOGS TODAY THAT THIS IS…”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2009 TOYOTA MATRIX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK. EACH TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT DROVE OVER THREE CURBS, A YIELD SIGN, AND A STOP SIGN. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BACK PAIN AND RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT WAS TREATED AND RELEASED THE SAME DAY. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO AN IMPOUND YARD. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,465. UPDATED 01/21/16*LJ *CN”

“2009 TOYOTA MATRIX FIRST PROBLEM STARTED STALLING SUDDENLY IN TRAFFIC LAST YEAR, BUT NOW VERY FREQUENTLY STALLS EVEN ON HIGHWAYS AT HIGH SPEEDS. NO WARNINGS. WHEN STALLED ALL LIGHTS COMES ON IN DASH, INCLUDING "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT. COMPLETELY TURN OFF IGNITION AND RESTARTING IS THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THIS ISSUE AT THAT TIME. AFTER RESTARTING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES OUT. OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES IN ALL SORTS OF WEATHER, BUT MORE FREQUENTLY IN HOT SUMMER DAYS. YESTERDAY STALLED 4 TIMES WITHIN 90 MINUTES DRIVE. RESTART CLEARED ENGINE COMPUTER DEALERSHIP HAD DIFFICULT TIME REPLICATING FAILURE. BUT, ADVISED REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AT A COST OF OVER $1000. SINCE THIS YEAR MODEL NOT RECALLED BY TOYOTA YET. I DO NOT KNOW HOW OR WHERE TO COMPLAIN SO THAT TOYOTA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND FIX THIS AT THEIR EXPENSE. *TR”

“I WAS DRIVING ON A SECONDARY HIGHWAY GOING BETWEEN 80 AND 100 KPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED. I WAS TRAVELING ALONG IN TOP GEAR AT AN RPM OF 2000-2500 - WHEN I NOTICED THAT I WAS ENTERING A CONSTRUCTION ZONE WHERE TRAFFIC WAS HALTED. I HAD JUST BEGUN TO TRAVEL UP A HILL TOWARD THE HALTED TRAFFIC. AS THE CAR STARTED UP THE HILL, I NOTICED THAT THE RPMS HAD DROPPED AND CAUSED THE GEARS TO SHIFT DOWN INTO A LOWER GEAR WITH HIGHER RPM TO PULL THE CAR UP THE HILL. ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY OF THE CAR SHIFTING GEARS, I PRESSED THE BRAKES HARD TO BEGIN STOPPING. I WAS ALARMED AS I FELT THE CAR STRUGGLING TO ACCELERATE HARD AGAINST MY BRAKING. THE BRAKING HAD NOT DISENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL. I PRESSED THE BRAKES HARDER. THEN, THINKING THE CAR MIGHT BE CONFUSED, I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKES BEFORE PRESSING THE BRAKES HARD AGAIN. I STILL FELT THE CAR STRUGGLING TO ACCELERATE HARD AGAINST THE HARD BRAKING. I HAD THE PRESENCE OF MIND THE TURN OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL BY PRESSING THE BUTTON ON THE END OF THE CRUISE CONTROL STICK. IMMEDIATELY, THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION STOPPED AND THE BRAKING WAS EFFECTIVE TO STOP THE CAR. I HAVE NEVER AGAIN EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM OF…”

“MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HOME ON A SNOWY NIGHT AND SUDDENLY THE BRAKES BECAME UNRESPONSIVE, THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON, AND LUCKILY SHE DIDN'T NEED TO COME TO A FULL STOP AT THAT TIME. AFTER THAT THE BRAKES WORKED FOR THE REST OF THE DRIVE HOME, BUT WERE SPONGY AND SHE NEEDED TO GIVE ADDITIONAL TIME TO STOP. TOYOTA ISSUED A TSB-0205-09 ON 7/6/2009 ABOUT THIS - C0215. WE SPENT 671.10 TO REPAIR THE REAR LEFT AND THE MECHANIC SAID WE WILL MOST LIKELY NEED TO DO THE REAR RIGHT IN THE FUTURE. I CALLED TOYOTA REIMBURSEMENT DEPT. ABOUT THIS AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO NOTHING SINCE IT'S OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD OF 36K. THEY SAID IT'S NOT A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL. MY POINT TO THEM WAS HOW CAN YOU ISSUE A TSB IN 2009 ON A 2009 MODEL AND NOT BACK THIS PROBLEM UP FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR? THEY KNOW THE SENSOR IS GOING TO GO BAD MOST LIKELY, IT COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, BUT NO RECALL WAS EVER ISSUED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS BUSINESS PRACTICE! WE ALREADY HAD 2 RECALLS (FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL REINFORCEMENT BAR) ON THIS VEHICLE. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND THE CONSUMER SHOULDN'T NEED TO BEAR THE COST! *TR”

“INVESTIGATION RESULTS OF REPORT#-426903 GIVEN 2/12 OF UNINTENDED ACCELER: WAS INVESTIGATED BY SPX CORP. INVESTIGATOR HIRED FROM TOYOTA. AT MY APT. SETTING, IN MY RESERVED PARKING SPOT BECAUSE CAR COULD NOT BE DRIVEN DUE TO SEVERE FRONT END DAMAGE. I WAS GIVEN A MEMORY STICK WITH EDR DOWNLOAD INFO., TELLING ME TOYOTA WILL RESPOND. 22 PDF PAGES, 19 WERE BIZARRE MATH EQUATIONS, NEVER TO BE UNDERSTOOD. MY EVENT SHOWED WHEN IGNITION TURNED ON ENGINE AT 1600RPM, TO 800RPM, AS I BEGAN TO MOVE, THEN WENT TO 2000RPM, IN LESS THEN 60 SECONDS, WITHIN A SMALL LANE, PLUNGING ME INTO BRICK WALL. LETTER FROM TOYOTA ADMINISTRATOR SAID NO FAULTS WERE FOUND, SORRY CANNOT BE OF ASSISTANCE. IN THE 3RD PARAGRAPH WAS FALSE INFO. RE: EXTENSIVE TEST DRIVE DONE TO TEST BRAKES, ETC. EVERYTHING WORKING WELL. I CALLED HIS DIRECT # LEAVING A MESSAGE IN REGARD TO I HAD SERIOUS QUESTIONS "TEST DRIVE"? LEAVING MY NAME & #. HE CALLED NEXT DAY TO APOLOGIZE, "I MISSTATED THE TEST DRIVE", AT THE SERVICE CENTER IT WAS DRIVEN A SHORT DISTANCE, I SAID SERVICE CENTER? TM- YES!, I SAID STREET OUTSIDE MY APT. DOOR? TM- YES!. THEN SAID PARKING LOT? TM- WITH HESITATION, YES! ASKED IF HE WAS SURE OF THE…”