2003 Toyota Matrix problems
NHTSA has received 314 complaints about the 2003 Toyota Matrix, and 18% of them involve air bags. After that come transmission (15%) and drivetrain & axles (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 314 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 25 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 28 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 203 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 32 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 27 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 17 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 24 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 36 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 21 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 19 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 7 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 9 |
What the data shows
Among the 203 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 80,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 120,000 miles (22 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 25 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 28 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Toyota Matrix with enough data (153 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Your crash testing gave the 2003 toyota matrix xr AWD five stars for side impact regarding head injury potential for driver. We used your ratings when selecting a used car in august 2005. On april 1, 2006 my 29 year old son hit a tree on driver door. He suffered fractured skull, broken neck and other injuries. He was killed instantly. Please see [link removed] search last name renfrew. Please google brett renfrew and read some of the news reports.
Whenever vehicle was at a stop signal and without warning vehicle surged forward. Consumer's foot was on the brakes when surging occurred. This problem occurred several times since ownership of the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota matrix. While making a left turn at a yellow light, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The driver sustained minor abrasions and the passenger suffered a fractured thumb, which required medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The speed was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.
Consumer stated that while driving 55 MPH, the hood just popped up and smashed the windshield and almost caused an accident. *scc
When the sun is shining you can not read the speedometer or the guages. He driver is driving blind without any instruments or guages. This is a very dangerous situation in all types of traffic conditions.