Own a toyota matrix 2003 xr have been hearing odd sounds for about 6 months. Had mechanic do a check and couldn't find anything. Never stopped to think it could be the transmission on a manual transmission with less than 100k miles. A week later, driving on highway in the middle of the night, heard a loud explosion type sound and swerved off the road. Mechanic said its a bad bearing in the transmission. Toyota has yet to respond to my complaint. The entire transmission needs to be replaced.
2003 Toyota Matrix transmission complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 83, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Toyota differential failed at 100k. According to the mechanic, the problems must have been existent for a significant amount of time.
I had my '03 toyota matrix xrs serviced on 08/08/08 at a toyota dealership in berkeley, ca. They told me everything was fine, and I have never had any problems with my car. The next day (today, as I write) I was driving on I-80 eastbound past reno, nv and my speed dropped 20mph for no reason. My car then began to smoke, and I pulled over to find a trail of transmission fluid behind my car and my engine service light on. After the tow back to reno, the toyota dealer service station told me they weren't receiving any response from my transmission and that it would be upwards of $6,000 to repair. I have never had one, single problem with my car and have had it serviced regularly. It has 66,000 miles and was serviced yesterday. I find this outrageous, unsafe, and deceptive.
Our son's 2003 toyota matrix had it's transmission completely fail 2 nights ago. He had an extended warranty ( 100,000 miles). Unbelievably he was 1600 miles over his warranty. I looked on the internet and found dozens and dozens of complaints about 2003 and 2004 matrix transmissions. Our son is a rather poor college graduate who can't afford the $3300 it will take to replace the transmission and clutch. I would like some advise on how to pursue some action against toyota. There should be a way to pursue "consideration" for this type of situation something is wrong here! Please respond if you can...
My 2003 toyota matrix xr with a 5 speed manual transmission had a complete transmission failure. I was traveling on interstate I-565 in light traffic. The car was in fifth gear and cruise control was set at about 70 MPH. After being on the interstate for about 3-4 minutes, the car started decelerating. So I responded by canceling cruise control and pressing the accelerator to the floor with no effect. The car continued to decelerate. So I downshifted to fourth gear and pressed the accelerator to the floor. Again the car continued to decelerate. So I pulled over and stopped the car on the shoulder of the interstate. I turned the car off and started it back on. The engine started normally, but I could not put the gear shifter into any gear. I pressed the accelerator to rev the engine up and the engine made a high pitched, weaning sound. So I turned the car off and tried to push the gear shifter into gear with the car off and was not able to get it into any gear. I had the car towed to a transmission shop and they inspected it and determined that the transmission had completely failed. The odometer reading on the car when this incident occurred was approximately 63,050 miles. Toyota's powertrain warranty on this car is 60,000 miles. I contacted toyota to ask for goodwill assistance because it is so unusual for a manual transmission in a toyota to completely fail at such a low mileage. However toyota was unwilling to provide any assistance. I purchased a new transmission from the local toyota dealer and had it installed by an independent transmission shop. The cost of the transmission was $2,343.17 (including tax) and installation costs were $450. So this failure cost me a total of $2,793.17.
I have a 2003 toyota matrix auto transmission, that has 58,000 miles on it. A month ago the 1st and reverse gears started to slip and was hard to get into gear. I took it to the toyota dealer and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. I left the dealer and it started again. 2 days later I was not able to get it in to reverse at all. I took it to a transmission shop since the 'check engine' light came on and they checked the codes and looked at the transmission. The engine needs to be rebuilt now and will cost me $2400. I love this car. I baby it all the time. I change the oil regular and always keep up on the maint. I don't understand how a transmission can go out on a car that is only 5 yrs. And 4 mo. Old and only 58,000 miles on it ! I did call toyota and they said nothing was reported and all was fine. I asked them to pay for the fix and they said the warranty was only 5yrs. 60,000 miles. I'm over by 4 mo. I found a website that has about 10 other people with this same yr and make car that had transmission issues.
2003 toyota matrix transmission failure after 57,000 miles. Extended warranty company replaced it with a used rebuilt transmission. I've seen many complaints online about this same thing happening on the manual transmissions of the 2003/2004 models.
2003 toyota matrix the vehicle odometer currently shows 57,108 miles. On january 24th, the clutch went out and would not shift into gear. The car was towed ($45) to our mechanic at polly's shell in nashville and we paid the following amount to have the clutch replaced: clutch set: $268 additional parts: 42 tow: 45 labor: 455 oil: 38 the total bill with other items came to more than $900.00. A copy of the original receipt is enclosed. When we examined the clutch, the pressure plate disc had broken into four equal parts. In addition to our regular mechanic, other mechanics at polly's commented that the fact the mechanism broke equally into four parts is obviously the result of a manufacturer's defect since this type fracture had nothing to do with the way the vehicle was driven.
I own a 2003 toyota matrix that on july 30, 2007, had a little over 105,000 miles on it. Driving either in town or on the highway a clinkiing sound was noticed by drivers and passengers along with an intermittent increased difficulty in shifting gears. On july 30, 2007, driving on the highway the clinking noise become more pronounced. I parked my vehicle to do some errands and came back the car would start, but would not enter into any gear. The car was locked in a gear that was not neutral. I was stranded about 30 miles from my home and had to call a towing company to come and tow the vehicle to the iowa city toyota company. From there, toyota inspected my 2003 toyota matix and found that the gear teeth in the manual transmission has completely eroded and broke off. Toyota had to replace the full transmission and clutch costing close to $3000.
Original '03 toy. Matrix xrs mfg. Clutch burnt out @ 37k mi of normal (not racing) driving. Clutch assembly had to be replaced. No burning smell - just higher revving, no power. I have been driving sticks for 18+ yrs (mostly toyotas - this is not normal)!
2003 toyota matrix, 64000 miles and the transmission went out, bought it used 10/2007 certified toyota and thank goodness we bought the extended warranty. Just took it into the dealer and they stated the transmission fluid was dirty and had metal shavings in pan also hydraulic went out and had a faulty sensor in trans axle. Dealer will replace it but thank goodness we had the extended warranty and will we have the same problem with the replacement???? We purchased this car for our daughter because toyota is suppose to be reliable, but we have never had a transmission go out in any of our other cars and we usually keep them for 10 years.....
Transmission completely ruined at 72,000 miles 5 speed manual toyota matrix 2003.
I bought a used 2003 matrix in may of 2007. In november (90k miles), I started noticing that the transmission was slipping. When I took it to the dealer where I bought it, they said that I needed a new clutch ($1200). I was shocked because I have driven stick shifts for over 15 years now & have never had to replace a clutch. Found another mechanic to install the new clutch for $800. He informed me that this is not the first time the clutch had been replaced in this car. Apparently the clutch in the 2003 matrix is made to burn out every 50k miles! Toyotas are supposed to have a better reputation than this !@#$%!
I have a 2002/03 toyota matrix that had the transmission replaced at 70k miles. It was covered under warranty. The car has 130k miles now and I am being told the bearing in the transmission is bad.
Manual transmission bearing failure at approximately 61,200 miles. Warranty expired at 60,000 miles. Toyota would make no adjustment.
Was traveling from illinois to colorado, transmission began failing, grinding. Made it to colorado, had to have entire transmission replaced around ($4300, out of warranty). No help from toyota. Toyota transmission failure at 80,000 miles? C'mon, what's up with that?
Main bearing in the manual transmission failed. Needed new transmission and clutch. Toyota canada and my dealer covered 60% of cost 5mth past warranty.
I own a 2003 toyota matrix 5-speed with 75k miles on it. Serviced every 5k miles by the dealership until 60k, and has had regular oil changes and all manufacture suggested maintenance. Purchased new by me from toyota & scion of lake city in seattle. On 6/17/2007, I was driving on state route 520 through east king county (divided, limited access highway). The car suddenly began making a loud high-pitched noise, then lurched to a sudden stop. I was able to pull off the highway but if I hadn't been right next to the exit when the noise started, I would have frozen in a lane of traffic moving at 60 MPH. I had literally 90 seconds to deal with the sudden loss of the drive train, and absolutely no advance warning to any impending mechanical failure. Currently, toyota is reviewing whether they will extend the power train warranty (60k/5year) to cover my car.
Clutch failed within the 36 thousand warranty period. Dealer and toyota say that it is a wear item and not covered. Many of the same reports of owners with same vehicle and same issue.
Clutch on the 2003 toyota matrix xrs smokes and slips and has since 3500 miles.
I am the second owner of mt toyota xr and brought the car for the excellent reputation toyota has as I knew I would be driving it a lot as a regular commuter. I have had the oil replaced frequently and took the car to the toyota dealership for its services in the hope that this would mean it would last well. One week after my 90,000 service ($700) the transmission went out. I have driven a manual car all my life and know it was no due to bad driver habits. According to the garage a ball bearing dropped into the transmission and "shredded it" we have spent $3000 having the transmission replaced and feel let down by toyota, a car that was meant to last a lifetime has malfunctioned despite our best efforts at care. After having the transmission replaced and the clutch to be safe we now have an error code p0121 indicating a problem with the throttle pedal position sensor. Feeling very frustrated with toyotas response that this has just been bad luck.
Purchased used 2003 matrix in oct 2005, paid for quality guard plus deluxe through nissan dealership where I purchased the car to cover mechanical problems. By april 2006 it was missing gears and car just died. Took it to toyota dealership after calling nissan because I was pointed there. Toyota had it for 5 days fix it supposedly then november 10th, 2006 transmission gave up on it again needing it to be towed from friends place to home. Noises heard under the car before it stalled. They fixed problem before with remanufactured trans. But problem recurred. Being shuffled back & forth now that I am claiming for what I paid for with quality guard plus. Toyota don't have quality guard, nissan does but my car is not a nissan car. Should have called before they will cover anything such as towing and car rental. Too much red tape and hassles in asking to provide coverage I paid for and only one phone line 1‑800‑888‑5245 that places you on hold for 30-50 minutes, talks to you briefly then place you on hold again.
Been having problems with my clutch - on hills, you can smell it burning. The breaking point has gradually been getting further and further out. I learned how to drive on a clutch and have been driving one for almost 20 years. This should not be happening at 30k miles.
2003 toyota matrix - clutch burns too easily. I learned how to drive on a std, have driven them for 15 year and never had this burning problem. This is one that needs to be addressed by toyota.
While driving my car, it will start to miss out and then stall. Upon restarting, the engine light comes on. I took it to the dealer where they replaced the computer. That helped for about 6 months and then problem recurred. I took it back to the dealer and we then replaced the ignitors. Once that was complete the car ran fine for 2 months. Now it is happening again, and is very dangerous. It happened to me today for instance while I was in the middle of an interstection making a a turn. When the car stalls, I have limited steering. This also happens to me while I'm on the interstate. Clearly there is a severe problem with this car that goes beyond the computer and ignitors. It is very dangerous to drive, but I have no choice since it is the only car that I have.
Driving under normal conditions you can smell the burning coming from the clutch which is normal after a couple days of driving whe it started to turn out to months it became skeptical....the clutch began to slip a lot takes long to catch on..nothing was done to correct problem for now until clutch goes out.....the burning smell still continues
I have an 2003 toyota matrix xrs. Clutch started slipping and you can smell it most of the time. Has 53,000 miles. I have driven many standards over the years and never had this much trouble with a manual transmission. The last clutch I had to replace was on a 1991 suzuki swift that had over 220,000 miles. Toyota used to be a good vehicle. They really need to fix this issue. Have read lots of problems from other people on http://www. Matrixowners.com.
The clutch on my 2003 matrix failed at 32,000 miles. I've owned manual transmission cars all my life and have never had this happen until at least 65,000 to 85,000 miles were put on the vehicle. Toyota refuses to replace the clutch blaming me for improper driving technique and or abuse. It's nice to see that im not the only one with this problem. Hopefully in the near future toyota will be held responsible for the defective clutch.
While driving. Clutch failed at 38,000 miles. Contacted the dealer. However, the problem recurred.
I have had problems with my clutch since I bought my car new in aug 2002. It is hard to get it to go into reverse and first gear at times. I have taken it to the dealership and they cant make it happen so they cant fix it. The clutch pedal had developed a squeak that they were able to correct. The clutch in this car is not right. It sometimes smells horribly as well. I have read several complaints from other people at www.matrixowners.com .
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