I was driving to work one morning and I heard a loud grinding and whining sound coming from what sounded like the engine. I came to a red light and got out to see if I could see anything out of the ordinary but saw nothing. I then got back in and put it in gear to go and nothing I would let out the clutch and it wouldn't move. I tried to put it in reverse to move it out of the street and when I would let off the clutch it would pop out of gear it wouldn't stay in reverse. I had to get it towed and found out that it was my transmission. I did some research and found many people with the same problem. Evidently toyota made a bad design with the 5 speed transmission and one of the bearings dose not get lubricated and burns out falling apart and ruining the entire transmission. Toyota claims that they know nothing about this and will not fix this.
Toyota Matrix grinding brakes problems
28 of the 1,177 owner complaints about the Toyota Matrix describe grinding or squealing brakes, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 28
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,100
- typical mileage
- 93,000
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
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+.
2009 toyota matrix. Consumer writes in regards to safety and operational issues with vehicle and seeks to return vehicle for refund of the purchase price. *smd the consumer stated she has experienced several near accidents because of the inability to see oncoming vehicles approaching from the left and traffic (particularly pedestrian traffic) blocked completely from her view on the right by the large side mirrors. Additionally, backing up and detecting approaching vehicles from behind created an issue, because the pillars by the rear window blocked her view. In addition, the vehicle made a grinding sound while idling, and the under mount sounded as though there was a metal grinding on metal.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota matrix. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, there was an abnormal grinding noise when the vehicle was decelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician advised the contact that the transmission would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 97,700.
Prior to incident, vehicle ran and shifted fine. Vehicle was never used for towing or other extreme use. Transmission fluid was changed at these mileages: 31,669; 61,023; 92,012; and 105,330. Vehicle was otherwise well-maintained, and driven with care by experienced users of manual transmissions. The first three tranny fluid changes done at toyota dealership. On jan. 1, 2012, toyota matrix (2003) , w/manual 5-speed transmission had sudden, severe failure on tollway. Roadway was clear. Vehicle did not hit anything in the road to precipitate this. Vehicle was just starting to decelerate for toll booth when sudden, harsh, grinding, metal-on-metal sound began. Car was then unable to shift into first gear, and shifted into second with difficulty. Vehicle was pulled over to side of road immediately and towed away. An independent transmission specialist removed & disassembled tranny. Diagnosis is: everything in 5th gear is broken. Fifth gear literally broke. Pinion shaft & everything housing ring gear is also broken. Apparently 1st through 4th gears look ok. Transmission re-build is advised, using toyota factory parts. Estimated cost $3,100. In addition, I had vehicle towed 45 miles from rural site of failure ($160). And I had to rent a car to get home from failure site ($225+). I still must return to fort wayne, in to pick up repaired vehicle when ready. I have now read of widespread tranny failures in matrixes. Toyota dealers and toll-free number personnel admit no knowledge of such issues. But, every independent source I've consulted acknowledges these drivetrain issues. Since these failures are so common, toyota should take responsibility. A recall, or at least toyota admitting and taking financial responsibility for this is in order. I loved my 1989 camry, but no longer have any trust in toyota. The federal safety agency, please help us. Thank you.
At this mileage, my car started making a loud grinding noise in the transmission. It turns out the main bearing is shot. This despite all scheduled maintenance being meticulously performed, full transmission fluid, and the clutch still being fine. There is no way the transmission should have failed at this mileage, and getting a replacement is very difficult and expensive because working ones are so rare! Apparently there is a very high failure rate on the 5-speed manual transmissions due to them being under-engineered. I want toyota to do something about this.
I have a 2009 toyota matrix and it continues to have issues. Toyota has never sent notification of recalls and this car has a few. When I bring it up to the dealer they act as if I have no idea what I am talking about. My tires need replacement at 20,000 miles and the brakes grind when stopping even after they were replaced at the dealers expense after they told me there was nothing wrong with them twice! I had to go back to the dealer 3 times as the parts people sent the wrong parts twice!! The tire warning light is constantly coming on even though I have had it to the dealership 3 times and they tell me nothing is wrong. I am told that the change in temperature makes the light come on. I am to the point I am going to replace the tires and be done with it. The last thing I need is a tire blow out on the interstate. The engine gets sluggish and bogs down while on the interstate and the interior features keep having to be slammed back into place because they come out of place. I was told by a salesman at a car show that it happens with the matrixs and they don't know why. Each trip to the dealership I am treated as a woman who knows nothing about cars. My father is a mechanic and I know my way around a car. Cobb county toyota in kennesaw, georgia is the worst dealership. I am going to try another dealership or just head to an independent. I saved for 2 years to buy it and now I feel very upset that toyota cares so little about the customer. I understand there are a few more recalls out on the 2009 matrix, yet I haven't been notified of them by toyota. When I brought up the new recalls to the dealer he looked shocked and tried to tell me that wasn't true. Why are new toyota buyers getting free service when our cars are the problem. I'm going back to honda! Toyota use to be great. The president of the company should be ashamed and commit seppuku or at least provide current owners free service too.
Manual transmission failure in a 2003 toyota matrix. Mostly highway miles, maintained regularly at the dealer. Noticed a noise and took it to the dealer and they said everything was fine. A few thousand miles later, there was a high pitched whine out of fifth gear. Upon stopping and restarting, pretty much all the forward gears were grinding, popping, squealing. Repair at the dealer was quoted $2500 for a used transmission and $3200 for a new! About half the value of the car.
I purchased the vehicle used in 2007 with 15,000 miles on it. Within a year the transmission went out. Got this repaired by the dealership and within a year the transmission went out again. I have been doing research on this model year matrix to see if it was just my car doing this, but it looks like there have been other people with 2004 matrix that have the same problem. What happens is parts of the fly wheel or clutch dysfunction. It makes the car stop and it makes a grinding noise. It happened once while I was on a remote section of highway and the other time I was starting my car in the morning to leave for work. My car has close to 70,000 miles on it now, but as I stated previously, it happened at around 20,000 miles the first time, which is unusual for a toyota, or any car for that matter. Parts were replaced by the dealership both times, but I'm scared it's going to happen again. I do not trust this vehicle to drive over extended periods or miles.
About 10:00 pm when I was just pulling on to I-84 in downtown hartford, ct the manual transmission of my toyota matrix made a very loud grinding sound and I could not move. Thankfully, my momentum enabled me to get over to the side of the highway but I was still sticking out into the right lane just around a curve in the road. A state police trouper pulled behind me almost immediately and put on his lights to warn cars away. Otherwise, I am certain my car would have been rear-ended while I waited for the tow truck. The repair shop I had the car towed to said that a bearing had failed and destroyed the transmission. I had to get a completely new transmission at a cost of over $2000. This car had over 105,000 miles on it, but they were mostly highway miles and the transmission should never have failed this early.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Toyota Matrix grinding brakes
Which Toyota Matrix years have grinding or squealing brakes problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (12 complaints), 2004 (9 complaints) and 2009 (4 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix grinding or squealing brakes on the Toyota Matrix?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,100 (median of 9 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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