Your vehicle report
2003 Toyota Matrix
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 268
- Received May 2002 to Dec 2018
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Transmission fails or loses power while driving25 complaints · 9.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Manual clutch wears out or fails early20 complaints · 7.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking15 complaints · 5.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #08V162000Toyota is recalling 662,178 my 2003-2004 corolla, corolla matrix and pontiac vibe vehicles equipped with power windows. The driver and front passenger door glass bolts may loosen and come off, causing the door glass to separate from the window regulator. Due to the components becoming loose and possibly rattling, an abnormal noise may be heard from the driver and /or front passenger door when operating the power windows.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 19 crashes, 3 fires, 22 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 14 |
| 2003 | 30 |
| 2004 | 28 |
| 2005 | 14 |
| 2006 | 11 |
| 2007 | 8 |
| 2008 | 21 |
| 2009 | 21 |
| 2010 | 33 |
| 2011 | 15 |
| 2012 | 7 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 12 |
| 2015 | 34 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 268 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 25 | 9.3% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 20 | 7.5% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 15 | 5.6% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 13 | 4.9% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 11 | 4.1% | – | |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 10 | 3.7% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 7 | 2.6% | – | |
| Wheel bearings fail prematurely | 7 | 2.6% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 6 | 2.2% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 6 | 2.2% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 5 | 1.9% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 5 | 1.9% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 5 | 1.9% | – | |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 1.1% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #08V162000April 10, 2008662,178 vehicles affected
visibility: glass, side/rear
Toyota is recalling 662,178 my 2003-2004 corolla, corolla Matrix and Pontiac vibe vehicles equipped with power windows. The driver and front passenger door glass bolts may loosen and come off, causing the door glass to separate from the window regulator. Due to the components becoming loose and possibly rattling, an abnormal noise may be heard from the driver and /or front passenger door when operating the power windows.
The door glass may separate from the window regulator, bind and shatter during operation of the power windows, causing driver distraction and/or injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger door glass bolts with newly designed bolts free of charge. The recall began on april 16, 2008 to Toyota owners. The recall began on may 21, 2008, for Pontiac owners. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371 or Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2003 Toyota Matrix.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN