Toyota Matrix vs Chrysler PT Cruiser

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	Toyota Matrix	Chrysler PT Cruiser
Complaints on file	1,422	3,420
Model years covered	2002–2012	2001–2010
Worst model year	2009	2002
Best model year	2011	2009
Crashes reported	170	268
Fires reported	14	155
Injuries reported	86	199
Deaths reported	2	9
Most complained-about part	Airbags	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	19.1%	18.5%

Toyota Matrix by year

2 314 175 260 212 109 56 224 55 10 5

02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Airbags 409 28.8%

Transmission & Drivetrain 181 12.7%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 145 10.2%

Engine & Cooling 136 9.6%

Electrical System 99 7.0%

Brakes 73 5.1%

Tires 70 4.9%

Steering 55 3.9%

Chrysler PT Cruiser by year

799 658 354 291 244 512 203 171 158 30

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 578 16.9%

Engine & Cooling 461 13.5%

Lights 238 7.0%

Suspension 234 6.8%

Airbags 230 6.7%

Steering 229 6.7%

Transmission & Drivetrain 221 6.5%

Body & Structure 178 5.2%