Owners have filed 10 complaints
about the 2011 Toyota Matrix with NHTSA between 2016 and 2018.
The largest single group is the airbags.
Across this model's run it ranks 9 of 9 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 3
Against the median year of the Toyota Matrix. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
20% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Jul 2016peak 4Feb 2018
NHTSA investigations into the 2011 Toyota Matrix
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough
complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks
something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.C...
Recalls on the 2011 Toyota Matrix
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 202172355,683 units in Canada
Electrical
Issue: This recall is for certain block heater kits installed on certain vehicles or sold as accessories at Toyota or Lexus dealerships. On certain vehicles, the engine block heater cable may not have enough heat protection and could be damaged by high temperatures. If this happens, the cable could short circuit while plugged in, and cause the wiring to overheat or melt. Note: This recall only affects the following block heater/cord part numbers: C014003034 PK5A408J09 PU14000904 C014003151 PK5A408J13 PU14000905 C014000885 PK5A489J11 PU14000907 C014000888 PK5A489J22 PU14000909 C014000907 PK5A410H00 PU14000911 C014100904 PU14000900 PU14000913 C014100907 PU14000901 PU14003571 C014100911 PU14000902 PK5A489J14 PK5A408J05 PU14000903 Safety Risk: Engine block heater wiring that overheats or melts could create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Toyota recommends that you should stop using the engine block heater immediately. Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to disable the engine block heater. For some vehicles, the corrective actions for this recall are under development. For others, a new engine block heater cannot be installed, and the owner will receive a refund of the purchase price of the engine block heater.
Recall 2020013407,318 units in Canada
Airbag
Issue: On certain vehicles, the circuits within the airbag control module could be damaged in a crash. This could cause the airbags and seat belt pretensioners to not deploy in certain crashes. Safety Risk: Airbags or seat belts that do not work properly in a crash could create an increased risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to install an electrical noise filter to prevent damage to the airbag control module.
Recall 2019008376,282 units in Canada
Airbag
Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the passenger-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Action: Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have the passenger-front airbag inflator or airbag module replaced. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
at 58,000 milesAustin, TXCrash1 injured
AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, IT WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN FROM THE SCENE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THERE WAS ONE INJURY THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT SUFFERED FROM A TEAR IN HER ROTATOR CUFF. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 58,000.
NHTSA complaint #11024249 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Miami, FL
AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED WEST KENDALL TOYOTA AT (786) 619-3668 (LOCATED AT 13800 SW 137TH AVE, MIAMI, FL 33186) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER ALSO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
NHTSA complaint #11066468 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Medford, MA
AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V006000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED IRA TOYOTA (468 MAIN ST TEWKSBURY, MA) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
NHTSA complaint #11024229 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 58,000 milesAustin, TXCrash1 injured
AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, IT WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN FROM THE SCENE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THERE WAS ONE INJURY THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT SUFFERED FROM A TEAR IN HER ROTATOR CUFF. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 58,000.
NHTSA complaint #11024249 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
West Chester, PA
AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER (SLOANE TOYOTA OF MALVERN, PHONE NUMBER: 484-329-7300) DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE CONTACTS VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT WAS NOT EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
NHTSA complaint #11023433 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SAN Francisco, CA
AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS). THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SAN FRANCISCO TOYOTA (3800 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118 (415) 750-8300) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
NHTSA complaint #11022639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 70,000 milesApple Valley, CA
AIR BAGS
TAKATA RECALL: IN JULY 2016 I RECEIVED NOTICE FROM TOYOTA OF PASSENGER AIR BAG RECALL & TOLD NO ONE CAN RIDE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I HAVE A DISABLED DAUGHTER WHO CANNOT SIT IN THE BACK. I CALLED TOYOTA CORP AND THEY ARRANGED WITH THE LOCAL DEALER TO PROVIDE ME WITH A RENTAL CAR. MY CAR HAS BEEN SITTING OUTSIDE IN THE DESERT HEAT, BLOWING SAND AND SUN FOR A YEAR NOW. IN DECEMBER 2016 THE DEALER REFUSED TO PAY THE RENTAL BILL OF $1085 AND MY CREDIT CARD WAS CHARGED. I FOUGHT FOR A MONTH AND A HALF WITH THE DEALER, THE RENTAL COMPANY AND TOYOTA CORP AND FINALLY RECEIVED A CHECK FOR $1085. THE JANUARY 2017 BILL WAS PAID BUT NONE SINCE AND I NOW HAVE ANOTHER $1085 ON MY CREDIT CARD AND THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER FOUR MONTHS OF CHARGES. THE DEALER REPRESENTATIVES REFUSE TO RETURN MY CALLS OR OFFER ANY EXPLANATION OTHER THAN THEY NEVER GOT THE BILLS. I FAXED THE BILLS TO THEM AND THE MGR. OF ENTERPRISE RENTAL WENT TO SEE THEM PERSONALLY - TO NO AVAIL. TOYOTA CORP SAYS THEY CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT THE DEALER NOT PAYING. THERE IS NO PLAN FOR WHEN MY CAR WILL BE FIXED NOR WHAT KIND OF CONDITION IT WILL BE IN WHEN AND IF I EVER GET IT BACK. PLEASE ADVISE IF I HAVE ANY OPTIONS. I AM 84 YEARS OLD, AND CAREGIVER FOR A DISABLED DAUGHTER WHO NEEDS TO TRAVEL 100 MILES AWAY ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH FOR MEDICAL ATTENTION. WE BOTH NEED WALKERS, SO I NEED A CAR THAT I CAN LOAD AND UNLOAD ON THESE TRIPS. THE RENTAL CAR IS PERFECT, BUT I CANNOT AFFORD $1085 A MONTH WHEN THE DEALER HAD AGREED TO THIS ARRANGEMENT.
NHTSA complaint #11006578 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 75,000 milesJacksonville, FL
AIR BAGS
TAKATA RECALL- THIS CAR HAS HAD A RECALL FOR THE FAULTY PASSENGER AIRBAG AND I USE THIS CAR FOR TRANSPORTING MY CHILD. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS I'M PUTTING MY CHILD'S SAFETY AT RISK IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION. IF TOYOTA CAN'T RESOLVE THIS IN A TIMELY MANNER I NEED A RENTAL CAR UNTIL THEY ARE ABLE TO RESOLVE IT. THANKS
NHTSA complaint #10934807 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seminole, FL
AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS) AND HAD NOT RECEIVED THE SECOND NOTICE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE PARTS MAY BECOME AVAILABLE TO RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
NHTSA complaint #10910493 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Austin, TX
AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
NHTSA complaint #10888657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kettering, OH
AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS). HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS UNAVAILABLE.
NHTSA complaint #10883912 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.