Problems with 2003 Toyota Matrix POWER TRAIN

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. *tr

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? *tr

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. *tr

My 2003 toyota matrix had a failure in the rear main bearing of the manual transmission. the cost was $1800 to rebuild the transmission with new bearings. the problem has occurred again, at 133,000 miles, due to design defect. the transmission oil does not properly reach the rear main bearing, which causes failure. *tr

Manual transmission bearing failure at approximately 61,200 miles. warranty expired at 60,000 miles. toyota would make no adjustment. *tr

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. *jb

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. *nm

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. *jb

2003 toyota matrix xrs transmission problems, slipping gears or clutch while under load, recurring problem for the duration of owning the car. it is very unsafe on the highway as it does not get up to or maintain speeds. filed a complaint with toyota with no response. toyota said there was no problem with it when i took it in to get looked at, but it was slipping the whole drive home and since then. i believe there is a definite problem with the transmission and i am not the only one that believes this, how many people must complain or does someone have to die for them to take some action? *tr

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. *nm

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.

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. *ak

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. *nm

While driving. clutch failed at 38,000 miles. contacted the dealer. however, the problem recurred. *ak

Clutch began slipping at 35000 miles while still under warranty. dealer claimed there was no problem and no adjustment required. clutch continued to get worse. on subsequent trips to the dealer, they repeated that there was no problem and that the clutch was normal. an independent shop told me otherwise. the slipping continued to get worse until by 75000 miles it was undrivable. then the dealer said it needed a clutch and that the wear was normal. i have driven manual transmission cars for 40 years and never encountered such a short lifespan on a clutch or a more unresponsive dealer. i have service records indicating that the dealer was notified about the problem within the warranty period and on more than one other occasion and that they did not adequately inspect for this issue. *tr

While driving 20 mph vehicle stalled. vehicle was towed to the dealership, and mechanic determined that automatic transmission failed. automatic transmission was repaired, but the problem recurred. *ak

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 . *ak

Numerous times i have been unable start the vehicle due to being unable to push the clutch in far enough. i have had to remove my shoes to be able to push the clutch in far enough for the switch to activate and start the vehicle. i also have had problems when in traffic and the 'self-adjusting' clutch fails and stalls the vehicle.*ak

My car has 30,000 miles and the clutch has burned out. the dealership is refusing to repair without charge to me. they want $1084. my car is only 2 years and i'm the original owner.

Premature clutch failure, the clutch start slipping around 15000 miles, the dealer said will not replace clutch due to wear and tear. have another 92 corolla for 6 years with clutch never had a problem. others are complaining about that matrix xrs clutch too, not just only me. feels like toyota betrayed their customers.*ak

At 34,000 miles the clutch began slipping. toyota stated that it was from misuse, that my wife was driving it improperly. my wife, age 57, has been driving clutch cars all her life and averages 100,000 miles per clutch. the tires are still good and worn evenly, which shows lack of abuse. toyota has not stood by their vehicle on this one, we're apparently on our own for the repair. so much for the 60,000 mile warranty.*ak

While shifting gears a noise was heard coming from underneath the vehicle. transmission would down shift on its own. consumer was able to drive the vehicle home. the next day, vehicle would start up but the transmission would not engage. consumer had vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined transmission needed to be replaced due to worn out parts.*ak

My clutch went out at 29k miles. this is not acceptable. i have been drving a stnd for years now and never had this problem. the clutch on the 2003 toyota matrix xrs is a design error and should be recalled. too many people have had this problem for it to be drving habits. toyota should take care of it's customers and rectify this situation!*ak

I own a 2003 toyota matrix xrs and the engine intermittently shuts off when i push in the clutch. this happens on city streets when i am going slow. today it happened twice when i was slowing to make a right turn. it has happened many many times since i bought the car last november. i have been unable to get it to happen with anyone from the selling toyota dealer or from the toyota region in my car. i do have at least 4 witnesses who have been in my car when it happened. i know of another matrix owner in southern calif with the same problem. another matrix owner in kansas had the same exact problem in 2002 and he got toyota to replace the throttle body and the problem has not resurfaced. i am at my wits end as to how to get my car fixed. it is dangerous and i am going to cause an accident one of these days. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks. *la

Clutch on the 2003 toyota matrix xrs smokes and slips and has since 3500 miles. *ak

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

Toyota matrix 2003 xrs on 2nd transmision and still having problems. clutch is also nasty. many others with same car having simmilar problems. www.matrixowners.com has a forum with at least 30 people with probelms alone.*ak

Annoying squeak when clutch is disengaged. this as occurred since purchase date. clutch slave cylinder has been replaced, lubed approximately 7 times, clutch set replaced. still squeaking! *la

Premature clutch wear caused by heavier vehicle.original clutch was intended for the toyota celica gts 2 door. the same clutch is now being used for the matrix xrs 4 door wagon wich is approx. 200+ pounds heavier than the celica. www.matrixowners.com has several posts from owners all over the us and canada reporting the same issue. the clutch is starting to show failure at 15,000 miles and dealers are refusing to cover this under warranty.*ak

The throwout baring in my 2003 toyota matrix xr 5-speed transmission went out at approximately 23,000 miles and caused the transmission to fail. toyota replaced the transmission at the love lexus toyota dealership in st. albans, wv, where the vehicle was purchased brand new with zero miles. this second transmission, at approximately 64,000 miles, failed as well with the same prescribed issue (throwout baring in the transmission). after researching this issue (http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0d9b0e/497#msg497) this issue has occurred in a plethora of toyota matrix' 5 - speed transmissions that toyota had placed in the 2003 - 2005 toyota matrix'. please, please, please help recall these transmissions and hold toyota accountable for placing faulty transmissions in these vehicles before another one goes out and i have to fork over another $3200 + for a new transmission. i have receipts to prove all of these claims and will be glad to share any information i need to in order to help a recall come to light. *tr

Manual clutch failed at 6500 miles. dealership states this is due to my driving habits, even though i have been driving stick-shifts for 10 years, and even though i have never worn down a clutch in 150k miles of driving them. cost me $1277, which was a *discounted* price!! *nlm

Own a 2003 toyota matrix-1st owner of this car. this car was purchased with 9 miles in it. when it was first purchased within 2 days there was a noise coming from the transmission bearings. the vehicle was taken back to the toyota dealer where purchased and the technicians said there was no noise. the noise never went away and the dealer just ignored it-never fixed it. also, the back seat belt would get stuck for no reason, this was also brought to the attention of the dealer techs, but also "nothing was wrong" up to this date, the seat belts keep getting stuck and my kids use it that way. another defective thing about this car were the sensor daylights, once the car was turned off, the lights automatically would go on and of course the next day the battery was dead. this was brought to the attention on the dealer and finally, they decided to fix something of this car. i was told that it was a defect from the manufacturer. *tr