2003 TOYOTA MATRIX — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 262 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (79 complaints · 30.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 19
  • Fires 3
  • Injuries 22
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2002 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 79 of 262 owner complaints (30.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 79 complaints, 30.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 79 · 30.2% AIR BAGS: 51 complaints, 19.5% of reports AIR BAGS 51 · 19.5% · 9 crash reports ENGINE: 27 complaints, 10.3% of reports ENGINE 27 · 10.3% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 15 complaints, 5.7% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 15 · 5.7% · 2 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 13 complaints, 5.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 13 · 5.0% · 3 crash reports 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 10 complaints, 3.8% of reports STRUCTURE 10 · 3.8% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 9 complaints, 3.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 · 3.4% · 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 8 complaints, 3.1% of reports VISIBILITY 8 · 3.1% FUEL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 2.7% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 7 · 2.7% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 128 complaints, 48.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 128 · 48.9% · 7 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 79 30.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 51 19.5% 9 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 27 10.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 15 5.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 13 5.0% 3 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 10 3.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 3.4% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 8 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 7 2.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 128 48.9% 7 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2006. 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2003-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2003-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2005-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2008-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2009-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2010-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2015-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2015-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 2002 Oct 2018 Recall campaign 06E023000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E023000 Recall campaign 08V162000 ◆ Recall campaign 08V162000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Investigation EA08004 ● Investigation EA08004
  • Campaign 06E023000 was reported 1,162 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 08V162000 was reported 1,512 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 4
2002-Q4 Owner reports 8
2003-Q1 Owner reports 9
2003-Q2 Owner reports 4
2003-Q3 Owner reports 10
2003-Q4 Owner reports 5
2004-Q1 Owner reports 8
2004-Q2 Owner reports 8
2004-Q3 Owner reports 8
2004-Q4 Owner reports 4
2005-Q1 Owner reports 3
2005-Q2 Owner reports 7
2005-Q3 Owner reports 2
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 4
2006-Q3 Owner reports 2
2006-Q4 Owner reports 5
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q3 Owner reports 4
2007-Q4 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 10
2008-Q2 Owner reports 6
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 8
2009-Q2 Owner reports 3
2009-Q3 Owner reports 4
2009-Q4 Owner reports 6
2010-Q1 Owner reports 16
2010-Q2 Owner reports 6
2010-Q3 Owner reports 6
2010-Q4 Owner reports 4
2011-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2011-Q4 Owner reports 9
2012-Q1 Owner reports 3
2012-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 5
2014-Q4 Owner reports 5
2015-Q1 Owner reports 10
2015-Q2 Owner reports 10
2015-Q3 Owner reports 8
2015-Q4 Owner reports 6
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 06E023000
Recall campaign 1 08V162000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Defect investigation 1 EA08004
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E023000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08V162000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 262 complaints · page 1 of 11

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources