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Matrix Transmission Problems

556 messages,  Last post on Mar 07, 2013 at 5:41 PM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Matrix, Transmission, Wagon

Messages Page 26 of 56

#248 of 556 Matrix xr 2007 by rpar

Nov 29, 2008 (1:37 pm)

Hi:
My problems started late Friday fortunately 1/2 km from home. Malfunction lamp came on, engine stalled at a busy crossroad, managed to start it after a few tries, limped home, checked all connections seemed okay. Dealership today afternoon says seems like a computer problem (at only 34000 kms), wait till Monday, get a rental car, pay for rental myself (I do night weekend shifts ). Called Toyota customer service. They listened to my ramblings with concern however since I had no extended warranty I do not get a rental/courtesy vehicle. Told them that extended warranty comes after your regular 60000 km warranty. They said rental depends on dealership and dealership says depends on Toyota. Told Toyota this is becoming a vicious circle and hassle. Told Toyota I am going to write a complaint and next time no Toyota vehicles for me. Never had these hassles with American vehicles. In short, no more Toyotas I would even go close to. Why I am writing this is do not think about Matrix as they are not reliable and Toyota service needs big time improvement.
 
Thanks.

#249 of 556 Re: 2003 5sp manual Matrix ... 105,000 miles [canonlaw] by gnash

Dec 03, 2008 (12:33 pm)

Replying to: canonlaw (Oct 31, 2008 5:48 pm)
Thanks, canonlaw. Sorry for the delay in responding. I found the shop manual and decided against doing it myself after consulting a transmission shop I trust. I finally got the rebuilt installed and the total bill, including transmission, core refund, clutch and installation ... $2300 CDN ... roughly $1825US, so I think I came out pretty good, all things considered.
I would highly recommend Kormex Transparts out of Ontario, CA. www.kormextrans.com. Ask for Lucas.

#250 of 556 Thanks to all + Maybe Toyota is getting it by rschwan9

Dec 04, 2008 (5:50 pm)

Yesterday on my way to work in Minneapolis the sounds that I thought I had been hearing from my 2003 Matrix became sounds I KNEW I was hearing. LOUD and clear. Got off the interstate at my normal exit and pulled into my workplace and besides the noise there was now difficult shifting. I went into work, immediately searched for Matrix transmission noise/failure and found this blog. In reading through the pertinent posts I found that my matrix at 65K miles was an absolute textbook example of the failure. Lower rumblings weeks ago, a strange noise when backing off the throttle and just slightly louder transmission sound in general. Then, as others have pointed out, there was the clunk, the whine, the squealing all happening within my commute yesterday. During my lunch hour I limped it to the closest Toyota dealer. By that time I had printed out pages from here and from other sites. When I checked in with the service dept. I told them it was the classic Matrix 03-04 trans 5-spd. failure that is all over the web. They were very polite but did not really acknowledge that they knew of this. I left the car and got a call several hours later that the transmission was gone and would need to be replaced. Which is just what I had told them earlier. They also said in there message that a fellow from Toyota would be out today to look at it and decide if any "good will" would be available. The service guy did say that he would like me to get all my service records with regard to fluid changes to him as well. OK, I need to wrap this up. Service guy called me at 9AM this morning and said "Toyota will give you a new transmission, if you will pay for labor"...I said done deal. It will be about $900 but my own local mechanic could not even match that putting in a used tranny. It was basically done NO QUESTIONS ASKED! While it is apart I am having them do the clutch plate (at 50% wear ) and a throw out bearing. Like the service guy said, hey the labor is already being paid for in the tranny swap so all that will be is parts. So...many thanks to all of you who take the time to write here. I hope that my little story will be of some help to someone else. Oh yeah, I did ask if the new tranny going in was just another 2003 model or had it been improved, they assured me that it was a new Part NUmber and an upgrade from orig. thanks again!

#251 of 556 Add another dead matrix to the pile by deadMATRIX

Dec 05, 2008 (7:28 pm)

2004 Base Matrix 5-speed DEAD at 73K
 
Found this post AFTER my tranny failed. Wish I could have found it before. Same tranny problem as everyone has had. Noise coming from engine compartment, led to a whine which led to, what sound like, pieces of my tranny falling out. After that I lost first gear. Pulled into a gas station and decided to try to hobble to the dealer. Didn't make it, tranny died and it's stuck in second. Car is at 73k and obviously out of warranty. I called Toyota and talked to a very nice guy. However..... they decided that there was nothing they could do to help me with the $3,100 tranny replacement. This was my first and will be my last toyota. Bought this car brand new, bought toyota for its reliability record, bought a P.O.S.

#252 of 556 Transmission rebuild services available! by beyondredline

Dec 07, 2008 (9:42 am)

Hello everyone,
 
My name is Tim and I work for an automotive facility in Green Bay Wisconsin. We are typically a performance shop that modifies vehicles for racing and other competitive use, however I happened to own a 2003 Matrix XR with a manual transmission. Its actually my wife's car, but for a while I had been hearing a grinding noise when the car was in gear and under power. After some research I found this thread and determined that the bearing was on its way to failure. Surprisingly our car had over 100k on it, seems like it lasted longer than others on here.
 
Being that we purchased the car used and the millage I knew Toyota was not going to do anything to assist us. So i had the guys in my shop remove the transmission and check everything out. Yep, there it was a faulty bearing ready to fall apart. Called Toyota got the new bearing and had the guys put it back together with a new clutch as well.
 
I see some of you have had better luck with Toyota, and others have found reman units for your cars. I found it difficult to find a unit for a reasonable price. So, I'm here to offer to anyone who is interested a rebuild service. If you are experiancing this problem please email me at: Timbeyondredline.com and I'll be happy to provide you with a quote on rebuilding your transmission, as well as the service to remove and install your unit if you live near us. We are located in Green Bay Wisconsin. Our website is www.beyondredline.com
 
Again, we are a performance shop, but because of my experience we are now fully prepared to work with you on this or any other issue you may have. Hey, we installed a supercharger on a matrix last year too...
 
Thanks everyone, good luck
 
Tim

#253 of 556 Does this effect the manual XRS 6 spd? by Moretus

Dec 16, 2008 (11:38 pm)

Anyone had transmission problems with the 6spd? Mine has 121,000 miles on it and when it is cold it is slightly stiff and hard to shift into gear. However when the car warms up it is pretty normal. I don't seem to have any weird sounds coming from my transmission as outlined in some of the discussions.
 
Do the XRS 6spd's have the same bearing issues as the 5spd's?
 
Should I dump this car before it leads to bigger problems?

#254 of 556 Re: Does this effect the manual XRS 6 spd? [Moretus] by nippononly

Dec 17, 2008 (11:48 pm)

Replying to: Moretus (Dec 16, 2008 11:38 pm)
I think everyone reporting the problem has had the 5-speed, not the 6-speed. Also, with that many miles and stiffness going into gear especially when cold, I wonder if you might not have a worn clutch.....

#255 of 556 yet another failed tranny by jamborski

Dec 22, 2008 (12:11 pm)

Add me to the list: My 2004 toyota matrix with 92000 miles had the transmission fail yesterday, looks like another failed bearing. if there's any legal action please send me the info, I'm ready to battle it out!!

#256 of 556 Re: yet another failed tranny [jamborski] by rschwan9

Dec 23, 2008 (6:17 pm)

Replying to: jamborski (Dec 22, 2008 12:11 pm)
Jamborski, I feel your pain and anger. I am back at post 250 here. Somewhere back in the thread there is a link to the National Transportation Highway Safety Board or whatever it is. They have an online complaint (safety concern) form you can fill out. It seems that they don't want to consider this a safety issue. Hmmmm. They replaced the bolts for my power windows because they may break the glass - under safety recall! If you ask me, a transmission failing at highway speeds is more dangerous to the driver and other vehicles around them than bad glass. Whatever. I am second owner of my 2003 and did not have service records. But Toyota gave me a new transmission (I paid labor) with no questions asked. And it is not the same 2003 transmission. I can tell by where the shifter enters the transmission etc etc....so it is a redesign of some sorts. So maybe this one will last 2 or 3 hundred thousand miles like a manual tranny should.

#257 of 556 Has the transmission problem been resolved? by matrix09

Jan 04, 2009 (9:21 pm)

Just bought 2009 Matrix - while I did research BEFORE I spent the money, I didn't catch this forum - I relied on the mainstream stuff (Consumer Reports, etc.). Man, I wish I had found this forum instead. Bottom line, I spent more than I could really afford, cut all other expenses, etc, just so I could have a reliable and safe car to help out with my grandkids. All that said, I have read the entire thread, some say that there has been a remedial bearing after 2005.
 
Q: does anyone know for sure if the bearing problem has been corrected???? Is there any way to verify from Toyota what has been changed (like is it a new 9 ball bearing as opposed to the old 6 ball bearing, or whatever).
 
Thank you all for having put out the information for those more diligent than I who might find it before they buy.
 
dennis

Messages Page 26 of 56

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