2003 Toyota Matrix: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 314 complaints
314
Total Complaints
80,000mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS
Top Issue
25
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

34,000 25th Percentile
80,000 Median Mileage
110,551 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS
56
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
33
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
20
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
20
POWER TRAIN
17
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
14
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
9

Severity Assessment

25
Crashes
4
Fires
28
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE AIR CONDITIONING STARTED TO BLOW HOT AIR, THEN THE ENGINE STARTED STALLING AND THE ENGINE CHECK SIGN CAME ON. TOYOTA SAID IT WAS A STONE THAT GOT INTO THE RADIATOR AND PROVOKED A LEAKING. NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE IN THE FRONT BUMPER. HOW CAN A STONE GET THERE AND HOW DO THEY MAKE SUCH FRAGILE CARS? I..."
"THE AIR CONDITIONING STARTED TO BLOW HOT AIR, THEN THE ENGINE STARTED STALLING AND THE ENGINE CHECK SIGN CAME ON. TOYOTA SAID IT WAS A STONE THAT GOT INTO THE RADIATOR AND PROVOKED A LEAKING. NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE IN THE FRONT BUMPER. HOW CAN A STONE GET THERE AND HOW DO THEY MAKE SUCH FRAGILE CARS? I..."
"THE AIR CONDITIONING STARTED TO BLOW HOT AIR, THEN THE ENGINE STARTED STALLING AND THE ENGINE CHECK SIGN CAME ON. TOYOTA SAID IT WAS A STONE THAT GOT INTO THE RADIATOR AND PROVOKED A LEAKING. NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE IN THE FRONT BUMPER. HOW CAN A STONE GET THERE AND HOW DO THEY MAKE SUCH FRAGILE CARS? I..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28