"How reliable is the 2004 Toyota Matrix?"

"Based on 175 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Toyota Matrix has a median complaint mileage of 70000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Toyota Matrix?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Toyota Matrix is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 175 total complaints filed."

2004 Toyota Matrix: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 175 complaints

175

Total Complaints

70,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

32,500 25th Percentile

70,000 Median Mileage

107,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

STEERING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

TIRES

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

SUSPENSION

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DASHBOARD REFLECTS OFF THE WINDSHIELD WHICH IMPAIRS VISIBILITY. *AK IMAGES REFLECTED ALL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY/NIGHT. *PH *JB"

"I PURCHASED A 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX ON NOVEMBER 10, 2003. THE FIRST DAY I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY WHICH HAS A SLIGHT SLOPE, THE BUMPER DRAGGED ON THE DRIVEWAY. EVEN GOING VERY SLOWLY, I REALIZED THAT THE FRONT END OF THIS VEHICLE WAS ENTIRELY TOO LOW. ON NOVEMBER 17, PULLING OUT FROM A STORE, I NOTI..."

"CLUTCH FAILURE AT 5100 MILES; --- COMPLETE-- REPLACED BY DEALER AT 8600 MILES---- CLUTCH FAILURE. DEALER REFUSES TO DEAL WITH WARRANTY. TELLS ME THAT IT IS MY FAULT, " I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION". INDICATES THAT MY WIFE AND I ARE "RIDING" THE CLUTCH AND PERHAPS "RACING" MENTI..."

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