Plant Company Name: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Inc.
Plant Country: Canada
Plant State: Ontario
Seat Belts All: Manual
Series: ZRE142L / AZE141L / AZE144L / AZE146L
TPMS: Direct
Vehicle Type: PASSENGER CAR
Model year
COMPONENT
Complaint
2004
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ONE. WENT TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. TOLD THE GAS CAP/FUEL PIPE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT HAD POSSIBLE CORROSION. WAS TOLD THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. DID NOT LOCATE THE EXACT PROBLEM, CHARGED ME A DIAGNOSTIC FEE. 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX, 73,000 MILES, EXTENDED "BUMPER TO BUMPER" WARRANTY. *TR
2009
VISIBILITY
THE 2009 TOYOTA MATRIX HAS A SAFETY ISSUE IN MY OPINION. I BOUGHT MY MATRIX (NEW) FROM DOWNEAST TOYOTA IN BREWER, MAINE, ON OCTOBER 6, 2008. WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR DURING A TEST DRIVE IN THE PROXIMITY OF THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT 60 DAYS PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE, THERE CAME A TIME WHEN I HAD DO MAKE A LEFT-HAND TURN AS DIRECTED BY THE DEALERS SALESMAN WHO WAS WITH ME. BEFORE I MADE THE TURN I NOTICED A YOUNG LADY ON THE EDGE OF THE ROAD TO WHERE I WAS TURNING. THIS BROUGHT ON A CAUTION IN MY MIND TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL IN MAKING THE TURN. AS I PROCEEDED THE TURN, THE OVERSIZED (IN MY OPINION) SIDE VIEW MIRROR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAT IS SITUATED TOO HIGH (IN MY OPINION) BLOCKED ABOUT 80 % OF MY VIEW. AT ONE POINT IT WAS DIRECTLY IN MY LINE OF VISION. I LET OUT A, "WHOA, ERIC" (TO THE SALESMAN)," I CAN'T SEE A THING." HE DID NOT SAY A WORD. I LIKED THE MATRIX OTHERWISE, SO ABOUT SIXTY DAYS LATER, I BOUGHT IT (I THOUGHT THE "BAD VISION INCIDENT" WAS A FLUKE.) WHILE RETURNING HOME FROM MY DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT TWO DAYS LATER, I CAME UPON A LEFT-HAND TURN IN DOWNTOWN ORONO, MAINE. TO MY ABSOLUTE DISAPPOINTMENT, I COULD NOT SEE WHERE I WAS TURNING WHEN THE OVERSIZED SIDE MIRROR CAME IN MY LINE OF VISION. AGAIN, APPROXIMATELY 80 % OF MY VISION WAS BLOCKED! I RETURNED THE MATRIX TO THE DOWNEAST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN BREWER. I TOLD SEVERAL PEOPLE AT THE DEALERSHIP, IN PERSON, AND BY PHONE FROM HOME, THAT I COULD NOT DRIVE THE MATRIX BECAUSE OF A SAFETY ISSUE. I ASKED FOR MY MONEY BACK. THEY MORE OR LESS AGREED, TOGETHER, THAT I NOW OWNED THE VEHICLE AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT RETURN MY MONEY EXCEPT THAT I COULD TRADE THE MATRIX IN ON ANOTHER VEHICLE AS A USED CAR. NOW, I KNOW YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME ON THE FAIRNESS ISSUE. I AM HERE SAYING THAT THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE 2009 TOYOTA MATRIX. I LOVE TOYOTAS. I'VE DRIVEN THEM FOR YEARS. THIS MATRIX SHOULD BE RECALLED. THANK YOU. ROBERT DUBAY *TR
