Note: Manufactured by NUMMI, but marketed by Toyota for 1NX.
Plant City: Cambridge
Plant Company Name: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Inc.
Plant Country: Canada
Plant State: Ontario
Seat Belts All: Manual
Series: ZZE132L / ZZE133L / ZZE134L
Vehicle Type: PASSENGER CAR
Model year
COMPONENT
Complaint
2006
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
MY COMPLAINT WAS FIRST FILED ON 3/25/2006 (ODI # 10153679). THIS IS THE 2ND COMPLAINT ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE TOYOTA MATRIX THAT I DROVE IN 2006. I WAS DRIVING A 2006 TOYOTA MATRIX AND LOST TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. I WAS DRIVING ON RT 2 WEST BOUND OUT OF BOSTON DURING EVENING RUSH HOUR. I WAS TRYING TO CHANGE LANE TO MY RIGHT AND FOUND THERE WAS A CAR APPROACHING AND HONKED AT ME. I HAD NOT LEFT MY LANE YET AND TRIED TO PULL MY CAR STRAIGHT BACK. THE CAR REACTED BY SHIFTING TOO MUCH TO THE LEFT AND I TRIED ONLY TO ADJUST IT, KEEPING IN MIND THAT WAS A POWER-STEERED SYSTEM, TO KEEP IT STRAIGHT. THERE WAS A 1-2 SECONDS AFTERWARDS THE CAR SEEMED TO BE ON TRACK AND I WAS DRIVING FINE. AFTER THAT 2 SECONDS, THE CAR ACCELERATED ALL OF A SUDDEN, GAS PEDAL WAS DOWN TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR VEERED TOWARD THE LEFT ON IT'S OWN. I TRIED TO MAINTAIN IT STRAIGHT BUT IN VAIN AND COMPLETELY LOST CONTROL OVER IT. THE WHEEL WAS SO SOLID AND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE CAR EVEN JUST A LITTLE BIT. IT SPUN COUNTERCLOCKWISE OVER 3 LANES TOWARD MY LEFT AND HIT THE CENTRAL GUARDRAIL AND STOPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE POLICE ISSUED ME A TICKET ON THE SPOT. OTHER THAN COMPLAINT ODI # 10153679 FILED AT THIS WEBSITE AFTER THE INCIDENT, I ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT AT TOYOTA'S WEBSITE ON THE SAME DAY (3/25/2006). THE MATRIX MODEL WAS STOPPED IN 2007 AND CONTINUED IN 2008 WITH AN ADVERTISEMENT THAT IT WAS A COMPLETE NEW DESIGN. I LATER CHECKED THE INTERNET AND FOUND A VERY SIMILAR ACCIDENT HAPPENED IN NEW YORK STATE ON 10/9/2005. A WOMAN NAMED [XXX] , 55 OF WEST HARVERSTRAW WAS DRIVING A MATRIX. HER CAR SPUN OFF ROUTE 287 IN HARDING AND SHE WAS HOSPITALIZED AFTERWARDS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
2003
AIR BAGS
WHILE I WAS SITTING AT A DRIVE THRU WINDOW AT MCDONALD'S THE TELLER WAS REACHING ME MY ORDER AND ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE AND I HEARD A LOUD POPPING SOUND SHE SAID WHAT WAS THAT, I SAID I DON'T KNOW SHE SAID IT CAME FROM YOUR CAR SHE SAID MADAM IT CAME FROM INSIDE YOUR CAR, YOUR CAR IS SMOKING SO I TURNED MY HEAD AND NOTICED THE SEAT BELT OVER MY SHOULDER WAS SMOKING AND AS I TURNED MY HEAD AROUND THE SEAT BELT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR POPPED OPEN AND IT STARTED SMOKING SO I SAID WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS CAR, AND WHEN I TURNED MY HEAD FORWARD THE AIRBAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE POPPED OUT SO I SAID I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THIS CAR BUT I NEED TO GET OUT OF IT. I NOTICED THAT THERE WERE CARS BEHIND ME IN THE DRIVE-THRU SO I PULLED THE CAR OUT FROM UNDER THE WINDOW TO THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT SO THAT THE CARS BEHIND ME WOULD BE ABLE TO GET OUT AND AS I TURNED THE WHEEL THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG POPPED OUT IN FROM OF ME AND HIT ME IN THE CHEST AND BRUISED MY LEFT ARM THEN THE CAR STARTED FILLING UP WITH SMOKE SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF THE CAR WAS CATCHING ON FIRE OR WHAT I JUST KNEW THAT I NEEDED TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT GRABBED MY PURSE AND JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR. ALL THE CUSTOMERS AND WORKERS AT MCDONALD'S RAN OUT WHEN THE CAR STARTED SMOKING AND NO ONE COULD BELIEVE WHAT WAS HAPPENING BECAUSE ALL THESE THINGS POPPED OUT AND THERE WAS NO OTHER CAR THERE THE MANAGER AT MCDONALD'S CAME TO ME AND SAID HE WAS CALLING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SINCE THE CAR WAS SMOKING AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. THE FIRE DEPT. CAME AND SAID MADAM WHAT HAPPENED I TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY ASKED IF I HAD HIT ANYTHING AND I TOLD THEM NO I WAS JUST SITTING AT THE DRIVE-THRU WHEN ALL OF THESE THINGS JUST STARTED POPPING OUT OF MY CAR. THE WINDSHIELD ALSO SHATTERED WHEN THE AIRBAG HIT IT. THE FIREMEN TOLD ME TO STAND IN FRONT OF MCDONALD'S AND THEY OPENED THE HOOD TO CHECK FOR FIRE AND DISABLED TO BATTERY. *TR