2003 Toyota Matrix Consumer Reviews

Excellent buy, fine build from Toyota

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix XR Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Purchased at 90K, have put about 6k on it since, including several long drive up I-5. Fuel economy is wonderful, I average more like 30 on the street and 32-35 highway. Of course the interior is a little cheap, but its a Toyota, not a Lexus. The clutch is smooth and so is the transmission, no bearing failures here, despite an abusive previous owner. I have had an issue with the driver side window falling down into the channel: a piece of the window sealing rubber had been pinched inside the channel. Toyota replaced it no problems. The storage capacity is where its at; it is a Camry chassis with 3-4x the amount of storage space. Has been a very reliable and economical ride for myself
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Advice

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix XR AWD 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 4A)

Review

I am currently dealing with nightmare of the 2003 AWD Matrix. I do have a warranty. I am looking in to my rights under the lemon law. It seems to me that these cars are coming up with the same transmission problems and the transmission is different in the AWD then from other Matrix's that the trans is Faulty. And Toyota should be responsible. If anyone feels the same way or has any advice for me post on this forum ill be looking out. Thank you
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No problems yet

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix XRS Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 6M)

Review

I bought my car with 85,000 miles on it from the dealership almost 3 years ago. It now has 116,000-17,000 miles on it and i haven't had any issues yet. I keep up with all maintenance. She has never let me down yet, and I have a lot of future plans for her.
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Not your parents Toyota

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

This was our first new car purchase, and given our extensive Toyota experience (5 previous used Toyotas), we were expecting much. The flexibility of a 64/40 fold-flat rear seat with solid plastic cargo liner was outstanding. So too was the fold-forward passenger seats, which extend the size of possible cargo to 8' in length! Unfortunately the other aspects of the car weren't panning out so well. To summarize, performance, economy, fit-and-finish, trouble free driving, and fun to drive quotients were just not living up to the claims. After repeated problems with MAP sensors and various parts breaking repeatedly, if fell out of love. Now 7 years old, I've seen enough of my last Toyota.
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fun and practical

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix XR Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Ive had this car for two years now. im pushing 100,000 miles. my dad bought this car and then i bought it from him. we have never had a single mechanical failure. this car has been in 8 accidents and will refuse to be totaled. the best part is the fuel economy mixed with the fun to drive factor. its low to the ground with stiff independent front and rear suspension. its almost too low though. ive scraped on anything from parking blocks to speed bumps. Very fun to drive and very upgradable. it only has 13hp stock but with a little tuning and performance parts it is now pushing an easy 200hp. not good pickup at low end but it makes up for it on the top of the rpm. perfect for a first car
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Safe in a crash

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix XR AWD 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 4A)

Review

I've driven my Matrix for a few years now. I love the interior. It's very comfortable and the dash looks attractive. Recently I went on vacation with a friend of mine and she drove us in my car. There were some deer in the road which caused us to swerve and crash head on into a tree. This car saved our lives. It was totaled but we are alive and came out relatively well. A few broken bones and bruises later...But honestly for a smaller car it took the hit well. I would recommend it highly. I wish I still had it.
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Love it

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix XR Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 4A)

Review

We've owned the matrix for 5 years now and it has over 100,000 miles. Only routine maintenance. Bought for the interior flexibility since we have 2 dogs. We bought ours used but would have preferred the V6 for a little more pep. We have had a very good experience and plan to drive this car for another 100,000 miles.
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Loved it Until... The ENGINE FAILED!

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix XR AWD 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 4A)

Review

I bought the Matrix new and it was the first one I had seen. I have absolutely LOVED this car...UNTIL THE ENGINE FAILED!! I never had one single mechanical problem, did ALL scheduled maintenance, and it ran perfect up to 94K miles. Then within the space of two days, NO WARNING AT ALL - engine problem. Toyota informs me it has sludge in the engine, and from that day on the engine is awful. Car stalls, slugs along, you name it. Completely unreliable now. TOYOTA claims it is MY FAULT, and completely FAILS to acknowledge a longstanding design problem with the engine. Then tells me I have to pay 8-11K to get A NEW ENGINE. Research Toyota Sludge people!!! Never again Toyota...Sorry.
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Transmission problem

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

My 2003 5-speed only has just over 77,000 miles on it and the bearings in the transmission are going. I bought a Toyota specifically to have a long- lasting, good car. I called Toyota customer service and got the same story about not taking it to a dealership for routine maintenance so they couldn't help me if the car hadn't been properly maintained.
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So far so good

Vehicle

2003 Toyota Matrix Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I bought this Matrix about two months ago with 175,000 miles on it for my daily 400 mile courier route and it's been great - so far. Since a 200 mile leg allows me to drive at only 55 mph, I net almost 33 mpg across the entire route - which is better than I expected. The car rides great, runs smooth, and shifts easily so it's been a pleasure to drive.
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