There are 2 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2005 Toyota Matrixin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
FAILURE OF RETENTION SYSTEM FOR FRONT RIGHT INNER FENDER/SHIELD. THERE IS ONLY ONE RETENTION POINT AT FRONT (ON BUMPER). WHEN FAILS, SHIELD/INNER FENDER BEHIND FRONT BUMPER DRAGS ON GROUND. HOLE FOR RETENTION PIN HAS ONLY ABOUT 1/4 INCH OF MATERIAL TO REAR OF HOLE - THE PLASTIC SPLITS. DID NOT SPLIT IN RESPONSE TO HITTING ANYTHING - CAR WAS SITTING IN DRIVEWAY WHEN FAILED. WHEN TOOK TO DEALER (STILL UNDER WARRANTY), OFFERED CHOICE OF CABLE TIE REPAIR (FREE) OR REPLACEMENT OF ENTIRE INNER FENDER ASSEMBLY ($211). CHOSE CABLE TIE, ALTHOUGH DEALER ALSO LEFT ROPE REPAIR I HAD INSTALLED TO HOLD UNTIL GETTING TO DEALER. DEALER INDICATED ROPE SHOULD STAY - HARDLY A REAL REPAIR. LEFT SIDE FAILED PREVIOUSLY - HAD TO PERSONALLY REPLACE RETENTION PIECES. DEALER SERVICE REP INDICATED THAT THEY SEE A NUMBER OF MATRIX XR AND XRS MODELS WITH SAME PROBLEM, DUE TO GROUND EFFECTS INSTALLED ON THOSE MODELS. SEEMS TO STRONGLY IMPLY A DESIGN DEFECT. *TR
I WAS DRIVING AND DISCOVERED THE A/C IN MY BRAND NEW 2005 TOYOTA (STILL UNDER WARRANTY) MATRIX WAS BLOWING WARM AIR INSTEAD OF COLD. I TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. AFTER LOOKING OVER THE VEHICLE, THE DEALERSHIP GAVE ME A DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR PRICE. THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSIS WAS "A ROCK HAD BOUNCED UP INTO THE ENGINE AND PENETRATED THE CONDENSER" DEALERSHIP INFORMED MY PART AND LABOR WASN'T COVERED BY MY WARRANTY. I POINTED OUT IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW BECAUSE NO PROTECTION (I.E. SHIELD) TO THE A/C CONDENSER. FILE COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA OF TORRANCE CA AND GIVEN A CASE NUMBER. DEALERSHIP CONTINUES TO SAY WARRANTY DOESN'T COVER THE REPAIRS. I POINTED OUT THE LACK OF PROTECTION AND DESIGN FLAW. *NM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026