2010 Toyota Matrix problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (21) · Vehicle Speed Control (3) · Steering (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Matrix model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2016-05-23 · campaign 16V340000 · 1,754,517 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris, Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, Lexus IS250C, Lexus IS350C and Lexus GX460, 2011 Sienna, 2007-2011 Lexus ES350, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto R
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are G1P (Toyota Zone A), G1R (Toyota Zone B), G2G (Lexus Zone A), and G2H (Lexus Zone B). Toyota's numbers for f
Equipment:other:labels 2010-02-03 · campaign 10V035000 · 271,417 vehicles
Defect: GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 AND JUNE 2, 2008 WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS.
Risk: THIS DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD REQUIREMENTS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATES TOYOTA AT 713-580-3300.
Equipment:other:labels 2010-02-03 · campaign 10V036000 · 153,418 vehicles
Defect: SOUTHEAST TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2011 PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS.
Risk: A DRIVER MAY OVERLOAD A VEHICLE WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.
Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal 2010-01-27 · campaign 10V023000 · 1,126,915 vehicles
Defect: TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2010 HIGHLANDER, MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 COROLLA, VENZA AND MATRIX PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT. THIS RECALL IS AN EXPANSION OF A CAMPAIGN OF 3.8 MILLION OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES ANNOUNCED IN 2009 FOR THE SAME ISSUE (SEE 09V-388).
Risk: A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
Fix: TOYOTA WILL MODIFY OR REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR PEDALS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. FLOOR SURFACE MODIFICATIONS ARE ALSO BEING CONSIDERED AND WILL BE INCLUDED FOR ANY MODEL FOR WHICH IT IS DEEMED APPROPRIATE. INITIALLY, DEALERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED ON HOW TO RESHAPE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FOR THE REPAIR. AS REPLACEMENT PARTS WITH THE SAME SHAPE AS THE MODIFIED PEDAL BECOME AVAILABLE, THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE DEALERS FOR THE REPAIR. CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE HAD THE PEDAL RESHAPE REMEDY COMPLETED WILL
Service bulletins (222)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Structure:body 2024-12-03 · T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. this type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa
Showing the 6 most recent of 222 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2019-06-11 · Steering · 116,000 mi“"electric power steering" while driving the steering does not center causing you to have to recorrect constantly. it seems like a saftey issue but toyota swindled their way out of a recall.…”
2018-10-24 · Vehicle Speed Control · 40,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota matrix. while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and crashed into an apartment building. the driver stated that the brake pedal was depressed during the failure. the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged, but the air bag did not deploy. the driver sustain…”
2018-03-29 · Electrical System · 160,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota matrix. while traveling various speeds, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power and several warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the emc valve was defective and needed to be replaced. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was…”
2017-12-12 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 50,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota matrix. while the contact was placing the vehicle in drive, the accelerator pedal became stuck in the depressed position. as a result, the contact crashed into a wall in the parking garage. there were no injuries. the side and frontal air bags deployed. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was towed to the c…”
2017-09-17 · Air Bags“"takata recall". i purchased the vehicle on 4/27/2017. i received a recall notice approxiamately 1 week later. i called the dealer i purchased it through, they told me when i receive a letter from toyota that the airbags are available, to call back. it has been almost 5 months and the vehicle has not yet been repaired. i really would like my c…”
2017-08-29 · Visibility/Wiper“tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota matrix. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 15v689000 (visibility) and 16v340000 (air bags); however, the remedy parts were not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. an unknown dealer was contacted and the contact w…”
2017-08-17 · Air Bags“takata recall - i have contacted several toyota dealerships in my area (baton rouge, la), some of them more than once. none of them are able to do the airbag recall, claiming they do not have the necessary part and do not know when they will have it. this has been going on for probably about a year now. one of them actually suggested that the re…”
2017-08-13 · Power Train · 78,851 mi“on several occasions while city driving in july 2016 my 2010 toyota matrix vcs light began blinking, both the skid light and the engine light came on and the acceleration had little to no response.though it has not resolved the cause of the problem, i was able to reset the system so the lights are now off. my vehicle will then accelerate and work f…”
2017-07-12 · Air Bags“tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota matrix. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. a local dealer (autonation toyota hayward located at 24773 mission blv…”
2017-07-11 · Air Bags“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2010 toyota matrix. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the roseville toyota dealer was contacted and confirmed…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.