2006 Toyota Matrix
Complaints about this year name tires far more often than the model's other years — 22% of them, about 8× the usual rate of 2.7%.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 170 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 45 |
| Involving a crash | 17 |
| Recalls | 4 |
| EPA combined | 26 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- maintenance — 6.5% of this year's complaints, against 2% across the model's other years (3.3×). Owners wrote it as: maintenance, scheduled, product, technical.
- internet — 6.5% of this year's complaints, against 2.3% across the model's other years (2.8×). Owners wrote it as: internet, website, toyota says, internet found.
Words owners used for the same problem are counted together, so a fault written four different ways is measured once. Grouped by which complaints they appear in, not by a list anyone wrote in advance.
Also unusual this year
- tire — 17% of complaints, 6× usual
- wear — 10% of complaints, 25× usual
- cupping — 9% of complaints, 24× usual
What owners wrote
: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT TIRES KEEP WEARING OUT AT 7000 MILES. THE FRONT TIRES WERE WORN ON THE INSIDE PORTION. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC EXPRESSED THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE ALIGNMENT.
WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP FOR A STOP SIGN AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WAS A POLICE REPORT FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD AND A SPRAINED RIGHT ANKLE, WHICH REQUIRE…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 10V384000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Fixed free of charge.
- 10V036000 EQUIPMENT Fixed free of charge.
- 10V035000 EQUIPMENT Fixed free of charge.
- 06E023000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING Fixed free of charge.
How this was worked out
Every year of the Toyota Matrix was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2006 Toyota Matrix? What happened to yours?
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