Reliability & cost of ownership
Toyota Matrix Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Toyota Matrix? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Toyota Matrix problems by model year
26 recall entries and 1177 owner complaints on file across 11 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Matrix | 1 | 5 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2011 Matrix | 2 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 Matrix | 4 | 45 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2009 Matrix | 3 | 192 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 Matrix | 2 | 38 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 Matrix | 2 | 96 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 Matrix | 4 | 170 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 Matrix | 2 | 213 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 Matrix | 3 | 138 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Matrix | 3 | 268 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Matrix | 0 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Toyota Matrix, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- air bags406 complaints
- power train173 complaints
- vehicle speed control145 complaints
- electrical system97 complaints
- engine and engine cooling94 complaints
- tires70 complaints
- service brakes66 complaints
- steering55 complaints