2009 Toyota Matrix: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 192 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (41% of complaints); the 2007 and 2008 and 2010 and 2011 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2016
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 192 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 toyota matrix. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17v006000 (air bags). The parts to do the repair were unavailable. Heritage toyota owings mill (9801 reisterstown rd, owings mills, md 21117, 844-202-9429) confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts would become available. The VIN was invalid. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2017
“Letter from congressman deutch on behalf of constituent regarding toyota vehicle airbags: this was the third recall. *ld *js”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota matrix. While driving 30 mph, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine. Also, the vehicle stalled and the check engine and oil indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic in detroit michigan. The vehicle was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted or made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2017
Show 7 more owner reports
“Takata recall. Toyota has repeatedly assured us that the new airbag parts will be ready in "one month". Toyota has been saying this for the past 5 months leaving us with a car that is unsafe to drive and we are unable to sell. Toyota's best advice was to not drive the car and come in for a rental while we wait, they have been out of rentals for the entire time we've been waiting. I understand most of this is takata's fault but toyota has done a terrible job keeping us informed and is allowing my family to drive a potential death trap covered in their badges.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2017
“Takata recall. Received the recall notice while pregnant, toyota did nothing to resolve the issue. Told me I still have to drive the car even though the airbag could possibly explode even though no one was sitting in the passenger seat. It's been almost a year, and still no resolution.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2017
“"takata recall" I am still wainting for a fix. Toyota recommends that I do not use the front passenger seat now going on 8 months.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2017
“Vehicle stalled sitting at a red light and also stalled making left hand turn at intersection. Speed was approximately 35 mph. Vehicle was on small highway at the stop light and city street the 2nd incident. We just bought the vehicle used in april of 2017”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota matrix. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Toyota town of stockton, california was made aware of the recall and stated that the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2017
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 toyota matrix. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags); however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect. ..updated 07/31/17 *bf *cn”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2017
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 toyota matrix. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17v006000 (air bags); however, the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was taken to grossinger toyota (located at 7225 n cicero, il 60712), but the part was not available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms part not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 34 of these complaints and injuries in 21 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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 Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2007-2008 Toyota Yaris, 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350 and 2007-2008 Lexus ES350 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles of these model years and models that were not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy: 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 final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), GLG (Lexus Zone A), and GLH (Lexus Zone B).
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).
Remedy: 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 HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE A NEW PEDAL IF THEY DESIRE, AFTER REPLACEMENT PEDALS BECOME AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, TOYOTA WILL REPLACE ANY TOYOTA ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT IN A SUBJECT VEHICLE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MAT, FREE OF CHARGE. FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE THE PREVIOUS DESIGN ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT BUT DO NOT NEED OR WANT THE NEWLY DESIGNED ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT, TOYOTA WILL RECOVER THE PREVIOUS DESIGN ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT AND REIMBURSE ITS PRICE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN MARCH 30, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
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.
Remedy: 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.
How other years compare
Check your exact Matrix by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Toyota Matrix reliable?
NHTSA has 192 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2009 Toyota Matrix. The most complained-about area is air bags (41% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2009 Toyota Matrix problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 28,157 miles or less.
Does the 2009 Toyota Matrix have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.