2009 Toyota Matrix Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Matrix years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 12 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 192 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota Matrix. That ranks 3rd out of 12 Matrix model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (78 complaints, 41%), typically at around 42,000 miles. Complaints mention 34 crashes, 1 fire, 21 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 192owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 34complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 Toyota Matrix problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 78 | 41% | 42,000 | “takata air bags” (42%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 45 | 23% | 13,800 | — | — |
| Steering | 22 | 11% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 11 | 6% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 9 | 5% | 44,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 5% | 23,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 5% | 12,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 8 | 4% | 19,700 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 3% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 5 | 3% | 30 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 2% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 3 | 2% | 76,660 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 3 | 2% | 6,128 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 2% | 11,250 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 7,768 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 1% | 78,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | 500 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Toyota Matrix recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
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 final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), GLG (Lexus Zone A), and GLH (Lexus Zone B).
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: 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.
Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal
Problem: 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 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owned a 2009 toyota matrix. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the vehicle was involved in a head-on collision. The air bags deployed and metal fragments passed through the airbag cushion material. As a result, the metal fragments entered the contacts…
Letter from congressman deutch on behalf of constituent regarding toyota vehicle airbags: this was the third recall. *ld *js
"takata recall" we received our recall notice letter and immediately contacted our local authorised toyota in rhinelander wi and were told it would take a few weeks for the replacement parts to arrive. After not hearing from them in that time we phoned again, and after once again giving our vin and…
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, [redacted]) CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS…
"takata recall" i am wondering when the fix for this recall will be available in my area.
Other Toyota Matrix years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Matrix | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 Matrix | 5 | 1 |
| 2011 Matrix | 10 | 2 |
| 2010 Matrix | 45 | 4 |
| 2009 | 192 | 3 |
| 2008 Matrix | 38 | 2 |
| 2007 Matrix | 96 | 2 |
| 2006 Matrix | 170 | 3 |
| 2005 Matrix | 213 | 1 |
| 2004 Matrix | 138 | 1 |
| 2003 Matrix | 268 | 1 |
| 2002 Matrix | 2 | 0 |
See all Toyota Matrix problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Toyota Matrix?
Owners most often report air bags, vehicle speed control, steering problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 78 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Toyota Matrix?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 Toyota Matrix a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Matrix model years, the 2009 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.