2006 Toyota Matrix

Love the car, but had one problem that has me very concerned. My alarn system locked up the ignition system and I couldn't get it started. Had to have it towed and the dealer wouldn't cover it under the warranty. So, it ended up costing 200 dollars including the towing. Furthermore, the dealer couldn't give me a definitive answer that explains what happened. They just said a wire had come loose under the dashboard, which sounds like bull to me. So, if you have that problem we should ban together to see if it is a defect in the car. Other than that, had an enjoyable and problem-free 50,000 miles with the car. Love traveling with the car. Can pack everything that I need in the car. I think of it as my cool middle-aged station wagon.

This car has been a huge disappointment in MPG.. Advertised as 31 Hwy and 28 City (?) and the best we have done in almost 6 years is 28 on the Hwy (steady 70 mph) and about 22 around town. Wears out front tires way too fast (14K miles!), or maybe it was the Continentals that it came with. Other brands seem to do a better (about 20K miles which still isn't good). We also had a Mercedes E320 V6 up until last year that had almost twice the HP, torque, and weight and gave better mileage than the Matrix, 24 around town and 30-32 on the Hwy... Both numbers OVER the estimate for that car. And it was a LOT more comfortable.. Also more expensive and not as reliable, so it had to go. The Matirx AC system has needed an almost annual refill of refrigerant which has gotten really expensive. Mechanic can't find a leak, probably because it's too small. As someone else noted, the rear brake light is near impossible to replace and I've found that the rear wiper is a real hassle too; one mechanic who tried mangled the new blade getting it installed.

Have had to replace 4 hub caps and notice other Matrix without hub caps too. Awesome for loading! This car can carry anything. havent had to do any major maintenance until 100,000 miles and its minimal too like driving belt and hoses and brakes. I completely recommend this car.

Air conditioning went out at 80K. Screwy panel illumination when turning on heater, takes about three minutes for lamps to illuminate panel completely. Changing top center rear brake lamp is almost undo-able, almost forcing one to take to dealer to replace lamp in order not to break plastic bezel. Same can be said the cabin overhead lamp. Car emits rich gassy fumes upon start up.
Car is suppose to get 29MPG, it's closer to 24. Not very good MPG for a small car for city driving. Pros: Very flexible in payload to carry items like Xmas trees, bikes, rugs, and water heaters.

gray, trd system, suspension, 10000 milles, my baby

I love this car

Good gas mileage for a crossover vehicle.