2005 Toyota Matrix Problems, Recalls & Reliability
367 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Toyota Matrix, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 88/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 92,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2005 sits among all Matrix years
What owners report
“Their is an airbag recall that has been outstanding for some time but has not yet been remedied.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Matrix
“My matrix will shut off while im driving everything oints to the ecm being bad. My vin # is not part of the recall but i feel it should be. It is very dangerous.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Matrix
“Car turns off while i'm driving and will not turn on right away, check engine light turns on and off, there's a lag when it is switching gears, feels very forced.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Matrix
“Reporting suspicious car behavior, in response to recent concern for car hacking and cyber attacks on cars.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Matrix
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 193 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 81,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 42,000 and 102,514 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2008 COROLLA AND COROLLA MATRIX VEHICLES. THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) FOR THE SUBJECT MODELS EQUIPPED WITH THE 1ZZ-FE ENGINE AND TWO-WHEEL DRIVE MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE PRODUCTION NUMBER OF THE ECM AND REPLACE THE ECM IF NECESSARY. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. TOYOTA WILL MAIL AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION THE MIDDLE OF…
CERTAIN ANZO COMBINATION HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS WHICH FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS,…
Fix: ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Model years named: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 10V384000.
Technical service bulletins
156 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and engine — are on file for the 2005 Toyota Matrix. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2005 Matrix TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2005 Toyota Matrix reliable?
The 2005 Toyota Matrix drew 367 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 88/100, scored against the model's worst year (2009).
What are the most common 2005 Toyota Matrix problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Toyota Matrix are airbags (174 complaints), electrical (40), and engine (33).
At what mileage do 2005 Toyota Matrix problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Toyota Matrix problems around 81,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 42,000 and 102,514 miles.
Does the 2005 Toyota Matrix have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 Toyota Matrix. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.