Last week my clutch in my Toyota Matrix XRS let go and had to be replaced at 54,684 miles. Yes it is a 6 speed with dual valves, and 185 HP. I drove great and it has always been my baby. Well last week it cost 1031.02 to replace it. My mechanic who used to work as a Toyota mechanic for many years said it should of lasted at least to 100,000 miles. My dad is a gear head and did some research. Toyota has been telling there customers that have had the same problem happen to them, that they are bad stick drivers. They also have a very light weight clutch in my car that is made for a lighter car, with a lot less horse power. My 1992 Chevrolet Camaro went to 192,000 miles on it before I changed the original clutch. This will be my first and very last Toyota I will ever buy. I am putting this out there so others hopefully won't run into the same problem with there lack of quality. Here is the wonderful response I got from them: Recently you contacted Toyota. Below is a summary of your contact message and our response. Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you. Subject Clutch wore out way too soon Discussion Thread Response (MCot) 03/20/2009 06:36 AM Mr. Foy, Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. We apologize for the clutch concern with your Matrix. The warranty for the clutch is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. The warranty covers manufactured conditions. Your vehicle is currently outside these warranty parameters and we are unable to assist with the cost of the repair performed at About Service. We appreciated the opportunity to review your request. Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file ########. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us via email or by calling 800-331-4331. We are available from 5 AM to 6 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and from 7 AM to 4 PM, Pacific Time, on Saturdays. Michael Cotterell Toyota Customer Experience Customer (John) 03/13/2009 07:00 PM I am the original owner of a 2004 Toyota Matrix XRS, and I had to replace my clutch at 54,684 miles today. I have been a very good driver, and have taken great care of my Matrix. My mechanic said that the clutch should have lasted at least 100,000 miles before it needed to be replaced. It cost me 1031.02 to get it fixed today. When I bought this Matrix, it was my first Toyota that I have ever owned. I did a lot of studying on the like models before I purchased it. Before this I had a Chevrolet Camaro that the first clutch didn't go out until 192,000 miles were on it. I find this that I have endured to be too much way to soon. I bought this car due to the quality that came with the Toyota name, and I didn't get it with this car. I would like to see if some of this cost could be paid for by Toyota? I still have the old clutch that came out of my car.
If the warranty is only for 36k, your clutch lasted 1.5x the warranty length. That's pretty good return IMO. I've never had a manual transmission either, so I don't know if the $1k replacement cost is high. But really, while I would likely agree with your mechanic (that the clutch should've lasted longer), I don't think it is fair to base your evaluation of this car on the clutch alone, and that it isn't a good car since your 92 chevy lasted so long. I am sure there are plenty of people with chevy's whose clutches (and transmissions) lasted far less than 192k. I also doubt every Matrix XSRs clutch has to be replaced so soon. Sometimes you just get stuck with bad luck, doesn't make Toyota any less a quality of brand.
Pete the excuses that Toyota is using, and the lack of quality in there product speaks volumes to me. Clutches should not be going out that soon. If I was a heavy driver, that would be really expensive if every 54,000 I would have to replace the clutch.
Might wanna fix that little part up unless your mechanic has 4 wheels and a metal Toyota logo permanently welded on him. Sorry, didn't mean to poke fun at the situation but for some reason I found that a bit amusing. Like Pete, I haven't had a manual transmission since the old diesel Benz I drove in high school and my family's current Camry and Highlander are both automatic. Haven't had much problems with Toyotas personally though your case is a bit disturbing. Then again, I'd believe most people who buy Toyotas usually buy the ones with automatic transmission so maybe Toyota doesn't quite focus as much attention on manuals. Usually they're pretty well-made and long-lasting with great quality though I guess maybe that applies to just the automatics.
Thanks bro. I was wiped out. I worked got some dog food for my kids. I had to stop by my wife's shop pick up the new water heater that was too small and return it to home depot, and get other things as well. Then to Denny's to get something to eat, and finally home. I will be heading over there today to help out again.
Sorry, but the Engine is probably on warrented for 36,000 also. Does that mean there is no fault on Toyota if it fails at 40,00 and you are forced to replace it? Wow... that is very very shabby. A clutch going out after 50,000? I can imagine if you are pullling a trailer or somehow abusing it...but that is VERY premature for a clutch. I learned two things from owning a Toyota in the past. 1. Things are EXTREMELY expensive to repair (Yeah, 1,000 is at least twice as expensive as I would expect). 2. When one thing goes wrong, it is usually a sign that many things are all going to go wrong. That being said, I honestly think it is more a matter of you just somehow ending up with a lemon to some extent. The fact that Toyota isnt willing to work with you somewhat surprises me. Or does it Yeah, it really does.
Last month I replaced the clutch on my Honda Prelude...It went 143k miles before the first clutch... 54k is just way too soon.
http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Reviews-t18140-2004-Matrix-4-Dr-XRS-Wagon.html My 2004 Toyota Matrix has 27,000 miles on it and has had 2 clutches replaced. The new one seem to be slipping and guess what, Toyota says,"driver error, you pay!". Check the trade in value of the Matrix and buy a Honda. I'll never purchase another Toyota ever again. By the way, I've only driven a stick and never had this problem. Pros — None Cons — Overpriced piece of poor engineering. Toyota corp says they have never heard of anyone having clutch problems and then discontinued the XRS 6 speed. Check the web.
http://matrixowners.com/?showtopic=81725 the main problem i had with my xrs was the 6 speed transmission. i never had any synchro problems. what happend was my third gear started to stick, not stay in gear, or not want to go into gear just randomly. never any synchro grind. then one day third gear went completly out. i had brought the car to [COLOR=orange ! important][COLOR=orange ! important]toyota[/COLOR][/COLOR]. and they said it wasnt covered under warranty. i was furious! i still had like 10k left on factory warranty and they wouldnt cover it. their reasoning was my drop springs..... anyways. so i wait for it to deteriorate a little bit more before deciding to call the aftermarket warranty company. They told me to bring it to a shop. so i did. by that time. 3/4/6 were GONE. on the way to the trans shop......the clutch decides to tear apart....... besides the clutch problem...just wondering if anyone else had kinda the same problem with the transmission.
Sounds like there's an issue w/ the Matrix clutches but it isnt widespread enough for them to do a recall. Unfortunate. I know my Toyota has held up really well through 125k miles, but I'll avoid the Matrix if/when I'm looking for a new car lol. Sorry for you troubles ffic.
my 90 CRX Si was still on its original Clutch when I blew the timing belt at 250k. Sell your Matrix and GET A HONDA! Thanks for the info bro. Hope you get some resolvement. No Matrix for me in the future. I will only do re-runs of the movie instead.
Down with the Jap cars! I never bought the hype. You've got American cars (see Ford) matching the Yaps step for step now so it's not a detriment to buy American anymore.
Japanese cars tend to look better than most American cars and last longer. You get more bang for the buck, esp with Honda's in my experience. ZING! TBH, besides the price, the only reason back then I wanted anything to do with an American car was to work for them and get into their union & benefits.
I agree, that's not good. The clutch on my 99 Dodge Dakota is doing fine and I'm close to 102,000 miles. Now I'll go knock on some wood.
look on the road and what do you see lasting? hondas, toyotas, nissans, mitsubishi to name a few. in fact, american cars tend to age quickly and the cheap parts deteriorate fast. trust me, i drive a 96 explorer and that along with many older ford suvs they all have a sweaky sound to them. im trying to get a new vehicle as we speak, damn the credit crunch. it sucks.
dodge is one american company that makes a good product that has a tough time competing with the crappy big 3..
I love my truck, I bought it brand new and it's held up well so far. I take pretty good care of it but I haven't exactly had it locked up in a garage everyday but Sunday either. It's been across the country and back twice.
Sorry to hear about that John. I can't add much except my sympathy, since I have always driven automatics.
Really? I had a 96 Explorer. Absolutely LOVED it. Not ever any issues. I had 125,000 miles on it, many on rough back country roads. Never stranded me, never any bad issues....AND, I got an incredible turnaround when I traded it in...over $8,000, it was 8 years old...oh yeah and as I mentioned, it had 125,000 miles on it. Before that, I had a 91 Explorer. Had 178,000 miles on it. Exact same scenario.....
Sorry to hear about the Matrix, FFIC. I know that other Toyotas are reliable, even though I'm a Honda girl myself. My husband drove a 4-Runner for about 12 years, and his "new" one is almost 10 years old, and so far, only tires and battery replacements. My best car ever was a Honda Civic, I'd had a Ford Escort and Mustang (2) prior, and as soon as the warranty was up, I had A/C and or transmission problems. Your basic Detroit planned obsolescence. I've had my Accord nearly six years now, and the paint is still beautiful and the leather interior in fantastic shape, and I've only had to replace batteries and tires. I drive I-95 every day too to work. I have pleasant exchanges at work with a colleague who swears by the Camry, and I the Accord, but the truth is, you can't go wrong with either.
Sorry for you bro. On the other hand it make me feel good as I was looking hard at an 04 Matrix right before I got my civic. Guess I don't have to second guess myself on that one. My issue with American cars is there's just not any out there that I like right now (outside of luxury cars or course). Their "standard" cars are just too middle of the road. While i LOVE the old Muscle cars I cant convince myself to spend 8-9 G's on a newer car that I don't really like. Since I don't have a ton of money to drop on a hot American car I'll spend my money on ones that look and perform great.
Dude, you're making arguments based off of the past reputation of American cars. You may want to look at some recent data that should change your tune. I know most of the public dosen't like to look at the actual facts involved in arguments though. They just take stories passed down over time at face value.
When I was going to buy my Matrix, I looked at Mazda, Pontiac, Mini-Cooper, Subaru and when it came down to performance, safety, gas mileage, and cost. I have learned a very important lesson to wait a little longer on newer models to hear about all the problems instead of buying a new model right away.
So much for that argument. The financial mess is effecting Japanese car makers as well. The point I was bringing up wasn't about financial health of companies nor the management of their finances. It was simply to point out that the large gap in quality between Japanese and American cars in the past isn't a valid point anymore. That gap has been eroded and even completely erased by certain American car models.
I have heard quite a few complaints on the Ram series. whereas I've heard no complaints from the silverado/F150 owners.
I have a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. It is going to be 6 years in December. It runs outstanding. Never had any problems under the hood. At all. No "squeaky" sounds. Runs like it did 5 years ago. A product of the "crappy big 3".
If you were talking about any other type of part other then the clutch I believe Toyota would take your claim a lot more seriously. Toyota's position will be the problem is this part requires so much input from you the driver that it is warranted to 3 yrs or 36,000 miles. I have never heard of a clutch lasting to 192,000 miles. That is a ton of driving and a testimonial to the type of driver you are. Not saying it's not true or it didn't happen. I'm just saying, Toyota will say human error plays a big big factor in the longevity of a clutch. I have a Toyota Highlander, 51.460, miles not one problem I have changed oil and just last week had to get tires. I also have a Toyota Sienna (wife), 54,633 miles and again not one problem changed oil and had tires about 10,000 miles ago, did brakes on front last week....cost $35.00 ...did them myself, changed cabin filter couple months ago.....$33.00 I couldn't believe price for it....didn't even know it had cabin filter until one day looking in manual...LOL So far great cars and no problems Now got a Chevy Express van. Turned 100,000 miles about 6 weeks ago. In the first 800 miles after 100,000 I put in a transmission, $1810.00, a starter, $375.00, oxygen sensor, $300, fuel injector, $530.00, and the most recent Evaporator canister on the emissions system because I was only able to put 1/10 of a gallon at a time into the vehicle because the valve was stuck shut and wasn't letting air into the tank as you filled up. Was like that for about 5 weeks...was taking about 30 minutes to fill the tank...what a pain...you want to talk about annoying. I guess I'm the opposite of you...won't by another Chevy
The problem is american manufacturers do a piss poor job at getting those facts out to the american people
The blame lies solely in the lap of American manufacturers. They made the exact wrong decisions in the past years that put themselves in this tough spot. Instead of quality and efficiency they went with size and are paying for it.
At least Toyota would have replaced it had it been within warranty. 4 years ago my clutch went on my Jetta TDI at 34 K. They told me it was normal wear and tear and wasn't covered under my 50,000 mile warranty. Needless to say I will never buy another VW again.
