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Toyota Matrix Check Engine Light
mellencamp
Member Posts: 1
in Toyota
Can someone please tell me if I need to be concerned if my maintenance light has turned on at $21,000? I have done all the scheduled oil changes up to this point. Thanks in advance.
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As the Matrix is the "wife's" car she brought it into an independent mechanic for its 5k service, but he didn't know how to reset the "maintenance light".
I've been going thru the owners manual (for the last hour), but somewhere I'm missing how to reset this indicator light. Anyone able to help me out?
:confuse:
Oh, and BTW, the car didn't come with an owner's manual, so I can't refer to page 113 to figure out how to turn it off myself. Anyone know how I can get an owner's manual?
Toyota needs to get a new attitude about this sort of thing.
I have to refer to the manual every time I reset this pointless alarm. It really gets old.
The check engine light came on duing my drive home earlier this week. I followed the advice to disconnect the battery, which seems to have solved the problem. Thanks for the tip, since it save me having to deal with the Toyota dealership again.
This was the second time it happened. They charged me $110 even though it's a 2008 and 6,000 miles (still on warranty). They said, "Toyota won't pay us for this!" Has anyone else had this problem?
What you could do is to buy an inexpensive OBD2 reader, and next time you have a CEL read the error code, plug it in and read the error. Determine whether it could be a user caused issue. The price on these have come way down, and you can get them as cheap as 25-50 bucks at auto parts chains on sales.
This situation is exactly why some cars are beginning to have a separate light for "loose gas cap" (separate from the check engine light) and other models (Fords) are beginning not to have gas caps at all.
And the dealer is within their rights to charge you for a diagnostic that does not turn up a manufacturing defect. It stinks, but it's true. It would have been free to you if they had turned up any other code besides loose gas cap.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Check engine lights are not some trick Toyota puts in the car to make more money from service. They indicate a problem that may just be a loose gas cap, or may be a problem sensor or something. I would say it is a fairly irresponsible mechanic that will just disconnect your battery to reset the light, without taking the 30 seconds it would take to read the code and tell you what the problem is. The fact that yours has reappeared four times in a year is evidence that you may have a problem with your car (which would be covered under warranty at your car's age).
Oh, and you don't need a mechanic to disconect and reconnect your battery - you can do this at home in your driveway....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
My 2007 Toyota Matrix (13K) lost engine and steering power while in operation near/on a major roadway in NJ.
On no less than 3 occasions, I was able to start the car, and travel short distances before loosing engine power, steering control and total shut down.
After approx. 20 minutes to travel about 1-2 miles, I was able to bring the car to the entrance of a Toyota dealer .
There, I called Toyota Road Service and the Toyota Service Center. I had the car towed to the Service Center. Once there, the service manager informed me that he had an idea of the problem - a shut down/failure of the auto's computer module that controls essential functions (power and steering).
I was informed that there is experience with this problem and that I was unfortunate to have a complete failure of the computer module. Others experience computer dysfunction in time to bring the car to service and have the computer module replaced, I was told. The service center had the part in stock because of the problem.
I was told that the original part came from Delphi Auto Parts (of General Motors) which shares parts with Toyota. The Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe are similar cars.
I believe that both Toyota - the company and its service/sales people are familiar with this potentially dangerous defect and that Toyota is responsible for producing a faulty or dangerous vehicle.
So much for Toyota's "bullet proof" reputation.
my car have the problem with light on, the simple I just check:
1 Brake Fluid
2 Power wheell Fluid
3 Water.
I did found brake fluid uneder normal, then i was refill brake fluid, after that my car
seem be ok .
light will magically turn off!
Bob
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
On October 7th, 2009, I experienced a very similar situation to what Richard described. In my case, my 2007 Matrix lost engine and steering power in the middle of the freeway while I was on my way to work. Thank God I was only traveling 40 or so miles per hour because of traffic; if I had been traveling faster, I have no doubt this incident could have resulted in injuries and/or fatalities. Did I mention there were four other vehicles involved? After investigating the incident, my insurance company told me I'm not at fault because the car stalled. The CHP and highway transportation personnel at the scene also told me it looked like a mechanical problem. My car was towed to the local Toyota dealership and they've had it since that date. I have received a phone message from Toyota service each day, near the end of the day, telling me they are testing my car, their computer reports aren't showing any problem codes, and they need to keep working on my car. Finally this afternoon, around 4:00 p.m., I received a call from the service manager who told me "there is nothing wrong with your car", "come and pick it up", and (by the way), the daily rental car fee clock is ticking. To top things off, I was told by service I would not be charged for a rental vehicle and have no intention of paying them one penny. Toyota is taking absolutely no responsibility whatsoever for this situation, and I have decided I will not drive the car again because I believe it is unsafe. This is a warning to other Toyota customers...Beware!
Any advice would be appreciated!
No doubt, I used to own that wagon and i sold it.
Bob
More importantly those engine codes never say directly that a particular part is bad.
They only mean that there's a problem in that part of the system.
You (or a knowledgeable tech) need to look at the signals coming from the O2 sensors with a scanner or oscilloscope to figure out what's really going on.
The torque converter isn't inside the transmission, so rebuilding the trans doesn't make sense.
Anyway that didn't solve your problem. Like I said, an error code does not point to a particular problem.
I would take it to a independent transmission shop (NOT AAMCO or Cottman!). Maybe they will be competent.
Like I said, an error code does not point to a particular part.
car ran fine for 3 years...now it is acting up and the mechanics are saying it is the transmission, but i have talked to a man who owns a transmission shop and he said it sounded like the catalytic converter. i work a car dealership and i feel like i am getting the runaround.
People PLEASE file a complaint with Toyota, so this recall can happen!!
Toyota's response to my complaint is this.
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
We are sorry for the concerns you are having with your 2003 Matrix.
It has been detected that the ECM for certain 2005 through 2008 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix models equipped with the 1ZZ-FE
engine and two-wheel drive may have been improperly manufactured.
Your year model of Matrix Engine Control Module (ECM) is not a part of this recall.
Please be aware the information you have provided is used in combination with warranty claims and other customer contacts to track trends with our vehicles. If in the future a Special Service Campaign (SSC) or recall is issued that would cover your specific issue and you have already made repairs to the vehicle, Toyota would review your repairs for reimbursement at that time.
We again apologize for the situation you encountered with your vehicle and we are sorry for any inconvenience or expense you have incurred.