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Toyota Matrix Tire/Wheel Questions

in Toyota
Are you experience abnormal tire wear? - I'm collecting data or tire wear for the Matrix.
My car is wearing the inner most tread only front and rear tires. And I am getting tire noise that increase with speed - it's annoying to say the least.
My mechanic says this is normal - yeah right!
-Marty
My car is wearing the inner most tread only front and rear tires. And I am getting tire noise that increase with speed - it's annoying to say the least.
My mechanic says this is normal - yeah right!
-Marty
0
Comments
No it is not normal or acceptable. Is your car All Wheel Drive(AWD)? WE have talked to people that have tried several different types of tire on the same car - it is not a tire quality problem. What do your snow tires look like?
We also have a 2005 Matrix and have had tire problems. At about 3000 miles we noticed the noise. We kept on going to see if it would get worse and it did. AT 6800 miles we took it to our dealer and they sent us to a Tire place. There they noticed the left front tire wearing very badly and the right front was starting - so he sent us back to our Toyota dealer. There they checked the alignment and contacted Toyota who gave us 4 new Goodyear tires in exchange for the Continental tires. Now we are hearing the nose again at 12,000 miles. What to do????? Does anyone have any suggestions????? (get ride of the car or go back to our dealer??????). Humbug
By the time you heard the noise the tires were already in a state of wear. To answer your question - I don't think there is anything you can do at this point. We noticed the tire wear at 250 mi. After that we tried to get the dealership to address and admit there is a problem here - they told us this abnormal wear was "normal" - Crap!! At this point we researched the Lemon Law for New Hampshire (You can check your state)
If your warranty is out so are your options. We started the process of giving Toyota three documented chances to fix the wear problem before they are forced to buy the car back.
At this point they are trying to buy us off with a set of Michelin tires. It will stretch out the time the wear shows up but it's not going to save them.
Short of a class action suit I don't think they are going to fix the design flaw in the car. My guess is the rubber bushings in the suspension system are not stiff enough or they have the wheel alignment set to compensate for some other issue (like roll-over test compliance).
If you are out of warranty you can have your mechanic tweek your alignment out of specification to correct the wear problem - this is a last ditch effort we have not applied because it will void the warranty. According to one of the mechanics we grilled during one of our visits the tire wear is a common re-curring problem. I don't see a 50% reduction in tire life and acceptable condition. Stay tuned and encourage other Matrix people to respond. With enough statistics there will be enough of a reason for out of warranty action.
Thanks,
Marty
Brian
although this is a forum for tire wear I've seen a couple of other common notes -
-If you get a hiss from your drivers window when closed at hwy speed double tap the down button (seems the door architecture is a bit off)
-at 40MPH if you get the lugging sound and vibration from the engine and transmission - find another speed and avoid 40 MPH.
-If it seems like the brakes grab all of a sudden going down hill - it really just the transmission - our dealer mechanic suggest downshifting manually to avoid the surprise (I'm still waiting for the snow - this should be interesting)
-M
Our Matriax is FWD XR. 12,100 miles and we have had this noise since 3,000 miles. As of this date we haven't decided what to do, but we did talk to a friend of ours who works at the dealership. Toyota replaced the tires at 6,800 miles and we were told to be sure and rotate the tires every 5,000 miles which we have done - this is according to the owners manual. Now at 12,100 we are into the noise again. This is the only problem we have had. The car itself runs perfect. City mileage is aboaut 30 and the highway has been as high as 38. We really don't want to get rid of this car (we can't afford to) but just want to get this problem fixed. Will keep you all informed if we find any further developments. Thanks Guys!!!!!
Humbug
Our snow tires are stored at the garage, so I'll have to arrange to have them checked.
I'm not experiencing uneven tire wear, but I do have an annoying noise. The car and tires have 20,000 miles on them. They are the Continental originals. The noise started at around 12-15,000 miles and it's a rotational humming sort of noise that increases and decreases with speed. The noise level stays constant and so you can't hear it at highway speeds with all the other noise. It sounds most like a wheel bearing gone bad or an axle joint AKA old Subarus. The car is not AWD. The frequency of the noise is like a dull humming and very annoying. Dealer says it's the rough wear on the edges of the rear tires. They say they have checked every other possibility.
Is this the same problem you all are having?
Couldn't explain our noise any better than you just did!
Exactly the same. Our noise was so unbearable at 6800 miles that Toyota took off the Continental (which they said was the problem) and replaced them with 4 CHEAP Goodyear.
Now we almost have 7000 miles on these tires and the noise is coming back. Wonder if they will spring for a new set of tires every 7000 miles??????? We plan on going back to the dealer if the noise continues and see if they will give us a decent trade in on a new car. It seems like it was originally blamed on the Continental Tires - they wear off on one side even with a re-alignment by the dealer. We are wondering what the fix will be this time!!!!! Will post if we get any new developments. We really like the MATRIX and hope they will treat us right on this problem. Good luck on your problem and for all of our problems. We hope it is not just on WHITE cars. Humbug
If the tires are "feathering" which is rough wear on the edges then you have the same problem. The noise is caused by the action of the tire scrapping the rubber somewhat sideways to the travel direction of the vehicle. As the tread becomes more uneven it makes more noise. The Continental tires have five tire tread bands - the inside band was noticeable more worn any other on ours. If you had a driveshaft bearing problem the noise would diminish some as you take your foot off your the gas.
-M
I sent an e-mail to Toyota about a month ago. The dealership replaced our tires with Michelins' this past week. We have challenged them with the Lemon Law - This means they have three tries to fix the cronic wear problem(non-conformity). The Michelins (attempt #3) should go 100,000 miles on a normal car but the service manager said he doubts we will get 60K out of them. We took a base measurement so we can show them the wear pattern as soon as possible and request they buy the car back under the Lemon Law - they will then get one final chance to fix it again within 40 days. Of course they will try to say the wear is conforming and "normal" and therefore not subject to the Lemon Law - I think they could change the alignment specifications and make the whole problem go away - it is either that or they have a bigger engineering problem.
Good Luck. :lemon:
They were all chewed up...and needed to be replaced.
Dealer wouldn't even present the problem to Toyota. After 5,000 miles the noise was coming back again...Dealer claiming it's the first they've heard of it being a returning issue.
I traded it in and said "So Long" to Toyota. :lemon:
Well, I started noticing a "wobble" noise a few weeks ago and decided to get it checked out. I took my car to an independent repair shop because most of the local Toyota dealerships did not get good ratings from www.checkbook.org. The independent repair shop said that the right rear wheel was misaligned and they could fix it, but it would cost $200+ because they would have to remove the rear hub assembly and shim the wheels to align them. They suggested taking it to a Toyota dealer because it should still be under warranty. They think the alignment issue came that way from the factory.
I took my Matrix to the same dealership where I purchased it and they stated that the alignment was fine. They said that the Continental tires were the issue and to contact Continental. They said there is an issue with Continental tires wearing the way I described. I thought it was bull and told the service writer so.
Now after reading all of these other posts about the same issue, I'm a bit worried. I can't afford to just get rid of this car and I don't want to be buying new tires every 20K miles or so. I'm not sure what to do at this point or if anything can even be done. The alignment warranty expires in about 1400 miles/5 weeks.
Update on 2005 Matrix Tire Wear.
Toyota blamed Continential Tires on our car too. Toyota replaced tires at approximately 7,000 miles W/ Goodyear Brand. Now we're at 14,000 plus miles and seems like we are having same trouble again. Not as bad yet but will have to wait for more wear to make up our mind for sure.
These tires are starting to give off a slight rumble like before! Seems like problem is ONLY W/front tires. Alignment checks OK per Toyota Dealer. WHAT TO DO?????
BIG QUESTION????? Mr and Mrs humbug
You need to have documented three attempts/requests for the dealer/manufacture to fix the same recurring problem. after the third unsatisfactory attempt as the Manufacturer for the Lemmon Law Paperwork for them to buy the car back. Tell the dealership in advance this is what you intend - the dealership will not buy the car back but they must support you in your Lemmon Law pursuit (remember who they work for) this is why they are telling you everything is fine. Don't worry about pushing them - you will have too. When you get your car back each time - read the invoice and make sure they made the notations of the service you requested. My guys kept leaving it off the first couple of times.
My wife was so disgusted by the car (New Matrix) she really wanted that she lost patience in the process and traded it in on a used 2002 Volvo AWD Wagon XC-70 with 40K on it for the same payments and a lower insurance cost. She loves here new(er) car now.
Second - expect them to offer some good will gesture such as replacing the tires - at this point they are going to take those tires (oops no more evidence of defect) so photograph them before you bring them in. If and when they do change the tires (most likely with Michelin) invest $3 in a tire tread gage. Measure and record the tread depths and keep a log every 250 miles. The michelin tires have a harder compound and will take longer to wear - they are also very expensive. If you had to buy these every 2-3 years it would also defeat the purpose of purchasing this car for it's fuel economy (normally those tires should run 60-80K miles. The reason you have to do this to: 1 keep the car running at their expense on new tires. 2 support your evidence of an alignment defect (the problem won't go away - the wear pattern will continue but will not be as visual - the noise however will still indicate it is there -so measurements are the most solid proof. Remember they have 3 chances to fix it and ultimately one final one after you file documentation.
Good Luck
The rectification process may carry through the warranty expireation.
How do I go about getting dealership to replace tires, repair or make Proper alignment of rear end (that's where the tires are wearing so bad).
When I ordered vehicle, I asked for Michelins...they said no or I would have to pay the difference in cost of tires. Would it even matter what tire was on car if they cannot remedy the situation of rear tire wear? A better tire would just take longer to start the same process-showing the same signs.
I'm glad to hear you got a dealer to at least express interest in the problem. I've been to mine (150 miles from home) twice now, both times they checked alignment and said "you don't have a problem UNLESS WE SAY you have a problem, and the alignment check was OK, therefore you do not have a problem".
Horsefeathers... there is no possible tire defect that can cause this kind of wear. (My first Continental died at 16,792 miles -- won't hold air.)
Though they insist nothing is "wrong", I did get a mechanic at the dealership, and the Customer Relations Rep (dealership), to say that they "have observed this problem with this tire" on some vehicles. To me, that ALMOST sounds like Toyota acknowledging a problem with original equipment they are putting on cars. (Most of us believe they are wrong to blame Continental, but getting them to say they HAVE seen this problem seemed significant, since they initially wanted me to think I'm the only Matrix owner having the experience. For what it's worth, my independent mechanic said Scions are having the same problem. Another uh-oh for Toyota.)
I've been in contact with Toyota NA several times now; last time, they "escalated it to the regional manager level", for what that is worth. If the call I just got from the dealer's CR Rep was the result of that, it meant nothing.
I know Toyota makes a lot of really good cars, but if this isn't resolved, this is my last Toyota. This is ridiculous and sad.
Skruffy1
(MatrixLemon@aol.com)
I am off next wk and plan to schedule an appt for the car...eg: tire wear pattern. I'll let ya know about it.
After getting much runaround from Toyota, and totally unsatisfactory service from Kendall Toyota (Miami), my wife and I yesterday traded the Matrix (Lemon) in on a Prius, which is the car we wished we could have bought in the first place. We bought it from another dealer.
We are out about $4,000 (first year's depreciation) plus the cost of the two tires I bought out of pocket. If a class action lawsuit eventually arises (and it should, as it appears the Matrix, at least some years' models, has a fatal design flaw), I'll gladly be a part of it.
I'm telling everybody I know not to buy a Matrix, and not to buy ANYTHING from Kendall Toyota of Miami. Matrix will probably turn out to be Toyota's Corvair or Pinto. Too bad, because they make (mostly) very good vehicles, and also too bad because other than this fatal flaw, Matrix
isseemed to be a pretty cool little car.Sorry to hear yours did not turn out as well.
I was getting depressed quickly. I talked to the service mgr at dealership and when asked if Matrix was going thru tires he said "we have seen this problem with some of these cars" or something to that effect. For the guy to say that I took it as an admission of a problem. I've got an appt with them Monday and maybe it's premature but I'm researching Maine lemon law.
Is there any hope of Toyota doing a recall or fixing whatever the problem is ? :mad:
As for my brand new Matrix, also an XR FWD, it is equipped with the Goodyear Eagles, and it sounds like 100% of the tire problems people have been having are with the Continentals, right?
So I am curious: can we narrow this down by region or type of suspension? The AWD has a 4-wheel independent design where the alignment of the rear suspension would affect the front alignment settings. Are most of the problems with the AWDs?
Also, the FWD models have torsion-beam rears with very little in the way of possible alignment adjustments at the rear, but the XRSs have more camber to account for much sportier driving, and you could expect the XRSs to wear the inside edge of their tires a lot more as a result. Are most of the tire problems with XRSs and AWDs?
Another thing: how the vehicles are shipped and prepped would make a difference in suspension and alignment settings. Are all these problem cars Gulf States or Southeast Toyota cars?
I will keep a closer eye on my tires thanks to this discussion, but I have a hard time believing I will have any more trouble this time than I had the first time around (which was NONE, no trouble with the tires at all). So I am intrigued to see if the problem is isolated by region or type of suspension.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I am still tempted to go to an independent tire shop for a second opinion to the align settings, etc. for this new set of tires, which the dealer paid for 3, I had to cover the 4th tire. They did try to say I ran the tires low in air. I know I did not.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Linda
By the way they also replace the whole rear end to try and solve this problem...guess that wasn't it! :lemon:
So, I immediately went to the dealership and told the service "greeter" how I had taken care of the tires,checked the pressure and rotated every 4k and that the car only has 11800 mi. on it. He wanted to schedule me in and I asked if an alignment was necessary was it covered. He says if the car was over 12 months old it was not covered. I told him that really sucks, and he says he was sorry I felt that way and walked away.
Well, I'm just starting out. Just wanted to let you know.