AI Damage2009 Toyota Corolla Matrix: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Toyota Corolla Matrix filed 74 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and engine. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 74
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 54% of all complaints
- 2 Engine 18% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 7% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 5% of all complaints
- 8 Electronic stability control 3% of all complaints
- Air bags: 40 complaints (54% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 13 complaints (18% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 7 complaints (9% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 6 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (7% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 74 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 40 | 5 | 0 |
| Engine | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 3 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The air bags failed to deploy. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The driver of the other vehicle sustained unknown injuries. The contact sustained back and neck injuries that required medical attention. The contact's passenger also sustained neck and back injuries. A police report was filed.
The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the neck, arm, and back that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. ..updated 11/02/15 updated 12/03/15, 4/3/18
I was crossing the bump on the road and after that I lost control. I hit a mail box in my community and I crashed in my one of my neighbor car in the lot. I contacted toyota and sent pictures after the incident. They denied my claim. I had to pay for everything even thought toyota knew about that acceleration problem.
Damage to front driver's side - I am sore on left side (shoulder, lower back & left knee - also have pain across stomach I guess from seatbelt engaging. This was terrifying, and I am also afraid to drive this vehicle again.
Subject: Request to Consider Recall for 2009 Toyota Matrix Excessive Oil Consumption Dear Toyota Motor Corporation/NHTSA, I am writing to bring to your attention a persistent issue with my 2009 Toyota Matrix, which has been experiencing excessive oil consumption.
Known well issues, faulty thank getting water to canister. Car Scanner ELM OBD2 Version: 1.99.2/1.99.2/iOS DTC report Connection profile: Toyota 2006-2009 OBD-II / EOBD + CAN busDate: [XXX] VIN: [XXX] ============================ OBD-IIOBD-II DTCs: 5 ---------------------------- P043E [0x043E] Evaporative emission…
I pulled over with smoke pouring out of the engine area and the car just stopped. I opened the hood and there were flames coming up from behind the engine. The fire grew until it engulfed the front of the car. The fire department came and put out the fire. The 2009 matrix was totally destroyed.
Power steering went out while I was driving and nearly killed myself 149,000 miles on my car and this is super dangerous. From what I read, plenty of other matrix doing the same. Brakes, windows all went out as well
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,292 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 12% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Corolla Matrix has 40 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 74, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Toyota Corolla Matrix?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, engine, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 74. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: oil leak or consumption (9%), stalls while driving (7%), steering or power steering problems (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Toyota Corolla Matrix?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2009 Toyota Corolla Matrix from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2009 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.