AI Damage2010 Toyota Matrix: common problems
Owners of the 2010 Toyota Matrix filed 45 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 45
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 60% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 4% of all complaints
- 6 Visibility 4% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 2% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 2% of all complaints
- Air bags: 27 complaints (60% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 6 complaints (13% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (9% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 3 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 2 complaints (4% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.8 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- automatic, 5-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 45 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 | 27 | 3 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 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.
While pulling into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and crashed into an apartment building. The driver stated that the brake pedal was depressed during the failure. The front end of the vehicle was severely damaged, but the air bag did not deploy.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota matrix. While the contact was placing the vehicle in drive, the accelerator pedal became stuck in the depressed position. As a result, the contact crashed into a wall in the parking garage. There were no injuries. The side and frontal air bags deployed. A police report was not filed.
The contact depressed the brake pedal to the floor, but the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then to a collision lot. The vehicle was totaled.
After the contact's vehicle rear ended another vehicle, the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, it was unknown if the technician diagnosed the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.
"electric power steering" while driving the steering does not center causing you to have to recorrect constantly. It seems like a saftey issue but toyota swindled their way out of a recall.
While traveling various speeds, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power and several warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the emc valve was defective and needed to be replaced. The dealer was not contacted.
On several occasions while city driving in july 2016 my 2010 toyota matrix vcs light began blinking, both the skid light and the engine light came on and the acceleration had little to no response.though it has not resolved the cause of the problem, I was able to reset the system so the lights are now off.
My car is having an excessive oil consumption on which is a problem that toyota dealers are fully aware of and are not willing to do anything to fix the problem. Is unacceptable that a car with only 35,000 miles on it consumed all the oil out before it reaches 4,500 miles for service requirement.
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 5,630 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 15% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Matrix has 91 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 45, below average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- 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 2010 Toyota Matrix?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, service brakes, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 45. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (4%), brake failure (4%), oil leak or consumption (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2010 Toyota 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 2010 Toyota 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 2010 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 2026-11-05.