Top 5 Problems Toyota Matrix Hatchback 1st Generation 2003-08

In this video, we're going to be going over the top five problems on this 1st Generation Toyota Matrix.

Now, there's nothing wrong with this car. There's nothing wrong with owning one or buying one. All cars have their problems. These are the top ones that we have found. Number one, mass airflow sensors. Now, the mass airflow sensor is located right here on the air box. And you may end up with some drivability issues. The engine may run a little different. It may have a lack of power. You may have a shifting concern if you have an automatic transmission. You're probably also going to get a check engine light with a code P0171, which is a fuel trim issue. You want to double-check before you just replace that. Double-check all the piping that goes from the air box into the intake and also the intake gaskets. See if you hear any air leaks. If any vacuum leaks are happening, then that could cause the code. So, you want to double-check that before going to replace it. If this gets dirty over time, you can try to clean it with mass airflow sensor cleaner. Now, normally, they get dirty because you're not replacing your air filter enough. But normally, by the time this gets dirty, it just needs to be replaced.

Number two, the windows falling into the door. You may notice that your windows are actually loose. They're a little bit looser than this. What you can do is take the door panel off and it's actually the screws that hold the window to the regulator have loosened up, and you might hear them rattling around. What you want to do is tighten those up or even take those screws out. Put a little bit of thread lock adhesive on them. Put them back in. You're going to want to hold the glass, obviously, so it doesn't fall down. And then put the window back up. Now, if the glass does fall into the door, a lot of times it doesn't actually break. So, you can do the same thing. Take the door panel off, reposition the glass, put the bolts back in, thread locker, you should be good to go. Number three, EVAP codes. Now, the first thing you want to do when you have an EVAP code is check the gas cap. Just grab it a wiggle. See if it's loose. If it's not loose, just take it off. Take a quick look at the seal. Make sure it doesn't have any cracks. This one looks pretty good. And then check the ratchet. Make sure it seems tight. If it doesn't, replace the gas cap. But most of these vehicles, the EVAP canister is what's actually leaking. So, the EVAP system is part of the emission system, and the canister is actually located right here and this is what's going to catch all the fuel vapors so they don't go out into the atmosphere. There's charcoal in there, but a lot of times these will leak and it's not hard to replace. There's a couple of connections. And then there's a couple of bolts on the back. It comes right down, easy to replace, but this is what holds the fuel vapors. And there needs to be a vacuum on the system for the system to be working properly. And when the computer doesn't see that vacuum, then it sets the code.

Number four, the catalytic converter. And you can kind of see it from up top a little bit. It's located right there. This is the upstream O2 sensor. This is the one that monitors what's going on with the engine as far as air-fuel ratio and makes adjustments there. The secondary one is down below. Now, there's a two-piece converter system. This is the second part of the cat. This is the secondary O2 sensor or the downstream O2 sensor. There's one in front and there's a catalytic converter right there as well. That's the main one. And this is the secondary one. This comes in one piece. So, some of the symptoms you may notice when you have a bad catalytic converter is you may have a lack of power. It may be very hard to accelerate. You may have to accelerate slowly. And also a check engine light with the code P0420. So, to prevent failure from the converters going bad, what you want to do is properly maintain your vehicle. Make sure you change spark plugs, air filter, even oil changes. Number five, engine mounts. Now, there's an engine mount located right here in the front of the vehicle. This is another one located right here in the front of the engine. Behind the battery or underneath the air filter, there is a transmission mount. And the last one is located right here at the backside of the transmission, close to the firewall. So, some of the symptoms you may notice while you have bad engine and transmission mounts, one, you might feel clunk when you shift in and out of different gears. When you go into reverse or drive, the whole powertrain may clunk. But you may also feel vibrations. When you're at a stop sign in gear, there may be excessive vibrations. Now, these engines vibrate a little bit more than most, but if it's excessive, it's probably because of your mounts.

So, those are our top five problems for the Toyota Matrix. If you have any similar stories, leave us a comment below. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our channel. Make sure you ring that bell, turn on all notifications so you don't miss any of our videos.

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