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At ~11K Toyota service dept noted unusual wear on all tires.  They had been rotated and balanced at each previous service.  They said it was a problem they had seen with Matrix tires.  I was told I would need to replace them at the next scheduled maintenance.  Even though the car was just past a year old they would pay for 1/2 of the price of replacement tires.
At ~16K the wear was pretty bad on all tires and the service manager still agreed to cover 1/2 of the tire cost...but not the balancing or alignment.  After quite a bit of discussion they did agree to pay for 1/2 of that cost also.  I said I don't want to be replacing the tires every 15K and paying for alignment and balancing every 3 months.  The service manager said "If you think the Matrix is bad, you should see the problems with the Sienna."
The Toyota customer service representative (1-800-331-4331) said there is currently no problems or recalls listed about the Matrix but they would make note of my complaint...but not actually do anything about it.  I had always heard good things about Toyota but after my experience with this car I will try and sell this one and go back to a Subaru.  

Have, or had a 2005 Matrix XR that I purchased new.  Last Feb. 07, tire light came on and discovered front passenger tire was a little low on air, I thought due to changes in weather, so I pumped it up and reset the gauge.  Tire kept losing air for a few days, then stopped so I reset light again, but it wouldn't stay off and all tires seemed fine.  A few weeks later, the steering wheel shook violently whenever I would reach 80kms/hr.  Took the car in to the dealership for diagnosis, they said everything was fine after they did a balance and alignment.  Problem didn't go away, took it back, they said front passenger tire was chewed up on inside b/c I drove on it too much when it was flat, I didn't but whatever.  Had it replaced, few days later tire light comes on again, we take it back to dealership, they reset the the gauge.  Same day light comes back on, we thought must be malfunction and left it.  5 days ago rear passenger tire blows out on the highway.  The car only has 50000km on it, take it to dealership, they blame snow and ice build up for rubbing tire even though blow out didn't happen in location of any ice or snow build up.  They gave us tire at cost, haha, ($60 less than retail)and said our other rear tire will need to be replaced within the next 10 months. Next day, tire light comes on again, we phoned the dealership and they said that we can drive threw the garage and have the gauge reset.  Yesterday, traded the problem for a dodge.  

I agree that there is something wrong with the Martix and tire wear!!  I have a 2005 Martix (low end) and only have 23K miles.  I "baby" the car and I'm on the second set of tires. I did the normal maintenance routinue - rotated tires every 5K and check air on a regular basis.  The tires had really odd wear - like flat spots at intervals around the tire.  I received the same response - need to rotate them more, check the alignment, etc.  Something is not right with the suspension.  I also called Toyota if they had a "service flash" on this model - they said they did not.  I think all of us with the issue should contact Toyota and let them know that there is a problem!!  

I have a 2006 Matrix XR with the same tire issues.  I am replacing the tires soon (they have about 30k).  That seems like they lasted as long as they should have since they are about 30k tires, but at about 9000 mi, I noticed a lot of noise from from the tires, especially around 25-35 mph.  I thought it was the tire manufacturer (Continental).  They have very uneven wear on them.  After reading this thread, I am going to start "negotiating" with the dealer I purchased the car from.  It sounds like I may have to negotiate with some local media outlets as well.  For sure this should be reported to consumer reports.  www.consumerreports.org  

I'm w/ U!! My 2006 Toyota Matrix is @ 27500 miles & I was informed yest after an oil change that I need to replace the Continental ContiTouring Contact tires that CAME w/ my car!! They're dangerously low on tread & not safe to drive in wet conditions. I bought my car 2 yrs ago last week!!! I rotate my tires regularly, inflate them properly & drive safely. I'm pissed off & gonna complain to Toyota directly. I'm spending so much time the last few days getting prices on tires & also would have to pay for an allignment on top of it! Toyota should cover this not me. We should be reimbursed for being cheated by Toyota. I would've negotiated better tires @ time of purchase if I knew about these cheap poor performing Continental tires that came w/ my Matrix.  

Towards the end of Jan2008, after some bitchin & complaining to 800.847.3349, I was advised to go to 1 of their recommended dealers. By me, it was Tire Kingdom. I had a Tire Kingdom rep look @ my car then he called Continental & verified w/ a rep that my tread was VERY low & the mileage reading on my Matrix. Continental offered to pay 50% of ALL 4 tires. I had to pay for an alignment, but Tire kingdom matched the $49.99 coupon I had that Tires Plus was offering.  

You may want the super rims Toyota sells you checked out I had 3 bad ones on my car and replaced them at a hefty price. A tire dealer who has a good rep on checking everything out found they were bad. ( and for all you that think it was from off roading and hitting road junk ..) NO there was no marks on any of these rims.This was 3 sets of tires later and no one caught it till this guy! I have filed a gripe but there is no recall on these great rims ..so they are in storage awaiting the biggie! Also my Matrix had the gas pedal stick and I went into a flower bed and hit a parked car..scared the bejesus out of me. Its a 2003 anyone having this problem?  Did anyone have a dealer on a lease buy out want to take the car for 2 days to another place beside the dealership to get it Toyota certifide? Sounds like they dont trust thier people  and what are they doing to the car? I loved the car and just got though paying it off now am thinking about change to another make.  

If you have a great tire dealer you trust have them check the rims. I had 3 that were (not true) and replaced them all. At a a good price also.Note the tire guy could not even get them to balance out right (and no they were not damaged by road stuff or off roading) Have talked to dealer but of course got the dealership run around. Took 3 sets of tires on a 2003 and less then 78,000 miles on 50,000 mile tires or more. And thier special tires to boot!These last tires look as if they may make it to 50,000 Yeah my tire guy!  

SO I am not alone!!  I thought I was just unlucky to have bought a lemon.  It turns out they are all lemons as far as tires/suspension are concerned.  My tires worn out at about 20,000 miles with cupping, noise and other problems that the dealer blamed on bad alignment.  B.S.  Now, let's figure out how we can pressure Toyota to help fix this mess.  I am not an attorney at law either but I am quite sure Toyota does not want a class action suit.  So let's band together and write to Toyota as a group and see if they would deal with us individually to solve the problem, which would allow them to shove it under the rug (ie no recall), so to speak.  Who is with me???  kennedyip@yahoo.com  

i have a 06 xr i bought with 2000 miles on  it after more freeway driving than the test drive the car was hard to keep in the lane and a light wind would move the car and gusts would push me into another lane any others with like problems?  

Have a 2003 Matrix that I bought in Sep 2004 with 20K miles on it. Tires a little noisy and starting to slip around 42,000 but waited until around 46,000 to replace. I considered this quite decent for factory tires. I checked air about every 3 months and kept them at maximum pressure (per sidewall). Don't know if this made a difference.  

At 15,000 miles all 4 tires on our 2006 Matrix were severely cupped and had to be replaced.  The dealership said the alignment was fine, and that the Continental Tires were bad (Why did they sell a car with bad tires??).  Continental said their tires are fine--no reported issues.  I was stuck with the bill.  I have to agree with others who have written this is a problem with the design of the car. On a standard maintenance check, the dealer now tells me that the tires are wearing unevenly (only 10,000 miles on the new set of tires), and that the wheels should be aligned every 15,000 miles (they were aligned when the new tires were mounted). I wish I had not bought the car, and I will never by another Toyota.  

I don't know if you know but Toyota does not make the tires. In fact, tires can vary accross the country. I'm in Canada -- my sister out west has Goodyear on her corolla and my parents have Firestone. I have spoken to a few tire companies about the warranty. The ones you purchase at a store have a guarentee of 100,000 KM or more.
My Matrix needs new tires now, thought it was too soon. As it turns out the original set are only set to go about 50,000 KM - 65,000 KM. As far as the Sienna, the run flat tires are made to only last a short time based on the rubber. Remember the design is to run flat when needed. There is a price to pay for that and it is changing them often. There are many forums that discuss this and calling Goodyear was fun too. Take care.  

tazod:
Looking into a Toyota Matrix but have read some problems about early wear on tires.  Would love to hear from anyone who has had problem and those who haven't to get there feel of the vehicle over all.  Have a Sienna AWD and dealt with run flat tires with it, don't want another vehicle and have similar problems.  Thanks for any help.

I've got a 2006 Matrix.. a little over 35K miles.  The only tire problem I have had is where I hit a piece of metal in the road.  

I love the Matrix, it's great for traveling *easy to load/unload* and great gas mileage!  It's definatly a vehicle I will consider buying again.

The only down side is that the road noise is a bit much, but I'm hoping the reduce that when I replace the tires with a better grade of tire.

 

I have 2006 Matrix with 18,000 miles and I have had the same problem as the rest of this thread. While I love my Matrix, this is definitely a recall issue. There is no way that these problems should be occurring at low miles like this. Please email me, spriley_us@yahoo.com, and we can look into filing a suit. We need a dealer to state that there is a problem with the design. Has anyone had a dealer state this?