NHTSA Complaint #10224080 — 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX THAT ON JULY 30, 2007, HAD A LITTLE OVER 105,000 MILES ON IT. DRIVING EITHER IN TOWN OR ON THE HIGHWAY A CLINKIING SOUND WAS NOTICED BY DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS ALONG WITH AN INTERMITTENT INCREASED DIFFICULTY IN SHIFTING GEARS. ON JULY 30, 2007, DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE CLINKING NOISE BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED. I PARKED MY VEHICLE TO DO SOME ERRANDS AND CAME BACK THE CAR WOULD START, BUT WOULD NOT ENTER INTO ANY GEAR. THE CAR WAS LOCKED IN A GEAR THAT WAS NOT NEUTRAL. I WAS STRANDED ABOUT 30 MILES FROM MY HOME AND HAD TO CALL A TOWING COMPANY TO COME AND TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE IOWA CITY TOYOTA COMPANY. FROM THERE, TOYOTA INSPECTED MY 2003 TOYOTA MATIX AND FOUND THAT THE GEAR TEETH IN THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION HAS COMPLETELY ERODED AND BROKE OFF. TOYOTA HAD TO REPLACE THE FULL TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH COSTING CLOSE TO $3000. *TR