Hi:
Like yourself, I own a Toyota Matrix. In general, a wonderful car.
My dashboard clock has recently begun acting up. I was shocked to discover how expensive a replacement is and that these clocks are failure-prone.
Looking a bit deeper, it appears the clock is part of a module managing multiple Matrix sensor functions, including SRS airbags and seatbelts. Is this correct?
I have located what looks to be a reputable clock module rebuilding service online. Any thoughts or suggestions you have to offer would be most welcome.
Keep up the good work!
Dave
I would love to see the answer to this question as well. I have a 2005 Matrix and the clock went years ago. Also the lighting in the shifter is gone. But along with that, I too have had the airbag light come on. I thought after I had the car into the shop for the airbag recall the light would go off but it hasn't. The light isn't on all the time, but it's still enough to make me wonder if there is an issue. The dealership offered to look at it when the light didnt go off after the recall, but they also said they would need my car all day to tear the dash apart to look for the issue. They also said they didn't have any idea what the issue was. I didnt want to pay all that labor for them to look for an issue that they may or may not find. Aside from that the car is running well!
Update: I got my clock rebuilt. Works perfectly. Even with Covid shipping delays, really didn't take all that long (about a week-and-a-half). Taking it out of the car to ship it was the biggest hassle. It was simply stuck by heat and age, and I had to use some of my cellphone repair tools to pry it loose without damage. The repair place appears to be very competent and courteous. My total cost was under $35--excluding the fact that my Matrix was un-driveable without the module. I'm very satisfied. If you can't be without your car, there's a place that will ship you a rebuilt module for about $60. Remove and replace right away. You will have shipping costs , but you can recoup some of that by sending your non-working unit to the rebuild place. Probably about $50 total. A bargain, in my estimation. I chose another place because they were very assiduous about saying they would rebuild and replace everything necessary, and bench-test their work. That, and their communication and prompt work impressed me.
Great!
Thanks for the update.
Hi:
Here's my best (speculative) answer at this point:
The clock you see (or don't see anymore) is a display attached to an extensive circuit board/module. Over time, the soldering on that board tends to fail, messing with your clock but also with other functions (like your airbag light). I've linked to 2 services I've found online that re-solder and rebuild the module for a reasonable price. (Find another better service? Please link me.) I plan to remove and mail them my current module. Not difficult, but it will disable the car for several days, unless you have a used replacement sent to you to install immediately. You can then send them your own bad one for a partial refund--I like that idea, but the other linked service might be more trustworthy. One thing I haven't seen either of these services mention? I plan to disconnect my car battery beforehand, just to be on the safe side. Having a Toyota dealership search for the problem could be a really expensive, and probably unnecessary, fishing expedition, with no sure resolution at the end. As compared to no more than $50 and a bit of careful labor for a pretty likely fix.
Good luck and let me know your own outcome.
https://modulemaster.com/products/toyota-matrix-2003-2006-clock-rebuild
http://www.autoclockrepair.com/
Does it worth fixing it? I mean it is just a clock.
@yaser
Like you, I originally thought 'It's just a clock.' The revelation of my week has been that, surprisingly (at least to me), it's not just a clock. It's an entire module with the clock display attached. SRS, seatbelt sensors, etc. are also involved.
If the others are working fine, live with it. Unless you want to spend a fortune.