Dash gauges not working - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

JONESER · 07-17-2008, 03:37 PM

I'm looking at this car for a friend. It's a 2003 Matrix. The dash gauges are not working at all. There are a few dummy lights that come on when you start the car. Car starts & runs normally. I took the gauge cluster out of the car, checked all the wiring behind the dash and plugged the harness back in...Presto, all the gauges worked. We drove the car to a few stores shutting the car off at each. We get back to my house & they still worked fine. About 2 hours later, he went to leave and they weren't working again. I pulled the gauges back out, unplugged them & plugged them back in and they worked again. This morning he leaves for work & theyre not working again. He told me that his is dimmer switch has been acting funny since the gauges quit. Sometimes they'll dim the interior lights & sometimes it wont. I dont know if that switch could have something to do with the gauges. After work, I unplugged the gauges again, got them working and unplugged & left unplugged the dimmer switch to see if the gauges continue to work.

Has anyone ever had this problem with their gauges?

Thanks for any help you can give me & sorry so long!

JONESER

JONESER · 07-18-2008, 03:29 PM

Gauges went back out...Dimmer switch isn't the problem...

Can anyone help me??

Smar969905 · 07-18-2008, 11:00 PM

might be a fuse that is loose or going bad. i dont know off the top of my head which fuse is for the dash lights though.

teigan · 06-30-2009, 03:18 PM

Hey Joneser,

I'm wondering if you ever found a solution to the problem with your buddy's Matrix? My wife's '03 has the exact same problem, although I haven't pulled the cluster yet. All gauges just stopped working the other day. All other functions seem to be operating normally.

Thanks in advance.
Teigan

Yardie · 07-22-2009, 10:05 AM

I had the same problems, dash light out, dome lights and i think park lights were all out, only the hvac light worked. I believe my fuse kept popping too, so i traced it to the dome light control switch luckily by smell! Apparently when i opened the switch up it was burnt. After installing a used switch i've had no problems.

dearthpika · 07-26-2009, 12:24 PM

i have -_- its a 10A fuse under the dasht thats blown, ive ad it done to me, and had HUGE problems. the cluster goes out first. than your car just runs off your battery because the alternator isnt charging anymore than your cars just turns off while driving, id get it checked :S