Matrix Dead -- No electrical power

[D Rock]

I have a 2005 XRS with only 40,000 miles with no major issues until now. I drove it to church this morning. When I tried to leave, the car started, ran for a second or two, then went dead. And when I say it went dead, I mean dead. There is absolutely no electrical power -- no lights, no locks, no windows, no dash lights, nothing. I did not think it was the battery, but someone offered to jump it, so I tried it. Had no effect, even with the jumpers attached there was no power.

Any thoughts on what this may be? Burned out chip or control module? I thought maybe a fuse/relay, but didn't think any of them would completely kill the car like that. I have an extended warranty, so I can take it to the dealer. I just want to have an idea before going in -- or if it is something simple that I can try I'll do it myself.

Thanks for your help,

D Rock

[HwyPilot]

Could it be an act of god? Some levity to lighten your load.... Good thing it happened when you went to church today instead of in the middle of a storm out on the highway somewhere.

Let's chase this one out, no power even when jumped tells me that a major circuit has opened. On most cars there are either circuit breakers, fuses or fusible links on the main circuits.

If they're fuses, they have big numbers (high values) on them such as 40A, 60A, etc. and are usually large body fuses.

Circuit breakers usually have a reset button on them (push reset and try turning the key to on or acc to test).

And some cars will have an impact, or accident, safety disconnect - these are designed to kill all power in the event of a crash. This should be listed somewhere in your owners manual under a troubleshooting section, or try the index for any possible description you can come up with.

Overall, if you're not pressed for the car, it's a great idea to have the dealer check the car through. If this happens again, it could be a situation worse than this. If it happened because of a major short, you'll burn up an expensive fuse or fusible link just to find that it did it's job the first time.

Hope this helps, and it sounds like you need a good flatbed tow truck and the address of the nearest dealer. Or just leave it where it is and call your extended warranty number so they can cover the cost (even better). Good luck friend - Peace.

[edbso]

Clean the battery terminals and or replace the battery and you are goodto go

[D Rock]

I pulled the battery yesterday and had it load tested and it was fine. I also cleaned the cables -- still nothing. I had it towed to the dealer last night. I just received a call from the dealer. There was a fusible link to the fuse box that was bad. He implied that it went bad, like it corroded or somthing like that, rather than it blew. I will confirm that with him though, because as I understand it, if it blew, that would indicate a pretty major power surge and probably means something very bad is wrong.

Will be covered under my warranty, but they won't have the part until tomorrow.

If I learn any more, I will post it.

Thanks

Dan

[toyomoho]

Corrosion on fusible links does happen but it is not a normal event. Generally the cars are much older allowing time for the link to corrode. The link is an exposed section of metal the melts due to high currant. Being exposed it can also corrode to due moisture in the air.

Not sure about warranty coverage, read your policy. Toyota has their own idea of what is covered under their warranties.

[D Rock]

The service guy at the dealer already said it would be covered by the warranty.

I am going to ask for the part -- I want to get a look at it to see where/how it was damaged.

Rocks

[XR2003]

Fusible link going bad is very rare, but it can happen:

http://matrixowners.com/?showtopic=70300

[D Rock]

I saw the old part when I picked up the car. It had corroded to the point that the service guy said when he touched the part it broke in two. It concerns me that it could corrode to that point in 3 1/2 years.

By the way, I checked the link that XR2003 sent -- seems like the same issue. But that guy says the dealer told him it would be $2365 to fix !!!!! WTF. My paperwork from the dealer shows they charged Toytoa Extra Care $104.57. I wouldn't doubt if they would give Extra Care a bit of a break, but can't think it would be that much. Seems that guy was getting screwed.

[Stevo_Echohb05]

Might be the computer ( which might be under warranty)

[camryvibe]

Originally Posted by D Rock

I saw the old part when I picked up the car. It had corroded to the point that the service guy said when he touched the part it broke in two. It concerns me that it could corrode to that point in 3 1/2 years.

By the way, I checked the link that XR2003 sent -- seems like the same issue. But that guy says the dealer told him it would be $2365 to fix !!!!! WTF. My paperwork from the dealer shows they charged Toytoa Extra Care $104.57. I wouldn't doubt if they would give Extra Care a bit of a break, but can't think it would be that much. Seems that guy was getting screwed.

$2365 was for replacing the whole wiring harness based on Toyota not selling the link separately. But they also quoted $300 for splicing in an aftermarket replacement and that sounds more in line with the $105 paid by ExtraCare.

Where in the car is this fusible link located? If it can corrode that badly it seems like something I might want to at least check the condition of once a year or so. Any idea why yours may have corroded so badly? Seems odd since I only rarely hear of fusible link failures even in much older vehicles.

[D Rock]

it was the link into the main fuse box. My car is stock, so no reason that I can come up with as to mine would have corroded so quickly other than I live in Michigan and they use salt on the roads in winter to melt ice.

[camryvibe]

One of our Vibes lives in Milwaukee and visits Livonia most winters so that's the one I'm concerned about. The other one stays in California where corrosion is much less likely.