My 2010 Matrix is starting weird?

Jan

I have a 2010 Toyota Matrix S AWD with 10500 miles. Yesterday, after a year of owning the vehicle, it started funny. Normally I put the key in, turn it, it starts right up. Yesterday, I did what I always do, but have to hold the key for about 5 seconds while it rumbles until it finally starts. It does this about a quarter of the time I start it. 8 times yesterday, I was starting it, it would rumble for a few seconds, and then die before I even released the key. No clicking, just an extended "starting" sound, and then nothing. I took it to autozone and they did a battery test, and it came back "Bad Battery!" I took it down to the Toyota Dealership as it's under warranty, and they did the same test, but found that the battery is perfect. They said they didn't notice anything weird when they started it, and no codes were tripped. It's still doing the weird start. It hasn't died yet today though. Also, I'm getting about 14mpg, 12 on a bad day, about 16 on a good one. Highway is only about 20-25. I expected lower mileage with an AWD, but this..... not okay. Brought this up at the dealership as well - they said they couldn't find anything wrong, and should wait until I hit 18000 or 20000 for it to "break in." Seriously.... I need some experienced car-people knowledge. Any ideas?















I have been getting bad mileage for the entire year that I have had the car. The starting problem has been just the last few days

rotus

There are three basic things required to make a motor run, fuel, spark and compression. Everything else is related to those.































Here are a few things to check:































1. Bad Gas? Has this problem and the low fuel economy been related to just one tank of gas? How long have you been getting bad fuel economy? You should be getting way better than that.































2. Bad spark plug. Maybe one or more of the spark plugs were not gaped correctly and that plug is now malfunctioning.































3. Bad piston ring (least likely). Could be causing compression leak leading to bad fuel economy and possibly a fouled plug.































Try taking it to another dealer. Sounds like yours is just waiting for the warranty to expire.