2006 Toyota Prius: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Dec 9, 2016 · 158,250 miles · FL

The temperature was in the 50s here in fl. My prius was parked in the garage overnight. The car started but the dash was black. The only indicator on the dash was for "airbags". I backed out and drove with extreme trepidation and caution to my child's school. Cruise control did not work. Only turn signals/flashers worked. The center computer screen was dim, brightness control did not affect that or the black dash. I drove with no indication of my speed, fuel amount, mileage, or systems failures/warnings! I called my independent mechanic. He said I was the 4th person to call him today with this same problem: combination meter failure! He said a cold spell triggers the failure. Then I was not able to shut the car off. He talked me through a way to shut the car off. When I returned to the car my fob would not open the door locks. I had to use the metal key from the fob to unlock the driver's door. I put the fob back together and started the car. The dash was working again, but very dim and hard to see. My mechanic advised me that I could try to reset the 12 volt battery to reset the failed meter, but that in trying to reset the battery, I would not be able to get into the hatch during a meter failure. He said the combination meter will continue to fail until it is repaired. He advised me that toyota covered this repair for 9 years, but I am in the year 10 and not covered. This is not a simple warranty issue. This is a safety issue. The car is not safe to drive with no indication of my speed, fuel amount, mileage, or systems failures/warnings and without an ability to shut the car off! This is a known, predictable failure that toyota acknowledged with an extension of the original warranty. The problem doesn't go away after 9 years. Combination meter failure renders a car unsafe and undriveable. Toyota needs to repair combination meters whenever they fail.

Filed Dec 11, 2013 · Locks · 53,870 miles · CA

The rear hatchback latch of my 2006 toyota prius has deteriorated over time. It started back in february 2012 with a difficulty opening the hatchback even with considerable effort. Now, when I touch the latch release it is gummy and will not open at all about 90% of the time. This is a safety hazard as I can't access any of the equipment (spare tire, emergency tools etc) that are located under the floor of the hatch. I found out that to fix it will cost me over $300. This is unacceptable that a door handle should fail so quickly. The rest of the car works beautifully. I believe there is a manufacturer defect in this latch release and it should be recalled. There is no way to open the hatch from the interior as an alternative (unlike a side door).

Filed Mar 15, 2012 · Electrical, Locks · 65,000 miles · VA

I am writing to you about a problem with my 2006 toyota prius. In july 2008, the driver's side electronic door lock actuator failed and was replaced by my local toyota dealer - I had extended warranty so it was covered. Now, the driver's side door lock actuator has once again failed. I have not contacted my toyota dealership because in 2008 if I didn't have the warranty it was going to cost me well over $1,000. The failure of this actuator happening twice is unbelievable. I've noticed similar complaints by other individuals.

Filed Aug 19, 2011 · Body · 79,000 miles · MO

The exterior handle of the rear hatch on our 2006 toyota prius, melted into a sticky tarry, rubbery, gooey substance. It's like a viscous black glob like roofing tar. When opening the hatch, it is soft and gets under my fingernails. I believe this melting process started a couple years ago, but it's been worse this year with the triple-digit temps. My dealer, lou fusz toyota (in missouri) said they have not heard of this happening before, but when I research it on-line, I found that this has happened to several car owners. Toyota knows about this, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $250 plus repair costs, and has done nothing about recalling this. From a safety perspective, this means you can experience difficulty opening the rear hatch (a life safety access point), and will get sticky black tar on you from the melted down rubber cover of the exterior hatch release handle. To me, this is both a life safety issue and a quality defect that toyota is opting to ignore, and only fixing on vehicles with extended warranties, since the failure appears to occur at around the 4 year mark. I am aware of the outstanding work done by the federal safety agency on other safety issues, including the problem with rusty frames on 02 isuzu axioms, and I find this problem to be similar in nature, so I am asking for your agency to take a look at these instances and also to inquire from toyota why they are not recalling these handles that are melting in the sun. I think a door handle or hatch handle should be made to last more than 4 years!

Filed Aug 13, 2011 · Body, Locks · 72,000 miles · FL

After only about 4 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2006 toyota prius, melted into a sticky tarry black rubbery gooey mess. I can best describe it as being a viscous black glob like roofing tar. To open the hatch, you have to touch this black goo each time, which makes it difficult to operate the hatch release. We believe this melting process started at about the 2 yr. Mark. I thought that this might be a singular issue, but have found that this has happened to several car owners, particularly in florida. We also live in florida. Toyota knows about this, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $96 plus repair costs(200.00), and has done nothing about recalling this. From a safety perspective, this means you can experience extreme difficulty opening the rear hatch (a life safety access point), and will get sticky black tar on you from the melted down rubber cover of the exterior hatch release handle. To me, this is both a serious life safety issue and a serious quality defect that toyota is opting to ignore and only fixing on vehicles with extended warranties, since the failure appears to occur at around the 3 year mark (ie after 3 years of exposure to the bright sun in florida for example). I am aware of the outstanding work done by the federal safety agency on other safety issues, including the problem with rusty frames on 02 isuzu axioms, and I find this problem to be similar in nature, so I am asking for your agency to take a look at these instances and also to inquire from toyota why they are not recalling these handles that are melting in the sun!!! It's outrageous. I think a door handle or hatch handle should be made to last more than 3 years. Please review these forum comments of other incidents:

Filed Aug 8, 2011 · Body · 40,045 miles · AL

After only about 2 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2006 toyota prius, started to be sticky. Now, after nearly 5 years after purchase, I notice that it has melted into a sticky tarry black rubbery gooey mess which has spread over a much larger area. I can best describe it as being a viscous black glob like roofing tar. To open the hatch, you have to touch this black goo each time (it takes 2-3 days to remove the stain completely from fingers/nails), which makes it difficult to operate the hatch release. It is obvious that this melting process started when I noticed the sticky feel. I thought that this might be a singular issue, but have found that this has happened to several car owners, particularly in the south. We live in mobile, alabama. It seems that toyota knows about this faulty material, and has done nothing about recalling this. From a safety perspective, this means you can experience extreme difficulty opening the rear hatch (a life safety access point), and will get sticky black tar on you from the melted down rubber cover of the exterior hatch release handle. To me, this is both a serious life safety issue and a serious quality defect that toyota is opting to ignore and only fixing on vehicles with extended warranties, since the failure appears to occur at around the 3 year mark. I am aware of the outstanding work done by the federal safety agency on other safety issues, including the problem with rusty frames on 02 isuzu axioms, and I find this problem to be similar in nature, so I am asking for your agency to take a look at these instances and also to inquire from toyota why they are not recalling these handles that are melting (it is outrageous). I think a door handle or hatch handle should be made to last more than 3 years. Please review this.

Filed May 2, 2010 · Electrical, Locks · 80,111 miles · MD

I am writing to you about an unresolved problem with my 2006 toyota prius. In may 2008, the driver's side electronic door lock actuator failed and was replaced by my local toyota dealer. Now, the driver's side door lock actuator has once again failed, along with the passenger's side actuator. My local toyota dealer informed me that the estimated repair cost would total $1,300. I indicated that in view of the extremely high repair cost and the prior replacement of the driver's side actuator, toyota should assume a share of the repair cost, and the dealership submitted the matter to their regional representative. The dealership subsequently informed me that the regional representative was offering to assume $300 of the repair cost as a customer goodwill gesture. I indicated that toyota should assume a greater portion of the overall expense for the current repair, and the dealership once again agreed to convey that point to the regional representative. However, the dealership subsequently informed me that, rather than offering any further adjustment, the regional representative's response was to withdraw its previous offer altogether, leaving me with the entire financial liability for the repair! I then contacted the national toyota customer experience center in torrance, california, to complain about the regional representative's summary retraction of the adjustment that it had already offered. A representative at the center subsequently informed me that he concurred with the regional representative's actions and was unwilling to reverse them. Against the recent backdrop of widespread and serious mechanical problems with its products, the toyota corporation has publicly pledged a renewed emphasis on quality and customer service. However, the way in which it has chosen to handle my complaint has left me feeling bewildered, disrespected, and abandoned. Accordingly, I'm writing to your agency to ascertain what other remedies may be available to me. Thank you.