The back latch of my 2007 toyota prius has degraded ("melted" almost). It no longer functions properly, and I am unable to open the back hatch door easily. Sometimes it requires considerable effort and perseverance to get it open. I am concerned that in the case of an emergency, I will not be able to get the door open. This is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard.
2007 Toyota Prius body complaints
Page 5 of 7: complaints 101 to 130 of 184, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Rear hatch handle has melted and making accessibility to the rear hatch lift gate is very sticky and soft. Sometimes the hatch does not respond when attempting to open the rear hatch. The piece was replaced under warranty in 2009 and is now malfunctioning again.
I too am a victim of the melting rear hatch cover. The rubber cover to the external trunk latch has deteriorated to the point where it is either gooey to the touch in warm weather or frozen solid to the point where it is immovable in colder temperatures. This is a safety hazard since I am unable to access the spare tire. The rubber appears to be blocking the release mechanism. The deterioration started during the summer of 2013. This issue has worsened and beginning december 29, I have been unable to open the rear hatch. It is clearly a manufacturer defect and is the responsibility of toyota to replace this handle at no expense to the consumer. However, they are not willing to do so.
The back latch of my 2007 toyota prius has degraded ("melted" almost). It no longer functions properly, and I am unable to open the back hatch door easily (frozen solid and immovable in colder temperatures). Sometimes it requires considerable effort and perseverance to get it open. I am concerned that in the case of an emergency, I will not be able to get the door open. Also, at times, due to the inflexibility of the rubber I am unable to open the trunk and, thus, access the spare, any of my repair tools, emergency safety kit, flares, jumpers, etc. There is no alternative internal method for opening the hatchback/trunk.this is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard.
The handle to the rear door is barely functioning. It has been sticking for a long time but now it is almost impossible to open the rear door altogether. The rubber of the handle looks melted.
I have a 2007 toyota prius and the rubber has "decomposed" off the latch and has made it nearly impossible to gain access to the rear compartment of my vehicle. The rubber degradation has made the sensitivity of the hatch door latch erratic and not working mostly. Its cause me to try to yank the hatch door a couple of times which has cause the latch door handle to come loose. Toyota pls address this issue. Thanks
Like so many others with a 2007 prius, my hatch back rubber latch started getting sticky and then slowly started deteriorating to the point where I couldn't open the hatch door. I took it to maita toyota in sacramento and asked if they would fix it, but they charged me. I'm seeing that some people complained to toyota and got this paid for. I'm going to see if I can get reimbursed for this. I'm glad people put their complaints here to see.
I have a 2007 toyota prius and the rubber has "melted" off if the latch and has made it nearly impossible to gain access to the rear compartment of my vehicle. It began with numerous black and sticky fingers then progressed to chunks of gooey of what I think was plastic coming off into my hands and has ended up being an almost impossible task to gain access via the back end of my car. From a very quick search of the internet, this appears to be a wide spread problem and everyone is getting the same answer I am getting from toyota....pay up!! This has to be a mfg defect. I live in north texas so yes, it does get hot here but melt the plastic off your car hot, I think not! Please help us!
The rubber covering the external hatch latch at the rear of my 2007 prius has degraded to the extent that the latch no longer functions properly. This is a design flaw for the 2007 prius and very dangerous as it will not allow access into the trunk area in case of emergency. Because of the melted/degraded rubber my wife can no longer get into the trunk and I can only get into the trunk at random intervals with severe pressure placed on the rubber/switch area. It could be impossible for me to reach the spare in an emergency. It could also damage the electrical system with the pressure needed to make it work. This is clearly a toyota design and materials problem and should be fixed by toyota before someone gets hurt.
Rear hatch latch is inoperable and prevents access to spare tire. Rubber covering of latch mechanism degraded 'melted,' even though car is garage stored in the heat of summer, m-f.
I noticed over the summer that the hatchback button became extremely soft and for lack of a better term, gooey. Once the weather cooled down the button seemed to have reshaped/melted so that I am no longer able to open the hatch of my car. I have contacted toyota with this concern but was told that because I have exceeded the mileage and warranty coverage it is my responsibility. I strongly believe that this is the cause of faulty manufacturing. I cannot access my spare tire is kept under cover in the rear hatch. Toyota needs to take responsibility for this and issue a recall immediately.
The rear hatch became sticky and left black residue on my fingers. The hatch took several tries until it unlocked. Now that it is cold in pennsylvania the hatch will either not open at all or it takes numerous tries until it unlocks. This is very inconvenient as access to the rear is not gained sometimes and items must be placed in the backseat as a result. Also if I am unlucky enough to get a flat tire I cannot get to the spare. The rear hatch area is where my emergency kit and jumper cables are kept. Our family owns three toyota's and being loyal customers of toyota I would think that toyota would be more than happy to do the right thing and fix this problem for free since this appears to be a common problem!
Rubber hatch latch cover has deteriorated and it has become difficult to open the hatch, and very difficult in cold weather (my wife cannot open it and it is her car). I consider this a safety issue.
The rubber on the rear hatch release has deteriorated causing difficulty or impossibility of opening the rear hatch. This could pose a safety issue in an emergency.
I've also been having problems with the rear hatch on my 2007 prius for some time. The rubber has softened and partially melted in warm weather, making it extremely hard to grip and depress the release button, particularly for a woman with weak finger joints. Several times it hurt my hands to grip and press the release. Not to mention the gooey mess it made on my fingers when I'd try to open it. Then once the weather turned colder, it seems the rubber solidified in an abnormal shape and recently it has become impossible for even a man with strong hands to depress and open the hatch. I fear it would be impossible for anyone to wrestle the spare tire out of the trunk without being able to open the hatch. Sure, you can gain access to the hatch area by folding down the seats, but how could you open the cover for the tire well and pull out the spare tire? And in an emergency, there would be no way to open the trunk to assist someone. We've owned four prius cars, including a 2008 model, and this is the only one with this problem. Toyota really should recall these models and fix this issue. Please help.
For the past year, the rubber surface of the rear hatch release has been gooey, leaving black marks on my hands. The function of the release has been erratic. Often, I can't release it at all. It seems particularly bad in cooler weather. I've read that this has been a pretty common problem and find it surprising that toyota has not recalled these vehicles to replace the assembly.
The rubber trunk release melted this summer, creating a sticky mess and making it difficult to open the trunk. Had to try numerous times with great force to open the trunk. Now that the temperature has dropped, the rubber bar is frozen hard and I cannot depress it to open the trunk. This is a serious safety issue in the event of an emergency.
The rear hatch release on my 2007 toyota prius has deteriorated and has become more and more difficult to open the hatch. Tonight it is very cold out and the mechanism stuck again and would not open. I tried unlocking to make sure it didn't re-lock the doors and pulled again on the latch and the whole back part broke off in my hand. The combination of the sticking and the cold made the plastic piece that is all that it is holding the latch brittle to the point of simply breaking while trying to open the hatch.
Hatchback latch does not respond to smart key and will not open to touch as it is supposed to. This problem has occurred intermittently for about ten months. Also, the rubber latch covering has deteriorated into a soft, sticky black substance that stains my fingers when I try to open the latch. The deterioration problem preceded the hatchback operational problem by four or five months as best I can recall. I was able to tolerate the messy problem but cannot put up with a hatchback that is inoperable because it prevents me from accessing the spare and safety equipment, and makes it impossible to use the cargo area. I think toyota should notify customers of this defect and provide a free repair.
I am reporting a defective 2007 toyota prius trunk hatch release. The material appears to have been defective. It appears to be a general issue due to poor quality control and faulty design by toyota. The repair cost for this crucial function is obscenely high (around $500).
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius hybrid. The contact stated that the trunk door failed to open. The contact also mentioned that the material that latched the door with the trunk was melted and the trunk could not be accessed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 69,000.
The rubber latch that provides access to the trunk area of my 2007 toyota prius has essentially melted. When I touch it my hand comes away with a black gooey substance. In the summertime this is more of an annoyance than anything (I have to carry around wet-wipes, and I often put groceries etc. In the passenger cabin just to avoid accessing the trunk), but in the winter it can be quite dangerous, as the melted latch freezes, making it impossible to open the hatchback. This means that I cannot access my tools, spare tire, snow equipment, or anything else back there. The degradation of the handle latch actually began some time ago (it probably began after I had owned the car for about 4 years) but it has gotten worse over time so I finally decided to try to get it fixed. My toyota dealer wanted to charge me over $300 to replace the part. This struck me as absolutely outrageous given that it appears to be a design defect that creates a serious safety hazard.
2007 toyota prius rear hatch handle failure. Rubber cover melts into electric switch making it inoperable.
The hatchback handle/release is soft and gooey, and at times the release to open the hatchback will not work. Gooey black substance gets all over hands and fingers when you try to "pop" the hatchback. Unable to get the trunk to open on a couple of occasions. There is no internal release switch inside the car. Since the spare tire is in the trunk, there could potentially be no access to the tire. This seems to be a common complaint on this site, including the federal safety agency id numbers: 10541882, 10541772, and 1053526.
2007 toyota prius tailgate latch rubber has degraded and effectively melted to where the latch fails to work most of the time, and deposits rubber goo residue when contacting the latch. The part is clearly defective as indications of the problem started within 3 years of purchase. Clearly should be a recall or replacement via toyota. If not labor, at least cost of new part.
Hatch latches should not melt down in 2-3 years, and access to the hatch is a life safety issue. As with many other 2007 toyota prius vehicles the rubber material on the handle of the rear hatch has been deteriorating on my 2007 toyota prius and is getting more difficult to use. Without an expensive replacement by toyota the part will fail beyond the ability to open the rear hatch. Toyota refuses to recall the part and replace it as a defective part.
Dear gentlepersons: toyota must have purchased a batch of defective rubber from a vendor back in 2007 and 2008 because the rubber that you push against to release the locking mechanism for the trunk/hatchback has turned to play dough or sludge on my car. I contacted toyota in may of this year and they disclaimed any awareness of the problem. Recently I went online and found it is widely known on sites including prius chat, and when I spoke with my service advisor at my local dealership, he said he was well aware of it, that the same thing happened on his 2008 toyota sienna, and the only recourse is to replace the entire mechanism which costs an arm and a leg. I consider this a safety issue because if the rubber deteriorates enough, my fingers will protrude into the lock mechanism which I surmise would not work and play well with fingers, or may have an electrical current if I make contact. I followed up last week with toyota again, and the rep with whom I first spoke, initially said toyota had no complaints about it, then said that she knew of the issue, and told me to contact my local dealership to see if they were aware of a fix that did not involve a total switch replacement. After I called my dealership as suggested, and my own service advisor shared his personal experience with the issue, I was not able to speak with the original rep at toyota, and the next rep with whom I spoke told me they'd look into it and I'd hear back from toyota within two business days ... That has come and gone. My wife has a 2004 prius and the rubber on the latch looks and feels totally new. I don't think this is a warranty issue (which toyota is now trying to toss out to get rid of me), but instead, a manufacturing defect that has safety considerations. I would really like to know if there's something that can be done. Thank you. Sincerely, [xxxx] *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
The hatchback release latch of my 2007 toyota prius has degraded ("melted" almost). It no longer functions properly, and I am unable to open the back hatch door easily. Sometimes it requires considerable effort to get it open. I am concerned that in the case of an emergency, I will not be able to get the door open. This is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard.
Brake system: ABS warning malfunction light will illuminate when brake is tapped, but there is no malfunction or issue. Have to turn off vehicle to reset it. Handle on rear door/hatchback door: handle melted into a black gooey mess, hatchback could not be opened. Went to dealership, they would not fix without charging me even though they admitted it was a known issue with the vehicles. The first quote we got was almost $300 to fix, waited a couple of months, dealer finally dropped to $138 to fix it. This is obviously a known defective issue--no one should be charged anything. It is a safety issue as the door cannot be opened in an emergency. Why toyota will not fix this without causing their customer's potential danger/harm speaks volumes to them not caring about the customer. Dashboard warping: dashboard on driver side buckles up where it meets the edge of the windshield, was told it was in issue with the material that the dashboard was made from. Very poor quality to have this happen.
The hatchback handle/release is soft and gooey and at times the release to open the hatchback will not work. Gooey black substance gets all over hands and fingers when you try to "pop" the hatchback. Unable to get the trunk to open on a couple of occasions. There is no internal release switch inside the car. Since the spare tire is in the trunk, there could potentially be no access to the tire. It was discovered the day after we bought the car (used). Contacted dealer, who quoted us $300+ to repair. Have not had it repaired yet.
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