My 2007 toyota prius' rear hatchback latch rubber covering has melted into black goo. Every time I open the hatch it gets all over my fingers. I asked my dealer if toyota had recalled the latch and was told no. I didn't have it replaced then because it is very expensive. However I can't take it anymore and am going to get it replaced before the latch fails to open. It is going to cost $257! This is a safety issue and a defect issue, not a normal wear and tear item. Toyota has known about this and done nothing to fix it by issuing a recall. Shameful.
2007 Toyota Prius body complaints
Page 7 of 7: complaints 161 to 184 of 184, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The trunk hinge has melted, it looks like the plastic on the hinge has come apart thus not allowing the trunk to close. I've taken it to the dealer twice now with the same problem.
After only about 4 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2007 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 3 yr. Mark. We live in texas where temperatures were extremely warm last summer. Apparently toyota knows about this, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $96 plus repair costs, 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. I have had several instances where I was not able to get the hatch open on an extremely hot day. 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.
2007 toyota prius - tailgate switch melted and makes opening the tailgate difficult and messy.
Vehicle was purchased new in 2007 in houston, tx. In summer of 2010 the rubberized cover to the back latch began to melt and has become malformed during hot weather. This has resulted in difficulty opening the back hatch door, since the malformed rubber has made it, at times, almost impossible to press with enough force on the portion of the handle required to release the latch. Inability to open doors on a vehicle is obviously a safety concern. The handle continues to malform during hot weather, resulting in an ongoing change in the shape of the handle cover that solidifies into this shape for the remainder of the year (cooler weather) - making it even more difficult to open the door since the rubber is far stiffer in its normal state. As a separate annoyance, when in the melted state, the handle leaves a tar-like substance on your hands whenever touching the handle.
Rear hatch door latch failure, starting with softening and deformation of the rubber-like cover and progressing to latch not opening, especially in cold weather.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. While parked, the contact noticed that he rubber cover on the hatch release latch was melted and making it difficult to open the hatch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician stated to the contact that the hatch release assembly would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
The rear hatch release on my 2007 toyota prius has begun to deteriorate and turn into a rubbery and sticky black mess. This issue interferes with the use of the hatch as the rubber not only gets on your fingers but appears to be blocking the release mechanism. The deterioration started during the summer of 2011. The issue has worsened and yesterday I was unable to open the rear hatch whatsoever.
The rear hatch release has become inoperable due to a deteriorated rubber cover. Fixing the problem requires replacement of the entire release assembly. The area for the spare tire and hybrid battery are inaccessible until the latch is replaced.
I started to notice the back hatch handle getting sticky near the 3 year mark, which was about a year ago. It has become progressively worse where the black sticky tar will get hot & mark my hands so I decided to take it to the dealership. They said that it would cost around $330 to fix. After searching around it seems that this is a very recurrent problem that if makes it difficult to open the hatch back, which might result in injury or even death. I hope that toyota recalls this known issue of theirs soon.
The rear door latch rubber cover has turned to a goo, and makes it difficult to open the rear hatch door.
Hatchdoor handle release plate melting. Just like the multiple reports of this same problem already reported at this website. Majority of my car miles were accumulated in michigan; melting occurred just recently in texas. When calling the dealership parts dept they immediately guessed the problem. Melting. Due to previous customer complaints. Estimated part ($97) and installation ($100). Guess I should be thankful my tires and other car parts aren't melting!
The hatchback handle on my 2007 toyota prius has melted over time. This causes the latching mechanism to fail, which is a potential safety hazard in that it leaves this door virtually inaccessible during an emergency. Each time I try to open the rear door, melted rubber sticks to my hand. This car has performed satisfactorily otherwise, but the handle failure constitutes a manufacturing defect.
The rubber cover on the rear exterior hatch latch melted and is like tar. Big sticky mess every time I use the hatch which is often.the latch now also sticks sometimes. Dealer wants $260 to fix it. Why isn't toyota covering this obvious defect?
After only about 3 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2007 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 california. Toyota knows about this, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $200 plus repair costs, 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 california for example).
2007 toyota prius, back hatch release, rubber piece. This piece has deteriorated and it difficult to open back hatch. I have had this problem for about 1 year. I have done research and see this is a common problem in these 2007 toyota vehicles. I believe this to be a hazard and would think toyota would have recalled this piece as there are so many complaints.
After only about 4 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2007 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 in texas. Toyota knows about this, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $96 plus repair costs, 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 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: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-care-maintenance-troubleshooting/71647-2007-prius-trunk-hatch-release-rubber-piece-melted-4.html
The rear hatch release on my 2007 toyota prius has begun to decompose and turn into a rubbery, gooey mess. It interferes with the use of the hatch as the goo not only gets on the fingers but appears to be blocking the release mechanism.
I bought a scion in '06, my first car I've ever bought. It was wonderful, except that I live in florida and the rubber piece on my trunk handle melted. It melted so much that, to this day, there is a huge glob of rubber on my license plate. Well, yesterday I traded in my scion for a prius. I am having the same issue with the handle! Every time I open my trunk, I get black gunk on my hands. Upon research, I found that a large number of people are experiencing this problem with their toyotas. I emailed toyota and addressed them with the issue. They wrote it off as grease dripping from the handle, when if you look at my car, it is clear that there are globs of melted rubber everywhere. They told me it could easily be wiped off and I can't even scrape it off or wash it off with soap and water! I even sent them links to forums with page and pages of complaints with the same issue and they still won't address it. Therefore, I decided to report it here. This could potentially turn into a safety issue, if the rubber continues to melt causing the trunk to be inoperable.
I have a 2007 prius and 2-3 years after purchase, the rubber piece under the hatchback melted, making so that it was a sticky black mess and it wouldn't open. It now doesn't open at all and I can not get into my trunk, recently had a battery replaced and my car was stranded, the aaa guy had to crawl to the back w/ seats down from the side of the car. I could not get to my trunk if I have a flat tire in the future. I am out of warranty . My understanding is that toyota is making owners pay 300+ to fix this despite the fact that it is obviously a manufacturing defect. Please assist with this safety concern on all prius vehicles.
After only about 3 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2007 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, 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: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-care-maintenance-troubleshooting/71647-2007-prius-trunk-hatch-release-rubber-piece-melted-4.html [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b
Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving at 48 MPH, the brakes suddenly locked up and swayed to the left side when he depressed the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for diagnosis. The dealer repaired the axle and driver side body but it was unknown if the dealer repaired the brake system. The contact believed that the rain was a factor in the failure as it caused the computer chip for the brake pedal to malfunction. The braking system for the vehicle failed periodically in rainy weather. The VIN was unavailable at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. The current mileage was approximately 60,000.
1. After I opened the automatic electric garage door and waited for my wife to enter from our home and seat herself in the front passenger seat I started the vehicle, geared it into reverse to prepare to back out of our attached indoor garage. 2. As I started to back up, proceeding not more than about 18 inches, we heard a loud explosive sound accompanied by a tremor and shattering glass at the same moment. Immediately I shut off the engine and both of us exited the vehicle. We discovered that the right rear gas pressurized strut had exited with such force through the rear hatchbach trunk lid window shattering the glass and the impact of the strut had damaged the metal railing of the garage door. Had anyone been in the path of the strut they could have been killed. The back of the vehicle was at least two feet inside the open garage door. The rear trunk lid did not collide with any part of the garage door. There were no injuries. 3. Upon my insistence the vehicle was towed to our dealer for inspection. And eventually repaired. I have most of the old parts at my home.
Tl*- the contact purchased a 2007 toyota prius on february 28, 2007 with 4 miles from beaver toyota of santa fe new mexico. The day after purchasing the vehicle while driving over 40 MPH it did not drive straight, it moved left to right. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that this was how the vehicle drove. The service manager explained that these vehicles had many complaints because of the way the vehicle was aerodynamicly made, the vehicle tended to move from side to side going over 40 MPH on the highway. The failure mileage was 20, and the current mileage was 300 miles.*ak updated 04/09/07.
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