Rear hatch switch melted and had to be replaced for $290.62. This is a toyota problem which they refuse to acknowledge.
2008 Toyota Prius body complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 68 of 68, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Black handle on hatch melting. After only about 5 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of my 2008 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. I went to toyota ardmore, pa to complain about it but did not get any answers and choose to ignore it. I am asking for your agency to take a look at these instances and also to ask toyota why they are not recalling these handles. Thanks for your help.
The rear hatch latch rubber cover has melted, making it difficult to open the door.
Lift gate latch rubber cover is melted.
Rear liftgate rubber guard has become melted and gooey causing intermittent back liftgate door look issues. I need to replace just the rubber piece.
When I try to open the trunk, the rubber piece that you touch in order to open the trunk seem to have melted. My fingers turn black every time I try to open the trunk. Does anyone know what that rubber piece is called or the part number so that I can replace it? It makes the rear hatch very hard to open in hot and cold weather.
Rear hatch release cover melts off switch. My prius rear hatch release rubber cover became sticky a year or so ago. Then started melting off the switch this year. I left the car sit for a week in high 90 temps and the rubber cover was nearly melted to my license plate. It was no longer attached to the electric switch. I researched on line and found several people complaining about this issue. Toyota wants $200 plus for the switch. This should not breakdown like this. Would like to have toyota fix the problem since it has a hard time keeping this part in stock. That shows it's a problem.
I live in texas where the weather gets hot during the summer. I noticed last year that the rubber trunk latch on my toyota prius was noticeably different in texture after I had tried to use it after it had been parked in the sun. It didn't cause much of a problem then, but now it has melted so much that it droops down over an inch and is about to fall off from the sides. The handle has turned into a tar like substance, and will not reattached to the original part. I spoke with my dealership, and they have told me that this is a consistent problem, but will not replace it for under $400. I normally park my vehicle in a garage, so this is obviously a manufacturer defect that they want me to pay for to replace. This concerns me as I will not be able to use my trunk with the rubber piece gone, since it protects it from the water, dust and debris. The electrical connections also allow me to use the trunk, lock and unlock the car, and is part of the entire engine and braking system. With the known problems that already are associated with the prius, I am scared to drive the car with potential issues that could arise from the electrical issues and losing access to the safety equipment (emergency supplies, spare tire, jack) that are all located in the trunk. If there was ever a need to exit from the trunk, it would not be possible once the latch has been compromised. Please look into this issue as it has occurred to countless people who all own 07-08 priuses, as we would all like to be able to use our trunk handles without being covered in black goo.
The hatchback release is melting. It is all gooey when you open the door. One of my concerns is what type of chemical is getting on my hands? Is it toxic? The second is safety. I have read over time you will not be able to open the hatchback. This would not be appropriate if you had a flat tire. I contacted toyota and they said they have no record of this problem,but after researching the internet I see a significant amount of complaints. I also see a lot of complaints about this problem on this site. Please have a recall for a defective part. I was told by the dealer that it would cost 210.00 plus tax for a replacement.
Melt down of hatchback release handle. Very hard to open hatchback.
The plastic part on the rear latch for the toyota prius is now like gum. After internet research this is a common problem for all toyota latches and it costs about $280.00 to fix. I have a 2008 toyota prius and this is a known defective part and should be recalled and the consumer should not be charged.
The material in the trunk door handle is dissolving and or disintegrating. At times this appears to be the cause of a delay in opening the trunk. My concern is that in the case of an emergency a delay in reaching items needed to deal with a roadside emergency that are stored in the trunk may occur. I had mentioned this defect to toyota dealers in prior years and my complaint was in my opinion relegated to the "unimportant bucket". I recently researched the defect on the internet and observed what I was experiencing has been previously documented in other complaints. In a recent visit to a toyota service center for routine maintenance I again presented what was happening and the documentation I observed on the internet and was told the vehicle repair was out of the warranty period and there would be a charge if I wanted the repair. The charge imo was excessive for something that imo was a built in defect and deserves a recall.
The black rubber trunk release cover has deteriorated/melted, making it difficult to open the rear hatch of the car. This appears to be a common problem, based on the number of complaints reported on the internet for this same issue. Appears to be a manufacturing/part defect.
After about 3 years of use, the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) started to become soft and sticky, and after a few months eventually totally melts into a sticky, gooey black mess that would stick to your hands whenever you touch it. The hatch becomes harder and harder to open.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that while attempting to park the engine revved up. As a result, the vehicle jumped the curve and ran into some bushes. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The failure and current mileage was 87,102. ..updated 11/14/12 *bf updated 11/15/2012
At about 2 years old the handle to the back hatch release melted into a tarry goo.
On 8/29/12, I got into my 2008 prius in the parking lot of the easton, md giant food-store to return home. This lot is on a slope just above a parking lot for walmart, with a paved road between the 2 lots. The parking lots were very crowded. I needed to get to the road separating the 2 lots in order to go home. I had just started the prius and put it into drive when it started to roar loudly, jumped out fast, and accelerated rapidly, even though I brake multiple times. The brakes seemed to make it accelerate faster. I was not touching the gas pedal, only the brake, but the car was roaring and out of control. On the way out of the giant lot, the prius hit 3 cars. The noise was very loud, and the car was out of control. Pumping the brakes or holding them down did nothing to slow the car, and the noise was terrifying. The brakes did not work, and the prius continued to make a very loud roaring noise. The speed of the car made steering difficult, if not impossible, and there could have been injuries. The prius then left the giant parking lot, went down the mulched slope, crossed the street, bumped over the curb, and went up the walmart slope hitting a small tree. The car was probably going at least 40 MPH and came to a stop only after it plunged into an unoccupied black car parked in the walmart parking lot. It was severely damaged and towed away. No one knew who the owner was at the time the police ordered it towed away. An occupant would have been severely injured or killed.during the above, the prius continued to run and the airbag functioned, keeping me uninjured. The brakes and the accelerator failed totally. Four vehicles were damaged, one of which was totaled. But as far as I know, there were no injuries??for which I am grateful. This prius should not have been on the road despite having only 74,000 miles and its apparent good condition.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The contact stated that the handle on the lift gate melted. The contact noticed it when he grabbed the lift gate handle and a sticky solution covered his hands. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that there was no recalls on the failure. The failure mileage was 56,000.
After only about 3 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2008 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 live in louisiana. 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 2 year mark (ie after 2 years of exposure to the bright sun in louisiana 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 2 years.
The lift gate's problematic opening, has caused the latch and the body part that it is attached, to break away from the vehicle.
Toyota 2008 prius trunk hatch release rubber piece melted. 2008 model was only 2.5 years old when this happened. Dealer says $197.00 for this part.
We bought our 2008 toyota prius in nov 2007. After about 3 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) melted into a sticky tarry black rubbery gooey mess. 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, but has been a serious issue for the past year. We can barely open the rear hatchback now. I have seen on the internet that this has happened to several car owners, particularly in florida. We live in virginia though. 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, we experience extreme difficulty opening the rear hatch (a life safety access point), and will get sticky black tar on our hands 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, 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:
After only about 3 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2008 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 louisiana. We also live in louisiana. 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). I am aware of the outstanding work done by the federal safety agency on other safety issues 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-5.html thank you for your assistance.
My 2008 prius trunk handle has melted. It is now difficult to open, and is extremely messy. This started in may 2011, just outside the warranty period of the car.
Rubber on the 2008 prius is melting and dripping. I've seen many complaints on line about this problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. The vehicle was stationary. The contact observed a water leak in the trunk in the spare tire wheel well. The failure occurred during rainy weather conditions. The water was drained from the wheel well. The contact was concerned about the potential safety hazard contributed to water leakage within the battery. The failure and current mileages were 40,000.
The prius has a mark on dash by center screen and is poor sign.
Vehicle is extremely, almost dangerously, sensitive to cross winds and wake turbulence from larger vehicles, trucks specifically.
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