2008 Toyota Prius: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Mar 26, 2019 · 97,000 miles · CO

The trunk latch on this model is faulty and dangerous. The material used for the latch is too susceptible to temperature and either become rock hard in the winter cold or melty and gooey in the summer heat. It is almost impossible to get into my trunk through the back latch in the wintertime. I try and maybe if the weather is warm enough and it's just right, I can get into my trunk about 10 percent of the time, if that. Recently, I tried to open my trunk unsuccessfully. It opened enough to not be securely shut, but not enough to pop open. I was then also unable to shut the trunk. What ended up transpiring was a trunk that would register as opening and shutting, without the actual ability to fully open it or shut it. So the car door light must have come on at some point and drained my battery which then left me stranded on a winter day in a cold parking lot away from home. All because toyota effed up and used a very poor choice in materials for their trunk latches. This is something that they should correct so other people don't have trunk issues that end up causing problems. If someone needs to open their trunk in the winter time to retrieve medicine, like an epi-pen, then they are screwed. If someone needs to open the latch to help remove an animal or child out of a car for whatever reason, they are screwed. If they just simply want to have trunk functionality for hauling groceries, they are screwed. And if they are like me and manage to unfortunately find that sweet spot where the trunk only partially opens, but not fully, and their battery ends up becoming drained and they are stranded in the middle of nowhere, they are also screwed. Toyota made a mistake, and they should do something to fix it. I love my prius, but this one trunk latch issue is enough to make me reconsider other cars with functional door latches.

Filed Mar 23, 2018 · Brakes, Electrical · 141,160 miles · FL

My mother has a 2008 prius that has two serious issues that toyota has acknowledged and even offered to fix under what they call a support program. Sounds great right? Here's the problem. 1. She never received a letter notifying her of the problem and that it needed to be fixed (and only now that the issues have become her issues is she aware there was a recall and 2. Toyota set a time frame to fix these issues which she is now past. Again, sounds like they tried to do the right thing? The first issue is an internal leak causing her brake booster to malfunction (which is a toyota issue, not an age or wear and tear issue) and the second issue is that there are no lights on her dash board(combination meter) which means that for a prius, there is no way to tell your speed or gas levels. So take that in. She has a car, that has two major issues, one of which toyota fixed up until dec of 2017 and the other dec of 2016 and are caused by faulty parts and labor by toyota, and they will no longer fix these. The break issue cost $2400 and the dash $800. For an issue that is caused by toyota not the driver or wear and tear and is a serious safety issue. This is the kind of company toyota really is. Several years ago my mom received about 14 letters stating she needed to come in and replace her floor matts because they were part of a recall. Floor mats! She's received recall issues on her door lock among other things that she promptly had fixed. She took her car to the toyota dealership many times and no one ever mentioned these issues or "support programs". But breaks and dashboards aren't as important as floor mats or door locks. I would love for toyota to explain to me and everyone else, how something they acknowledge is a toyota issue, has an expiration date to get fixed by them.

Filed Feb 6, 2018 · Body · TX

The hatchback rubber door handle melted even though my car is garaged and not exposed to the sun's heat. Also the hatchback latch would not keep the door in an open position. It dropped multiple times hitting my head while getting the groceries. Can't remember how many times it hit my head but definitely a safety issue that toyota should address.

Filed Jan 11, 2017 · Body · 105,000 miles · WA

My rear hatch door latch cover and switch are inoperable and the rubber latch cover is gummy. Hatch will no longer open - this is a huge safety issue- how can I get to my spare tire?

Filed Jun 2, 2016 · Electrical · 85,000 miles · CO

The rubber rear hatch door release button on my 2008 toyota prius started to degrade and become sticky in hot summer weather. I originally thought that the latch was sticky and greasy because dealership service people had opened the car with greasy hands, but then the latch button cover became stiff and difficult to press a few months later, when the weather turned cold. This became a real safety hazard when I loaded the car completely full of my belongings on a cold night to move cross-country the next morning, and the door latch was so stiff and brittle from the cold that it cracked and broke, but the hatch wouldn't open. My chains, spare tire, tools, jumper cables, etc. Were all stuffed back there, completely unreachable from the front because the car was full (one of the items was a bed frame, which probably could not be removed without opening the rear hatch). Needless to say, I didn't feel very comfortable starting a 2-day cross-country drive on winter roads the next morning, without access to my emergency equipment. Eventually, the latch button started working again, but it remains cracked, hard in the cold, and gooey in the summer. I am hoping to replace this part as soon as I am able to spend the $300'500 that the dealership charges for this repair. This latch button is clearly defective and was tested for neither cold ( 80f) weather.

Filed Mar 24, 2015 · Body · 65,000 miles · HI

The rubber cover on the rear hatch door latch / switch has degraded and melted. It is impossible to open the rear hatch and to access my spare tire, making this a safety hazard. There is no manual way to release the hatch. There have been dozens of complaints on the federal safety agency site about this issue, see http://www.meyersonstrategy.com/2013/09/toyotas-sticky-2007-prius-hatch-problem.html for more. This should be fixed by toyota--it is a very expensive ($200-400) repair.

Filed Sep 24, 2013 · Locks · 65,000 miles · FL

Some months ago the driver's door lock stopped working. I ended up using the key to open the door for a couple of months, since toyota dealer quoted me $500 to correct the problem. After a couple of months, I decided to pay and the issue was fixed. To my surprise, the front passenger door lock is going bad now. When I try to unlock it from within the car, using the "unlock doors" button, it will work every 3rd time or so. Clearly a bigger issue, not isolated to my individual vehicle. I only have 70000 miles and always serviced my vehicle at the toyota dealers. I would like toyota to pay to fix my lock and reimburse me for the actuator I already paid to replace.

Filed Apr 11, 2013 · Body · 14,000 miles · MA

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.

Filed May 27, 2012 · Body · 42,000 miles · LA

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.

Filed Dec 17, 2011 · Electrical, Locks · 40,000 miles · CA

In early 2010 (estimate), the rear driver side door lock of our 2008 toyota prius would not unlock with key faub or driver side door lock/unlock button. I took vehicle into poway toyota (poway, ca) and they stated door lock actuator failed, which they replaced at my cost. By the summer of 2010 (estimate), the other three door locks have failed. I must use the key to open the front driver's door and reach over to open the passenger side doors while passengers wait outside the vehicle. It is not safe for passengers to wait to enter vehicle. To have all four door locks fail within three years of the car construction, indicates to me there could be a defect with this part of the toyota prius. I request you investigate this matter.

Filed Nov 26, 2011 · Body · VA

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:

Filed Nov 8, 2011 · Body · 36,001 miles · LA

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.