2009 Toyota Prius body problems

Filed Feb 15, 2022 · Body · IL

Over the years the rubber handle which needs to be pressed in in order to open the trunk has disintegrated. Now it’s at the point where the assembly under the rubber handle is exposed. It is getting harder and harder to open. I need to be able to get into the truck to get to my spare tire and road hazard equipment. I can’t get a picture s8nce it’s too close to the body and covered by the overhanging trunk lid. It’s about $500 to fix. But I rarely use that handle, so it certainly was never abused. Just a very bad design.

Filed Oct 11, 2020 · Body · CA

The back latch of my granddaughters 09 toyota prius has degraded ("melted" almost). It no longer functions properly, and we are 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, she will not be able to get the door open. This is a major cause for concern and it is a serious safety hazard. It is necessary to get to the spare tire, maybe even get out of the trunk in case of a fire or other reason. It is a black, gooey mess. She first noticed it a couple of years ago, but I just found out about it and I am obviously concerned about her safety.

Filed Oct 13, 2019 · Airbags, Body · 103,000 miles · CT · crash · 1 injury

I was turning left and was hit by an oncoming car. Most damage done to the front right. The car was totaled. I was going about 5-10mph though the oncoming car was going approximately 40mph. The firemen, police and insurance adjuster were all very concerned that the airbags did not deploy. My babies were safe in the backseat thanks to their car seats. I had to go to the hospital and suffered a concussion. We just had our car tuned up at our local toyota dealership not even 6 mos ago. They did not say anything about a concern with the airbags.

Filed Mar 4, 2019 · Body · 60,000 miles · MD

Since a couple of weeks ago the left back door won't open from the inside. It can only be opened from the outside. Since thursday, feb. 28, 2019 the right back door also can't be opened from the inside, only from the outside. That door hardly ever is used. The passenger was trapped inside. I had to open it from the outside to let him out. This has never happened before to any car I ever drove or was a passenger in. It's very dangerous to be trapped inside. Something is seriously wrong with how the door was manufactured.

Filed Nov 28, 2018 · Airbags, Body · 128,000 miles · MD · crash

Maybe related to takata recall: we did not receive a recall, however our car skid into a tree and had significant front end damage, however no airbags deployed. Was going 25 MPH on a suburban residential st during a mixed snow/sleet storm. Slight curve and slightly downhill. The brakes were not applied as they could have made it worse. Car sped up into the skid totalling the car with $11,000 damage. We have been given several opinions that the velocity necessary to cause the damage should have triggered the airbag sensors. Car hit the middle of the bumper and perhaps missed the sensors? No report was filed by the police as accident was caused by the road conditions/weather not driver error. I have photos I can send in a few days

Filed Jan 31, 2017 · Body · 136,545 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact had difficulty opening the trunk of the vehicle. Once opened, the panel above the license plate detached from the vehicle. The panel was hanging with all the wires still attached to the vehicle. The contact could no longer access the trunk. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic were it was diagnosed that the panel needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 136,545.

Filed Dec 29, 2016 · Body · 70,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact stated that the hatch was melted to the hatch lever latch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Feb 17, 2015 · Body, Steering · 68,440 miles · AZ · crash

While inching slowly into a parking spot, vehicle suddenly accelerated at full speed to jump over the parking barrier. Wheels were turned slightly to right, so car veered right and stopped as it high-centered on the barrier, just behind front wheels. No injuries- driver & child in back were buckled. Witnessed by many pedestrians who ran to assist. One witness said the same thing happened in her prius, but toyota was useless to help. In months since the incident, toyota has been terrible at responding in any helpful way. The black box recorder shows nothing, of course, since it was a slow impact without airbag deploy. Most interestingly, the federal safety agency has no info of this incident, which I'm reporting today only because I noticed in the owner manual on rear page, small print, some info about reporting safety defects for u.s. Owners... But at least 20 toyota personnel, insurance adjustors, repair facilities and sales team members never said anything about such a report. Hence my assumption that most of these incidents are not reported to gov't unless fatalities occur.

Filed Aug 29, 2014 · Body, Electrical · 102,000 miles · FL

The rubber cover to the outside truck latch has melted completely in hot florida weather and has become gooey to the point of dripping onto my license plate. The truck is very difficult to open and sometimes I am unable to lock or open the car because the trunk is not all the way closed. This is a safety issue because if I needed to get into the trunk to get a spare tire I may not be able to. Given many other reports of this issue dating back to 2007 models, toyota should stop using this type of component and should recall this item and fix it with a different material so this does not keep happening. I am also concerned the exposed latch will cause electrical damage to the trunk or lighting because of severe rain that often occurs in florida where this problem seems prevalent.

Filed Jan 13, 2014 · Body · FL

Hatchback rubber part of latch melted and became a sticky mess. Electronics on latch are now exposed to moisture and dirt.