Problems with 2007 Toyota Prius STRUCTURE

The hatch or trunk sticks when i try to open it. the dark rubber in the latch area appears to have melted and spread. *tr

The vinyl(?) material that covers the latch to open the back hatch is melting and sticky. like so many other 2007 prius owners i love my prius but am disappointed with toyota for not taking care of this problem. the dealership states that it is not under warranty and the cost for the replacement switch (i was told the fix is to replace the whole switch because they don't sell a replacement piece of vinyl only) is $70, this is the cost for the part only, not including labor. after the hassle of multiple recalls on this car it is unfortunate that toyota refuses to take care of a problem that so many owners are experiencing. *tr

Liftgate latch rubber handle is disintegrating. *tr

The rear door latch cover material has deteriorated and the latch is no longer operating as expected. the rubber material is a soft gummy consistency and the latch mechanism to the hatchback fails to release allowing access to the rear storage area. this area contains the spare tire. *tr

Water collects in wheel well when driving in wet conditions. *tr

The back door 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. sometimes it required considerable effort and perseverance to get it open. i cannot open it anymore as the latch broke. 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. blue 2007 prius in cupertino, ca. *tr

During the summer of 2011, we noticed the trunk latch mechanism to be sticky and melting, leaving black stuff on our hands. we live in southwest ohio, so temperatures are usually in the 80s-90s in the peak of summer. at times, this would cause the trunk latch not to work, and we couldn't open the trunk. during the fall months, things improved, and it wasn't as much of an issue. once the colder winter months began, the trunk latch began to stick and wouldn't open when it was cold. i can recall several times trying to open the trunk unsuccessfully. again, things improved once temperatures warmed up in spring. the whole cycle started again in the summer and repeated over and over. over time, the part that the latch is connected to began to feel loose. i asked about it during my routine 80k mile service, and they said that the whole part would need to be replaced, not just the latch. although we have the extended warranty coverage, apparently it was not covered and we could not afford to replace it at that time. well, this february, the trunk latch was once again malfunctioning and would not open while running errands. at one location, i tried opening the trunk, squeezing the melted button, and the entire part that the switch is attached to (including the push button lock, the back-up camera, etc.) broke off of the car. i am 30something woman with average strength, and i don't feel i was being overly aggressive on trying to open the car. i believe this was due to the part not functioning and over time, the connections were just too weak. this should not have happened from normal wear and tear, and it is clearly a defect by the manufacturer. i have read online that this issue has occurred on many other toyota prius vehicles of the same age. i believe that toyota needs to issue a recall and refund the $312.03 i had to spend to repair a defective part. *tr

I cannot open my hatchback in cold weather. the rubber piece is very hard in cold weather not allowing me to engage mechanism for opening hatchback. if it was made of a pliable material in cold weather i think it would open. please get toyota to fix this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that the rubber on the hatchback was melted and, when opened, would cover her in black tar. the dealer stated that the hatch handle cover needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

Parking my prius, my foot on the brake pedal, i hit a very small patch of black ice with the right front wheel. the car slanted briefly to the left--then there was a sudden surge of engine power. the car rushed over a mound of ice and snow, jumped the curb, rushed forward between a wall and a tree, narrowly missing it, and crashed into a parked toyota truck facing outward from the curb. my prius hit the heavy truck with enough force to knock it six feet for their north and three feet to the west. after impact, the engine continued to make a lot of noise, a sound i've never heard before in seven years of driving the car. it was attempting to surge past the truck, which i believe caused the most damage to the front left bumper of the car. i was stunned and didn't think to turn off the ignition before it quit on its own after perhaps ten seconds. the body was sheared back, strips of blue paint hanging in shreds. i crawled out the passenger side unhurt. (the air bags did not deploy.) *js

The rear lift gate latch on my toyota prius has stopped functioning. the exterior rubber over the latch mechanism/switch has melted, turned gummy and will no longer function to open the lift gate. in cold weather the latch has been even more difficult to open and the trim piece containing the trunk hatch latch fractured in sub-freezing weather while trying to get the latch to release. the car was parked with light snow falling. i can no longer open the trunk of my car from the outside. this is a safety hazard as i can not access the rear hatch of my car in an emergency and defeats the primary purpose of a hatchback car which is access to the car's interior. the car jack and emergency spare tire located just behind the failed hatch latch. i had to pay over $500+ to have toyota replace the failed hatch latch switch and surrounding trim piece.

Rear hatch release latch rubber is dissolving and will only work with difficulty or not at all. i was unaware that this is a frequently reported problem with this car and had not checked with this web site. the disintegrating rubber appears to be interfering with the action of the switch that releases the hatch. my local toyota dealer said nothing about this being a common problem and replaced the rear hatch switch assembly for a cost of $167 plus tax. this complaint was made aug. 6, 2014. *tr

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. *tr

Trunk/hatchback opener/latch melted. latch is now sticky and very difficult to open. this is a hazard as someone could be trapped in the car because the rear hatch will not open. *tr

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. *tr

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. if it's cold out it will not open at all. 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. i can not get to spare tire or tools during cold weather. i am unable to get to the child car seat strap that latches behind seat to take car seat out. the part is very expensive to replace and i has seen numerous postings on this site of the same issues across the united states. time to make toyota own up and replace it. *tr

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. *tr

I am unable to open my rear hood latch. there is a covering on the latch that is sticky, gooey and impossible to open manipulate and use. i have found numerous other complaints on the web (see, for example: http://www.meyersonstrategy.com/2013/09/toyotas-sticky-2007-prius-hatch-problem.html). it has gotten worse over time. given the widespread nature of this problem, i believe that toyota installed a faulty latch and should replace the latch at no charge. *tr

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. *tr

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! *tr

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. *tr

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 *tr

The back latch of my toyota prius 2007 has degraded. in the past i have rarely used the trunk of my car and therefore did not realize the extent of the problem. i am now almost 9 months pregnant. a couple of months ago (around november 2013) i tried to open the trunk. while it was difficult, after a lot of pressing and maneuvering i was able to open it. most recently for the past 3 weeks, i am completely unable to open the trunk. now that the trunk is completely unable to be opened, i am extremely concerned for the safety of my newborn that will be riding in the car. in the event of an emergency, being able to open the trunk to potentially remove my baby out of the car is a must. therefore, i believe this is a serious safety hazard. i am requesting that toyota correct this problem on my car. *tr

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. *tr

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). *tr

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. *tr

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. *tr

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.

2007 toyota prius rear hatch handle failure. rubber cover melts into electric switch making it inoperable. *tr

The rubber cover over the rear hatch latch got soft and would stick onto my hands. i had to pay to have it replaced. also my breaks grab especially when the weather is damp.

The lift gate latch on the 2007 toyota prius is inoperative because of the melting of the rubberized substance that covers the liftgate mechanism. i believe this is a defect that many 2007 toyota prius owners have experienced. *tr

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. *tr

The hatch rubber panel has been deteriorating. in winter the rubber panel is hard as a rock. in summer, the panel is melting and losing its form. it makes the opening of the trunk challenging. in summer months, the panel is gooey and makes fingers dirty. i am concerned that i cannot open hatch in case of emergency. *tr

Rear hatch handle liquefied. *tr

The hatchback handle/lock has melted. now when it's very cold you cannot open it without considerable force. my 16 year old daughter is driving the car and she can't get it open. *tr

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. *tr

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. *jb

The rubber on the rear hatch latch was defective and degenerated into a pile of goo, making it difficult to open the rear hatch door. this is a well-known defect for this model and year, but toyota has so far not made an extended warranty to have the problem repaired at no charge to the owner of the vehicle. *tr

Rear hatch latch release button is rubber. it has deteriorated releasing black substance onto fingers, it is sticky and button does not release as well as before. *tr

2007 prius liftback black rubber switch-handle is melting and black rubber tar is all over hands when touching the switch-handle. reported for years by other owners on priuschat blog: http://priuschat.com/threads/2007-prius-trunk-hatch-release-rubber-piece-melted.71647/page-3 should be a recall for this defective melting rubber handle which is on hands whenever you touch it. very hot to touch during summer weather too. part numbers for 2007 prius (but always double check them!): 84905-47010 - for models with smart entry. 84840-47020 - for models without smart entry. local dealer acknowledges the defective part is common, but would not replace/repair for free. the blog above shows countless numbers of similar cases costing as much as >$300 to replace. this is also happening in our 2009 prius too. *tr

The rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) on my 2007 toyota prius has melted making it difficult to open the rear hatch. i can best describe it as being a viscous black glob like roofing tar. the vehicle's smart key locking system has also been affected by the melted switch. it now takes several seconds to find the sensor due to a loss in sensitivity in the switch, caused by the melting of the rubber cover. i thought that this might be a singular issue, but have read numerous complaints online from other car owners. from a safety perspective, this means you can experience extreme difficulty opening the rear hatch (a life safety access point) 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 heat). i think a door handle or hatch handle should be made to last more than 3 years. thank you for your assistance. *tr

Rear hatch release is dissolving and hatch will only open with difficulty or not at all. many similar complaints on line about this issue for this prius model year. *tr

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. *tr

The rubber on my trunk release has turned to a tarry mess making it very difficult to open and leaving black tar all over my fingers. when the release does not work, i have pull out my keys to press the unlock button or open the car to press the unlock button which sometimes releases it but not always. i opt not to use my trunk because it is so terribly inconvenient and frustrating now, especially when i am juggling packages and/or kids. i am terribly disappointed that toyota is not taking ownership of this problem as i see many posts dealing with this very same issue. *tr

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! *tr

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. *tr

Within the handle for the rear hatch of the 2007 prius there is a strip of rubber which i assume is to prevent moisture from penetrating into the interior components and it may also shield some electrical wiring. this piece of rubber is becoming soft and melting. whenever we open the hatch, our fingers and hands are stained with a black gooey substance that's difficult to remove from our hands. this has been a problem ever since we purchased the vehicle in 2011. it seems to me that a body part should last more than 4 yrs and since we purchased used, it may have already been gooey before we purchased. *tr

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)

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle rear hatch door seal failed and allowed water to penetrate the rear passenger side floor board. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the dealer denied assistance with the repair. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 86,000.

Tail gate lifters failed to completely lift the tail gate. not noticing the tail gate was slightly lower than normal, the driver, while standing on the ground to remove groceries from the back, leaned into back of vehicle and struck the top of her head on the tail gate, sustaining a concussion. symptoms included nausea, headaches and difficulty concentrating, leaving her unable to complete her normal tasks for the day. the symptoms lasted 2 days. driver's husband came out and immediately confirmed that tailgate had failed to open completely and he determined it was no longer opening completely, representing a partial but dangerous failure of the lifting mechanism. the time was approximately 4 pm; the temperature was approximately 48 degrees. what makes it particularly dangerous and pernicious is that the mechanism that used to open the tail gate all the way up, providing ample head clearance, was now leaving the tail gate open but with reduced headroom. the mechanism that used to provide sufficient head clearance so one could stand behind the vehicle and lean into the rear was now only partially opening the tail gate, to a point low enough to cause a concussion but not low enough to be noticeable. the change from having ample headroom to not having enough headroom created a trap. *tr