Problems with 2008 Toyota Prius STRUCTURE

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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. while driving various speeds, the instrument panel failed to illuminate. the contact also stated that the rear hatch button melted. the vehicle was taken to south dade toyota (29330 s dixie hwy, homestead, fl 33033, (786) 465-7908) where it was diagnosed that the wire connections were disconnected. the contact was also informed that the rear hatch button was a manufacturer defect and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failures and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in a recall. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

Toyota prius (2008) - fire after minor accident (battery fire) after a fairly standard rear end collision (25-30 mph), my toyota prius caught fire and burst into flames. i was stopped at a red light on a city street in chicago, il when the accident occurred, my vehicle was not in motion. within minutes of impact (to right rear of car), the responding police officer saw fire under the car (began in rear) and the fire dept was called. the fire travelled to the front of the car and the car has been deemed a total loss. the police and tow company believe this was caused by the prius battery and these cars are very unsafe to be on the road with this condition. there has been no related recall on this vehicle, but it's incredibly unsafe and i'm very happy i was not traveling with my children at time of accident. i appreciate you taking time to review this case and taking steps to ensure toyota addresses the issues with the prius vehicles. i've attached the police report and photos of the car fire (i also have video of the fire, but the file is too large to attach on this submission - available upon request). no major injuries - i experienced soreness / headaches from impact/whiplash and saw my doctor following accident (no major injury). please review and let me know if i can provide anything else / answer any questions. thank you in advance! [xxx] ('parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).')*jb

My 2008 prius (67,500 miles) regularly serviced at the toyota dealer had a catastrophic brake failure while i was going in reverse down my drive way . i have done the same maneuver every day for more than 20 years in this driveway and never had a problem. as the brakes failed i attempted to pump the brake pedal more to no avail. the car crossed the street and went in the neighbor yard across from my driveway. the car is totaled and i believe it was a complete brake failure that caused the accident. i would like toyota to compensate me for the total loss of my car.

The rubber trunk switch cover has degraded, and continues to "melt" or "disintegrate" over time. originally this was a mere irritation, leaving sticky black residue on my fingers every time i opened the trunk. however, now the switch fails to operate most of the time. this is a safety issue, since i am unable to open the trunk to access the spare tire, as well as other safety equipment or supplies.

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?

My daughter was driving with a passenger in the front, on a town street and a vehicle pulled out in front of her. the impact was on her front bumper and hood pushing the side quarter panels back. the other vehicle was an older pontiac grand pris, their airbags deployed. no airbags deployed on the toyota prius.why did the airbags not deploy?

I was in a parking lot and turned my car into a parking space. as i slowed my car to bring it to a stop, applying the brake, the car accelerated on its own and crashed into a railing at the head of the parking space. although i pushed the brake all the way to to floor, i could not stop the car. the car hit at such a speed that it broke a solid wood railing at the front of the parking space. my car was declared a total loss by my insurance company because of the damage. it seemed to me the car accelerated on its own and the brake was nonfunctional. i could not stop the car. i had two related incidents prior to this crash. the first, i rear-ended another vehicle when applying the brake to stop at a traffic light. again, the car accelerated and the brake would not stop it. even with the brake fully pressed, the car hit the other vehicle, bounced backward, continued to accelerate and hit the car again before coming to a stop. secondly, one time i noticed when applying the brake to make a sharp right turn, the car lurched forward. this did not result in a crash.

The rubber on the rear liftgate has deteriorated. my fingers get covered in a sticky goo every time i open it.

The rear latch assembly is held in place by plastic bolts. over time, the plastic distingrates. when attempting to open the rear latch of the parked car, the plastic cracked and the assembly came loose.

The hatchback latch has a rubber cover which has been deteriorating for several years. there are 100s of complaints on the internet about it. now, the latch pressure plate fails to allow me to open hatch and the nearby (plastic?) part is broken--similar to many others on web. dealer quotes a $540 cost to repair the latch and plate.

The latch handle on the hatchback has "melted" for lack of a better word. the handle has become gooey and leaves a black residue on my fingers every time i open the hatchback. because of this problem, the handle is harder to use, making it more trying to open the trunk.

I purchased my prius in 2008. approximately 3 years after purchase, i noticed that the handle on the back hatch had started to get really soft in hot weather and freeze up a little in cold weather. at first it was just a nuisance as it sometimes left a black sticky substance on my hands; however, over time it became progressively worse and the hatch became harder to open. i cannot open it at all now (sept. 2015), leaving me without access to the spare tire, the battery, snow shovel, or my accident kit (flares, blanket, etc). my back light also keeps going off then coming back (i got a ticket for it) but i cannot get to the light fixture because i cannot open the trunk. this is therefore a safety hazard and toyota should fix it. i am told that they have admitted liability and fixed this problem for free in japan. if that is true, it should be extended to the us! lack of access to battery and spare tire and the problem with the rear light pose a serious safety issue.

The latch handle on the hatchback has disintegrated. the handle has become gooey and leaves a black residue on my fingers every time i open the hatchback. because of this problem, the handle is harder to use, making it difficult to open the trunk. replacement part number is 84905-47010.

I was hit in the rear end which shoved me into the vehicle in front of me 7/31/2015. air bags did not deploy.

The black rubber is disintegrating and falling off the outside trunk latch, making it difficult to open the hatchback to get to the spare tire or battery. this is also happening to my neighbor, who parks right next to me and also has a 2008 prius.

I was driving my 2008 prius in rainy weather (normal for seattle) northbound on interstate 5 in relatively heavy traffic. traffic was slowing down, so i brake and decreased my speed further. as i got closer to the car ahead of me, i pushed more firmly on the brake, and nothing happened. the abs did not engage. the car just kept moving along and i ran into the car ahead of me. luckily my speed was only 5-7 mph. the other car, an suv, was not damaged. my front hood was quite crunched. no one was hurt. my concern is that the brakes simply did not engage at the last moment. i have read about the recalls of 2010 prius' because of abs failures, so i wanted to make sure that you were aware of at least one 2008 prius that seems to have experienced a similar failure. thanks. *tr

The back latch of my 2008 toyota prius began melting last summer, leaving a sticky black residue on my hand when i touched it. it now takes both hands and a lot of pressure/strength to even open it. i see that other owners have experienced this problem, yet toyota did not issue a recall and is instead, demanding $315 to replace it. since the inability to quickly access the trunk in am emergency presents a safety concern, i feel that i have no alternative but to replace it. it will be the last toyota that i own. *tr

The hatchback lift has deteriorated and no longer works. the toyota service representative quoted me $570 to replace it, stating it could pose an electrical system safety issue. no damage has occurred and since it is keyless ... how does this happen? the clear coat has degraded only on the piece of metal that encloses the hatchback's lift mechanism and started flaking about the same time that i noticed it was getting harder and harder to lift the hatchback. could these two failures be related? when these problems started several months ago it didn't occur to me that there might be a connection. the service rep ignored my question about a possible relationship. *tr

This is a report of product failure and subsequent refusal by toyota to replace failed parts post 36 k mi. warranty. they are a steering wheel compound disintergration and the premature oxidation of the plastic spoiler paint only w/o similarly occuring on the sheetmetal of the body.

Rear hatchback locking/unlocking rubber handle disolved/melted and became a tar-like mass that stuck to fingers. unable to unlock truck manually and electrically. unable to access trunk where emergency/safety equipment located.

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 nhtsa 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. *tr

On my 2008 toyota prius rear hatch liftgate, the handle has melted making it very difficult to open the rear hatch. this is a safety problem because there is then no safe way to remove items from the rear. since the spare tire is stored in the hatch, toyota should repair this problem. this seems to be an ongoing problem with the 2nd generation prius. i have read numerous complaints regarding this issue on various forums. the entire liftgate assembly has now broken from the hatch, causing the rear hatch not to open or close properly. the safety issue has now become worse as i am worried that the rear hatch may open while driving. *tr

Rubber like material that made the hatchback latch has melted to the plastic/metal. difficulty opening. on some occasions, it will not open. will not open in extreme heat or cold weather. all doors should function properly. dealership will not replace even though it is obviously a problem. *tr

The black part on the "trunk" which you have to touch to open the hatchback, started melting the first summer after we bought the prius. every summer since it drips black rubber, which smears all over your hand every time you open the door. in the winter, it doesn't melt, but the trunk is extremely difficult to open, which could create a risk of death, if passengers were trapped inside a burning car after a collision. from what i read on the internet, toyota is denying this is a manufacuring defect, claiming that people are using the wrong products to clean their cars. which is illogical, and wholly inaccurate in this case, since my husband certainly never washed the car for the first several years he had it, until i got tired of a dirty car and had it detailed. it was melting long before that. toyota needs to accept responsibility for their mistake, and fix it. *tr

The latch handle on the hatchback has "melted" for lack of a better word. the handle has become gooey and leaves a black residue on my fingers every time i open the hatchback. because of this problem, the handle is harder to use, making it more trying to open the trunk. *tr

The rear hatch release button/cover has disintegrated into a mush of black gooey material that turns my hands black. i have read that many other people have had this issue but that there has not yet been a recall. it doesn't seem reasonable that a 6 year old car should have this happening to many people. clearly it was a defective part to begin with. *tr

I am a mechanical professional engineer licensed in the state of california. i was with an individual at the time this occurred as they attempted to open the back hatch. upon trying to lift the tail gate the individual heard the click and the slight release of the lock for the tail gate. they were unaware of the degraded condition of the switches cover. upon trying to lift the hatch they felt their fingers "appear" to sink into the switch. afraid of shock or suffering physical arm the individual attempted to pull hand away from hatch latch. due to the adhesive nature of the degraded switch cover the fingers could not be removed in the natural expected motion. the alter motion resulted in the breaking of the latch switch cover and the individuals hand being launched in a direction that fortunately only resulted in a shoulder sprain. this left the vehicle back hatch with a broken cover and prevent the user from using the back hatch until the cover and switch were /repaired or replaced. it appears the rubber/gasket/cover for the back hatch latch switch degrades overtime due to unknown reasons. in the heat in this particular case the cover began to melt and drip off the cover/switch. the material became tacky/sticky enough to become adhesive enough that signification [implying that force would be enough to cause self injury for someone that was not expecting the situation to develop as such.] force was required to separate fingers from the switch (several ft/lbs of force). *tr

This isn't a "safety" issue so i hope this is the right place to file this. the trunk latch on the toyota prius disintegrates. i believe the material, design is poor. it will cost $487 to replace this. *tr

The back latch of my 2008 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. 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. the item in question is a rubber pad, about 1" x 3", located facing down on a horizontal surface of the trunk lid, just above the license plate. it covers a momentary contact switch. when you depress the switch, through this rubbery pad, the computer checks to see if there's a key in the vicinity. if there is, the automatic latch for the trunk is activated and the trunk opens. the rubber pad deterioration interferes with the functioning of the latch and toyota refuses to address this issue proactively in spite of numerous complaints related to the defective materials they have used. *js

On the hatch, the exterior switch to open the hatch is covered by a rubber seal to prevent moisture. unfortunately for me (and apparently hundreds of other consumers i've spoken to online), the rubber eventually dissolves and destroys the switching mechanism, leading to an inability to open the trunk/hatch. this has potential safety implications as if there were a battery fire, i'd have no way to open the hatch to try to put out the fire or retrieve anything. *tr

Rear hatch switch melted and had to be replaced for $290.62. this is a toyota problem which they refuse to acknowledge. *tr

On occasion the vehicle will pop out of d or will have a problem getting into d. this day i parked, left the vehicle running (on) since it was cold in boston and my wife was sitting in the passenger seat. existed the car, retrieved a package i was delivering from the back seat and left. about 5 min later, my wife said that all of a sudden she feels the car moving forward and before she can stop it the car crashed into a truck with a very large tow hitch assembly. the crash nailed my front hood virtually dead center. dealer could not replicate but seems from other online comments that this is not unknown about gear difficulty although popping out of p seems like a new add-on or maybe few of us ever leave a car running. *tr

The latch cover on the hatchback has deteriorated and is almost completely melted away. in warm weather it is incredibly sticky and anything that touches it gets black goo on it, and the goo is hard to remove form hands or anything else. it has been hard to open for more than a year, and has gotten so bad that we have had to replace it today at a cost of $285. i emailed toyota customer service months ago about the problem, and they said they have never heard this is an issue on their vehicles. *tr

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. *tr

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. *tr

Rear hatch button rubber has melted. causes electrical hatch opening mechanism to fail completely. rubber remains sticky in hot weather, transfers tarry residue to fingers. in cold weather button will not function at all. safety issue because rear hatch is not accessible. can not access spare tire. there is no hatch release available at driver's seat in front. there is no mechanical only alternative. child trapped in trunk would have no way out. despite numerous and well documented cases reported online toyota will not fix problem voluntarily. *tr

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 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. *tr

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. *tr

Rear switch that allows lift gate to be open, fails. rubber breaks down and becomes like glue, making it hard for individual opening lift gate to remove hand as normally expected, inducing strain on individual back and creating unexpected twisting motion causing injury and damaging trim on car. toyota has issued recall in japan but not us [https://toyota.jp/recall/kaisyu/121107.html] [not sure of exact date, this is second report toyota claim 1512-2317-10]

Toyota prius (2008) hatch release rubber cover piece detached and tore apart. note that my rx300 selection of make/part number is bogus, as i have no way of knowing who made this rubber component. *tr

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. *tr

Lift gate latch rubber cover is melted. *tr

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 *js

The rear hatch latch rubber cover has melted, making it difficult to open the door.

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. *tr

We purchased our prius in 2008. approximately 3 years after purchase, we noticed that the handle on the back hatch started to melt. at first it was just a nuisance as it left a black goo on your hands. as time passed it became progressively worse and the hatch became harder to open due to the melted handle. last week (aug. 2015) our 12 volt battery died over night and we couldn't start the car or get anything to work. of course, we could not open the back hatch at all to access the battery. we called a tow service to tow our car to the local dealer. we were able to jump the car and drive to the dealer. the service technician said that he had never herd of this happening. it was determined that the melted handle shorted out the wiring for the rear light and drained the battery overnight. after a little research< we found that this is not a localized problem but is pretty common on 2007 and 2008 prius'. toyota is not willing to fix ts own design flaw and we are out $250. this poses a serious safety issue if there is a flat tire or dead battery and we are unable to open the back hatch.

Black handle on hatch started melting. after only about 4 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. it drips down on the rear bumper. 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. eventually this will disable the latch from operating. i went to toyota dealer 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. *tr

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.