Problems with 2008 Toyota Prius STRUCTURE

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. *tr

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 nhtsa 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: *tr

The lift gate's problematic opening, has caused the latch and the body part that it is attached, to break away from the vehicle. *js

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. *tr

Rubber on the 2008 prius is melting and dripping. i've seen many complaints on line about this problem. *tr

Rear liftgate rubber guard has become melted and gooey causing intermittent back liftgate door look issues. i need to replace just the rubber piece. *tr

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. *tr

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 nhtsa 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. *tr

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. *tr

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 nhtsa 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. *tr

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. *tr

At about 2 years old the handle to the back hatch release melted into a tarry goo. *tr

Melt down of hatchback release handle. very hard to open hatchback. *tr

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. *tr

Vehicle is extremely, almost dangerously, sensitive to cross winds and wake turbulence from larger vehicles, trucks specifically. *tr