general problems of the 2007 Toyota Prius - part 2

Multi functioning display failure: touch screen for climate controls failed to work. Defrost became unusable (during rain/cold conditions), causing car to veer off road due to diminished road visibility. This screen sporadically ceases to be functional.

The back latch of the 2007 Toyota Prius has degraded and melted. It no longer functions properly and I have safety concerns regarding the use of the rear door in case of emergencies. There are a series of complaints reported and it is not due to high heat or chemical exposure. Please advise as to how to get this replaced.

The trunk latch has melted making it very sticky/gooey in hot weather and frozen solid (immovable) in cold weather making it difficult to open the hatch. The situation continued to worsen to the point of while attempting to open the trunk yesterday the entire back piece fell off the car. I can no longer open the hatch at all. This is both a serious safety issue (a life saving access point) and a serious quality defect that Toyota has chosen to ignore. In addition, the cost Toyota is charging for repair is exorbitant (over $500). Also, I've noticed that there are no complaints on later model Prius', so it appears that Toyota has fixed the problem at the expense of many. I do hope that NHTSA will look into this issue.

The issue relates to TSB-0172-09 - combination meters fails in sub zero weather. This problem happened several years ago and twice last winter in subzero temperature. Last week I needed to have lynch Toyota in manchester, CT replace my key fob and I requested that they run a computer diagnostic on the combo meter problem. They claim that they actually need to see the display not functioning. I explained that there is no way that they can confirm this problem - if the problem exists I am advised to not drive the car (once the car warms the problems disappears anyway) - the alternative is to have the car towed to the dealership - if they can confirm the problem they will cover the towing expense - problem is this - the dealer is located in the central valley of CT - elevation ~270 feet in contrast to my location northeast hills at elevation 780 - cooler in ne and warmer in central valley. I sent Toyota through their website and received an email response (incident #1509120648) and just called 800-331-4331. The Toyota representative to my surprise did not have an answer in hand so we had to revisit the email and I explained the problem. Basically what we concluded is that Toyota can not fix my problem for they cannot verify that the problem exists. So here we have a classic catch 22 - and the extended warranty of 9 years is about to expire. They also contend that providing photographic documentation of the problem is not sufficient to verify the problem.

I'm in NJ on 1/8/15 I was shopping at costco. It was sub zero temeperture and I had a full cart. I injured my fingers and got frostbite while trying to open hatch. It was stuck. The weather was cold and windy . I got very sick from the incident because of the stupid hatch, the rubber part is like stuck and can't feel latch it doesnt open. I'm really really upset. . Omg.

On Sunday morning, Dec. 21st, I left the house around 7am with dog in back seat to drive to a hiking trail. Everything was normal as I drove south on oregon expressway. After driving about 0. 5 mi and descending the underpass at alma st. , at around 35 mph, without warning the red triangle light illuminated on with beep and indicators: brake, abs, airbag on and check engine. I also noticed the words ¿transmission failure� on the main display. While driving up the other side of the underpass I realized the car was losing power. I decided to take the next turn-off at ash st. By now the car had slowed to 20-25 mph by the time I approached ash st. As I initiated the turn I realized that I no longer had power steering so I touched the brakes and discovered that I also didn¿t have power brakes. I pushed hard on the brakes and momentarily locked up the wheels. By now the car had slowed enough that I was able to crank the steering wheel hard to complete the turn. Fortunately there were no other cars on ash st. Since I ended up making a rather wide turn; the car fortunately remained on the pavement. The car coasted to a stop at ash and sheridan and I was left stuck in the intersection with no power. I pushed the car to a parking spot. If I recall the main display had gone completely dark by this time; it may have gone dark around the time I initiated the turn onto ash - I can¿t remember exactly. While considering my options, I eventually powered the car off and powered back on (start button). At this point no indicators were on and everything appeared normal. I took the car home and resolved to bring it for service first thing Monday. Fortunately driving to the dealer doesn¿t require driving on a highway or expressway. I¿ve driven this car since 2007 and never had a similar issue. Losing all power on the expressway was very disconcerting.

The rubber external trunk latch cover on a 2007 Toyota Prius has melted to the point where it is either gooey to the touch in warm weather or frozen solid and immovable in colder temperatures. This is a safety hazard because of the location of the battery is in rear compartment on the passenger side and if there was a need to disconnect the battery, it would be nearly impossible to get at, due to the inflexibility of the rubber I am unable to open the trunk and, thus, access the spare tire and any of my repair tools, jumpers, etc. There is no alternative internal method for opening the hatchback/trunk. Toyota needs a recall of this defective part and replace at their cost, as the cost to repair it is exorbitant and it is a faulty design.

The rear lift gate latch on my Toyota Prius has stopped functioning. In 65 degree weather today the exterior rubber over the latch mechanism has melted and will no longer function to open the lift gate. In cold weather the latch has been very difficult to open and now the melted rubber mess has ceased to perform. I can no longer open the trunk of my car. The rubber has melted out onto the metal part of the lift gate and over the screws that hold it in place. This is a safety hazard as I can not access the rear hatch of my car in an emergency or in any typical situation (I would have to crawl into the trunk from the back seat and remove the interior plastic panel to open the hatch from inside the car if I needed to open the hatch door. ).

The rubber back hatch release mechanism has melted and become mushy this summer. This winter the rubber mechanism has frozen making it impossible to open the rear hatch. This is a safety issue because I cannot get to my spare tire or emergency warning devices. My research on the internet has proven that this is not an isolated incident but very common problem with this vehicle.

As the weather gets colder and colder in the pittsburgh area this fall, the back hatch is becoming harder and harder to open. Today is the coldest day and the back hatch won't open at all. I saw that other owners have this issue.

I was driving home last night and various warning lights came on. Within a short time the vehicle lost all power (entered a failsafe mode) and the hybrid system shut down while I was driving. The result was a complete loss of power and the vehicle came to a stop in traffic. I was close to the curb and turned on my emergency flashers. Called a tow truck and will take this to the dealer. I called Toyota customer service to see if others had experienced anything similar and they had no access to any information about other customer's experiences. They did say that there are no active recalls for this make and model year. A recall for the 2010 - 2014 Toyota Prius was issued in February 2014 for what sounds like a similar problem. While this wasn't a life threatening issue for me last night, in a press release drivers who've experienced similar issues were warned to get out of their vehicles because they could be in danger from being rear ended.

I purchased a Toyota Prius from Toyota sunnyvale, address: 898 w el camino real, sunnyvale, CA 94087 phone: (408) 469-4907. Intermittently the drivers dash display doesn't turn on and it is difficult to turn off the car. The speedometer, gas indicator, warning indicators do not light up. The first failure occurred in 2014, aaa replaced the battery, disconnecting the accessory 12 volt battery causes a reset and clears the intermittent failure. Since then the problem has occurred 5-6 times. I contacted Toyota America and was given a case #1612 272 228, in December 2016. I also searched online and found out this is a known Toyota problem and is the part called a combination meter. Toyota provided an extended 9 year warranty on this problem, further Toyota motor sales, USA sent a letter to dealers (copy attached) to notify Toyota customers that there might be this intermittent problem, I never received a mailed letter. I also purchased maintenance at the dealership and was never told of this intermittent problem. Since my initial call to Toyota motor sales, USA, I've been in contact with samantha elkins (408-716-1881) at the dealership and I have seemed to reached an impasse, the dealership requires that their technicians duplicate the problem and further want to charge me for the diagnosis labor (1 or more hours at $175/hour). If it was an obvious problem the maintenance visits should have showed it. As it's an know intermittent failure, it doesn't make sense to take the car to the dealer and pay $200 or more dollars for a diagnosis of no problem found. From my research online it appears that as many as 5% of the Prius cars, identified by VIN, can suffer from this problem. Is offering an extended warranty, but not notifying their customer an effort to avoid a recall? when the failure occurred I had to drive without instruments at night. Is this a safety issue.

Back hatch latch or opener is sticky and rubbery and failing. Seems like melting.

The rubber handle on my 2007 Toyota Prius melts in the summer and freezes in the winter. If it's cold outside it's impossible to get into the car through the tailgate which could present a serious safety issue should the rest of the doors be unusable in an emergency. In the summer, I'm able to get into the drunk but it leaves a black residue on my hands that takes a few days to clean off entirely and it can be very hot to the touch if left outside on a hot day.

The rubber on the handle / latch on the back hatch of my 2007 Prius has degraded to the point of melting / falling off. Sticky tacky rubber has been a problem for a while, but now the piece just melted onto the bumper. It is not a particularly hot day comparatively, so must have just finally degraded to the point of falling off while I was parked. . Read more...

Cover over hatch has turned to goo and hatch release no longer functions. This appears to be a potential safety issue since the door can not be operated. The vehicle has been kept in a garage when not in use since purchase, so weather would not be a factor. Am wondering whether this was a factor in the early demise of the 12v battery.

Driver side headlight when turned on randomly goes off I have to turn the lights off again and then it turns back on but a lot of times it'll keep turning off. It's been doing this for years. I rarely drive my car only has 35k miles on it.

Latch on my 2007 Prius is melting and sticky, leaving black residue on my fingers when I open it. It is difficult to open at times in addition.

On our 2007 Prius, the rubber cover for the rear trunk hatch has melted into black goo. This degradation doesn't appear to be due to heat, since the car has been kept in a cool garage. The rubber itself effectively turned into tar, coming off on our hands and dripping onto the bumper at times. The melting has also made it difficult to open the rear trunk, as the gooey rubbery mess appears to be interfering with the action of the switch that releases the hatch.

In July of 2014, I bought a 2007 Toyota Prius from a family member in nevada, a warm state; I live in minnesota, a cold state. The hatch release rubber seal had deteriorated, and it was tacky to the touch, but the hatch released and opened. When November came, the hatch release would not work; it was a cool November. I believe it is a danger to not be able to open the back hatch in case of an accident. The maplewood Toyota dealership service person inspected the hatch release seal and said that someone must have put a chemical on it to damage it. Toyota does not believe that this is a defective part; I believe the part is defective. I am going to have the part fixed, but I believe Toyota has created a dangerous situation, especially if someone with a defective hatch release seal travels to a cooler climate than the car has experienced in the past.

Components: equipment latches/locks/linkages 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. And therefore access the spare, any of my repair tools or my earthquake kit, flares, jumpers, etc. There is no alternative internal method for opening the hatchback/trunk. Toyota needs a recall of this defective part. The quote to repair was $291 plus labor. Nhtsaid has had other complaints #10533059, 10511408, 10504366, 10496197, etc. Etc. I am 80 years of age and this is presenting a definite safety defect.

I was travelling at 50mph when an alarm sounded in the car and 4 lights lit up on the dashboard – the brake system warning light, master warning light, vsc and malfunction indicator lamp. The vehicle was taken to a Toyota dealership where they advised the hybrid water pump needed replacing. I then discovered there is a recall on the hybrid water pumps but was advised my vehicle was not on the list for the recall. The details of my mishap correlate to the Toyota recall notice that Toyota put out regarding the hybrid water pumps. I believe my vehicle should have been on the recall list to have this safety issue addressed and that the recall notice does not adequately cover all Toyota vehicles with this possible issue.

On June 17, 2014 longo Toyota service consultant stated the inverter water pump part #04000-32528 needed to be replaced at a part cost of $146. This same inverter water pump was replaced at longo on March 6, 2011.

Over time the black rubber on our hatch has melted. It has gotten harder and harder to open the trunk. Finally we popped the plastic part off due to the pressure needed to open the trunk. It no longer opens. My husband had a flat tire on 6/13/2014. He could not get in to the trunk and had to drive the car to a tire place to buy new tires. The fact that he couldn't get in to the trunk was inconvenient and expensive. My greatest concern is that this is a safety issue. You can't get in or out of the trunk in case of emergency. That is pretty scary, especially since we are traveling with 2 small children.

The rear hatch release on my 2007 Toyota Prius has deteriorated and turn into a rubbery and sticky black mess. This issue interferes with the use of the hatch as the rubber not only gets on your fingers but appears to be blocking the release mechanism. The deterioration started during the summer of 2014. The issue has worsened and this winter I have been unable to open the rear hatch whatsoever. This is a serious safety concern as I cannot access my spare tire, jumper cables, or anything else in my trunk in any other way.

The rear hatch release on my 2007 Toyota Prius has begun to deteriorate and turn into a rubbery and sticky black mess. This issue interferes with the use of the hatch as the rubber not only gets on your fingers but appears to be blocking the release mechanism. The issue first began this past summer and as outside temperatures rose, the rubber melted.

The rubber part to my trunk latch has melted almost completely! in warm weather it transfers to my hands. In winter in cold weather (below 50 degrees) I can't open the trunk at all. Now the surrounding part around my latch has loosen. I'm so frustrated that when I can actually get into my trunk my fingers are covered in tar.

I have seen the recent recall related to many makes and models of Toyota's for the clock-springs or spiral cables in the steering wheel. This is a very important part of the car which provides the electrical connection for many components such as the steering wheel controls, horn, and air bags. I have heard of others with the same issues in their generation ii Prius (2004-2009). My spiral cable has recently stopped working as well and seeing as this is a safety issue I believe Toyota should be responsible for correcting it.

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

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.

The buttons on the steering wheel began to stop working. One by one, each began to fail. I wasn't too worried since they're simply the climate and stereo controls, however, as I began researching all signs pointed to this being the "clock spring" assembly. This also controls the airbag and is a huge safety issue. I went to the dealer who confirmed and said this would cost $500 to repair. When I asked about the airbag they said they do not recommend that I drive the car because the airbag "might not work" anymore. After seeing a sufficient amount of posts here, I wanted to also add my feedback as it appears this is far more widespread than just an isolated incident. I have drive 4 other (non-Toyota) vehicles for well above 200,000 miles and never had this issue. My father (automotive mechanic for another car brand) said he's never had anyone come in with this issue before. Considering that toyta prides themselves as having safe vehicles, I would hope that they consider a recall on this life-threatening part failure.

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.

Liftgate latch rubber handle is disintegrating.

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.

I was returning home from a trip with a friend and driving on major freeway late at night, very dark with little visibility in a rural, unlit area. . All lights in vehicle shut down while driving 70-75 mph. We could not see anything even the road, was like driving blind and very frightening trying to navigate the Prius off the road safely without getting hit by other vehicles. Once I stopped the vehicle off the side of the road in the far left lane we turned the vehicle off, but left the hazard lights on and let the vehicle sit for a few minutes. We started again, lights came on, and I drove the vehicle another 100 miles without any incident until we entered the city. I had a similar problem driving the 12 remaining miles home, but the front yellow lights worked and I had the hazard and brake lights working. The city lights improved visibility. I took the vehicle in and the only problem they could find was with one of the headlights. I was told I needed to replace both. I can't emphasize how dangerous and frightening this experience was for my friend and I, still unsure how we avoided a tragedy. I would like the NHTSA to investigate and make a recommendation to have some type of warning in the vehicle.