Hatchback/liftgate Hinge Problems of Toyota Prius

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.

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The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the exterior rear hatch handle melted and left a melted rubber residue on her hands. The failure recurred on multiple occasions during warm weather. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,900.

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Hatchback latch does not respond to Smart key and will not open to touch as it is supposed to. This problem has occurred intermittently for about ten months. Also, the rubber latch covering has deteriorated into a soft, sticky black substance that stains my fingers when I try to open the latch. The deterioration problem preceded the hatchback operational problem by four or five months as best I can recall. I was able to tolerate the messy problem but cannot put up with a hatchback that is inoperable because it prevents me from accessing the spare and safety equipment, and makes it impossible to use the cargo area. I think Toyota should notify customers of this defect and provide a free repair.