Hatchback/liftgate Problems of Toyota Prius

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.

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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.

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.

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.

The rear hatch release on my 2009 Toyota Prius has begun to decompose and turn into a rubbery, gooey mess. It interferes with the use of the hatch as the goo not only gets on the fingers but appears to be blocking the release mechanism.

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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.

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.

2007 Toyota Prius rear hatch handle failure. Rubber cover melts into electric switch making it inoperable.

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. The contact stated that the hatch/trunk door would fall unexpectedly and without any warning. The contact mentioned that the door had fallen on her at least three times. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic stated that it was normal for the hatch/truck door to fall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. The current mileage was 78,496.

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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!.

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.

For the past year, the rubber surface of the rear hatch release has been gooey, leaving black marks on my hands. The function of the release has been erratic. Often, I can't release it at all. It seems particularly bad in cooler weather. I've read that this has been a pretty common problem and find it surprising that Toyota has not recalled these vehicles to replace the assembly.

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

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

The hatch release on the hatchback melted making the hatchback nearly impossible to open. As safety equipment such as flares, spare tires, and flags are kept in the hatch under the flooring, not being able to access them in an emergency is a serious safety issue.

Rear hatch door latch failure, starting with softening and deformation of the rubber-like cover and progressing to latch not opening, especially in cold weather.