Structure Problems of Toyota Prius - part 1

2020 Toyota Prius. Consumer writes in regards to needing transmission repair after vehicle was towed. The consumer stated the axel rods, rims needed to be repaired/replaced, steering issues,. Rear wheel issues, and bumper replacement.

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2016 Toyota Prius. Consumer writes in regards to concerns about front end bumper being extremely low to the ground. The consumer requested to be advised on the legal specifications for the distance between the ground and the bumper and engine of the vehicle. Updated 09/20/2017.

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Tl the contact owns a 2014 Toyota Prius c. While driving 45 mph or above, when a large vehicle passed, it would pull the contact's vehicle into its pathway. The contact stated that the failure also occurred in high wind conditions. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact had to slow down to regain control of the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. On may 15, 2017, the vehicle was involved in a collision with an 18-wheeler. The contact believed he lost control of the vehicle due to the failure. The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered pains and sought medical attention a month later. A police report was filed. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The body damage to the passenger side of the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the pulling failure and provided case number: 1804052396 in 2018 as well as case number: 1905141699 for the recent failure. The contact was concerned for his safety because the vehicle was rear ended on January 8, 2019, which damaged the chassis and hybrid battery cage. The contact stated that the insurance company repaired the chassis; however, the hybrid battery cage and battery were not replaced. The contact was very concerned that the vehicle could catch fire in the event of a crash. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

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The check engine light for the electrical system illuminated. I contacted a-1 Toyota dealer and they diagnosed leak on rear window. Heard water sloshing in the car. Water leaked into cargo area. The weather strip was replaced.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Prius 🔎.

When driving at night, the dashboard displays some of the dashboard on the front windshield, which causes you to avoid that area of your windshield. This is a defect in all 2006-2009 Toyota Prius cars. What happens is that you start looking at this reflection and it creates a safety concern. You also do not have a clear view through the reflection. It is extremely distracting. When you are on a country rode late at night, where there may not be any street lights, it is even worse. This problem was fixed in the 2010 models and beyond with a longer edge on the dashboard at the top. I have talked to Toyota about this, but have gotten nowhere. I feel this is a big safety concern that must be addressed and I am turning to you for help. I could have gotten lawyers involved in a class action lawsuit, but I wanted to try and resolve this professionally. I am not looking to get rich or make money off this problem. I just want my car and everyone else's Prius fixed. This issue has always been around. I have noticed it more lately with cloud cover and driving on back country roads at night. It is scary.

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I am unable to open my rear hood latch. There is a covering on the latch that is sticky, gooey and impossible to open manipulate and use. . Read more...

I have a 2007 Toyota Prius and the rubber has "decomposed" off the latch and has made it nearly impossible to gain access to the rear compartment of my vehicle. The rubber degradation has made the sensitivity of the hatch door latch erratic and not working mostly. Its cause me to try to yank the hatch door a couple of times which has cause the latch door handle to come loose. Toyota pls address this issue. Thanks.

The rubber latch that provides access to the trunk area of my 2007 Toyota Prius has essentially melted. When I touch it my hand comes away with a black gooey substance. In the summertime this is more of an annoyance than anything (I have to carry around wet-wipes, and I often put groceries etc. In the passenger cabin just to avoid accessing the trunk), but in the winter it can be quite dangerous, as the melted latch freezes, making it impossible to open the hatchback. This means that I cannot access my tools, spare tire, snow equipment, or anything else back there. The degradation of the handle latch actually began some time ago (it probably began after I had owned the car for about 4 years) but it has gotten worse over time so I finally decided to try to get it fixed. My Toyota dealer wanted to charge me over $300 to replace the part. This struck me as absolutely outrageous given that it appears to be a design defect that creates a serious safety hazard.

We noticed that the carpet was saturated. The dealer told us it was because there were spider webs blocking the drain from the a/c. It was repaired at a cost of $1,554, the work included drying the air bag module and replacement of carpet. We believe this should be the subject of a recall as it is the identical problem recalled for the Toyota camry.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Interior water leakage that drips down from the center console down to the driver and passenger floors. First occurrence occurred around 14k miles. It is possible that it was leaking before but I did not notice it because I have weather proofing floor mats, the wetness occurs under the mat. The dealer says clogged ac tubing by debris. They cleaned it out but charge me $100. Second occurrence in Dec 6 2013 at 16k miles. It rain the night before. I suspect it is a design flow if there are trend for similar complaints or my car has a defective part(s). The consistent dampness under the floor mats could lead to long term issue with the car.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota Prius 🔎.

While driving at night I notice that on-coming lights (both from on-coming cars and traffic lights) are distorted so that there is a triple image, with duplicate images both above and below the actual light source. These duplicate images get closer and closer to the original light source as the vehicle gets closer to the light source.

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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.

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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.

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the soy based plastic cabin entryways were missing the screens. The failure allowed rodents and mice to enter the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

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Water intrusion caused corrosion of the main engine wiring harness which caused a fault in the auxiliary 12v battery and has made the vehicle undriveable. Toyota cannot determine the source or cause of the water intrusion even though I have brought in the vehicle for routine maintenance since I purchased it and I have complained about a problem which is related to the auxiliary 12v battery several times in the past. This seems to be a flaw in the 2004 Prius design.

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We have had some unseasonably hot weather here recently; on the day in question the car thermometer said it was 91 degrees in full shade. The rubber gasket covering the hatch opening switch was attached when I parked. When I came back, it looked like the gasket had literally melted off one of the screws; the covering was just hanging on to screw on the driver's side by a few gooey threads. That left a melted, tar-like residue on the hatch opening switch. Now the switch is covered in gunk and nearly inoperable. The Prius does not have a trunk release, and without a repair the hatch is nearly inaccessible. This is a major safety issue because the hatch on the Prius is a safety access point (the largest on the vehicle); the hatch is also the only way to access the batteries stored in the rear in case of fire or accident. When I googled the issue, I found multiple reports in hot weather areas of exactly the same issue, but I found no official response from Toyota. My understanding is that this is a very common problem, especially here in southern California, and dealerships keep the part on hand in hot weather for exactly this reason.

I am filing a claim to notify other consumers about an ongoing issue I've experienced with my 2012 Toyota Prius v. We purchased the car in January 2012 and since then we've had 3 incidents (that we know of) in which rodents have infested our vehicle. . The first incident occurred (August 2012), we brought it to the dealers attention and were told there was nothing they could do but we could contact Toyota headquarters. The dealer determined that the rodent had climbed in to the rear of the vehicle through an air vent, and chewed the wires of the rear harness system (the wiring system that affects the hybrid technology). The estimated repair was $2 - 3k. After contacting Toyota headquarters, I was told Toyota does not consider this to be a defect in the design of the car or a safety issue. I was told it was an environmental issue and I needed to do something to correct my surroundings. They advised that I open a claim with my insurance provider to cover the costs for the rear harness wiring damage. After researching this, it appears there are 6 openings/gaps within the vehicle that rats can get into to access the interior cabin. Neither Toyota or the dealership offered to block/cover these vents to prevent any future attempts by a rodent getting in. They didn't offer any suggestions or advice as to what I should do to prevent this. This morning (April 27, 2013) we woke up and realized the rodents had entered the vehicle again, this time chewing up my child's car seat and the leather of the rear seats. There are numerous people that have experienced this issue dating back to 2007 and yet Toyota has done nothing to repair this design/safety flaw. . Read more...

The trunk handle had melted off, making access to the spare tire impossible in the heat.

Hatch latches should not melt down in 2-3 years, and access to the hatch is a life safety issue. As with many other 2007 Toyota Prius vehicles the rubber material on the handle of the rear hatch has been deteriorating on my 2007 Toyota Prius and is getting more difficult to use. Without an expensive replacement by Toyota the part will fail beyond the ability to open the rear hatch. Toyota refuses to recall the part and replace it as a defective part.

While the car was parked in a hill with the parking brake it suddenly went backwards and hit the wall of the residency across the street like 500 feet down. Car was almost completely damage back, train suspension and all doors out of frame. Repair will take 8 weeks at a cost of 14850. 00. There were no passengers in the car.

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:.

The hatchback handle/release is soft and gooey, and at times the release to open the hatchback will not work. Gooey black substance gets all over hands and fingers when you try to "pop" the hatchback. Unable to get the trunk to open on a couple of occasions. There is no internal release switch inside the car. Since the spare tire is in the trunk, there could potentially be no access to the tire. This seems to be a common complaint on this site, including NHTSA id numbers: 10541882, 10541772, and 1053526.

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. 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 rubber cover on the rear exterior hatch latch melted and is like tar. Big sticky mess every time I use the hatch which is often. The latch now also sticks sometimes. Dealer wants $260 to fix it. Why isn't Toyota covering this obvious defect?.

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.

After only about 3 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2007 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 California. Toyota knows about this, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $200 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 in California for example).

My 2007 Toyota Prius' rear hatchback latch rubber covering has melted into black goo. Every time I open the hatch it gets all over my fingers. I asked my dealer if Toyota had recalled the latch and was told no. I didn't have it replaced then because it is very expensive. However I can't take it anymore and am going to get it replaced before the latch fails to open. It is going to cost $257! this is a safety issue and a defect issue, not a normal wear and tear item. Toyota has known about this and done nothing to fix it by issuing a recall. Shameful.

2010 Toyota Prius. Consumer states left inner fender liner and front splash shield fell off vehicle. The dealer informed the consumer that snow had built up between the parts and the engine they protect and eventually the weight of the snow caused the parts to fall off. The consumer stated the fender liner fell off the vehicle for the second time. Upon inspection, it appeared that some places where the liner should have been attached to the bumper had never been attached. The dealer was unable to attach the liner to the bumper because the area where it attached to the bumper had come off and therefore, a new bumper was needed to re-attach to the liner. Updated 06/01/11 the consumer was informed her claim was not eligible for the arbitration process. Updated 06/08/11.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that squirrels were able chew through the wiring and the fuse box from under the vehicle. In addition, the squirrels had also chewed through the plastic radiator cover and support panel for the fan and the abs warning light was illuminated as a result of the damages. The contact was concerned because there was no cover for the under the vehicle to prevent the squirrels or rodents from entering and damaging the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was recurring. The failure mileage was 2,091 and the current mileage was 2,373.

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Like so many others with a 2007 Prius, my hatch back rubber latch started getting sticky and then slowly started deteriorating to the point where I couldn't open the hatch door. I took it to maita Toyota in sacramento and asked if they would fix it, but they charged me. I'm seeing that some people complained to Toyota and got this paid for. I'm going to see if I can get reimbursed for this. I'm glad people put their complaints here to see.

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.

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.

Narrative description. Not a failure but a safety prevention measure 2010 Toyota Prius 1. Event: when backing up the vehicle runs on battery power-hence it is silent when backing up. The vehicle in busy parking lots (walmart) goes unnoticed. 2. Failure: I have surprised people who are distracted and don't notice me until they nearly walk into the side of the vehicle. They don't hear the car. 3. Failure correction: a back-up warning device should be installed to alert pedestrians (blind folks, neighborhood kids, pets, etc) of a silent, backward moving vehicle approaching. There is several blind spots inherent to the Prius when backing. Helping others to notice you seems like "an ounce of protection that is a pound of cure" that is measured in a saved life or crippling injury.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at 48 mph, the brakes suddenly locked up and swayed to the left side when he depressed the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for diagnosis. The dealer repaired the axle and driver side body but it was unknown if the dealer repaired the brake system. The contact believed that the rain was a factor in the failure as it caused the computer chip for the brake pedal to malfunction. The braking system for the vehicle failed periodically in rainy weather. The VIN was unavailable at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. The current mileage was approximately 60,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact noticed that the two front fenders on the vehicle were separated from the body and rocker panel. He also noticed a quarter inch gap on both front sides of the vehicle. The dealer stated that he should be more careful driving over railroad tracks and bumps, which they determined to be the cause of the failures. A case was filed with the manufacturer. The contact is awaiting a return call. The failure and current mileages were less than 43,000.