2007 prius trunk hatch release rubber piece melted

IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IF EVERYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WOULD REPORT IT TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA), as HATCH LATCHES SHOULD NOT MELT DOWN IN 2-3 YEARS, and ACCESS TO THE HATCH IS A LIFE SAFETY ISSUE.

IT's EASY TO DO HERE. I AM FILING MY COMPLAINT NOW. PLEASE JOIN ME, AS NHTSA LOOKS AT THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS BEFORE TAKING ACTION.

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/online.cfm

 

Text from complaint just filed on NHTSA website, in case you want to borrow some for use for filing your own similar complaint:

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 Florida. We also live in Florida. 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 in Florida 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 3 years. PLEASE REVIEW THESE FORUM COMMENTS of OTHER INCIDENTS:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...runk-hatch-release-rubber-piece-melted-4.html

Thank you for your assistance.

 

I have provided instructions here:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...g/78687-how-replace-hatch-opening-switch.html

 

Had the same problem on our 2007 Sienna. It's defininately a bad batch...

 

I can confirm the same issue on my 2007 Prius (manuf. 11/2006). Dealer is replacing switch assy under extended warranty.

 

my 2008 model has this problem too. it's been 100-110 degrees every day for a month here in arkansas.

 

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I'm having this same problem. I live in Florida and my car is 4 years old with less than 30,000 miles. My dealer says Toyota will pay for the part but the dealer wants $211 for labor. I don't think I should have to pay for this, and intend to make a lot of noise at Toyota and NHTSA.

 

The same thing has happened to my 2008 Prius. Will cost at least $164 to replace at my Fred Haas dealership in Houston.

I did not expect Toyota to fess up to such an obvious defect on a timely basis, so I came up with the following successful solution.

MY LESS THAN ELEGANT BUT CHEAP SOLUTION: I found an 18" Unger Pro Replacement Rubber Blade for squeegee's at our local Home Depot ($2.99). (Sears and Lowes used to carry something very similar.) I cut a 4 1/8" piece and drilled two 1/8" holes 3 1/2 inches apart. After removing the two screws at the latch, I scraped much of the melting rubber goop away from the latch and then applied my rubber blade replacement. I did not remove all the goop thinking that it would serve as a reasonable weather seal. (note: the replacement squeegee blades come with a raised edge at one side of the blade to restrain it in the squeegee. I installed this raised side facing rearward, because it protects your fingers from the remaining goop and guides them to the correct place to open the hatch.)

Unfortunately, the screws that attach the emulsifying rubber are placed at such an angle that you must remove the inside cover of the hatch as described in Patrick Wong's April 2, 2010 post in this thread. This is a pain which would have been unnecessary had there been a more advantageous placement of the screws. One note regarding the removal of this cover. When I removed mine, most of the blue attaching pins remained on the hatch (you will understand when you remove the cover). If you want them to properly secure the cover, they must be transferred back to the cover before reinstalling. Since these blue devils are nearly flush with the back, they are nearly impossible to remove undamaged. I solved this problem by using the nail remover in my "Wonder wrecking Bar" (not the standard Prius tool) to remove these pins. A good claw hammer may also suffice for this purpose. This will make more sense when you see the problem. I did not find it necessary to unhook any electrical connections, (as indicated in the aforementioned post) once the back piece of the hatch was free to move with wires attached.

This solution works quite effectively at this point and I am pleased with the results.

A simpler and much less frustrating alternative solution might be to apply a strip of Duct tape over the existing muck. I considered this but preferred a longer lasting solution.

Good luck to all.

 

I experienced the same problem (as others on this post) with our 2007 Prius-- the rear hatch latch rubber cover melted into a sticky mess. I wanted to include some interesting information I got from our dealer and from Toyota Customer Care (800-331-4331). I had heard on chats and posts that for some people, their dealer took care of the problem for free, but for others their dealership quoted them $97 for the part plus $110 labor. (Sometimes more!) I just learned from Toyota today that the dealerships will only take care of the problem for free if you are a "loyal" Toyota customer. What, you ask, does "loyal" mean? Well, according to Toyota, you are "loyal" if you have had all of your routine maintenance for your Prius done at your Toyota dealership. No, I'm not kidding. Here is my experience and what I learned:

So, I first called the service manager at our dealership, and he said that he was aware of the problem, but he would not replace it for free or at a reduced price. He was polite, but said that there was just nothing he could do. (And the part alone was $97.) He sugested that I call Toyota Customer Care, which I did. I was very polite and explained that this is obviously a defective part, and they agreed, and said they had many instances of this problem on record, and that they would get all my info, open a case file number, and have the customer relations person at our dealership call me.

The customer relations person did call me the next day, but she informed me that after looking up my vehicle, the service manager couldn't (wouldn't) do anything to remedy the problem. There was just nothing they could do. So I said that I would be happy if they simply cut me a break and sold me the replacement part at dealer cost, and then I would simply replace it myself-- that way they would not be losing money on the part, but they'd be helping me to take care of it. I thought that they would jump on this chance to make a small gesture of goodwill to make a Prius owner happy, but they refused this as well. She explained to me that the service manager had noted to her that I had not ever brought my vehicle in for service at the dealership since purchasing it back in 2007. I wasn't sure how that was relevant, but said that it is a 45 minute drive (one way) to the dealership, and it is easier and cheaper for me just to do all the oil changes and maintenance myself (which I do for both our vehicles, and our tractor and our mower). (Yes, we are in a rural area.) Then I asked her if I had gotten all my oil changes there at the dealership, would the service manager then maybe have considered replacing this for free or at a discount, and she said YES, most likely! In other words, the dealership would only consider fixing the problem for free or at a reduced rate if I had been a regular customer at their service department. I was still very polite, but I actually thought that was pretty outrageous, especially considering that this problem is obviously caused by defective rubber that can't stand up to normal summer heat.

So, I called Toyota Customer Care again, told them what had been said, and the guy there noted my complaint. I asked him if I went ahead and purchased the part from the dealer or from online, would Toyota Customer Care be able to re-imburse me for some or all of it, and he said that currently, they would not. He explained that when they reviewed a case like this to determine whether to correct a problem with a defective part when a vehicle is out of warranty (and mine is), the decision had to be "predicated on customer loyalty," and in this case there was nothing they could do. I said, "Wait a minute, I'm not a loyal Toyota customer?!" (See, I thought I was.) And then he noted to me that I had not ever had any service performed at any Toyota dealerships. (They look it up based on the VIN number I gave at the beginning when I opened a "case" number with them during the first call). I then explained to him that I do ALL the maintenance myself, and that I had NEVER taken it anywhere else. And then I asked, "Are you telling me that you determine 'customer loyalty' on whether I do my own oil changes or take the car to a Toyota dealer?" And he said that was Toyota's policy, and the policy for their dealerships as well. In other words, this policy is coming from the top down to the dealerships.

So, bottom line: If you use a Toyota dealer for all your maintenance needs, and they are making good money off of you, then you are "loyal" and your dealer may replace the defective (melted) trunk hatch rubber for free. (Just smart business-- don't piss off any of the people who are handing over money to your service department on a regular basis.) Otherwise, you are on your own.

The irony here (that I am sure Toyota will miss) is that before this incident, I actually WAS a loyal Toyota customer. (At least, I thought so.) In fact, we were planning to purchase another vehicle within the next year, but now that they have pointed out that, unbeknownst to me, I am actually a disloyal Toyota customer, I really don't think I could visit any Toyota dealerships in the future. It would just be too . . . awkward.

IMPORTANT: If you purchase the part yourself (and/or pay for a dealer to replace it), be sure to keep your receipts, and be sure to call Toyota Customer Care (800-331-4331) and "open a case number." If Toyota ever decides to (or is forced to) take care of the issue sometime in the future, then there is a chance that you can get re-imbursed. (Even if you just decide to duct tape it, you still should call to complain and open a case number. That way, you will be contacted if anything ever comes of this.)

As for me, I have duct-taped it for a temporary fix, and I ordered the part online. $76 bucks plus shipping. (For a Prius without Smart Entry, it is about $30 less. I have heard that you can make the cheaper version work for the Smart Entry cars, but it requires some extra soldering of the wires, so I just paid the extra $$ for ease of installation. See previous posts on this thread to make sure you are able and willing to replace it yourself.)

Part numbers for 2007 Prius (but always double check them!):
84905-47010 - For models WITH smart entry.
84840-47020 - For Models WITHOUT smart entry.

Finally, be sure to follow the suggestion of the earlier post on this thread and file a complaint with the NHTSA. All the info for that is posted earlier.

 

Thanks for the info and welcome to priuschat!

So far I haven't used the dealer for regular maintenance but I do buy filter and WS fluid from them and bring the car in for warranty repair. I wonder if that counts as "semi-loyal". LOL

 

Same thing on my 2007 4Runner. It could be heat and humidity. (Florida) Cost about $70 for the switch and then a few hours to take the rear door apart to get to it. had to take the trim piece off over the tag first......all done from inside after removing the trim panel. The most annoying part is having moisture get into the switch and then it frezzes and the door won't open at all til it thaws. It was the only thing that ever went wrong on that car. Just traded it for the 2011 Prius 4.

 

I'm surprised that you find this policy to be noteworthy.

I understand that you may decide not to purchase Toyotas in the future, but I would challenge you to identify another mass-market auto manufacturer with a more generous warranty policy. Prius owners in the past have benefited from several warranty exceptions made by Toyota to address drivetrain and other issues. The most recent example is the preemptive replacement of the inverter coolant pump.

As the car is no longer under the 3 year/36K mile warranty; whether the hatch switch was made of defective materials or not, it is not surprising that Toyota refused to extend warranty on the part especially since the company has been hard hit financially by macroeconomic trends as well as unfavorable and undeserved recent publicity regarding unintended acceleration.

The financial impact of this particular failure to the owner is minor since the part cost is low. Since failure of this part has no significant safety implications, it is not clear why NHTSA would care.

 

And just to add a bit to this thread, took my '07 in to dealer today, separate problem red triangle, check engine, other lights. Told the service writer about the melted trunk lid handle, she's like "not covered under the extended Toyota certified used car warranty" HUH???? We'll see about that one.

 

I just got an 07 Prius which had this problem, so I fixed it, and then came across this thread, so I figured I would share my experience.

First, you do not need to take the plastic off the inside of the hatch just to un-screw the button, you can get a angle ratcheting screw driver tool from Lowes, HD, or auto parts stores, I got mine at Advance Auto for 3.99, it basically is a small ratchet that that you can inset various bits into, similar to the bits you would use in your electric screw driver. That will allow you to pull the switch down some, and get better access to it.

Second, this wasn't enough for me, so I did take the plastic moulding off as well as the body colored part above the license plate. Once that was off I took the entire smart key, and release wiring etc off and took it inside, I also brought in the part that goes above the license plate.

Here's where you're going to spend some time, it took me about 45 min to clean all of this up, dishwashing soap and a fairly stiff, nylon bristle brush worked the best, such as a finger nail brush, or tooth brush. Start by scraping all the excess rubber off of all the parts you can get to with a old credit card or something similar, then coat the brush with some dish soap and start scrubbing, rinse often and re-apply soap, continue until the melted rubber is gone (this is all on the body colored part above the license plate).

Next we're going to take the actual button apart and take the micro switch out, you need a tiny flat head screw driver, near the flange of the button you will see where the case will come apart, pry there (on each skinny end) until one side pops apart and then do the other side, that will reveal the blue micro switch inside, the micro switch is snapped in just pry with a small screw driver until it pops out. Then take apart the actual button parts (spring loaded part) stick a screw driver down beside the long edge of the part you push on to release the hatch, pry up and it should pop up, grab it and pull it out, take all the parts and scrub them down with all kinds of dish soap. Once you're done here the parts should be mostly free and clean of melted rubber goop.

Next while you're at Lowes getting that angle driver, look for some rubber hose connectors for PVC pipe, they were in my plumbing aisle near the wax seals for toilets, the one I got was a 4" to 3" rubber step down. Cut this rubber to size, poke your holes in the proper places. Again while you're out and about, stop at the local hobby shop and get some double sided foam tape, sometimes called servo tape, ask the guys working there and they should be able to hook you up, it's usually black and probably only 1/8" to 1/16" thick. Take the rubber you cut to shape and scuff it up with a wire brush, clean it off with some dish soap, or brake cleaner, lay it down on the servo tape, cut the extra tape off with a razor blade. Now put your screws in your holes, attach the rubber piece with the tape on it on to the switch, tighten a little then take the rubber piece with the tape on it back off, you'll see where the tape hits the button, take your razor and cut that area out, so there isn't any tape where the button will contact the rubber. Now you can put the switch and smart button back on the body trim, then take your rubber and tape and heat it with a lighter until the tape starts to glisten and slightly bubble, screw the rubber down onto the switch press and hold for a few minutes, then go install everything back on the car.

Works perfect for me, looks "almost factory" and won't melt, plus with the new tool, tape, rubber, dish soap, etc it's still cheaper than Toyota wants to charge you.

Long first post, sorry, hope this helps someone.

Patrick

 

It could just be a chemical breakdown over time -- a process 3M calls "reversion." It happens to parts on other cars and even rubber "bump-ons" on small aircraft and the little bummpers one puts onthe back of picture frames to keep the frames from scratching the wall -- you'll note that the bumpers on picture frames are usd inside the house and not likely to be exposed to heat extremes.

Plastics generally, dry out and become brittler over time as the plasticizers breakdown. I guess "rubber" products are just the opposite, they get gooey overtime as the "vulcanizers" breakdown. E.g. Rubberbands can melt when they get old. With rubberbands, it's ozone that causes the breakdown.

 

Same problem here, although mine has not melted but has become very soft and most certainly was on its way to a complete meltdown.

Thank goodness the Texas heat and drought has tapered off.

 

My 2007 Prius has the same problem. The replacement is part of the switch assembly. I think I will wait for a few more car washes until it shorts out then replace.

 

I have a late (Sept 06) Prius 2 which had this problem, and then came across this thread, so I figured I would share my experience. Many thanks to others who have paved the way for me!

First, you do not need to take the plastic off the inside of the hatch just to un-screw the button, I repeat: The entire job can be done standing up behind the car with the hatch raised. You may have missed this:
The back inside hatch cover and the license plate cover do not need to be removed.

You can get a angle ratcheting screw driver tool from Lowes, HD, or auto parts stores, I got mine at Advance Auto for 3.99, it basically is a small ratchet that that you can inset various bits into, similar to the bits you would use in your electric screw driver.
That will allow you to pull the cruddy switch down some, and get a good at the crappy offender and have better access to it.

Next while you're at Lowes getting that angle driver, look for some rubber pipe reducers for PVC pipe, they were in my plumbing aisle near the wax seals for toilets, the one I got was a 4" to 3" rubber reducer.
Again while you're out and about, stop at the local hobby shop and get some double sided foam tape, sometimes called servo tape, ask the guys working there and they should be able to hook you up, it's usually black and probably only 1/8" to 1/16" thick.

Now unscrew the two cheapo black screws that hold in the switch and prize it carefully downward and out. It hangs from two small wires.

Next we're going to take the actual hatch release button apart as it hangs and take the micro switch out, you will need needle nose vise grips and two tiny flat head screw drivers. near the flange of the button you will see that the case will come apart, pry there (on each skinny end) until one side pops up and then do the same with the second screwdriver on the other side. This will reveal the blue micro switch inside, the micro switch is just snapped in. Prize it out by inserting your small screw drivers on opposing sides near the botton holes until the blue microswitch pops out. It helped me to hold the unit with the needle nose vise grips here. Unwind the wires from release switch retainer channel and leave the microswitch hanging from its wires (black and red).
Then take off the actual button part (spring loaded part) inside to scrub it down with all kinds of dish detergent (Straight cuts better!). Here's where you're going to spend some time It took me about 30 min to clean the switch with a small flat scraper, hot water and dishwashing soap.A fairly stiff nylon bristle brush worked the best and hard tooth brush were also helpful.

Once you're done here the parts should be mostly free and clean of melted rubber goop. YAY! The spring loaded switch on mine moved freely.


Now you can put the switch back on the body trim by first snapping in the microswitch and carefully guiding the wires into their retainers.Grip the cover top of the switch and gently squeeze it on to the detents.Push The switch assembly carefully into its hole Then take your rubber and tape and heat it with a lighter until the tape starts to glisten and slightly bubble, the rubber up onto the switch (you are wearing brown jersey gloves aren’t you) press and hold for a couple minutes.

As Patrick stated : Works perfect for me, looks "almost factory" and won't melt. plus with the new tool, tape, rubber, dish soap, etc it's still cheaper than Toyota wants to charge you ($250 bucks).

Thanks so much Patrick!

3dmacs

 

I hardly use my trunk and when we went away last weekend I opened the trunk to put some suitcases in and had black like tar all over my hands from the rubber hood piece.
I took the car in to Toyota yesterday thinking that because I purchased the Toyota extended warranty, it would be covered. Well low and behold it does not cover "wear & tear" of the vehicle. The service guy said the cost of replacement was not that bad, just over $200.

As suggested on priuschat.com I called the Toyota Customer Care Line and they said there is no recalls or signs of a problem with the rubber seal but what they can do for me as I am a loyal Customer of Toyota is have a quote faxed to them and they will see what they can do.
Lets see what they come back with!