2007 Toyota Prius Body Problems
- 93
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 93 stored complaint records:
- 5 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
What owners report
- rear hatch · 38 records
- rubber cover · 18 records
- difficult open · 17 records
- open hatch · 17 records
- open trunk · 15 records
- hatch latch · 13 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 30 |
| 30–60k mi | 21 |
| 100–150k mi | 12 |
| 1–30k mi | 7 |
| 150–400k mi | 7 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Body
Rubber hatch latch cover has deteriorated and it has become difficult to open the hatch, and very difficult in cold weather (my wife cannot open it and it is her car). I consider this a safety issue. *tr
ODI 10555406
Body
The rubber on the rear hatch latch was defective and degenerated into a pile of goo, making it difficult to open the rear hatch door. This is a well-known defect for this model and year, but toyota has so far not made an extended warranty to have the problem repaired at no charge to the owner of the vehicle. *tr
ODI 10627586
Body
Rear hatch latch release button is rubber. It has deteriorated releasing black substance onto fingers, it is sticky and button does not release as well as before. *tr
ODI 10535266
Body
2007 prius liftback black rubber switch-handle is melting and black rubber tar is all over hands when touching the switch-handle. Reported for years by other owners on priuschat blog: http://priuschat.com/threads/2007-prius-trunk-hatch-release-rubber-piece-melted.71647/page-3 should be a recall for this defective melting rubber handle which is on hands whenever you touch it. Very hot to touch during summer weather…
ODI 10616545
Body
The rubber trunk release melted this summer, creating a sticky mess and making it difficult to open the trunk. Had to try numerous times with great force to open the trunk. Now that the temperature has dropped, the rubber bar is frozen hard and i cannot depress it to open the trunk. This is a serious safety issue in the event of an emergency. *tr
ODI 10553791
Body
The rubber on my trunk release has turned to a tarry mess making it very difficult to open and leaving black tar all over my fingers. When the release does not work, i have pull out my keys to press the unlock button or open the car to press the unlock button which sometimes releases it but not always. I opt not to use my trunk because it is so terribly inconvenient and frustrating now, especially when i am juggling…
ODI 10524166
Body
Within the handle for the rear hatch of the 2007 prius there is a strip of rubber which i assume is to prevent moisture from penetrating into the interior components and it may also shield some electrical wiring. This piece of rubber is becoming soft and melting. Whenever we open the hatch, our fingers and hands are stained with a black gooey substance that's difficult to remove from our hands. This has been a…
ODI 10513529
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle rear hatch door seal failed and allowed water to penetrate the rear passenger side floor board. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The dealer denied assistance with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 86,000.
ODI 10509063
Body
The trunk latch cover has melted and the latch will not function most of the time. The problem started a couple of years ago. I have not replaced the latch due to the cost, but now it is worse and i often cannot open the hatch. The rubber cover on the latch gets soft and gummy in warm weather and gets black rubber on my fingers. I see numerous complaints on this issue and would assume there are many more owners who…
ODI 10702328
Body · Service Brakes
Brake system: abs warning malfunction light will illuminate when brake is tapped, but there is no malfunction or issue. Have to turn off vehicle to reset it. Handle on rear door/hatchback door: handle melted into a black gooey mess, hatchback could not be opened. Went to dealership, they would not fix without charging me even though they admitted it was a known issue with the vehicles. The first quote we got was…
ODI 10541882
Body · Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The plastic weld process or other type of gluing process used to make the vehicles exterior front and rear turn signal, brake and back up light lense assemblies or housings fails. All four, two front and two rear, exterior combination light lense assemblies suffer this premature and serious failure. When these exterior lenses begin to fail they allow water intrusion from the exterior of the vehicle. This allows…
ODI 10506066
Body
The rubber trunk latch has melted increasingly over time. When the weather is warm, opening the trunk leaves my hand covered in tar-like goo and the sensor is difficult to engage. In winter, the latch does not work at all and the trunk cannot be opened whatsoever. In addition to being incredibly annoying, this is a safety concern as it is a possible egress point should the car ever become wedged. Please get toyota…
ODI 10564203
Body
I cannot open the hatch of my prius. This is a major safety concern. In all prius base models that i know of the handle literally melts off of the car making it impossible to open the hatch. This is a serious issue in the case of an emergency. The dealership charges up to $300.00 to fix this issue when it is quite obvious it should be a recall. It is completely insane that they are making prius owners pay this and…
ODI 10533971
Body
The rubber trunk release is cracked, melted and does not function in cold weather. It is a sticky gooey mess in hot weather. The estimate to replace it is $187. It is not covered under the warranty. The dealer claims it is not a safety issue. I think that if you are not able to open a door to your car, it is a safety issue. How, for instance would i be able to remove my spare tire in the event of a flat tire. Big…
ODI 10484025
Body · Latches/Locks/Linkages
The rubber cover to the external trunk latch 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, 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, our earthquake kit, flares, jumpers, etc. There is no alternative internal…
ODI 10511408
Body
2007 prius rear hatch latch melted off. The rear hatch will not open. There is no way to get to emergency equipment and spare tire. This is an extreme safety issue. Please issue a nation recall as this repair is not covered by under warranty. *tr
ODI 10640072
Body
The trunk rubber on the hatch latch is disintegrating. It's sticky and gooey making it difficult to open the hatch. The situation has worsened and sometimes, i can't open the trunk at all. This is happening to many 2007 prius owners. I believe it is a defect in the rubber. *tr
ODI 10694403
Body · Service Brakes
I was driving in heavy traffic about 20 or 25 mph the cars in front of me stopped, when i applied the brake nothing happened, my car crashed into the rear of the car in front of me. The time was about 2:30pm july 10/2012 the car had just been serviced by a toyota dealer on june 28th/2012 for the 30,000 mile check up. We live in west los angeles. *tr
Crash reported
ODI 10465600
Body
The rubber cover on the rear hatch latch has deteriorated so severely that the latch handle will no longer work. The rubberized cover has become gooey and sticky, and comes off on your hands when you touch it. There is no alternate trunk release on this vehicle, so with the handle mechanism gummed up by the deteriorating rubber cover, there is no way to access the trunk of the vehicle. This piece has been…
ODI 10826036
Body
The material in the trunk door handle is dissolving and or disintegrating. 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 presented what was happening and was told the vehicle repair was out of the warranty period and there would be a charge if i wanted the…
ODI 10522037
Air Bags · Body
On my way home from work on the frontage road along i-5. My tires hit the gravel and i lost control. I went through the grass on the side of the road down a dip and landed on the passenger side of the car on the railroad tracks. I began to roll and rolled the car from side to side at least 15 times. A row of trees is what stopped me. The engine was still running and i was still buckled in the drivers seat. I had to…
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10463215
Body · Latches/Locks/Linkages
Rear door opener !! Rubber melted and block door opener (lock unlock system) . *tr
ODI 10504366
Body · Unknown Or Other
Another complaint regarding the rubber cover of the 2007 prius hatch release/latch. The rubber covering has deteriorated and degraded in a way that causes it to melt and become sticky in warm or hot weather; touching the cover causes the material to stick to fingers, and is very difficult to remove, requiring the use of a solvent cleaner. In cold and freezing weather, the cover becomes very stiff and not flexible,…
ODI 10861324
Body
The rear hatch release has become inoperable due to a deteriorated rubber cover. Fixing the problem requires replacement of the entire release assembly. The area for the spare tire and hybrid battery are inaccessible until the latch is replaced. *tr
ODI 10439367
Body · Electrical System
The rear latch of my 2007 toyota prius has degraded to the point that it is inoperable. The rear latch release has melted to the point that it ends up all over my hands when i attempt to open the rear hatch and does not open. I am unable to open the trunk. This is a major safety issue. I have two children under the age of 5 who are strapped into car seats. In the event of an emergency, the rear hatch may be the only…
ODI 10654010