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 · Door
The rear door latch rubber cover has turned to a goo, and makes it difficult to open the rear hatch door. *kb
ODI 10429509
Body · Electrical System
The rubber covering on the rear hatch opening mechanism is melting. I have two other model year prius vehicles (2004 and 2006) and this has not occurred on those - only on this 2007 car. It is becoming difficult to open the hatch and it will probably fail completely soon. *tr
ODI 10473653
Body
For about 3-4 years off and on it has been difficult to open the hatch back door. Over time this problem has gotten worse. At this point even my husband is having trouble opening the door. Non of the other doors is having a problem. The rubber cover on the hatch opening switch above the license plate is deteriorating and causing the problem. Apparently we are not the only one having trouble with this. We will have…
ODI 10744997
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. While parked, the contact noticed that he rubber cover on the hatch release latch was melted and making it difficult to open the hatch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician stated to the contact that the hatch release assembly would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
Fire reported
ODI 10447114
Body
The rubber on the hatch entry deteriorated so severely that it coated my fingers with a hot tarry mess that burned my fingers and stuck there, continuing to burn. The hatch also became virtually impossible to open and several times, especially in colder weather would not open at all. This is also a safety hazard since entry to the vehicle from the rear becomes impossible at such times. Since i am handicapped and on…
1 injury
ODI 10479448
Body
I started to notice the back hatch handle getting sticky near the 3 year mark, which was about a year ago. It has become progressively worse where the black sticky tar will get hot & mark my hands so i decided to take it to the dealership. They said that it would cost around $330 to fix. After searching around it seems that this is a very recurrent problem that if makes it difficult to open the hatch back, which…
ODI 10434335
Body · Unknown Or Other
After only about 4 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…
ODI 10458681
Body
The hatchback handle on my 2007 toyota prius has melted over time. This causes the latching mechanism to fail, which is a potential safety hazard in that it leaves this door virtually inaccessible during an emergency. Each time i try to open the rear door, melted rubber sticks to my hand. This car has performed satisfactorily otherwise, but the handle failure constitutes a manufacturing defect. *tr
ODI 10428380
Body
Vehicle was purchased new in 2007 in houston, tx. In summer of 2010 the rubberized cover to the back latch began to melt and has become malformed during hot weather. This has resulted in difficulty opening the back hatch door, since the malformed rubber has made it, at times, almost impossible to press with enough force on the portion of the handle required to release the latch. Inability to open doors on a vehicle…
ODI 10449303
Body
The hatchback latching mechanism has degraded to the point that it is nearly impossible to open in winter conditions. In the summer the exposed rubber parts became sticky and basically melted on your hand when you tried to open it. The latch also became harder to actuate. Now in the winter the latch requires so much force to open it that it is difficult to open at all. *tr
ODI 10660229
Body · Electrical System
The rubber on the rear hatch release has deteriorated causing difficulty or impossibility of opening the rear hatch. This could pose a safety issue in an emergency. *tr
ODI 10554983
Body
The switch sub-assembly, lug (part# 84905-47010) part for the rear door handle started to melt. Black tar like material would get on your hands and under the fingernails. The entire part was decomposing and the door lock would not work as it should. Searched the internet and found many other 2007 prius cars doing the same thing. Called toyota, and they said during production they used an adhesive for insulation.…
ODI 10471163
Body
The rubber cover of the external trunk latch has melted. On many occasions, the latch opens only after many attempts. A web search found many other owners who complain about the same problem. *tr
ODI 10626937
Body
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. I thought that this might be a singular issue, but have found that…
ODI 10930345
Body
The rear hatch handle assembly has melted completely into a gooey mess. This handle was replaced by toyota under warranty in 2009.. And the replacement melted completely as did the original equipment. But now this will cost appx. $300 to replace. There is other way to open the rear hatch . This part is clearly defective and results in no way to access the spare tire and other safety equipment in the hatch. Update…
ODI 10745780
Body
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated during the winter, when he attempted to open the lift gate it failed to open. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but they could not determine the cause of failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000. The vin was unavailable.
ODI 10562075
Body
Release button for 2007 toyota prius hatchback has defective rubber, which deteriorates prematurely and leaks hydraulic fluid used to actuate the door release. After a while, door will not open, and requires replacement of release mechanism. *tr
ODI 10483329
Body
The trunk handle has melted - turning the rubber into a sticky goo - and one is unable to open the trunk. Local toyota dealer removed and replaced the rear hatch switch at the cost of $310.22..the local toyota dealer informed me that this repair was not unexpected in that a similar problem on the scion has been identified and is being repaired by toyota at their expense. Other reports on the web highlight the same…
ODI 10568972