Left front headlight. It goes out after 5 minutes of driving. I replaced the bulb and it still goes out. The cost of bulbs are very expensive and Toyota should be made to replace this item and have all 2007 Prius recalled. One accident could cause a major catastrophe on the roads because lights turning off in the middle of a drive is unnerving and dangerous.

- San Diego, CA, USA

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.

- Orlando, FL, USA

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.

- Goleta, CA, USA

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. I live in Louisiana. Toyota knows about this, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $600, 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 Louisiana, 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. And now my trunk won't open and it is about detach from the car because of the extra pulling needed to open it. Why has it not been recalled? it should be mandatory. They told me I would have to pay over $600 to do it at the dealer, but they should pay for it.

- Metairie, LA, USA

While driving to the store one evening, the headlights suddenly flickered and went out. I turned the light switch off and on then they went back on. Ever since this the lights(driver side) go off and usually come back on after turning the light switch on and off. No resolution to this after contacting Toyota since I appear to not be under warranty.

- Indiana, IN, USA

After only about 1 year of owning my pre-owned 2007 Prius, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) 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 this has happened to several car owners, particularly in Florida and California. I live in southern California and noticed an increase after a particularly hot spell. 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 3-5 year mark (ie after 3 years of exposure to the bright sun in ca 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.

- Ca, CA, USA

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).

- Ca, CA, USA

Headlamp bulbs burn out very quickly leading to repeated change of the bulbs at $250 a piece.

- Santa Fe, NM, USA

My 2007 Prius has the hid headlamps, which are too costly to repair and will randomly go out while driving at night...clearly dangerous. I try to have the bulbs replaced and Toyota dealer says its a $200 to $300 dollar job to repair (money that I do not have) while the car was still under warranty the las vegas dealer fixed the issue ( or I thought they did) but less then two years later I am having the same problem and now Toyota will not repair it cause it is not under warranty. This is wrong they tried and failed to fix now I guess I am no longer a good customer. Why will they not fix a danger situation. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Creston, IA, USA

Two instances of runaway acceleration within the first month I owned my 2007 Prius (October - November 2006) poo pooed by the dealer. Said they knew nothing about any such problem. Googled it and it was all over the net even then. Still blaming it on the floor mats which they sold to me specifically for my car that were included in the purchase price. Glad this is now getting media attention.

- Godfrey , IL, USA

This is not one incident, it happens whenever the road is slick (rain, or even sprinkler runoff!) or if I drive over a pothole--the power to the wheels is cut and the engine feels like it is going to stall. It is extremely difficult and nervewracking to drive while it is raining. The most dangerous times that this happens is when I am at a signal, making a right turn I need power to the engine to merge into traffic, and make sure that oncoming traffic is not interrupted. There have been times that I feel like my car won't "go" or hesitates when I need it to go! and if it's this bad in wet conditions, I would never even consider driving the Prius in snowy conditions. I have read that this is all due to a problem in the traction control system. Very unsafe!!

- Irvine, CA, USA

My 2007 Prius has the exact brake failure described in the news reports of the past few days. When I approach a stop sign on a rough road and apply the brakes, there are no brakes for a brief interval. I have not had an accident but a few close calls. I think the investigation should be expanded to all model years, not just the 2010 Prius. I thought maybe it was just an ABS issue but I had another car with ABS and never had this interval of no brakes.

- Denver, CO, USA

2007 Prius hid headlight failure - drivers side hid bulb (part # 90981-20015 and computer sub-assy 81107-47150 was replaced by Toyota santa monica on March 26, 2009 @ 33,929 mileage. & passenger side. First incident (drivers side).

- Calabasas, CA, USA

The headlights on the 2007 Prius turn off by them self. If you turn them off and back on they will be back on and turn off again, this is how I know it is not a lose wire. I worked with a fleet of Prius and Lexus hybrid cars. The Prius has had this issue since 2006. Multiple cars wit the same symptoms. The Toyota dealership charges you up to $ 1,700 + to fix this issue. There are forums all over the net discussing this issue and many concern drivers on the road that do not know how to utilize the power of the internet. This is no longer a money issue, it has become a safety issue now. Police have ticketed me over 5 times and I have gone to Toyota and they charge me thousands. Last week I almost ran over a little girl on a bike at dusk...when I stopped and asked if she was ok she replied " I didn't see your lights sir, I am sorry".

- Forest Hills, NY, USA