For some time now, the rear latch has been sticking and has been needing several attempts to release. Finally, now it has stopped operating altogether. The dealer says he is not aware of the problem. With the complaints I have seen online, I am surprised at the response. It can also be a safety problem at the right conditions. I feel disappointed at Toyota motors. After many years of trouble free Toyota ownership I am certainly disappointed with the recent developments with their products.

- Shorewood, IL, USA

Components: Equipment latches/locks/linkages 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. And therefore access the spare, any of my repair tools or my earthquake kit, flares, jumpers, etc. There is no alternative internal method for opening the hatchback/trunk. Toyota needs a recall of this defective part. The quote to repair was $291 plus labor. Nhtsaid has had other complaints #10533059, 10511408, 10504366, 10496197, etc. Etc. I am 80 years of age and this is presenting a definite safety defect.

- Long Beach,, CA, USA

The back latch of my Toyota Prius 2007 has degraded. In the past I have rarely used the trunk of my car and therefore did not realize the extent of the problem. I am now almost 9 months pregnant. A couple of months ago (around November 2013) I tried to open the trunk. While it was difficult, after a lot of pressing and maneuvering I was able to open it. Most recently for the past 3 weeks, I am completely unable to open the trunk. Now that the trunk is completely unable to be opened, I am extremely concerned for the safety of my newborn that will be riding in the car. In the event of an emergency, being able to open the trunk to potentially remove my baby out of the car is a must. Therefore, I believe this is a serious safety hazard. I am requesting that Toyota correct this problem on my car.

- Encino, CA, USA

Rear latch assembly on my Prius has started to melt and block the opening of the rear latch. This seems to be a problem with many of the 2007 Prius. I have never had a car where the plastic melted for no apparent reason.

- Grants Pass, OR, USA

2007 Toyota Prius rear hatch handle failure. Rubber cover melts into electric switch making it inoperable.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

My 2007 Toyota Prius has a rear hatch release that has stopped working as it has gotten very soft after about three years. This is a common problem as I search the many forums and replacement is not inexpensive. This is very aggravating and I feel Toyota should replace this defective device. I have serious back issues and getting this hatch open is more than a challenge for me, it is at times impossible.

- Illinois 61920, IL, USA

Rear hatch handle has been leaking almost from the time we acquired it in 2011. Rubber has decayed, leaking goo or other black sticky stuff every time it's touched. Since this is the only way to open the hatch, it's a problem. This seems to be a common issue with this model, witness your own index of complaints, appended below. Let's get Toyota to fix this problem. [xxxx] [xxxx] [xxxx] from the NHTSA website: Date complaint filed: 08/01/2013 component(s): Equipment, latches/locks/linkages date of incident: 07/25/2013 NHTSA id number: 10533059 all products associated with this complaint expand details close 0 associated documents crash:no fire:no number of injuries:0 number of deaths:0 manufacturer: Toyota motor corporation vehicle identification no. (VIN): Not available summary: 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. Request research help date complaint filed: 05/10/2013 component(s): Latches/locks/linkages, structure date of incident: 10/05/2012 NHTSA id number: 10511408 (... and many more, but your form won't let me include more than this text...)

- Oak Park, IL, 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

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 method for opening the hatchback/trunk. Toyota needs a recall of this defective part as the cost to repair it is exorbitant, quoted to me as $352.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

Rear door opener !! rubber melted and block door opener (lock unlock system).

- Holiday , FL, USA

The back latch covering has a vinyl(?) covering which has become sticky and the latch itself is difficult to open, resulting in continued attempts. It is a hindrance to gain access to the trunk area and thus access to the spare tire if needed.

- Carlinville, IL, USA

Rear hatch door latch failure, starting with softening and deformation of the rubber-like cover and progressing to latch not opening, especially in cold weather.

- Nashville, TN, USA

The rear hatch release on my 2007 Toyota Prius has begun to deteriorate and turn into a rubbery and sticky black mess. This issue interferes with the use of the hatch as the rubber not only gets on your fingers but appears to be blocking the release mechanism. The deterioration started during the summer of 2011. The issue has worsened and yesterday I was unable to open the rear hatch whatsoever.

- Warrenton, VA, USA

Everything about my 2007 Toyota Prius is great except for the latch for the back hatch. There is a rubber cover for the latch that you have to push to open the rear hatch. This rubber has melted. It makes if difficult to open the rear hatch in any kind of an emergency. Right now, if you touch the latch you get a thick coating of melted rubber on your hand. Sometimes the latch fails to open at all. You still get the black melted rubber on your hand. This should not happen to a 4 year old vehicle. I live in a hot part of the country - the Mississippi gulf coast - and rubber covers for hatch latches should be able to withstand summer heat down here.

- Diamondhead, MS, USA

2007 Prius hatch handle melt down.

- Tx, TX, USA

The latch handle on my 2007 Prius has begun to melt and is worsening over time. I have to open the rear hatch with a towel. It is difficult to open and if I use my hands they become all blackened and my fingers stick impeding the opening esp in an emergency. Both problems interfere with a quick release.

- Fuquay Varina, NC, USA

2007 Prius rear hatch switch covered by a rubber strip. Rubber strip has melted and is now more like tar than rubber.

- Boerne, TX, 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. I thought that this might be a singular issue, but have found that this has happened to several car owners, 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 ). 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.

- Watkinsville, GA, USA

At only 4 years of use and under 34,000 miles, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle of my 2007 Toyota Prius has melted into a sticky, black tar substance. In order to operate the hatch, you have to push a button which is located under the black tar substance, which makes it difficult to operate the hatch release. As I have looked into this issue, it seems that there are several other Toyota Prius owners, nationwide, who have experienced this same specific issue. Toyota knows told me there have been several complaints about the rubber switch melting as well, and is selling the entire wiring harness for $153.23 plus repair costs, and had no recalls concerning the rubber switch. From a safety perspective, 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. 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, let alone any extreme weather conditions! it's outrageous to think a door handle or hatch handle was made to only endure 3-4 years of typical weather conditions.

- Grand Island, NE, USA

2007 Toyota Prius rear hatch handle melted. Noticed about a 3 months ago just though that it was really hot out. Then though this handle should not melt to high heat there has to be a problem. Went to dealer to have oil change and inspection, had service mgr. Open hatch and he stated there is a problem. He stated that because car is out of warranty he can not do anything and that it will cost $58.84 for handle and $97 for labor. He gave me Toyota care number to call, I called today and they state the same thing out of warranty...........I knew that was coming..... this handle should not melt, there has to be a problem with the wiring over heating. The buttons on the doors to lock the car are made out of the same material. Toyota will not do anything until someone has a fire and someone dies.

- Statesville, NC, USA