During the summer of 2011, we noticed the trunk latch mechanism to be sticky and melting, leaving black stuff on our hands. We live in southwest Ohio, so temperatures are usually in the 80S-90S in the peak of summer. At times, this would cause the trunk latch not to work, and we couldn't open the trunk. During the fall months, things improved, and it wasn't as much of an issue. Once the colder winter months began, the trunk latch began to stick and wouldn't open when it was cold. I can recall several times trying to open the trunk unsuccessfully. Again, things improved once temperatures warmed up in spring. The whole cycle started again in the summer and repeated over and over. Over time, the part that the latch is connected to began to feel loose. I asked about it during my routine 80K mile service, and they said that the whole part would need to be replaced, not just the latch. Although we have the extended warranty coverage, apparently it was not covered and we could not afford to replace it at that time. Well, this February, the trunk latch was once again malfunctioning and would not open while running errands. At one location, I tried opening the trunk, squeezing the melted button, and the entire part that the switch is attached to (including the push button lock, the back-up camera, etc.) broke off of the car. I am 30something woman with average strength, and I don't feel I was being overly aggressive on trying to open the car. I believe this was due to the part not functioning and over time, the connections were just too weak. This should not have happened from normal wear and tear, and it is clearly a defect by the manufacturer. I have read online that this issue has occurred on many other Toyota Prius vehicles of the same age. I believe that Toyota needs to issue a recall and refund the $312.03 I had to spend to repair a defective part.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

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 to repair this problem.

- Somerville, MA, USA

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.

- Orangeburg, SC, USA

Rear hatch handle liquefied.

- Lakewood, CA, USA

The hatchback handle/lock has melted. Now when it's very cold you cannot open it without considerable force. My 16 year old daughter is driving the car and she can't get it open.

- New Hudson, MI, USA

I have a 2007 Toyota Prius and the rubber has "melted" off if the latch and has made it nearly impossible to gain access to the rear compartment of my vehicle. It began with numerous black and sticky fingers then progressed to chunks of gooey of what I think was plastic coming off into my hands and has ended up being an almost impossible task to gain access via the back end of my car. From a very quick search of the internet, this appears to be a wide spread problem and everyone is getting the same answer I am getting from Toyota....pay up!! this has to be a mfg defect. I live in North Texas so yes, it does get hot here but melt the plastic off your car hot, I think not! please help us!

- Allen, TX, USA

The rubber covering the external hatch latch at the rear of my 2007 Prius has degraded to the extent that the latch no longer functions properly. This is a design flaw for the 2007 Prius and very dangerous as it will not allow access into the trunk area in case of emergency. Because of the melted/degraded rubber my wife can no longer get into the trunk and I can only get into the trunk at random intervals with severe pressure placed on the rubber/switch area. It could be impossible for me to reach the spare in an emergency. It could also damage the electrical system with the pressure needed to make it work. This is clearly a Toyota design and materials problem and should be fixed by Toyota before someone gets hurt.

- Seattle, WA, USA

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.

- San Antonio, NM, USA

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.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

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.

- Kensington, CT, USA

The rear hatch release on my 2007 Toyota Prius has deteriorated and has become more and more difficult to open the hatch. Tonight it is very cold out and the mechanism stuck again and would not open. I tried unlocking to make sure it didn't re-lock the doors and pulled again on the latch and the whole back part broke off in my hand. The combination of the sticking and the cold made the plastic piece that is all that it is holding the latch brittle to the point of simply breaking while trying to open the hatch.

- Point Of Rocks, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius hybrid. The contact stated that the trunk door failed to open. The contact also mentioned that the material that latched the door with the trunk was melted and the trunk could not be accessed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 69,000.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

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 almost $300 to fix, waited a couple of months, dealer finally dropped to $138 to fix it. This is obviously a known defective issue--no one should be charged anything. It is a safety issue as the door cannot be opened in an emergency. Why Toyota will not fix this without causing their customer's potential danger/harm speaks volumes to them not caring about the customer. Dashboard warping: Dashboard on driver side buckles up where it meets the edge of the windshield, was told it was in issue with the material that the dashboard was made from. Very poor quality to have this happen.

- Houston, TX, USA

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.

- Terre Haute , IN, USA

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 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 are making an insane amount of money off of its consumers when we were sold a faulty part.

- Corona, CA, USA

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 packages and/or kids. I am terribly disappointed that Toyota is not taking ownership of this problem as I see many posts dealing with this very same issue.

- Arlington, VA, USA

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 repair. The charge imo was excessive for something that imo was a built in defect and deserves a recall.

- Clearwater, FL, USA

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 problem ever since we purchased the vehicle in 2011. It seems to me that a body part should last more than 4 yrs and since we purchased used, it may have already been gooey before we purchased.

- Georgetown, TX, 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

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.

- Pitttsburgh , PA, USA