Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 03/08/2010 | 40000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the vehicle was stationary. the contact observed a water leak in the trunk in the spare tire wheel well. the failure occurred during rainy weather conditions. the water was drained from the wheel well. the contact was concerned about the potential safety hazard contributed to water leakage within the battery. the failure and current mileages were 40,000. | |||
| 12/07/2008 | 1 | ||
| The prius has a mark on dash by center screen and is poor sign. *tr | |||
| 08/22/2008 | 2000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle is extremely, almost dangerously, sensitive to cross winds and wake turbulence from larger vehicles, trucks specifically. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 10/25/2012 | 36000 | 1 | |
| The black rubber trunk release cover has deteriorated/melted, making it difficult to open the rear hatch of the car. this appears to be a common problem, based on the number of complaints reported on the internet for this same issue. appears to be a manufacturing/part defect. *tr | |||
| 10/25/2012 | 36000 | ||
| The black rubber trunk release cover has deterioriated/melted, making it difficult to open the rear hatch of the car. this appears to be a common problem, based on the number of complaints reported on the internet for this same issue. appears to be a manufacturing/part defect. | |||
| 08/31/2011 | 800000 | 1 | |
| After about 3 years of use, the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) started to become soft and sticky, and after a few months eventually totally melts into a sticky, gooey black mess that would stick to your hands whenever you touch it. the hatch becomes harder and harder to open. *tr | |||
| 08/31/2011 | 800000 | ||
| After about 3 years of use, the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) started to become soft and sticky, and after a few months eventually totally melts into a sticky, gooey black mess that would stick to your hands whenever you touch it. the hatch becomes harder and harder to open. | |||
| 09/01/2010 | 55000 | 1 | |
| At about 2 years old the handle to the back hatch release melted into a tarry goo. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2010 | 55000 | ||
| At about 2 years old the handle to the back hatch release melted into a tarry goo. | |||
| 08/29/2012 | 70374 | 1 | |
| On 8/29/12, i got into my 2008 prius in the parking lot of the easton, md giant food-store to return home. this lot is on a slope just above a parking lot for walmart, with a paved road between the 2 lots. the parking lots were very crowded. i needed to get to the road separating the 2 lots in order to go home. i had just started the prius and put it into drive when it started to roar loudly, jumped out fast, and accelerated rapidly, even though i brake multiple times. the brakes seemed to make it accelerate faster. i was not touching the gas pedal, only the brake, but the car was roaring and out of control. on the way out of the giant lot, the prius hit 3 cars. the noise was very loud, and the car was out of control. pumping the brakes or holding them down did nothing to slow the car, and the noise was terrifying. the brakes did not work, and the prius continued to make a very loud roaring noise. the speed of the car made steering difficult, if not impossible, and there could have been injuries. the prius then left the giant parking lot, went down the mulched slope, crossed the street, bumped over the curb, and went up the walmart slope hitting a small tree. the car was probably going at least 40 mph and came to a stop only after it plunged into an unoccupied black car parked in the walmart parking lot. it was severely damaged and towed away. no one knew who the owner was at the time the police ordered it towed away. an occupant would have been severely injured or killed.during the above, the prius continued to run and the airbag functioned, keeping me uninjured. the brakes and the accelerator failed totally. four vehicles were damaged, one of which was totaled. but as far as i know, there were no injuries??for which i am grateful. this prius should not have been on the road despite having only 74,000 miles and its apparent good condition. *tr | |||
| 05/30/2012 | 56000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the handle on the lift gate melted. the contact noticed it when he grabbed the lift gate handle and a sticky solution covered his hands. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and stated that there was no recalls on the failure. the failure mileage was 56,000. | |||
| 05/30/2012 | 56000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the handle on the lift gate melted. the contact noticed it when he grabbed the lift gate handle and a sticky solution covered his hands. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and stated that there was no recalls on the failure. the failure mileage was 56,000. kmj | |||
| 05/30/2012 | 56000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 toyota prius. the contact stated that the handle on the lift gate melted. the contact stated he was still able to open the lift gate but it left a sticky solution that got on his hand. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that there was nothing that could be done as far as expense wise. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and stated that there was no recall on this failure. the failure mileage was 56,000. ap | |||
| 05/02/2011 | 42000 | ||
| After only about 3 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2008 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. we live in louisiana. 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 2 year mark (ie after 2 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 2 years. | |||
| 11/10/2011 | |||
| The lift gate's problematic opening, has caused the latch and the body part that it is attached, to break away from the vehicle. | |||