NHTSA Complaint #10403789 — 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS

I BOUGHT A SCION IN '06, MY FIRST CAR I'VE EVER BOUGHT. IT WAS WONDERFUL, EXCEPT THAT I LIVE IN FLORIDA AND THE RUBBER PIECE ON MY TRUNK HANDLE MELTED. IT MELTED SO MUCH THAT, TO THIS DAY, THERE IS A HUGE GLOB OF RUBBER ON MY LICENSE PLATE. WELL, YESTERDAY I TRADED IN MY SCION FOR A PRIUS. I AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE HANDLE! EVERY TIME I OPEN MY TRUNK, I GET BLACK GUNK ON MY HANDS. UPON RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR TOYOTAS. I EMAILED TOYOTA AND ADDRESSED THEM WITH THE ISSUE. THEY WROTE IT OFF AS GREASE DRIPPING FROM THE HANDLE, WHEN IF YOU LOOK AT MY CAR, IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE ARE GLOBS OF MELTED RUBBER EVERYWHERE. THEY TOLD ME IT COULD EASILY BE WIPED OFF AND I CAN'T EVEN SCRAPE IT OFF OR WASH IT OFF WITH SOAP AND WATER! I EVEN SENT THEM LINKS TO FORUMS WITH PAGE AND PAGES OF COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND THEY STILL WON'T ADDRESS IT. THEREFORE, I DECIDED TO REPORT IT HERE. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY TURN INTO A SAFETY ISSUE, IF THE RUBBER CONTINUES TO MELT CAUSING THE TRUNK TO BE INOPERABLE. *TR