2006 Toyota Prius Latches, locks and linkages Problems

“I am writing to you about an unresolved problem with my 2006 Toyota Prius. In may 2008, the driver's side electronic door lock actuator failed and was replaced by my local Toyota dealer. Now, the driver's side door lock actuator has once again failed, along with the passenger's side actuator. My local Toyota dealer informed me that the estimated repair cost would total $1,300. …”

“I am writing to you about a problem with my 2006 Toyota Prius. In july 2008, the driver's side electronic door lock actuator failed and was replaced by my local Toyota dealer - I had extended warranty so it was covered. Now, the driver's side door lock actuator has once again failed. I have not contacted my Toyota dealership because in 2008 if I didn't have the warranty it was going to cost me well over $1,000. The failure of this actuator happening twice is unbelievable. I've noticed similar complaints by other individuals.”

“The rear hatchback latch of my 2006 Toyota Prius has deteriorated over time. It started back in february 2012 with a difficulty opening the hatchback even with considerable effort. Now, when I touch the latch release it is gummy and will not open at all about 90% of the time. This is a safety hazard as I can't access any of the equipment (spare tire, emergency tools etc) that are located under the floor of the hatch. I found out that to fix it will cost me over $300. This is unacceptable that a door handle should fail so quickly. The rest of the car works beautifully. …”

“After only about 4 years use, the rubber cover on the hatch release handle (the exterior handle of the rear hatch) of our 2006 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. …”

“The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the exterior trunk latch deteriorated, which made the hatch unable to open half of the time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.”