The hatch just slammed down on my head! Turns out the rubber plug at end of hydraulics have both disintegrated on my 2010 Prius. This should be on recall but isnt. Anyone else experience this?
First I have heard of this problem. Mine are still in good shape and working fine. May have something to do with the colder climate.
I don't know how to start a new conversation. Has anyone had problems with a frozen caliper? I have a 2010 Prius II with 46K. Just got it inspected before a 800 mile trip. The mpg was 40-45! When I got back the back wheel was making a noise like it was scraping and repair shop found the back right caliper frozen solid. He said it was probably due to salt use in NY. I am upset to have such an issue with a 3 year old car that was just checked. Is there any warrantee coverage on something like this?
Go to Forums at the top of the page, scroll down to Gen III, then scroll down and select Maint and Troubleshooting. At the top of the page there is a selection for New Thread. Select this, enter the thread title and then type your post. Do this instead of jumping in the middle of someone else's thread !
Mine will stay up, even with a 30lb Thule bike carrier attached to the hatch. There is extra margine designed into the struts. I thinks yours are defective. Take it to the dealer and hopefully it is still under warranty.
Colder weather makes the gas struts on the rear hatch less effective. Age does the same thing and can make the cold weather hatch support even less effective. Austin doesn't get as cold as most parts of Canada. I've run into this problem with my Chrysler minivan here in the Seattle area in the winter. Susan, you could try the dealership for a replacement assuming you're still under warranty, otherwise you may need to replace the struts.
Yes I am having the same problem with my 2010 Prius OUCH. I live in PA last year was a mild winter and the car spend the night in a garage. I have an extended warranty for the car. I hope this is covered.
Haven't encountered this, but, I do know that some people like to spray stuff like wd-40 around hinges and moving parts. It is not recommended to spray the struts as these "lubricants" can lead to disintegration of the seals. High ozone levels in large cities will also tend to cause faster breakdown of rubber stuff. Not saying you live in a city with bad air, or that you lubed your struts, but i'd bet that oter people have. Glad that you are mostly unhurt as you could tell us about the problem. I hope warranty covers it, as I think 2-3 years is too short a service life for these things. As another poster to the thread has noted, colder weather is now closing in upon us, and these things do get weaker as temps drop, so be careful before getting youself under the hatch until you determine it is really being held up in the fully open position properly. Roland
Had the same problem last winter when my 2010 was only 1 1/2 years old. Dealer said it was "normal." Smacked my head on the half-opened hatch a few days ago. Will go back to dealer and make some noise. I'll let everyone know how I made out.
My 2010 OEM liftgate struts had also weakened and would no longer raise the liftgate to its fully open position. Since I was out of warranty, I installed "STRONGARM GAS CHARGED LIFT SUPPORTS", part no. 4686 that were on sale at Advance Auto in March 2012 for $21.59 each. These are a good solution if you can't get yours replaced under warranty. Check out the below thread for more information, Aftermarket Hatch Struts | PriusChat
My 2010 rear hatch struts failed. I was out of warranty but the dealer replaced them free as a goodwill gesture.
Not on this vehicle but on my saab. If they won't replace them for free, don't have the dealer replace, you can get far better replacements for far less than what a dealer will charge. simple to install. When the seal goes on one, the other is forced to handle all the weight...and it fails shortly after.
I just checked of Advances web page and they say it wont fit the 2010. Did you have to modify it to fit?
They fit perfectly, without any modification. If you want to be sure, take one of your old OEM struts to the store and compare it to the new one before you purchase it. FYI - After nine months of use the Strong Arm struts still raise the hatch completely and the hatch now closes with normal effort.
