Hatch opening lift has become gummy. What to do?

Trunk Hatch Liftgate Switch Latch Release Button Rubber Cover Replacement Toyota | eBay

When I bought my 2007 about 18 months ago, it had this problem. Very gooey. The correct way to replace this is to remove the switch, which requires taking off the hatch inside cover.

To remove the gooey stuff that had gotten into the switch, I used a can of AutoZone brake cleaner , an old toothbrush and a very small screwdriver to scrape it out. Maybe yours isn't as bad as mine was.

 

yep... something about the type of material they decided to use, combined with how weather, exhaust and dust accumulates there is what causes that. It's an easy fix though... Find a relatively thick chunk of rubber or similar material, remove the old one and traces the shape on to the new material, cut it out and screw it in place and you're done! Super easy! Maybe I should finally get around to doing it on my '07? Thanks for the reminder.

 

Might have better luck in the actual Prius thread...

That being said, rubbing alcohol to the rubber weatherstripping could clean them up and "release" some of the stick.

 

Is this really a C ??

That's an area that never gets cleaned really good with a routine car wash.

I would strongly recommend alcohol and a RAG (not paper towel) and a good rub......or two......on that rubber cover before considering replacing any parts. While you are at it, clean the other parts under that lip too. It might be REALLY cruddy.

If that seems to clear it up, a coating of silicone spray lube (which dries dry but slippery) should help delay a re-occurrence.

 

Her car is a 2007 Prius, not a C model. This is not merely a layer of stickiness on the rubber. This is a true degradation/devulcanizing on the rubber full thickness. No amount of cleaning is going to solve this issue, unless it's cleaned to the extent it's completely removed.