2018 Prime - Rust on Hatch Handle

curious what this looks like - could you post a picture?

 

There's another fairly long thread on that subject somewhere here. Apparently quite a few people have had this happen including the previous owner of mine. Like this:

 

You are correct, nothing has been done by Toyota to remedy this problem AFAIK. The issue has been brought up to the Toyota headquarter (both US and Canada), and they know this problem exist. I have been on a waiting list to replace the handle parts as soon as a new (and hopefully improved) material parts becomes available, but it has been almost 8 months.

When weather brakes, I am going to try to remedy it DIY. Probably taking the parts off and applying rust proof paint of some sort.

Here is the link to the original thread on 2017 PRIME.
Rust on rear hatch handle | PriusChat

 

Had the same rust on mine. The dealer repaired it under warranty.

 

Repaired by replacing with the same parts made of the same material? Have you had the same issue after this winter yet?

 

These are the kinds of issue the AWOL Prius Team need to see, but apparently, Toyota US is not interested in customer support after they have your money.

 

Nice! I just looked at the corrosion warranty and it said it's for perforation (rust through), so I wouldn't expect them to replace it. Maybe I should check on that before I take it apart and treat it myself.

 

Had body shop repaint it.
Looks like it is starting to rust again.

 

I lived on a small island for nine years. This stuff is the best:

 

So, it was never replaced? Toyota just reimbursed you for the cost of painting it under warranty?

 

The dealers body shop repainted it. It is starting to rust.

 

Well, that makes me wonder how hard it is to replace it. I was thinking if I can remove the piece easily, then repair it DIY. If it is super difficult, I may have to wait for Toyota to come up with a replacement parts.

 

It doesn't look like an easy part to replace. I believe the rear hatch is a carbon fiber material.

 

I checked mine with a magnet and found it has a plastic trim shell surround, but the rusted section jerry showed is actually behind the surround. Might be easiest to just brush on a rust converter/stabilizer or preemptively slap a quick protective coat of paint on it.

 

That thought crossed my mind, but it wouldn't help the sides or the back. I wonder if anyone has popped the panel off of there yet and knows where to safely pry. I'm sure it's not too hard, but it is a little scary. If the handle has a plastic coating the coating would have to be removed in order to properly treat the rust.

 

The difference material thickness likely means a different part than what the gen4 uses.

If the Prius handle isn't having any issues, looking into whether it could be made to fit the Prime may be quicker than waiting for Toyota.

 

You mean this?

Switch - Toyota (84840-47040) | Toyota Parts

 

Whichever part that is rusting.
Since it hasn't been mentioned here, I'm working with the assumption that the issue isn't effecting the plain old Prius model. Thus the part isn't one shared between them. This looks like a strip a steel to give some extra reinforcement to the carbon fiber around the handle area.

 

I just went out to my car & verified. The Gen 4 switch is totally different. The switch itself only has rubber exposed.