Rust on rear hatch handle

Carbon fiber, and the Prius has used aluminum since at least the gen 2.

 

Not too long. It will rust again.

 

I popped my hood the other day to check the air filter and I had a bear of a time getting the latch to release. I found that the metal latch piece and the latch itself was rusted as heck. It was rusted so badly, I had to sand some off and repaint it. Then I greased the heck out of it. This is the first Toyota that's given me this problem. My daughter's Honda did this but never a Toyota.

 

Another update:
Toyota Canada had a 3rd time reviewing my case and they turned down to replace the trunk entirely. My body shop was the only one to escalate for the real fix and no others. Guess the voice was not hard enough to make this as a recall.

Bottom line, what were done basically re-surfaced/re-painted the visible area, what you don't see behind left/right is extreme rusty. Rust will come back eventually then I will have to escalate at that time.

 

Rust testing the prototype vehicles doesn't seem to be a priority....

 

Reviving 4-year-old thread. I had the rust on hatch door problem on my first PP (2017 PP Premium). See the photo of my 2017 PP hatch door here:
After 1 winter Rust on rear hatch handle | PriusChat
After 2 winters Rust on rear hatch handle | Page 3 | PriusChat.
And what the dealer did to fix it. Rust on rear hatch handle | Page 4 | PriusChat

Well, I just looked at my 2021 PP Ltd. 10-month-old but survived through the first New England winter. It is happening AGAIN! I thought they fixed this problem by replacing the material used for that backing. Initially, when I got the car last summer, the material felt like plastic... but apparently, I was wrong. It is definitely starting to bubble up due to underlying material starting to rust.

Oh, so much for Toyota's KAIZEN practice. I am gonna have to contact the dealer.

 

Seems like they just ignore issues till the next gen… if then…

 

I bet, next-gen will have the same problem, unless the supplier changes or something.

I don't know if it helps now, but I sprayed anti-corrosion spray for now. Even if I take it back to the dealer, they are just going to paint it over and hide a problem rather than fixing the root cause.

 

This thread reminds me to look at my hatch handle once again. It was OK a couple years back.

 

You just reminded me to check mine, @Salamander_King. The dealer sanded and painted everything they could reach a couple years ago. It looks as good now as it did the day after the "repair." Of course most of the metal is impossible to see. It helps that they don't salt the roads here. The other rust that began during its first couple years with the original owner in New England has not advanced at all.

 

I did not drive much during this winter compared to the pre-pandemic period my 2017 PP was driven. Still, the occasional drive I had to do on the salted road did take a toll on less than 1-year-old 2021 PP. Yeah, I am convinced that in our region, as long as I have to drive the car between Nov-Apr, rust is going to be the major cause shortening the life of any cars.

Not on my PP, but our 8-year-old SUV just had the exhaust pipe rusted out and needed a replacement. We've had the car only for 3 years and the underbody has been treated with WoolWax after our acquisition, but the vehicle had spent its entire time in New England most likely untreated in the first 5 years. The exhaust replacement would have been over a $3K job at a dealer. I opted to take the car to a local shop to have it welded with a small pipe ring. Cost $300.

 

I HATE salt...

Addendum:

https://newsroom.aaa.com/2017/02/road-de-icers-cause-3-billion-annually-vehicle-rust-damage/

 

Forget the damage to cars, what about the damage to people?

Gas Industry's Solution to Toxic Wastewater: Spray It on Roads
"The water rises back to the surface as a brine laden with chloride (a salt) as well as a number of other constituents like radium and barium, which are radioactive." Plus other harmful chemicals.

The article focused mainly of the stuff getting into rivers, but the radium left after the solution dries easily aerosolizes.

 

Sorry to bring this post up again.

Got a used 2020 Prius prime in late May 2023. Discovered rust on the hatch door handle in early June. (Yep, I only drove the vehicle twice a week, with 100km round trip) went back to the dealership where I got the vehicle from. The service manager said my vehicle already passed the 3 years warranty period. They have to check with Toyota Canada. I checked back with them after 2 weeks. The manager email back, Toyota Canada willing to cover 50% of the cost of repair, which will still cost me CAD $600

 

Fugedaboutit

 

I think the original owner didn't take it to the dealership during its warranty period and have it fixed for free.

Mine still holding up as of today (Fixed/repainted during warranty period). Touching wood but rust is rust, it wont go away for good

Body shop told me if it happens again for my situation, it will be counted as part of the corrosion follow up.