Rust on rear hatch handle

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I’d ask for a redo or a different set of hands to perform the work.

 

Also look at the bolts under hatch. Looks like they also rust after one year!
Mine are all rusty!

 

I agree, not an impressive result. This is after keeping my car for 3 days. I really wonder what they actually did.

 

We all know what they did.

Hopefully it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

 

Or what they didn't.

This was covered by warranty. No cost to me. They would have provided me a free rental Prius for the duration of the repair if I needed, but I was going out of town anyway, I did not need another car.

 

Should’ve used the freebie instead of the pathfinder .

But it appears their warranty work is something they had the newbie do.

 

I needed to haul a large cargo that would not fit in a PRIUS. Oh well, too much hassle to complain and take it back for another repair. The dealer is 1 hour away from my home. I will see how it holds up to the elements. I just hope it will not keep rusting under the touch-up paint job.

 

Keep this as documentation and send it in to the service manager for future reference .

Never hurts to case build for the future.

 

Heading over to the Toyota body shop later this morning. They ordered in two parts because they weren't sure which they needed. I'm going to ask if they will let me at least take before & after pictures. I'll let you know what happens.

Also, I'll include this on the other thread I found: 2018 Prime - Rust on Hatch Handle | Page 3 | PriusChat

 

Boy that would be a shame if Toyota is going downhill in the rust department....because rust issues is what brought me to Toyota in the first place.

Don't get me started with Mazda. We were loyal Mazda fans for a LONG time ( a Protege, Protege5, and MPV )...and ALL of them rusted through in spots. It was very, very disappointing...by far the worst vehicles for rust we have ever had. Frankly, they lost a customer for life. However, for the sake of those that own newer Mazda vehicles, I sure hope they fixed their rust issues!

 

In your location, I would think no car is immune to rust problem. Our old Honda had rust through fender by 12 years old that I had to body patch every year to pass the inspection. Toyota did not do much better. By 12 year, our old Sienna was as @Mendel Leisk put it, "artificial reef". see photo in Winter Tires | Page 4 | PriusChat

 

I'm back. I can confirm the reports from a few others that it's not a small job to replace the rusted part. The parts they ordered were not the right ones. It's all one big piece that would have to be replaced after removing all the plastic, glass, carbon fiber, trim, wiring, etc. Just not worth it unless it actually fails.

They did let me see it, so now I understand a little of the structure and it's about what I was guessing. They took off the plastic inner cover of the hatch, but there's another cover that's sandwiched right up against the metal. It looks crazy-complicated to me compared to the gen 2 hatch I've been inside of. They didn't take off that inside piece so I can't tell if there's any rust there, but it didn't look like it had spread on the outer side of the metal. There really wasn't even any way to take a picture of it that I could see because everything is so hidden.

I'm not happy with the design, but I'm satisfied that the shop did all that I could reasonably expect.

Edit to add: Oops! Forgot to say they did as I've heard others report. Sanded and painted all that they could access. I'll edit my previous post to include this.

 

It could be worse. When we were living on the little island of Roatán, we had our truck in the body shop at least once a year to try to keep it together.

 

Sounds like the station wagon (don't even remember what make or model it was but it was domestic) our mom use to drive waaaaay back. It was rusted so bad the floor plate had rusted through you could actually see the road surface while driving. My sister once lost a shoe into this hole. LOL

 

Toyota has nailed rust mitigation techniques...at least on the Prius. There are tons of older Gen2's around here with no visible rust spots. It is night and day when compared to Mazda. In general though..I think most manufacturers have gotten better with rust mitigation lately.

 

I am going in today to let them look at it. They ordered the wrong part last time and the guy told me potentially to see the body shop. I did say that every's Prime out there have this issue, shouldn't this be a recall? He said if enough voice raised for this issue, for sure.

So please all of you with a Prime, escalate .

I am sure after they sanded/painted, this will come back again year after year if not done right.

 

Where did you get the idea that every Prime out there has this issue? Mine is a year older than yours and still looks pristine.

 

I had to take mine to the body shop.

@Washingtonian has a point. I think it's most (maybe soo, all) in salty areas. Mine came from New Jersey.

 

2 years this week, and no rust, even in Chicago / salt-ville.