Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Toyota Prius owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
catalytic converter is easily accessible and there should be a recall to have a safety operation and stop all these cars from being sold in the market because there is a rise in many thefts of the catalytic converter due to it being very easily accusable without any guard in place to prevent thieves from getting to it to remove and sell for parts. Spray paint can be cleaned off and vin numbers can be sanded down. simply trying that will not work. i was unaware that it was stolen off of the vehicle until i drove it a little ways to where the vehicle was then burning and i could smell it catching on fire
After I noticed that the SUV sufficiently ahead of me in the same lane was stopping to make a left turn, I started slowing down with plenty of space. I glanced for a second to my right side to check safety around another set of headlights. When I faced forward I could see that I was getting too close to the about-to-turn car ahead of me. I immediately slammed on the brakes, but the car kept moving forward and slammed into the SUV's rear end. Thankfully there were no physically injuries, but the collision caused low/moderate damage to the SUV and major damage to my Prius -- enough that the radiator was clobbered, and that my car had to be towed. At the time of this post, the repair shop has not yet finished evaluating it and reporting on all the damaged parts and the estimate costs. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the exterior rear hatch handle melted and left a melted rubber residue on her hands. The failure recurred on multiple occasions during warm weather. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,900.
The rear hatch is poorly designed with no indoor release. I keep injuring my hand and neck to get it open, often having to take pain pills, get therapy the next day after straining my neck trying to lift up on the tiny little grip area with my hand. The latch will not release on the first try and when the temps are below freezing I often cannot get it to open at all. How is one supposed to get a spare tire out? When is it zero degrees out one should be able to get their rear door open without taking off one's glove. This hatch will never operate with a gloved hand attempting to open it. It is also not safe to have to fumble around in parking lots attempting to squeeze between parking places to load items purchased when one should be able to easily deposit items in the back of the vehicle. This is a safety issue and needs to be corrected by Toyota. …
Parking my Prius, my foot on the brake pedal, I hit a very small patch of black ice with the right front wheel. The car slanted briefly to the left--then there was a sudden surge of engine power. The car rushed over a mound of ice and snow, jumped the curb, rushed forward between a wall and a tree, narrowly missing it, and crashed into a parked Toyota truck facing outward from the curb. My Prius hit the heavy truck with enough force to knock it six feet for their north and three feet to the west. After impact, the engine continued to make a lot of noise, a sound I've never heard before in seven years of driving the car. It was attempting to surge past the truck, which I believe caused the most damage to the front left bumper of the car. I was stunned and didn't think to turn off the ignition before it quit on its own after perhaps ten seconds. …
The rear lift gate latch on my Toyota Prius has stopped functioning. The exterior rubber over the latch mechanism/switch has melted, turned gummy and will no longer function to open the lift gate. In cold weather the latch has been even more difficult to open and the trim piece containing the trunk hatch latch bezel while trying to get the latch to release broke. I can no longer open the trunk of my car from the outside. This is a security and a safety hazard as I can not access the rear hatch of my car in under normal use nor an emergency and defeats the primary purpose of a hatchback car which is access to the car's interior. The car jack and emergency spare tire, battery located just behind the failed hatch latch. I am disabled, I can not put a wheel chair in/out. This is unsafe and Toyota refuses to assist with the repair. …
First issue is with the rear latch being useless sometimes depending on the weather as the molding is all melted and access to the trunk being impossible. Second and most important I've noticed the braking on this car is very very suspect. Purchased this vehicle around 6 months ago from westbury Toyota and I've learned I need to apply my brakes at least a good 50 to 100 feet before the vehicle in front of me. Couple months ago the car in front of me braked so sudden that I also hit my brakes, the ABS sign flashed as if it "was" working but the car just kept going, I ended up pressing the brake all the way to the floor and still no result. If I hadn't kept my distance I would've definitely ended up in that cars trunk. I can say from all my experience as a driver and all the cars I've owned this car has the worst braking system in the history of motor vehicles. …
The rear lift gate latch on my Toyota Prius has stopped functioning. The exterior rubber over the latch mechanism/switch has melted, turned gummy and will no longer function to open the lift gate. In cold weather the latch has been even more difficult to open and the trim piece containing the trunk hatch latch fractured in sub-freezing weather while trying to get the latch to release. The car was parked with light snow falling. I can no longer open the trunk of my car from the outside. This is a safety hazard as I can not access the rear hatch of my car in an emergency and defeats the primary purpose of a hatchback car which is access to the car's interior. The car jack and emergency spare tire located just behind the failed hatch latch. I had to pay over $500+ to have Toyota replace the failed hatch latch switch and surrounding trim piece.
On my way home from work on the frontage road along I-5. My tires hit the gravel and I lost control. I went through the grass on the side of the road down a dip and landed on the passenger side of the car on the railroad tracks. I began to roll and rolled the car from side to side at least 15 times. A row of trees is what stopped me. The engine was still running and I was still buckled in the drivers seat. I had to kick out the windshield in order to get out of the car. I went to emergency that night where I was x-rayed and checked out. I ended up with only major bruising on the left side of my body, the chp that responded was sure I was dead. They told me they expected to see a dead body in the car. I barely escaped with my life and the air bags never deployed in the car.
The rubber handle of the rear liftgate latch has "melted" into the operating part of the latch, making it totally inoperable in the winter, and cooler months. This is not due to exposure to heat extremes - the car has always been garaged in a northern part of the us, where summer temperatures rarely exceed 80 degrees. In an emergency in the winter, there is no way to make use of the hatchback. The operation is problematic in the summer - sometimes it can be forced open, sometimes not. It has taken a few years for the latch to become inoperative; it became increasingly difficult to open over the last several years, and sticky black residue transferred to hands touching it for those years. This is not normal wear and tear; clearly defective rubber was used.
Body complaints in other Prius years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2007 Toyota Prius?
NHTSA has 184 complaints about the body & structure of the 2007 Toyota Prius, 9% of the model year's 2,003 complaints. The component named most often is body (96 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Toyota Prius body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2007 Toyota Prius, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 Toyota Prius body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 4 fires and 5 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.