I was looking closely at my car yesterday, and there are like two long and shallow cuts into the paint immediately to the left of the grab handle. Seems like someone tried to break it off with a flathead but gave up?

Is this a way to gain access to the hatch and try to break into the box?

 

You mean the hatch handle? Beats me.

 

yes, ofcourse, for every locking and security measure, there is a way to defeat it. people pick and disable locks all the time. though most of the time, they'll just smash the glass.

 

If they weren't there before and you don't know how they got there, then someone must have been trying to break in. Are you the first owner? If not, the previous owner may have broken the hatch handle and made the scratches in the process of replacing it and you just never noticed until now.

 

No, I'm the first owner. Sometimes I wonder if I should just drop the cargo cover when I've got nothing back there.

 

is any work done to your ride at all? its random that they would try and break in w/o some type of "tuner" sign

 

I had the front bumper components replaced a couple months ago, but the back should have been left untouched. It's possible that the shop left my car outside overnight (not the best neighborhood).

 

can you post a pic

 

 

Is your handle loose? I have the same mark on mine(only much smaller)The nut on the backside of the handle had backed off.The handle was moving both when opening and as I drove causing it to hit that spot.Those hadles are so brittle that I would think it would break if someone pried on it.

 

^+1

If someone were to try and get in there with a flatblade the plastic would at least be scratched. Your plastic housing for the trunk release switch is loose.

The fix is easy. Remove the inner trunk liner and tighten the 2 10MM nuts on the back, but dont over tighten.

 

Thanks for the tips, guys.

Hatch liner removal?: nm https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...ighlight=hatch

 

The Hatch handle is notoriously weak and subject of many previous posts:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...t=hatch+handle
IF someone was prying on it, it would already be off. So the most likely scenerio is that it was
loose at one time and what you see is the chafing of the handle against the paint.
IF you do not have a trim panel removal tool, you can use a pair of dikes if you are careful:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...231&highlight=

MR LUV

 

bro i know exactly what that is. mine did the same thing. scions cheapo paint tends to wear off quick in that particular area. Hit it with touch up some it doesn't keep going



https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...chipping+hatch