oni424

Hey, long time since I have posted on these boards. Just wanted you all to know that I have come across a class action law suit over the defective and poorly constructed handles for the rear lift gate.
Do a quick Search and you will see how many people's have broken off simply by trying to open the rear hatch. The lawsuit states it covers the xA, xB, and tC. A link to the class action is below:

News & Events | Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller & Shah, LLP | California

scionic128

so whats that mean for everyone else?

jct

that's funny mine still works 100 percent fine after 8 years those handles must of been built on a friday

JIMXB

It's sad that the lawyer is usually the only one who comes out with the big bucks like 25% profit on suit like this.

Knock on wood my handle is still fine on my 04

wallster13

iTrader: (1)

Ive broken mine off three times already, well some one else broke it the last time but I was 1 and 2 hah. I think Im just gonna get one of the badge-less ones and make my own bolt holes cause this is getting out of hand.

TheMotrCty

Funny, mine's broken too. Just bought it and it's broken loose on one side.

George

I've seen several xB1s with broken handles and others with home-made straps and handles and even labels saying "pull gently!" I've always been very careful with mine and still have the original. The inner two attachments have finally broken leaving the handle attached by the outer two so the middle of the handle bowed outward from the door every time I opened it. I made a sturdier handle out of 1/8x2" aluminum strip that attaches to the sturdier license plate screws. I now reach up inside the new handle to push the electrical switch but lift the door with the new handle.

Class action suits do nothing but enrich the lawyers. Remember the class-action suits about the Chevy pickup gas tanks? The settlement was millions for the lawyers and a $1000 discount on a new GM vehicle for the truck owners. Nothing at all to remedy the dangerous gas tanks! Ironically, the same discount was available to anyone who walked into a dealership so the truck owners literally got nothing!

So, what are we going to get for the weak handles? $10 off a new Scion?

ogerdgonz

We have never had one of our reinforced replacements break.

silverevo05

iTrader: (1)

^ I would've bought one a long time ago if they came is TCM or even black. I know I can paint the chrome one but i don't trust myself enough with a spray can plus I want paint durability

EdwardJWTurkowII

I was one of the first people to make this complaint as far as the lawsuit is concerned. I hit up a branch in Connecticut after my handle snapped off while opening the hatch. This has been in the works to my knowledge since November of 2010 but will go no where. Toyota/Scion classifies the hatch handle as a garnish, therefor is not covered under any kind of warranty with them. Furthermore, in a class action lawsuit regarding faulty parts for automobiles, the part itself has to be deemed unsafe for vehicle use. As this is simply a hatch handle, it's not a safety issue, just a really big inconvenience. After nearly 2 years of waiting, I got in touch with an x-chair member to Toyota down in Florida. He now owns ScionPro and is responsible for one of the LARGEST manufacturing of replacement handles for these cars. He currently owns an RS2.0. Some of you may have seen it at shows, it looks like a CAB with some pretty sick things done to it.

Anyway, I got in touch with him and let him know what was going on and because I had offered service for writing up a couple of blogs regarding his handles, he actually sent me one (color matched) for free. It would have been $159 otherwise because I too have the RS2.0. When I got it, the plastic used is thicker PLUS the actual hardware is soldered into the framework and a lot thicker than the stock crap on our handles.

The main problem is when you go to open the hatch, if you don't make sure the button's pushed in all of the way, you're putting too much force on the handle and its clips and then SNAP, it just breaks off. Even with this new handle that I've had for nearly 9 months now, I'm easy on the handle when it comes to opening it, though it feels MUCH stronger than OEM.

If any of you are considering a new handle, he's got them at http://scionpro.com/i-6506474-xb-bb-...ent-04-06.html starting at $89.99 for a primer finish - $109 for chrome and then depending on a the color of your box, a color match option ranging from $15 for simple white to $50 for torched penny. It's well worth it (if you go to Scion with the problem they will replace it with another OEM piece of crap and charge even more than ScionPro for paint match, not to mention good luck finding the earlier RS colors as many Toyota dealers don't carry it anymore(So I've heard) Those of you waiting out the lawsuit, not that I want it to fail but I highly doubt a settlement will be made because like I said, these handles aren't a hazard. Hope this helps!

ogerdgonz

Sorry I just came across this thread, we have had them available in OEM colors, and carbon look for two years.

toolmanlan

I'm on my 6th Scion xB 04-06 love the truck

Ive replaced the rear hatch handle on all, some 2-3 times
good to hear someone has come up with a fix
can i get some $ from law suit to get new handle?

FYI, Scion tC have same problem my friends on his second handle

EdwardJWTurkowII

I don't think you'll get money. How the lawsuit happens is the lawyers and the initial persons involved in it will get the bulk of it, and anyone else involved will get x amount, that amount may or may not be enough to cover the costs of an OEM handle replacement. Problem with that is, it will be the same crap product they put on the car in the first place.

ScionPro's got the goods and they're AWESOME! I love my new handle by them and the color match is next to none in comparison. You'd think it came right out of a toyota shop! They're the BEST!!!

ogerdgonz

Have your friend email steve@scionpro.com to get on the tC all metal replacement interest list.

Jan06xB

Do any of you breaking the handle off have bad or weak gas shocks on the rear hatch. Mine practically pops open by itself when I touch the release button!

EdwardJWTurkowII

Mine doesn't pop open, but it takes very little effort, then it opens itself. The hatch dampers seem to be working fine for me still! The issue isn't the damper on the door but it's when you go and pull the handle. If the lock doesn't disengage properly or you pull the handle too soon, the clips just break. When mine broke almost 2 years ago it just snapped with no warning. I tried to repair it with gorilla glue but it held for all of a month and then broke in another spoke. Cheap OEM crap. If you're thinking it's a damper issue then that's even worse than the hatch garnish.

EdwardJWTurkowII

And then after you're completely pleased with the new, beefed up handle, purchase some other goodies from him like polished diamond-plate floor mats or some nice carbon fiber one offs... He's got some pretty unique things made for our scions!

Jan06xB

Humm well if people are yanking it open I am surprised they haven't broken off door handles too! All my doors open and close extremely easy and I often have to tell people not to slam them. I did grab my rear door handle and wiggle it, seems pretty secure.

EdwardJWTurkowII

Then I'd say you're one of the few lucky ones. It's not so much people yanking them open, it's just not displaying the proper caution. I bet if I opened yours up it would snap just the same way, without exerting much incorrect force at all. There's literally thousands that I've seen and or heard of that have broken their hatch handles.

Door handles aren't as fragile as the hatch handle, I've tried opening mine when it was locked and it's not the same as the hatch. The door handle displays the "open me" feature but the lock is engaged so the flappy door handle will come up when pulled, where as the hatch handle is connected straight to hatch, and, unless you hit that electronic button that engages the locking mechanism, then you're applying a force to the handle that wasn't intended. It seems to me Toyota didn't do enough product testing with respect to the hatch, otherwise they would have come across the issue and fixed it before releasing them to the masses.

The hatch is held on with 1 metal bolt and 2 plastic clips... at least mine was. The bolt is secured onto the plastic hatch handle with a little adhesive. The problem with mine was, the plastic part shattered into several small pieces and the bolt no longer connected to the plastic.

The new handles that Steve makes over at scion pro are beefed up, so the plastic's a bit thicker and stronger than the OEM ones. He was/is a higher up for Toyota, which is why he makes the handles and has all of the colors available as well. He and several others from Toyota own the 04-07 model and have experienced the same problems.

EdwardJWTurkowII

Which is also why the class-action lawsuit started, because of how many people had this issue with the handles. I was one of them as of Dec2009 but have since expelled myself from the list because A) The class action lawsuit will do nothing as a hatch handle defect is not a hazard/safety issue and B) The Toyota part handbook classifies the hatch handle as a garnish piece, i.e. an accessory.

Unless they come up with a new clause that states something about an ineffective item then I don't really see how the lawsuit will go through.