Yes, I had the same problem on my 2006 xB and had it replaced by the dealer under warrenty. Haven't had any problem since and the car has about 52,000 miles on it. Agree with the dealer that it is a lousy design.

pace8483

 

They have an extended warranty for the hatch handle, it is valid for 7 years from when the car was first purchased. Got my 2006 replaced free by the dealership just in time.

 

That's the reward I get for babying the handle on my '04!

Ah, well, the replacement would have been another defective handle that would break. The one I made will last forever.

 

Just an FYI, you can get reimbursed for buying the Scionpro replacement that is re-engineered to last longer and offers chrome, carbon fiber, brushed, Primer or OEM painted. Just need your invoice........

 

Took my 2006 Scion XB in for Back Door Garnish to be replaced (which the are covering). I have also had problems with the lock an the black pad is very sticky. They want to charge me $400.00 to fix lock!! Called Scion in CA and they said if I could prove I had owned Toyota's in the past they my consider Customer Loyalty Service. Well my 1st Toyota was a Corolla in 1978 which I traded in 1985 for my Toyota PU. They said they had no record of me ever owning a Toyota before my Scion. Guess what--I managed to find a duplicate title to the 1985 PU. All has been faxed in to them, just waiting for a reply, however I am very determined and will keep on top of them. I will never buy another Toyota if they don't help me. Acura will see me next when I buy a new car

 

CLARIFICATION (and good news for early XB1 owners!):

I just received my "Warranty Enhancement Notification" in the mail. It's the typical page of legalese that attempts to make Toyota look like a benevolent uncle taking good care of its customers. Of course, no mention is made of the years in which Toyota told customers that they must be abusing the part if it broke.

The key point is this:

The period of warranty coverage is "7 years from date of first use...or one year from the announcement of this Warranty Enhancement Program, whichever is longer."

The date of announcement was March 13, 2013, which means that all XB1s are covered until March 13, 2014.

If your XB1 is a later model, it might be covered to a later date.

Also mentioned is that if you previously had this problem repaired you may "apply for reimbursement consideration" if you submit proof of ownership, a repair order, and proof of payment to Toyota corporate. This *might* cover the people who have purchased the excellent Scionpro handle.

Quite some time ago I added a secondary handle that attaches at the license plate screws before my stock handle could break its outboard attachments. I guess I'll be removing that before I take it to the dealer and reinstalling it after the new handle is installed. I doubt that the new handle will be any improvement over the old in strength, but with my secondary handle the original handle just serves to hold the release switch so it will be sufficient.

 

I tightened my handle about five years ago, but recently it developed a little play or gad at one end when pulled on. I had the dealer do the recall fix, and now the end(s) are tight, but the middle of the handle bows out a little bit when lifted.
I seem to remember that the middle used to be tight because there were two screws in the middle -- the ones that used to come loose. Today I took off the hatch cover and saw that there is now a screw at each end, but no screws in the middle, even though there are holes in the metal there.
I wonder just exactly what the "fix" was. The present flexing of the plastic handle, with no middle attachment, does not look so good.

 

I finally have a new handle on my '04.

I took the "non-recall recall" paperwork to the dealer and after some hemming and hawing (my handle was only broken in the middle, not torn completely off) they agreed to order the part. That was in early August.

A couple of week ago we dropped by the dealer to ask them what happened to our two-months-old order. Miracle of miracles the handle had just arrived that day! Hmmmm

Of course, they couldn't put it on that day, we had to make another appointment to get it installed, a process that they claimed would take two hours even though the letter we received stated that it was more like a half hour. We got an 8:20 appointment and dropped the car off at 8:00 and went for breakfast. At 9:45 they called that the car was ready. Of course they had, without authorization, done a "multipoint safety inspection" and tried to upsell me with snake oil like fuel and cooling system flushes.

The new handle appears identical to the old, no stronger. I therefore reinstalled my aluminum auxiliary handle that bolts to the license plate screws and takes the stress instead of the hatch handle. The paint on the new handle is a fair match and considering the age difference it isn't too bad.

Considering that we have 140K on our xB we are prime candidates to buy a new car. The dealer had a sterling opportunity to show how well they can take care of us as customers. Toyota dropped the ball by making us wait two months for the part and the dealer made us jump through hoops and make three separate visits get one simple part replaced. Both of these make us prone to go down the street when new car time comes along.

 

This is so soon, do I need any paperwork or anything? Or can I just go to a dealer?

 

He should have received paperwork in the mail long ago. I'd take it to the dealer just to show that you started the process before the deadline. You probably won't get it fixed right away, but at least it will set the wheels in motion.

 

Thanks. I stopped by the dealer Monday, was going to get it fixed today, but they didn't have the right clumps or something so they said later this week. Glad I saw this thread when I did.

 

I was told by a xb owner that he has replaced his 2xs and that there is a recall on that problem.If that is true what do I do if mine goes bad? Being very careful! Do you have to be the original owner to be honored the replacement and how many times will they replace it on a recall?

 

Just found thread that says that I"M pretty much out of grace after 3/13/14 for replacement on lever. Even if the car was just purchased with low miles and extended warranty paid, for cars with low miles?