WTF is this? Question regarding the rubber on lift gate [pic]

[gbouton]

Has anyone tried replacing only the rubber "button" part, instead of the entire switch? There is a seller on eBay selling just the rubber part for $18. Mine is only slightly tacky at this point, so I'm hoping to get it off before the rubber starts to melt into the switch mechanism.

Graham

 

[nevada]

are we sure these are melting from heat?

the pic in the OP looks like something got on it and turned it into goo.

maybe some chemical reaction with a soap/degreaser or some kind of cleaner?

 

[kevinpt]

just fixed mine today. took forever getting the melted one off

 

[adkfinn]

Has anyone tried replacing only the rubber "button" part, instead of the entire switch? There is a seller on eBay selling just the rubber part for $18. Mine is only slightly tacky at this point, so I'm hoping to get it off before the rubber starts to melt into the switch mechanism.

Graham

I replaced just the rubber cover. Got the same part from amazon for about the same price and free 2 day shipping through prime. I had to clean the switch pretty thoroughly, which took a little extra time compared to swapping the whole thing out, but it worked like a charm.
Mine was in similar condition to yours, weird texture, a bit tacky, but not totally goop. When I got it apart, it was more deteriorated than it had originally appeared, so I was happy I didn't delay any longer. Super easy to do, a good chance to check for corrosion of the rear hatch parts, including the defroster connections for the back glass. I pulled the connections, cleaned them, and added some fresh dielectric grease just for piece of mind. This is a nice, relaxing, one beer job for when you feel like fiddling with the truck but don't want to do any real work. :boink:

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

are we sure these are melting from heat?

the pic in the OP looks like something got on it and turned it into goo.

maybe some chemical reaction with a soap/degreaser or some kind of cleaner?

The rubber grip was defective for vehicles up to 2007 - there are also reports on other vehicles including Lexuses and other models by Toyota. It's a hit-or-miss for '07 owners or younger because I have a '04 4Runner and that has never happened to me, not once. I got a 07 sport to replace the '04 until it totaled 2months later that did not have this issue. After getting my 2nd '07, this issue occurred for me so I replaced it myself instead of having to drive back to NJ where I bought the vehicle from because it's not worth the gas $ to get there for a $20 fix

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

just fixed mine today. took forever getting the melted one off

I know right!? A towel was part of the causality during the removal

 

[vanion2]

Took me about 20 minutes to replace my rubber cover on my 06. I suspect the melting rubber is backed by an rtv sealant which is the messy black stuff that sticks to everything.

If you disconnect the latch button and pull it out it is much easier to clean up and you won't get the sealant up under the latch lip.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk