As many have stated in other threads, there is an issue with the rubber on the rear door hatch button becoming hard/stiff and making it almost impossible to open to hatch. Good news, as long as the button still works, then $10 and some "free" labor will restore it to new. Search on Ebay for the following "Trunk Hatch Liftgate Switch Latch Release Button rubber cover replacement" and you should find what is an outer rubber replacement for the switch. The installation/replacement however is not as easy as the 2 screw holes in the rubber seal. You do have to remove interior trim pieces around the hatch and remove 4 bolts that hold the entire outer trim piece (the one that has the Toyota logo and switch underneath). Once this done, the switch can be removed and surgery may begin. Wear gloves and start scraping off that old/melted rubber. I found it best to use very small flathead screwdriver. Some carb clean will also help with the removal, but be careful not to spray it on the actual switch. I sprayed on blue shop towels and then wiped the switch. It is very gooey. Once you remove the old rubber and expose the white plastic switch, you can easily install the new rubber seal and install everything back together.
