Has your Dashboard Melted?

[SpencerC]

So, this is a new one.

What do you think? Have you had your dashboard go all "wicked witch" on you before?

Mazda Slapped With Suit Over Melting Dashboards - Law360

"certain models have dashboards that can't withstand exposure to sunlight and subsequently melt, emit a chemical smell and take on a reflective quality that can cause temporarily blindness in drivers."

[Raider]

Originally Posted by Spencer@CorkSport So, this is a new one. What do you think? Have you had your dashboard go all "wicked witch" on you before? Mazda Slapped With Suit Over Melting Dashboards - Law360 "certain models have dashboards that can't withstand exposure to sunlight and subsequently melt, emit a chemical smell and take on a reflective quality that can cause temporarily blindness in drivers."

Can you see whole article? Copy/paste it here!

All we can see without registering:

Law360, New York (October 06, 2014, 4:41 PM ET) -- Mazda Motor Corp. was hit Friday with a putative class action in California federal court, accusing the automaker of concealing that certain models have dashboards that can't withstand exposure to sunlight and subsequently melt, emit a chemical smell and take on a reflective quality that can cause temporarily blindness in drivers. The suit alleges certain 2009-2011 model year Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 vehicles have dashboards that melt, obscuring drivers’ ability to see through the windshield because the dashboards become reflective, sometimes even shooting light unexpectedly..

[breakfstincluded]

I remember seeing the news stories, it's not just a Mazda thing.

Drivers report melting dashboards on Nissan, Toyota, Lexus, & Mazda vehicles - wptv.com

Haven't seen it on a major car news site though, so we'll if it's really a legitimate number of people affected.

I bet some of these are the people who like the Armor-all oily dash treatment wipes.

[SpencerC]

I can't see the whole thing. I don't have an account, curious what the rest says.

Fill in the blank.

"shooting light unexpectedly...." into the left elbow of unexpecting frivolous jabberwocks.
Who knows?

[[R]usty]

A couple weeks ago I forgot to put my sunshade up before leaving my car in direct sunlight for a few hours on a 105 degree day. When I got back I measured the dash temperature with an infrared thermometer and it registered 170 degrees. No damage whatsoever.

[beachshoer]

Mine actually just started to. Right at the 5 yr mark.
My wife being a Mazda service advisor was not surprised.

It's an actual thing. I wouldn't call it blinding by any standard but according to the wifey once it starts it just keeps spreading . I'll try and post up some pics later when I get out of work.

[Pinoypride]

Just invest in car shade cover


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[cbspd3flip]

Originally Posted by Pinoypride Just invest in car shade cover Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Who are you to be telling people what to do? Fuck shade covers.



Shit shouldn't be melting... period.

[Pinoypride]

Ok then, get a new dash,


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[Pinoypride]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413004759.881822.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1413004798.514337.jpg


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[cbspd3flip]

LOL... been a member since May 2013 has 16 posts and telling people what to do... gtfo.


How about the dash's should not be melting. I don't care if it's in Death Valley in the middle of summer. Don't fix a manufacturer problem with a bandaid like a cover.

[azarashi]

Mine just has a crack in it when I bought it right near the center window vent under the glass.

[Mattyhawk1]

Originally Posted by azarashi Mine just has a crack in it when I bought it right near the center window vent under the glass.

Mine too

[mituc]

Originally Posted by azarashi Mine just has a crack in it when I bought it right near the center window vent under the glass.

There is a TSB for this as far as I remember.

Ok, if you don't like a member with 16 posts to tell you what to do then let me rephrase:
GET A SUN COVER FOR YOUR DASH!

I use two of them, one for the windscreen and one on whatever side is exposed to direct sun, usually the driver window.

[Pinoypride]

@cbspd3flip I'm not telling anyone what to do!! I just suggested to make an investment in a car shade cover to minimize the damage, but it's whatever Boss!!!!!


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[kbz0129]

I actually have this problem. I purchased the car used in El Paso and I'm guessing with the intense desert sun out there it melted the top part of the dash. At first it wasn't too big of a deal but, it definitely causes a glare/reflection on the windshield(Fucking annoying!). I feel it can easily be avoided if you take the time to put in a window visor but at the same time it's a dash it shouldn't be melting regardless.

[cbspd3flip]

I'll say again... THE DASH'S SHOULD NOT BE MELTING!

Sure just get a shade cover and just put a bandaid on the problem because that solves everything.

[Pinoypride]

^ so what do you suggest we do? Rally up the troops? Get a petition going? Hire an attorney to represent us in a class action suit against the automobile manufacturer? Meanwhile while this is happening let the dash bake? It's called preventative measures, I agree that it shouldn't melt!!! But now that you've made us aware of the situation what do we do to prevent the dash from melting? Btw this will be my 18th post, lol


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[cbspd3flip]

If you are having problems take it to Mazda or write a letter to MazdaNA complaining. How do you think this shit starts rolling for TSB's and class action lawsuits? Anyways did you not read the fucking article OP posted? I don't get why you would put a bandaid on a manufacturer defect. Make them fix it.

[Pinoypride]

I did read it!!! I tried to sign up, but you have to have some kind of professional email in order to register to get more information about the claim, so again what do you suggest we do to prevent the dash from baking??


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[cbspd3flip]

First of all there should be no need for 'preventative measures' besides simple care and cleaning. You should never need a shade cover, ever. They know what conditions these cars will see and there is no reason for this to happen. If it does see below.


Take it to Mazda and make them fix it. If they decline then mention this law suit. If they still decline write a letter to MazdaNA. If that still doesn't work, seek an automotive lawyer and have him draft a letter and send it to Mazda. Rarely does it ever get to the lawyer stage.

[mituc]

Originally Posted by cbspd3flip First of all there should be no need for 'preventative measures' besides simple care and cleaning. You should never need a shade cover, ever. They know what conditions these cars will see and there is no reason for this to happen. If it does see below.

This is common sense. And there are a lot of common sense things people don't do in general,
I don't know what states in the NA user manual, but the user manual issued by Mazda Europe they say that parking in direct sun light may lead to discomfort and premature material aging for interior plastics, leather and cloth. they don't to this directly but indirectly they recommend to protect the car interior from direct sun light.

In the same paragraph they say not to start the car immediately after being parked in direct sun light but to open the windows/doors to vent out that hot air. Common sense again, I'd say, but no, people just jump in the car and drive away and then complain about the AC system not being efficient.

They even say somewhere to wax the car periodically, and I see on this forum topic where various people discovered America (exactly, the one they were living in) after claying and waxing the car for the first time in 4-5 years, while waxing it every 3 months or at least twice a year is again common sense. Same for the leather covered parts in the interior, they recommend periodic leather treatment.

But no, let's simply ignore common sense, simply because the dash, seats and everything else is just iron and then complain that the plastic is degrading, the leather is cracking, the clear coat shine fades away forgetting that during some harsh winter months a lot of people drag the ice/snow down from the painted parts and that when they wash the car they use a dirty rag to dry it, and so on. Let's just forget all that, let's ignore common sense. Simply because Mazda (and others) make cars and "know" what heat the dash has to withstand, how much abuse from the morons at the car wash the clear coat has to endure, how much dirt and mud the carpets have to detain, how much dust the AC system has to take in and still provide fresh air to the dudes inside not giving a shit about shaking the dust/mud off of their shoes before jumping in the car or about vacuum cleaning the car at least one per month, and so on. Yes, they know all that. They also know that some of the cars they make will be involved in high speed accidents and they need to make these cars safer.

But everything up to a point. From there on there's the owner responsibility to maintain and drive the car properly.

So if someone is using a sun cover for the dash and other exposed materials and the dash cracked then yes, by all means, complain to Mazda. If the dash cracked because someone parked repeatedly in direct sun in 90+ weather (not to say 100+) then he/she is a moron and you need to go to the grocery and buy a pound of common sense for herself/himself.

[frothy]

Different article. Complete story: Mazda Blindsided By Dashboard Defect Class Action Lawsuit



"Two car owners have filed a new Mazda dashboard defect class action lawsuit, alleging that the company knew the materials used in the products’ construction would fail under direct sunlight.

According to the Mazda class action lawsuit, Mazda3 and Mazda6 sedans and hatchbacks for model years 2009 to 2011 all use the same material in the dashboard. They allegedly can deform under direct sunlight, even with the use of windshield cover, resulting in a highly reflective finish, cracks or brittleness.

While in most cases this would be a straight defective product class action lawsuit, it is critical for maximum damages for car owners to demonstrate that there is also an impact on safety as a result of the defect. The plaintiffs have done so by arguing that once the material on the dashboard becomes reflective, it is visible on the windshield making it harder to see out of the vehicle.

In seeking to represent a nationwide Class of current and former owners of 2009 to 2011 Mazda3 and Mazda6 models, class action attorneys for the plaintiffs note that there have been a number of reports to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding the potential for the material on the dashboard to deform or become reflective. That isn’t important because the first two counts of the Mazda class action lawsuit are violations of California state law. However, while Mazda is based in Irvine, Calif., without other plaintiffs who reside in the Golden State, those claims might not hold up.

In addition, the Mazda class action lawsuit cites consumer protection statutes from Florida as well as negligence. It argues that Mazda has known of the issues because of complaints from dealerships and reports to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The two car owners have also sent a letter requesting that Mazda rectify the problem regarding the dashboard material as required by California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act. However, the class action attorneys argue that it is unclear whether or not the company has the materials in order to effect repairs that would mitigate the problem.

They allege upon information and belief that for customers to repair the problem selves they would need to spend thousands of dollars out of pocket for aftermarket repairs. The Mazda class action lawsuit seeks to represent a class of all owners for any statutory damages as well as reimbursements for necessary repairs.

The plaintiffs are represented by Eric H. Gibbs, Dylan Hughs and Jennifer McIontosh of Girard Gibbs LLP, and Gregory F. Coleman, Adam Edwards and Lisa A. White of Greg Coleman Law PC."

[jeremyyn]

I agree with pinoy and mituc. Proper care measures prevent common issues. A sun cover doesn't only prevent the dash from melting. But also, when you get in the car it's not hot as balls.

[frothy]

I was looking up TSBs for a Mazda 6 earlier today on the NHTSA site and noticed a rash of complaints concerning melting dashboards.

That prompted me to dig a little deeper for a visual...

Enjoy:

Melting dashboard problem - YouTube

Melting dashboard problem - YouTube

Melting dashboards update - YouTube

Melting dashboards update - YouTube

[covelife1016]

I would suggest putting a towel down on the dash when putting the sun shade up. My sun shade melted to my dash, and took forever to clean off.