Went to go clean my car and noticed a 3 inch line on my dashboard. Low and behold its a crack.

From an angle, the area of the crack is shaped like a mini-envelope. Seems like the crack is going to be spreading from a size of a mini-envelope. Gonna get pics tomorrow.

I'm so sad. I've been taking care of the dash likes its my baby.
Only top products used-- and it still fails.

I may file a small claims suit against Acura to reimburse me the cost of the dashboard. :/

 

That sucks.

 

Photos?

I need to clean and add protection, this San Diego heat and sun shine will definitely put a toll on my car. maybe I should buy one of those windshield shades.

 

Mine just started 3 weeks ago

 

Mine cracked 2 weeks ago by the airbag. Sedona suede dash topper on the way

 

Certainly a shame when a car that is thought to be a quality product has a design flaw that is such an expensive fix. Amazing how many have reported cracking on this site, so can just imagine the total throughout the country.

Good Luck

 

Sorry to hear Champ. In for the pics....

 

What year is your car? Is this happening on the 05-06 cars (in any significant numbers)? There may be car upholstery shops near you that can do a decent vinyl repair (if this happens to mine, I'll investigate that type of shop, and if not, I'll go the dash topper route- crossing my fingers this doesn't happen).

 

I went ahead and bought myself a custom covercraft shade. I figured it was alot cheaper than having to replace a dash in the future. Works pretty good thus far. Sorry to hear about your dash tho Champ

 

I remember reading somewhere that you should only use a wet rag to wipe the dash because all those products clog the pores on the dash and cause it to crack Either way sorry to hear OP.

 

^^if that's true i'll have to remember that.
I try my best to make the car last as long as possible.

 

All dashboards have potential to crack, but I agree with you that some products clog the pours that allow the dash to expand and contract. I usually take a damp microfiber towel and wipe the dash, then leave the windows open for about an hour to allow the moisture to evaporate.

Champ, I'm in for pics but I'm sorry bro! Hopefully it won't get much worse

 

I'm sorry to hear that, OP. I bought my TL recently with a 2" crack near the airbag. I thought that it was okay considering I got a good deal on my car. A couple days after
having my car, the crack spread, and it's now spread all the way to the windshield... I've had the car car about a month, so I'm assuming the previous owner saw the
crack, and sold it before it got worse. My sedona suede dash mat is currently on its way.

 

Im sorry to hear that champ. Whats the yr and millage of your car? Hopefully you can get Acura to goodwill the dash like many of us have. I believe I payed around $380 out of pocket.

 

I think this is more of a design issue than improper care. I have used aerospace 303 regularly, cover shade everyday, cracked the windows so the heat doesn't build up in the car and it still cracked. I called the dealer and they said bring it in and they'll take pics and Acura may cover some of the costs. I didn't even waste my time to go, I just bought a dash cover because in my head I refuse to pay more than $100 out of pocket to put a new dash in.

 

Sorry dude

 

I believe there is a higher rate of cracking in humid areas - I see a lot of cracked dashes are in cars from TX, the South, and even the Northeast, but not as many from the West Coast. Not that there aren't any cracked dashes from the Western US, but my impression is that there are fewer.

I've followed these dash cracking threads pretty closely over the past few years, before I bought mine (12/2010) and since. Just my $0.02...sorry OP about your dash!

 

do a class action lawsuit

 

Sorry to hear that man. Other than the tranny going to shit, this is my second biggest concern. Mine is an 05. It's garaged during the day and at night and when I have to park outside in the FL heat I use a covercraft shade. I use VinyLx (sP?) on it and I use it sparingly. Good luck.

 

dang did a bunch of 04 dashes just crack in the past month?

Luckily my car sits in the garage or under shade nearly 24/7.

I also only put 303 once a month so i'm not constantly lathering the stuff on, since it's proven not be a 100% cure. Seems to work out alright.

 

And DOWN goes Frazier! Sorry to hear Champ You going to pay the money and get it fixed or go with a dash cover?

 

wouldn't it obstruct your airbag deployment path?

 

Once I get money from another lawsuit I'm in.

Thank guys.

Little busy today, but will post a pic tomorrow (or today technically).

I need to go too Acura next week to see what they can do. Unfortunately, I have a 06 with ~122k miles. I maintained the dash every 3 days. I use Optimum, Meguiars, and 303 leather/vinyl. I will contact Acura Corp next week as well too see if they can do something about this.

If all above doesn't work out, I'm going to file a small claims court filing the week after because I think this is preposterous (already have printed out threads here on AZ along with the FB page). If that doesn't go well-- I'll see if a Lawyer would chump out there dough too represent us.

But yeah I'm very disappointed. This is my first big problem ( that won't be fixed for free, assumingly ) with my TL. Hopefully it is my last. /knock on wood

 

Why start a separate thread when we already have an epic "cracked dash" thread in "Problems"?

Also, someone has already started a class action lawsuit, link is in the above mentioned thread.

 

I took my TL in just yesterday, the other 3 tls that were older than 07 all had cracked dashes, my 07 is starting to show where the Airbag is, even though i maintain it. The tech said its normal lolol.

 

If it happens all too much class action suits need at least 25-40 people.

 

Nothing wrong in creating this thread. It was a spur of the moment kinda thing. Yeah I've seen the class action lawsuit just haven't kept tabs on it. Now I will ofc.

 

It's made to give for airbag deployment, but can only be seen from underneath, I believe.

 

I do recommend a dash cover!
My dash cracked after 5 months of purchasing my tl
So I ordered a custom made dash cover from eBay best 35 bucks spent! And they do color match

 

 

If you dont' use product on it, it will be victim to UV etc...
I guess a dash cover may be the best prevention

 

can you post the seller?

 

There are people on here who used 303 on it regularly, always parked it in the garage, and even threw some holy water on it and it still cracked.

I thought it was only the 04-06 ones that had this problem?

 

i thought about this too...if my dash ever crack i would fill the cracks up...make sure its binded together with the filler...sand it down smooth it...and wrap it with suede!! like a boss

lots of dashboard cracking are in the early 04-05 models is what im seeing...i know an older black lady whom i work with ask me questions about her cracked dashboard in her 04 tl...

hopefully 07-08 model doesnt happen?

 

Solution: Remove dashboard to save weight.

 

Mine cracked last year when I returned from a deployment, '05 Acura TL.

I read up on it some and took it to the dealer, the warranty doesn't cover the dash but they did a goodwill repair and replaced my dash for $300 (normally a $2k job).

Had several cracks on mine, one near the guages, by the sensor in the dash and running down by the center speaker in front.

I've been using 303 Aeorspace protectant on everything in the interior since. Even use it on the leather since the leather in our cars has a some type of plastic coating over it from my understanding.

That 'envelope' is part of the passenger side air-bag.

I've been considering getting some 'airblue' tint on the front window since it's legal here in Hawaii to stop some of the UV from getting through the glass.

 

 

I am pretty sure they changed the design in 07-08 to "fix this" as I read..

Damn that bad..Its mainly because the dash bag is so heavy and they screwed it into the dash so its basically "hanging" onto the dash like a sloth chilling. Over time it will just pull away..I would fight it because if overtime it cracks enough, the dash bad won't do it jobs properly...

Mine I can see the indents where it is, but its not that bad..


I normally would sell a dash if I get it in for around $450, new $700...but I would never replace one. You have to take out the front seats/whole center console/radio etc..Remove the steering column and wheel, then find all hidden screws and remove the dash with the wiring harness and dash frame. Then remove harness (pain in the ***), then remove dash and then reassemble..

 

isn't that locate on the airbag line? that suck.

 

damn champ...right around the airbag location itself. that sucks.

i always thought this cracked dash phenomenon occured when you cycle on/off the AC and HEAT numerous times over a long period. the constant change in temperature creates weak spots and causes the split.

for that reason, i hardly ever run my AC or HEAT.