Just got my new '07 TL with Nav a couple of days ago. Still getting to know it

I noticed today that I can see where the passenger side airbag is (upper side of dash, below windshield). The dash surface is continuous and smooth, but I can see the outline of the compartment. I'm guessing the airbag is designed to 'burst through' the dash, and the dash is weakened along the outline of the compartment to allow for this.

Is this normal? My previous car had an actual sepearate 'flap' or 'section', so the TL's approach makes sense, just looks a litle uneven somehow.

Thanks!

 

Completely normal - rather than having a seperate piece of plastic that may not match the rest of the dash correctly, might pop off, or just looks bad because it's a big piece of plastic that's snapped into place, they went with a single piece smooth surface setup; the underside of the location should be scored / 'pre-cut' to allow the airbag to deploy without any problems.

A lot of manufacturers are going this route; it's a cleaner look.

 

First welcome! Second, yes it is normal and you will notice it more as time goes on. You can read all about it by searching for faded dash. THere is a solution that works for many of us. Enjoy the new ride.

 

We are looking at a defectively designed part that Acura refuses to fix since all TL's
will eventually have the bleeding thru on the dash of the outline of the air bag
structure. They were replacing dashes at first but when I complained in 2005
they just rubbed some stuff on it and it was a totally useless/ineffective attempt
to make me think they cared about their customers.

I am meeting hopefully with a rep this week and I hope to resolve this issue but
I believe he will try to bs me as I expect Acura will not stand behind their product.
Craig