2007 Toyota Avalon

2011: I NOTICED THE DASH FELT SOFT, NOT STICKY EXACTLY, BUT FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, PLIABLE. 2013: WHILE DRIVING ON VACATION I REALIZED MY VISIBILITY WAS TREMENDOUSLY IMPEDED BY THE INCREDIBLY OPAQUE GLARE IN MY WINDSHIELD FROM THE DASHBOARD. IT WAS SO BAD, I REALIZED I COULD MAKE OUT THE PATTERNED IMPRINT (DESIGNED TO RESEMBLE LEATHER GRAIN). THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO REDUCE THIS GLARE AS LONG AS THE SUN IS OUT. IT SERIOUSLY IMPAIRS MY ABILITY TO SEE CLEARLY, IS OBVIOUSLY DISTRACTING, AND ADDED TO MY FATIGUE ON THE TRIP. A SAFETY ISSUE IF THERE EVER WAS ONE CAUSING DRIVER IMPAIRMENT DUE TO EYE STRAIN ADDING TO DRIVER FATIGUE. 2015: I NOTICED MY FIRST CRACK IN THE DASH ON THE PASSENGER SIDE NEAR THE AIRBAG. WITHIN A MONTH, I FOUND ANOTHER CRACK IN THE CENTER OF THE DASH. THIS IS A GARAGE KEPT SECOND CAR, USED FOR LONG TRIP COMFORT AND SUNDAY DRIVES. 2016: CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT PROGRESSING CRACKS IN DASH. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL BUT IT HAD ENDED 2 MONTHS EARLIER. SORRY BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. 2020: I AM WAITING FOR PIECES OF MY DASH TO FALL OFF. MY LATEST CRACK FOLLOWS THE INSTRUMENT COCKPIT TOP EDGE COMPLETELY ACROSS TO THE DRIVER'S DOOR CURVE. IT JUST SPLIT APART. THIS IS MY BABIED AND PROTECTED CAR, 2007 AVALON XLS WITH 64,000 ORIGINAL MILES ON IT. MY FAMILY AND I HAVE OWNED TOYOTAS SINCE THE EARLY 80'S; COROLLA, TERCEL, CELICA, CAMRY, RAV4, AVALON. NOT ONE OF THEM EVER HAD A DASH PROBLEM. IN LOOKING AT COMPLAINTS HERE THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE ABOUT THE DASH. TOYOTA SHOULD STEP UP. WHO GETS TO DECIDE THAT ONE SAFETY ISSUE IS WORTH A RECALL BUT ANOTHER ISN'T? THE GLARE IS SO BAD THAT, MORE THAN ONCE, I HAVE BEEN NERVOUS ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE BRAKE LIGHTS WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE. IS IT FAIR THAT THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO OPERATE MY TOYOTA IS ON A CLOUDY DAY OR AT NIGHT? I HOPE EVENTUALLY ENOUGH COMPLAINTS LIKE THIS WILL HELP.

DASHBOARD AND PANEL HAVE MELTED AND CRACKED, CREATING A GLARE FROM THE SHINY AND STICKY SURFACE. THIS IS MAKING THE VEHICLE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THIS HAS ALSO CREATED A CONCERN NOT ONLY FOR THE GLARE, BUT FOR THE CHEMICAL ELEMENTS THIS HAS DISPERSED INTO THE VEHICLE.I CALLED TOYOTA IN '18, BUT WAS TOLD VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. I WOULD NOT CONSIDER THIS A WARRANTY PROBLEM, BUT A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED WITH A RECALL. I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE REGARDING THIS DETERIORATION CONDITION. VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE OR RIDE IN. FIRST NOTICED THIS IN LATE '12 AND THIS HAS GOTTEN MUCH, MUCH WORSE EVEN THOUGH IS IT GARAGED THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME.

THE REAR SUNSHADE WENT UP ON IT'S OWN WHEN I STARTED MY CAR AND NOW IT WILL NOT GO DOWN. MY CAR MAKES A LOUD GRINDING NOISE WHEN PUT IN REVERSE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS WITH THE TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED WITH MANY COMPLAINTS ON LINE. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN BACKING UP OR DRIVING AT NIGHT. THIS IS NOT AN EASY FIX AND TYPICALLY COSTS WELL OVER $1,000 TO REPAIR.

THIS IS A SECOND COMPLAINT ABOUT MY TOYOTA AVALON DASHBAORD. I SENT A COMPLAINT TO YOU ALL IN JAN OF 2014 ON THIS ISSUE. HERE IS MY ORIGINAL SUBMISSION: 'MY 2007 TOYOTA AVALON DASHBOARD BEGAN CRACKING SEVERAL YEARS AGO. MY CAR IS LOW MILEAGE AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGE KEPTED. THE CRACKING HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS INTERNET COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DEFECT, BUT TOYOTA IS STONEWALLING US CUSTOMERS. I WOULD REQUEST THAT YOU ALL LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. MELTING AND CRACKED DASHBOARDS IN VARIOUS TOYOTA VEHICLES COULD CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES. FOR BACKGROUND INFO, JUST SEARCH THE WEB. WHEN WE CALLED TO COMPLAIN TO TOYOTA ABOUT THE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS AND REDUCTION IN CAR VALUE, THEY ACTED LIKE WE WERE THE 1ST PEOPLE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE. UNLESS YOU ALL ACT, TOYOTA IS JUST GOING TO BLOW US OFF. PLEASE HELP." TOYOTA HAS OFFERED TO REPLACE THE BADLY CRACKED DASHBOARD, BUT THAT HAS DRAGGED ON FOR OVER A YEAR. WHEN WE CALL THE DEALERSHIP TO CHECK ON THE STATUS, THEY HAVE THE SAME REPLY EACH TIME, "WE DON'T HAVE THE DASH, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE WILL GET IT". UNLESS TOYOTA CAN PROVE TO YOU ALL THAT THE BADLY CRACKED DASH IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, I MAINTAIN THAT IS IS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE, AND HOLD TOYOTA'S FEET TO THE FIRE TO GET THE DASH BOARD REPLACED. IT HAS BEEN WAY TOO LONG ON GETTING TOYOTA TO DO THE RIGHT THING.