2009 Toyota Camry Visibility & Wipers Problems

I purchased a 2009 Toyota Camry on [XXX]. After a few years, the dashboard became soft and sticky. During the summer of 2018, I noticed it melting on a hot sunny day. I looked into having it replaced. There was a warranty enhancement notification letter previously sent to me, which stated this type of known problem would be covered for up to 10 years since car was first placed in service. Unfortunately, I didn’t determine this was enough of a problem to me until [XXX]. I missed the warranty extension by 5 days. I contacted Newbold Toyota on June 29, 2018, and the service manager said that after the 10 years, it was the manufacturer's responsibility and there is nothing they can do, except to charge me for the repair. The repair was estimated at approx. $1,500 for the dashboard replacement. At first, I thought "Oh well, I can live with this." But now the dashboard has melted so much that it now reflects sunlight into the windshield so badly that it is has become a safety hazard. It is very difficult to see through the windshield when driving towards the sun or with the sun directly above on a sunny day (even while wearing sunglasses). So the defective dashboard is now causing a very hazardous driving condition. So I contacted the national Toyota Customer Service Center, and they said essentially the same thing as Newbold Toyota. There was nothing they can do now. Since this design/material flaw has caused such a serious hazard when driving the car, and this is now a safety issue, I believe Toyota should be held responsible and should pay for the repair to fix this safety issue. When I purchased this car, I had no idea the dashboard had an expiration date. Had I noticed the melting a few days earlier they would have paid for the replacement. So why does their responsibility to fix this defect/safety issue end after 10 years? I don’t believe Toyota considers this a safety issue, or I believe they would fix it. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The replaced dashboard ( the first dashboard was replaced due to a recall about melting dashboards) is now melting just like the first one and is causing significant glare in on the windshield. Avoided two (2) near accidents when the glare from the sun impaired my vision of the traffic in front of me.

Soon after I purchased this 2009 Camry in June 2022 with only 59K miles, the dash pad became very sticky and it's producing a glare on the windshield making it hard to see at times. When I called Toyota customer service, I was told the recall for this car was only good for 10 years and had expired. I called the previous owner and he stated that Toyota never notified him of this recall. This is a safety issue and should be addressed by Toyota.

Dashboard surface has become very shiny which creates a glare and significantly reduced visibility in some circumstances. Dash surface seems to be melting as it is shiny and also sticky when touched. We are the original owners and this vehicle was garaged most of its life, however now when the vehicle has been parked outdoors the dash surface has become shiny resulting in a unsafe reflection in some driving situations.

I was diving my car on a 200 mile trip and I noticed that the driver side Sun Visor fell down and wouldn't stay up even when it was in its stowed position. During the day it progressive got worst. I now have to physically hold it in place so I can see while driving. I first thought my kid broke it, but that wasn't the case. Since I'm an engineer, I usually repair my car on my own. So I went looking on the internet for a replacement part and that is when I stumbled on the recall. My failure seemed to follow the same failure mode called out in the recall. However, my Visor didn't fail during the recall window. However, in my engineering opinion, this is a part the will fail at some point in the cars life and the manufacture should have done a recall and replace on every car manufactured during the years that used the same parts. Toyota no longer recognizes this as a problem. The more that the visor is used the more likely this failure will occur. Bottom line, it is a safety hazard that had a band aide approach to repairing it and should be revisited since more then likely it will occur on any vehicle that didn't experience the failure during the recall window.

While driving into the sun, the sun reflects off the dash causing you to not be able to see out the windshield. The dash has a tacky feel to it and is extremely shiny and any light that comes in trough the windshield reflect back at the windshield causing you to not be able to see what is in front of you. No warning of this issue with the vehicle. I have tried cleaning the dash with special cleaners to remove the shimmer however no resolution. The only resolution I have heard of is to have the dash completely replaced with the aftermarket dash that is made out of a different component.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Camry. The contact mentioned that while in her vehicle, the dashboard was disintegrating with a sticky substance visible. The contact mentioned that there was a glare with the sticky dashboard on the windshield obstructing her vision while driving. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 138,570

THE GLARE FROM THE STICKY DASHBOARD IS MAKING THE VEHICLE MORE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE

MELTING DASHBOARD AND DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR DOES NOT STAY UP. THE MELTING DASH CAUSES A GLARE ON THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING VISIBILITY TO BE OBSTUCTED. I WAS TOLD THAT I MISSED THE WARRANTY PERIOD BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN SENT ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR DETACHED AND PREVENTED THE CONTACT FROM VIEWING THE ROAD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR HAD PREVIOUSLY DETACHED AND WAS REPLACED BY HIM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000.

I OWN A 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY THAT HAS THE STICKY DASHBOARD PROBLEM AND CAUSES GLARE ON THE WINDSHIELD THAT CAUSES UNSAFE OPERATING. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH TOYOTA AND THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT FIX THE DASHBOARD. ATTACHED IS A PICTURE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND THERE IS A VEHICLE YOU CAN SEE IN FRONT BUT BARELY.

MELTING DASHBOARD BECOME REFLECTIVE HINDERING/BLINDING DRIVER DURING DAYTIME DRIVING.

THE DRIVER VISOR DROOPS DOWN. IT JUST RECENTLY STARTED DOING THIS. IT BLOCKS VISIBILITY WHEN DRIVING. IT WILL NOT STAY UP. WHEN I GOT INTO MY CAR THIS EVENING IT WAS DOWN AND WOULD NOT STAY IN THE UP POSITION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE SUN VISOR SPONTANEOUSLY ROTATED DOWNWARDS AND OBSTRUCTED THE CONTACT'S VIEW OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER (BOBBY RAHAL TOYOTA, 6711 CARLISLE PIKE, MECHANICSBURG, PA 17050, (888) 376-3831) AND WAS INFORMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE, BUT COULD BE ORDERED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1809061540. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000. *DT UPDATED 10/29/18*JB

THE DASHBOARD HAS MELTED AND IS STICKY AND SHINY WHICH HAS CREATED AN INTENSE GLARE ON THE WINDSHIELD MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE SOME SPOTS WHILE DRIVING. THE SHINY DASHBOARD DOES NOT RETURN TO NORMAL EVEN IN COOLER TEMPERATURES, OR IF A SUNSHADE IS USED. THE SHINY STICKY GOO LIKE FILM CAN NOT BE WIPED AWAY EITHER.

I PURCHASED A 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY ON JUNE 23, 2008. AFTER A FEW YEARS, THE DASHBOARD BECAME SOFT AND STICKY. JUST THIS LAST SUMMER, I NOTICED IT MELTING ON A HOT SUNNY DAY. I LOOKED INTO HAVING IT REPLACED. THERE WAS A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT NOTIFICATION LETTER PREVIOUSLY SENT TO ME, WHICH STATED THIS TYPE OF KNOWN PROBLEM WOULD BE COVERED FOR UP TO 10 YEARS SINCE CAR WAS FIRST PLACED IN SERVICE. UNFORTUNATELY, I DIDN'T DETERMINE THIS WAS ENOUGH OF A PROBLEM TO ME UNTIL JUNE 28, 2018. I MISSED THE WARRANTY EXTENSION BY 5 DAYS. I CONTACTED NEWBOLD TOYOTA ON JUNE 29, 2018, AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT AFTER THE 10 YEARS, THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO, EXCEPT TO CHARGE ME FOR THE REPAIR. THE REPAIR WAS ESTIMATED AT APPROX. $1,500 FOR THE DASHBOARD REPLACEMENT. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT "OH WELL, I CAN LIVE WITH THIS." BUT NOW THE DASHBOARD HAS MELTED SO MUCH THAT IT NOW REFLECTS SUNLIGHT INTO THE WINDSHIELD SO BADLY THAT IT IS HAS BECOME A SAFETY HAZARD. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD WHEN DRIVING TOWARDS THE SUN ON A SUNNY DAY (EVEN WHILE WEARING SUNGLASSES). SO THE DEFECTIVE DASHBOARD IS NOW CAUSING VERY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITION. SO I CONTACTED THE NATIONAL TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER, AND THEY SAID ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING AS NEWBOLD TOYOTA. THERE WAS NOTHING THEY CAN DO NOW. SINCE THIS DESIGN/MATERIAL FLAW HAS CAUSED SUCH A SERIOUS HAZARD WHEN DRIVING THE CAR, AND THIS IS NOW A SAFETY ISSUE, I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND SHOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIR TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN I PURCHASED THIS CAR, I HAD NO IDEA THE DASHBOARD HAD AN EXPIRATION DATE. IF ONLY I HAD NOTICED THE MELTING A FEW DAYS EARLIER THEY WOULD HAVE PAID FOR THE REPLACEMENT. WHY DOES THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX A DEFECT/SAFETY ISSUE END AFTER 10 YEARS. I HAVE ATTACHED PHOTO TO SHOW REFLECTION ON WINDSHIELD BUT BLINDING GLARE IS MUCH WORSE IN PERSON.

I WAS DENIED REPLACEMENT OF A MELTED DASHBOARD BECAUSE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED (BY 2 BUSINESS DAYS). THE 2009 CAMRY DASHBOARD MELTING IS A SAFETY HAZARD. IT CASTS A JARRING GLARE ONTO THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD AND MAKES DRIVING UNSAFE. VISIBILITY IS COMPROMISED. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAM. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. INJURIES OR WORSE ARE IMMINENT. PLEASE ACT ON BEHALF OF CONSUMERS AND ESTABLISH A RECALL FOR TOYOTA MELTING DASHBOARDS.

GLARE FROM MELTED DASHBOARD

MY DASHBOARD IS MELTING. WHEN IT SOLIDIFIES IT BECOMES EXTREMELY REFLECTIVE AND OBSTRUCTS THE WINDSHIELD VIEW.

WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 65 MPH ON A FOUR LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY, THE DRIVER'S VISOR SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ROTATED COMPLETELY DOWN, BLOCKING MY VIEW OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD SO THAT I COULD NOT SEE AHEAD. IT WAS A DANGEROUS AND FRIGHTENING SITUATION! I HAD TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE CAR WHILE HOLDING THE VISOR UP SO THAT I COULD GET HOME SAFELY AND THEN GET THE CAR TO THE REPAIR FACILITY. TOYOTA KNEW THAT THIS SAFETY HAZARD EXISTED AND WAS SERIOUS BECAUSE IT DID A "WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT NOTICE" FOR 2007 TO 2011 CAMRY HYBRID SUN VISOR BRACKETS, BUT THIS EXPIRED FOR MY CAR IN MAY OF 2016.