NHTSA Complaint #10356022 — 2004 ACURA TL

2004 ACURA TL - DASHBOARD CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES AND STILL SPREADING. CAR HAS LESS THAN 47K MILES. NOTICED FIRST CRACK EARLIER IN 2010 NEAR THE CENTER SPEAKER ON THE DASH. IT SPREAD ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT WINDSHIELD THEN ACROSS AND OVER THE GAUGES. JUST NOTICED ANOTHER CRACK 2 DAYS AGO, BUT THIS TIME ITS ON THE DASH RIGHT ABOVE THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND FOUND THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE EXACT SAME PLACES. THOUGHT ABOUT HAVING THE CRACKS SEALED AT AN UPHOLSTERY PLACE AND THEN COVERING THE DASH WITH A COVER BECAUSE ITS SO UNSIGHTLY, BUT CALLED THE LOCAL ACURA DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WASN'T A GOOD IDEA BECAUSE IT MIGHT AFFECT HOW THE AIRBAG DEPLOYS IN A CRASH. SO FAR THEIR SOLUTION IS TO BRING IT IN AND SPEAK TO A FACTORY REP. THEY MAY BE ABLE TO REPLACE IT AT A PERCENTAGE OF THE COST, BUT IT WILL STILL BE EXPENSIVE. IT IS AN OBVIOUS AND KNOWN DEFECT, BUT WHEN I CALLED ACURA CORPORATE CUSTOMER CARE AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE CRACKS THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT HERE... *TR