NHTSA Complaint #10542034 — 2008 LEXUS IS 250

IN JUNE OF 2013 I BEGAN TO NOTICE THAT BOTH MY DASH AND MY FRONT DOOR PANELS WERE STICKY AND WERE BEGINNING TO MELT. UPON BRINGING MY CAR INTO THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP MY SERVICE ADVISER TOOK PHOTOS OF THE AFFECTED AREAS AND SUBMITTED THEM TO CORPORATE FOR GOODWILL WARRANTY. THE END RESULT IS THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE SERVICE TO HAVE BOTH MY DOOR PANELS AND DASH TO BE REPLACED. TO ME, THIS SEEMS RIDICULOUS. LEXUS HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THE MATERIAL THAT WAS USED ON THE DASH, YET I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY OVER $1000 TO HAVE THE REPAIRS COMPLETED? I OPTED TO NOT GET THE REPAIRS COMPLETED SINCE I WAS PLANNING TO TRADE THE CAR IN AT THE END OF THIS YEAR FOR A NEWER MODEL. TO DATE THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN MUCH WORSE; THERE ARE NOW CHUNKS (!!) OF DOOR PANEL MISSING ON BOTH SIDES FROM MY FINGERNAILS (WHICH AREN'T EXCESSIVELY LONG) HITTING THEM WHILE I ENTER/EXIT THE VEHICLE. ADDITIONALLY, MY DASH IS HORRENDOUS LOOKING AND IS STARTING TO HAVE A BAD GLARE AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD AS THE MELTING PROGRESSES. WHILE THIS MAY JUST BE "COSMETIC" TO SOME, IT ISN'T AT ALL WHAT I PAID FOR!! NOR IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE A VEHICLE WITH A UNNECESSARY AND UNSAFE REFLECTIVE GLARE THAT IS BEING CAUSED BY CHEAP MATERIALS BEING USED. TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY, AND FURTHERMORE AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. I DIDN'T SPEND $30,000 ON A VEHICLE SO THAT THEY INTERIOR COULD MELT IN THE SUN. I LIVE IN FLORIDA AND OUR SUMMER TEMPERATURES ARE CLOSE TO 100 DEGREES MOST DAYS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN TO ANY OF THE OTHER 7 VEHICLES I HAVE OWED, WHICH MAKES IT ABSURD THAT IS OCCURRING ON MY SO-CALLED "LUXURY" VEHICLE. *JB