NHTSA Complaint #10628672 — 2004 LEXUS GX 470

WE FIRST NOTICED WHAT LOOKED LIKE TINY BUBBLES UNDER THE DASH AND THE RAISED AREAS STARTED TO SHOW TINY SPLITS AND SINCE THEN HAS CONTINUED TO BUBBLE, SPLIT AND CRACK. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SPLITTING AROUND THE OUTLINE OF THE GAUGES, ACROSS THE TOP OF THE DASH, DOWN THE SIDES AND THEY CONTINUE TO GROW IN SIZE AND INTO OTHER AREAS. IN 2010 WROTE YOUR HEADQUARTERS AND AFTER A FEW MONTHS RECEIVED A CALL FROM ONE OF YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. HE ASKED SEVERAL QUESTIONS AND I TOLD HIM THE CAR HAD BEEN GARAGED SINCE WE BOUGHT IT IN 2006 FROM A LEXUS DEALER IN CLEARWATER. HE GAVE ME THE USUAL QUESTION AND ANSWER INVESTIGATION AND SAID HE COULD DO NOTHING. FINALLY, HE SAID SINCE I HAD NOT HAD EVERY OIL CHANGE AND REPAIR DONE AT A LEXUS DEALER AND THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED I WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ANYTHING AND I SHOULD HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY. I FELT THE LEXUS I OWNED SHOULD NOT HAVE A DASH THAT WAS DETERIORATING AFTER THIS SHORT PERIOD OF OWNERSHIP AND IT HAD TO BE A DEFECT. YOUR REPRESENTATIVE OFFERED FOR LEXUS TO PAY FOR ONE-HALF THE COST OF THE DASH REPLACEMENT, BUT I FELT THAT THE DASH WAS DEFECTIVE AND THERE WAS NO REASON FOR ME TO PAY TO HAVE ANY PART OF THE REPLACEMENT. I FEEL THE ONLY REASON THE DASH COULD BE SPLITTING IS THE MATERIAL IT WAS FORMED WITH OR WHATEVER PROCESS WAS USED. I REALIZE AS OF THIS YEAR THE CAR IS TEN YEARS OLD, BUT THIS HAS BEEN ON ONGOING PROBLEM NOT A NEW ONE AND IT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I HAVE HAD FEW PROBLEMS WITH THE LEXUS AND ONLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS IT NEEDED ANY EXTENSIVE REPAIRS. AFTER CHECKING PRICES AT DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS I DID USE THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP, BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY CLOSE IN PRICE TO THE OTHER ESTIMATES THAT I HAD GOTTEN AND SINCE THEIR REPAIRMEN WERE TRAINED AND UPDATED ON LEXUS REPAIRS I RESPECTED AND APPRECIATED THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE. *TR