NHTSA Complaint #11706133 — 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY

I drove my son’s 2009 Toyota Camry recently and encountered a serious safety concern. When driving into direct sunlight, visibility was significantly impaired due to intense glare reflecting off the dashboard and onto the windshield. The reflection made it difficult to clearly see the road ahead. This is not a cleaning or maintenance issue. The dashboard surface is no longer matte as designed. It has become glossy and reflective due to the well-documented Toyota “melting” or “sticky” dashboard defect that affected many 2009-era Toyota and Lexus vehicles. As the dashboard material degrades, it creates a reflective surface that directly contributes to dangerous glare while driving. This condition presents a genuine safety risk, particularly during sunrise and sunset, when glare is already a known driving hazard. Unfortunately, I understand that Toyota’s warranty enhancement program for this issue has expired, despite the defect continuing to pose a safety concern. I wanted to formally document this issue as a visibility and safety hazard and request guidance on whether Toyota will address this condition given its direct impact on safe vehicle operation.