January 21, 2015 — After years of complaints and recent lawsuits, Toyota has agreed to replace about 3.5 million dashboards that get sticky, cracked, shiny and melt in heat and humidity. Calling it a "Customer Support Program" - ZE6 - Toyota will extend dashboard warranty coverage on the following Toyota and Lexus vehicles. No doubt feeling heat from class-action lawsuits (here and here) about dashboards that melt and crack in the heat and humidity, Toyota is currently sending letters to affected owners about how the program will work. Calling it both a "warranty enhancement" and "warranty extension," the automaker says it will be rolled out in two phases. The first phase will be to contact Toyota owners who have already paid the approximate $1,500 to replace the dashboard. Those owners will be considered for reimbursement for the repairs paid out-of-pocket. The second phase will occur when Toyota dealers have enough parts available, not expected to occur until May 2015.
Toyota will send a second letter informing owners the dashboards will be replaced if heat or humidity has caused the dashboards to crack, melt or become sticky. Toyota says the melting dashboard extended warranty will have two types of coverage. Primary coverage will provide warranty extensions for all affected Toyota owners until May 31, 2017. Under primary coverage, it doesn't matter how many miles are on the vehicle or when the vehicle was first used. Toyota says secondary coverage will work as a supplement to the primary coverage for some owners by providing an extended warranty for 10 years from the date the vehicle was first used. As with the primary coverage, the mileage of the vehicle isn't taken into consideration. Toyota is offering the extended warranty on the dashboards only if they were damaged by heat and humidity, and you can bet dealers will verify the dashboards weren't damaged by other methods or means. Owners of melting dashboards should contact their dealer after receiving the second notification letter in May 2015.
All work must be performed by an authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer. To find out if your vehicle is eligible for the dashboard warranty extension, contact Toyota at 800-331-4331 or Lexus at 800-255-3987. Read complaints submitted about the vehicles named in the Toyota/Lexus dashboard warranty extension program:Back in February we told you about the Lexus cracked dashboard warranty enhancement, see our article here: Lexus to pay for cracked dashboard repairs on GX470, ES and RX models. We mentioned that Lexus is offering to cover this $800 repair at no charge via their new "Warranty Enhancement Notification - ZLD" letter that they sent out to many of us Lexus owners back in January. We've since learned that this issue was also happening to several Toyota models. If your model is effected, you will receive a letter from the manufacturer. Here is the latest update, what you need to know, and what you need to do to ensure you are serviced in a timely manner. Also, keep in mind that this is not a cracked dashboard recall.
It is a voluntary warranty enhancement; don't confuse this with a recall. The big question on everyone's mind is when are the new dashboard parts coming in? Many of you have been emailing me asking "when will my car be repaired?" I checked with JM Lexus, who is our local dealer, as I am in the same boat with many of you. If you read my previous blog, those cracked dash photos are from my 2004 GX470 SUV. First of all you might recall that the original letter from Lexus and Toyota sent to owners in January stated the brand new dash board replacements would be here under this warranty enhancement program by late spring, but here we all are, ready for Fourth of July weekend and we have no parts yet. My service writer at JM Lexus told me they are expecting in new replacement dashboards in early August. The service writers have each started what I call a "will call" list, so as dashboard parts come in they notify people on the list first, first come first served. It sounds to me like Toyota and Lexus bit off more than they could chew and realized after they sent out these warranty enhancement notices, maybe they should have counted how many cars they have out on the road, because there are millions, and many of those owners have cracked dashes!
Now they have to tool up, create repair jigs, train service techs to remove and replace a part that was meant to be installed once and never removed, and they have to ship all these dashboards to authorized dealer repair shops around the world. Trap warning: Don't think that just because you got a notice alerting you to this special warranty that you are automatically entered into some red carpet VIP list, so it's up to us to make sure we're on the list! Don't expect them to just call you in, you need to contact your local dealer and ask them if they have started a list yet, and get your name on it ASAP. My service writer already had 50 names on her list before my name after only the first week, and she's just one of probably a dozen service writers there. The lists are filling up fast. You have to figure that the queue to get these cumbersome dashboard replacement and repairs done is going to be slow moving too, so you want to try to get at the front of the line. The early bird gets the worm.
You can see how quickly our list is filling up, so I would start checking with your local dealer and see if they have a will call list setup and confirm that you're on the list! It's like the VIP line at the fancy night clubs; if you don't know whether you're on the list, then you're not on it. Don't assume you're on any list, instead assume you're not on the list, and motivate yourself to get on one. You would hate to miss out simply because you had no idea they were taking reservations. Don't make the mistake of waiting on somebody to call you, it may never happen. Sure their original letter says sit tight and we'll let you know when the dashboard parts are in. But your local dealers may already be forming their own list of which owners cars get repaired first. While you're sitting around waiting for the manufacturer to send you another letter telling you to bring your car in, many other savvier car owners are already securing their place in line for their free dashboard repair at the dealership.
This is not a recall and they are not obligated to and don't want to just install a new dashboard in everyone's car, they'll go broke doing it. These lists that dealers are starting are a good way to filter out people, and assure you of a first mover advantage if you call your dealer now to secure your position. They will likely only install a new dash for those owners who take initiative to reach out to them and specifically ask for it, and whose car qualifies for it. It's up to you to go to them, and confirm you're on the list, and in my case I'll be calling back in early August for a status update and to confirm I am still on the list. This way you don't fall through the cracks (pun intended). Remember your service writer's name and write it down, as they each might maintain their own list. You'll want to remember who took down your info when you called. Also make sure you're in the dealership's system, with your car and VIN, make sure they can look you up in their system and have them read back the info concerning your vehicle's model and year, so you know they have the correct info on file, assuring you that your car is qualified under this program.
As we mentioned previously, eligible Lexus warranty enhancement models are: As mentioned this is not a recall, it is a cosmetic issue, not a safety issue, no need for the CPSC to step in and issue any recall. Toyota does have Technical Service Bulletins concerning this repair, Service Bulletin No.: POL14-11 with a NHTSA ID Number: 10057774 is one such example. There have been a few class action suits started against Toyota related to this repair issue, which may have gotten this whole warranty enhancement process started. Summary of our tips for you to ensure a speedy repair: Toyota's letter calls it Warranty Enhancement Program - ZE6 and covers these vehicle models: The above list of models and coverage is as it appears on the letter from Toyota. Who to call at Lexus and Toyota for more info Call the Lexus Customer Assistance Center: Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Saturday 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM Hours: Monday - Friday 5:00 am - 6:00 pm PT