Cracked dashboard

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

mine has lived outside for the last 5 years i have owned it, so i suppose it have been lucky that it hadnt cracked earlier, now off to get a dashmat to cover it do i dont have to look at it

[bbuzz Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bbuzz]

Good on ya Steve - To the point exactly. Lets hope a lot more Pradopointers also send in e-mails and TMC finally admit to a manufacturing fault and come to the party and fix ALL cracked dashboards free of charge.
Graeme K

I would like that to happen too but it may be wishing for the stars! TMC would have to refund all those dashboards they have fixed because not many of them got it for free! They owe me $900 for starters!

Bill

[bbuzz Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bbuzz]

This was the emial I just sent him. I imagine if people send ones this long they will cut them down to a certain degree but hopefully they are going to put in the bad bits a well as the good......this was my reply...........Fantastic 4wd. Would have to be one of the best 4wd's I have owned. I have the 4L V6 2005 GXL in auto form. The only letdown with these vehicles is the increasing amount of 120 prados (built 02 to 09) having an issue with their dashboards cracking quit severly. If out of warranty your looking at approx $1500 to $2000 for a full replacement. This is a known issue with Toyota BUT they are not very forth coming in wanting to fix it. This should be repaired even out of warranty due to the obviously faulty material used in the manufacturing of the dashpad and the fact its also cracking over the airbag (which is illegal) on the passengers side which could impede on the deployment of the airbag or could harm some one or blind them with the sharp edges of the splintered bits been blasted towards the passengers face in the event the airbag needs to deploy with such extreme force. The petrol motor is fantastic although fuel consumption may be a tad high for some its super responsive and extremely smooth. The D4D diesel is powerful also and gives great fuel economy. There were some issues with the earlier D4D's with injectors but have been superseeded. Great family car, roomy, comfortable, great for off road, heap of extras available, and have the big 180 fuel tanks for touring which based on the under 10L per 100 for the D4D will give any body who wants to travel remote areas all the fuel they need between fuel supplies in the outback. There is a link here http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread.php?12073-Cracked-dashboard to a website called pradopoint indicating the issues with the dash board issues and available pictures showing in some extreme cases the way the dash boards are cracking but in general other then the dash they are a fantastic vehicle.........Cheers Steve Miller

FYI this is my submission to carsguide. Feel free to copy any its you want.

I have a 2003 model with the KZ diesel motor, auto GXL with the following extras - HD springs, Gas shocks, front towbar, second battery, redarc battery controller, bullbar and full length roofrack.
Good Points
- Strong engine suitable for caravans but the fuel consumption can get away if you flog it.
- Four speed tranny works a little hard off road with no descent control or any of the other goodies on the newer models but regularly serviced it is nearly bullet proof.
- Comfortable seats despite the driver's side losing it's blocking.
- All running gear has been trouble free or at least the replacement intervals are acceptable.
- Interior fittings are located in useful places and serve their purpose.
- Storage area with the rear seats folded is good.
- The wide opening rear door is good for loading but not so functional if you lose your grip on it and it opens onto the hinges as it bends the sheet metal. Expensive to repair.
- The dual fuel tanks are a big plus as you can choose when to fill up and save some money. Out in the middle of Qld, Nt and WA a long travelling range is important. Ask a Pajero owner pulling a van about not being game to pass a service station!

Bad Points
- Cracked dashboard. Nearly all 120 models will have a cracked dashboard in their life. It doesn't matter if you had a dash mat (mine did all its life) or if you garaged it as eventually it will crack. The cracks are around the instrument cluster lip, the air vents on the side and the front, across the top of the clock recess and across the air bag section. They will vary from single cracks to something that looks like a spider's web!
Toyota will replace if the age of the vehicle is 5 years or younger but give you a hard time if older, in most cases refusing point blank. Most offers involve the owner paying up to $900 of the cost. Younger models may get it for $300 but those offers have dried up recently. If I get another one that has had the dash replaced I expect the replacement one to fail eventually too.
I had to go to the ACCC to get a hearing and force TMC to make an offer. That is not acceptable.
- Transmission shift box. There is a design fault in the PLASTIC shift section that cracks and pops the locator pin out of position. You can no longer lock the tranny in 3 and in P, R and N the stick is sloppy. Spares are hard to get as the Tsunami is holding up orders and it costs a bomb (like all Toyota spares). I have not tried to repair it yet but that will happen soon as I want to sell.
- Thermostats have been known to fail, even after fitting a new one (8 months in my case). If you do not pick up on it quickly, the top of the motor boils, losing fluid (the first sign, not the temp gauge) and then the head cracks. Probably not a TMC failure (except for their quality control) but it is an area that owners need to keep an eye on.
- The bullbar bolts are fixed on with spring washers and after journeying on corrugated roads (not bad ones) they work loose and the bullbar will fall off. usually the tube sections first. Not a problem in Toorak but for a 4WD vehicle built for those roads, it is a major concern. TMC will tell you that their mechanics regularly tighten all bullbar bolts during a service - if you believe that you should check your driveway to see if Cinderella has arrived in the coach.
- Second battery box is not secured to the fender properly as corrugated roads break the welds and the flimsy metal bracket provided. I didn't find mine was broken, apart from looking for a god-awful rattle, until I had to tighten the airbox fitting. I had a new bracket fabricated and reinforcement placed under the fender to stop the metal from tearing.
- Not strictly a vehicle complaint but I am a little tired of the 'padding' that goes on when you visit a Toyota dealer. I had my wheels rotated during the last service and they were balanced despite me not having that item included in the instructions. They didn't need balancing and the dealer wouldn't have known because they didn't go for a drive. I get sick of arguing with them and they wonder why many people do not go near dealers.
- The radio aerial is located in the rear window glass and reception ends at the city limits. Or it is directional so you lose it going around a corner and it won't return until you are facing in another direction. An aftermarket aerial is needed.

No more whinges. I will probably buy another one despite the above problems as the other makes have more problems or not the features that matter.

[Steve Mc Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Steve Mc]

Add me to the list. 2003 GXL with cracked dash right on the peak of the instrument cluster. Vehicle has travelled 105K, garaged,sun shade and dash mat.

[barnzy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close barnzy]

This is my first post on prado point I found this site while sifting through all the online complaints relating to the dash cracking syndrome.
I reckon ill be checking in more often as I love my prado, besides the Dashboard.
So add my 04 Grande to that evergrowing list.
I have bought mine second hand and doubt I will get any joy from Toyota however I will also send in and see.
If they pay for half the part then they may as well admit complete fault IMHO
I would like to know if anybody has carried out a dash replacement themselves as I would much rather do it myself than pay Toyota.
eventhough I bet those guys down at the dealership are pretty good at stripping / fitting dashboards by now.

[fortom Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close fortom]

Just sent an e mail to Graham @ carsguide outling the positives of the vehicle and how much we enjoy its comfort etc etc. And gave a detailed account of how the dash is falling apart at an alarming rate. Another new crack spotted this weekend above the centre vents..........

[paddy81 Member Find all posts View Profile Close paddy81]

Well I sent an email through to TMC following up them knocking me back for my dash claim. I told them I would be taking it further and they agreed to send the claim in again! Well after a week they just rang to say they would cover 75% of the parts cost however the labour and other 25% of the parts will be up to me totaling $1250!!!!! I told them a few choice words and declined not before telling them what my plans were. I've also emailed the lady Megan I have been dealing through at TMC head office. I will be lodging that ACCC claim today and contacting Today Tonight or A Current Affair over the next couple of days!!

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Onya Paddy, give it to them, hope some thing comes of it, and Im sure you will have plenty of back up from people on PP if need be.Cheers Steve

[CHF80 Member Find all posts View Profile Close CHF80]

Had some advice last week that things might have changed on this.

Phoned Sci Fleet Toyota today and got THE WORST service I have ever received from a Toyota dealer. Details:

Left message for a certain person at Sci Fleet on Friday that I was told to contact as they were to have great customer skills. Not only did I get 20 questions as to why I wanted to speak to that person, finally had to leave a message for them and they never called back.

Called them again today as they obviously dont know how to return phone calls, advised them of the issue and they basically said "yeah we'll have a crack at it for you, BUT IF IT GETS KNOCKED BACK WE ARE GOING TO CHARGE YOU".

Who the hell charges to submit a warranty claim???????????????

I told him that was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard and that I will never ever bring my car to Sci Fleet and hung up!

What the hell has happened to good old fashion "service"?

So angry!

[Guest Close Guest]

Looks like the tide is turning. I rang Toyota CEC (Cust. Exp. Centre) and got transferred to the local dealer who made the 2nd assessment on the 2nd crack. Toyota is now offering me 50% of the parts and I will have to pay for labour. The dealer hasn't got back to me about the labour component but the dash is just under $800 inc GST. So I will be up for $400 + labour.

[CHF80 Member Find all posts View Profile Close CHF80]

Looks like the tide is turning. I rang Toyota CEC (Cust. Exp. Centre) and got transferred to the local dealer who made the 2nd assessment on the 2nd crack. Toyota is now offering me 50% of the parts and I will have to pay for labour. The dealer hasn't got back to me about the labour component but the dash is just under $800 inc GST. So I will be up for $400 + labour.

Nice result - waiting to hear back from another dealer today.

I wonder what the labour rate is?

[Guest Close Guest]

Nice result - waiting to hear back from another dealer today.

I wonder what the labour rate is?

Either my dealer is trying to sound nice over the phone or .... but the service advisor is going to talk to the service manager to try and get the labour hours as low as possible.

I also asked them if I can just replace it myself for the 50% parts price but they said no. The 50% offer is only if Toyota do the replacement.

[winniliss Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close winniliss]

Nice result - waiting to hear back from another dealer today.

I wonder what the labour rate is?

Bridge Toyota in Darwin charge $140p/h

[John Member Find all posts View Profile Close John]

Sci Fleet. They were the dealer I mistakenly took my Prado to for a service when I was up that way a few years ago. I check and mark my filters as a matter of course after each service. Not that I don't trust anyone... They were the first dealer to "forgot" to change the fuel and oil filters on that service.

And denied it until I showed them the marks...

Never ever again.

[cardinal28 Member Find all posts View Profile Close cardinal28]

Nice result - waiting to hear back from another dealer today.

I wonder what the labour rate is?

My local Dealer charged approx $220 for my dash replacement (only charged me fleet cost)

Graeme K