Cracked dashboard

[Hogey66 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hogey66]

Trying to find out but having trouble decoding the VIN - any tips?
On the plate inside the bonnet, r/h side firewall, it says BVM 03/06.
I assume that's the month of manufacture?
If Toyota want to play hardball, they picked the wrong guy - my wife and I are both journos.
Does extended warranty carry any weight?

They will probably base their stance on 03/06 therefore over 10 and no help from them. Don't think extended warranty will help you out either. I and many others have gone after them to try to get their butts into gear and make good what was obviously a build material that was not fit for purpose, however all to no avail. Hopefully with you and your wife's occupation it may come to the point of a well coordinated publicity disaster for Toyota Australia and get them to take responsibility. This fault was fully recalled in the U.S. and i think a few other countries as well, so it's about time they do something here. I questioned them on the safety aspect of a damaged dash splintering in the event of an airbag operating and they have stated there is no risk to the occupants in this situation. It's probably cheaper to pay out a damaged person than it is to recall this fault!

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

Good luck mate. Your only advantage may be your journo's and a threat of it going further MAY help but I was only 3 months out and they wouldn't touch me, 2 dealers, wrote in telling them I wanted to take it further, bad luck. Wouldn't tell me why except that I was out of my 3 year warranty period WTF. Total bunch of ass wipes. Think it depends on who picked up a shag the night before in making their decision. One dickhead from head office told me he would me he was ringing the dealership to see why they knocked it back, I said why the fuc# would you ring the dealer, they were the ones contacting you to get approval or not. Just talked out their arse every time I had any thing to do with them. I'm going to screw them
for every single thing I possibly can on my 150. Any thing that's not 100% I'll be nailing them for it. I've got a new strut coming for rear door. I'm going them for discolouration of the paint on the alloy rims and I won't be accepting a respray they'll be ordering me new ones. Then the drivers seat on the side it already has a couple of lines in it where it crushes down getting in and out. I'll be nit picking every single little thing till the warranty is out which is another 3+ years

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

Yeah Hogey, I even went to the RMS here in Penrith and asked them isn't it a defect, they said nope because it won't affect the airbag deploying. I asked who's arse do I sue when the fragments splinters end up in my wife's eyes in the event of an accident, he said I better ask Toyota that. But if your airbag in your horn pad has a split its a defect, get that.

[WilloughbyWarrior Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close WilloughbyWarrior]

Might be time to turn up the heat a bit.
OK - let's see where we get to...

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

Just had my 2007 D4D cracked dashboard replaced for free as part of the voluntary recall program (customer satisfaction program), very happy. Now I need to spend 6 hours detailing the rest of the interior to try and get it to match the new dash!!.

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

Check out this page on Facebook, this bloke looks like he's getting a pretty big following on this issue

[WilloughbyWarrior Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close WilloughbyWarrior]

Just joined.
The way to get to them is through sustained negative publicity.
Big corporations HATE negative publicity.
Their Corporate Affairs managers get screamed at by senior managers if there is a sustained attack on the brand, and if it continues, Japan will take notice and reach in over the top.
The beauty in Australia is that corporates cannot sue for defamation unlike other jurisdictions, where big companies try to scare consumers into silence with legal threats.
They can only legal prosecute you for consequential economic loss, which is very hard to prove.
Social media is the way to go, within reason you have control over the channel - whereas with traditional media, you do not.
On social media, their immediate tactics will be:
a)assess if there are more than 1000 people can see the post - this is the usual point above which things are taken seriously.
b)immediately try and take any interaction with the poster(s) offline, so that they can deal with it in isolation.
Everyone on this forum who has had the cracked dash problem should join this dude's Facebook group. You'll then have the mass to influence them.

[JGD Member Find all posts View Profile Close JGD]

Just joined.
The way to get to them is through sustained negative publicity.

This issue has had plenty of negative publicity over the years. Got a run in mainstream media through news sites some years back along with other Toyota dash issues - without success.

I'm keen for any resolution to this issue, and am a member of that Facebook group, but don't see how numbers on a Facebook group will have any affect on the issue. Could you explain further?

[WilloughbyWarrior Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close WilloughbyWarrior]

All I can offer is my experience as a journo, and then 16 years managing corporate coms for large listed companies in NZ and Oz.
In the time since this was last publicised in mainstream media, social media has become a phenomenon that big companies are very scared of.
Mainstream media peaks, and then goes away.
They can't control social media; it escalates very quickly and can cause them huge headaches.
And it persists - they can't shut it down or rely on editors to get sick of an issue and for the news agenda to turn elsewhere.
Trust me - if a significant, persistent social media campaign can be organised, it will cause panic at Toyota Australia HQ.
Just my two cents worth.
Has anyone tried approaching Toyoda-San in Japan?
He'll be very sensitive to brand damage, particularly given recent scandals.

[Wtrxprs007 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wtrxprs007]

United we are

free dashes we will get

[Guest Close Guest]

The Toyota Australia FB page's Prado post was bombarded with cracked dashboard posts
https://www.facebook.com/toyota.aus/...type=3&theater

There was a recall overseas for the equivalent Lexus models and other Toyota models with melting dashes. But no recalls of that sort here. Toyoda-san already knows about it, but somehow in Australia, they are getting away with it.

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

Hi all,

I've read a heap of the posts with interest and see there's largely mixed reviews on what will be and won't be repaired, largely depends on where too!!

Has anyone had it done on the Gold Coast with any success? I have an 05/04 GXL, and am watching the cracks get worse just sitting here


Cheers

Mick

Hi Mick,

I had mine done in Jan through Surf Toyota under warranty, you can give them a try, just be polite, persistent & don't take no for an answer. Good luck I hope they agree to replace it for you.

Cheers,

Mike.

[Rodeorunach Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Rodeorunach]

All I can offer is my experience as a journo, and then 16 years managing corporate coms for large listed companies in NZ and Oz.
In the time since this was last publicised in mainstream media, social media has become a phenomenon that big companies are very scared of.
Mainstream media peaks, and then goes away.
They can't control social media; it escalates very quickly and can cause them huge headaches.
And it persists - they can't shut it down or rely on editors to get sick of an issue and for the news agenda to turn elsewhere.
Trust me - if a significant, persistent social media campaign can be organised, it will cause panic at Toyota Australia HQ.
Just my two cents worth.
Has anyone tried approaching Toyoda-San in Japan?
He'll be very sensitive to brand damage, particularly given recent scandals.

I started out dealing with Toyota Japan at first with my 120 is Japanese used import and they just
Passed it on to Toyota NZ

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

Good news for me prado people iv got a 04 prado and I just had the call to say it's been approved by toyota to get the dashboard replaced it will take up to 3-4 weeks for it to come from Japan. It all started when I sent toyota aus a private msg on FB telling them that I had called up 2 dealer in Melbourne and the I basically got told if over 10 years it won't be replaced. I received a msg back from the asking for the VIN and rego also contact number. I then received a call asking about it and I told them what happened and it happened last Christmas when I noticed the crack. I was asked if a dealer has seen it i said no so I was asked if I could take it to a dealership for inspection and ask which toyota I was going to take it which is cranbourne toyota and she give them a call to let them know I was bringing it. I took it in and they guy said just so i know anything over 10 years won't get replaced and I stated in knew that but I was asked to bring it in the guy did what he had to and said he be in touch which was yesterday . Now today I received a call saying toyota has approved it to get replaced so I'm 1 happy camper. But if possible please don't mention my name if you are going to try this just in case they changed there might do until it's replaced ok. Good luck don't for get mine is a 2004 prado and it's getting replaced

[Falco80 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Falco80]

Sounds promising, but don't count your chickens before they are hatched. This happened to me and at least one other owner and when we actually dropped the vehicles off for approved, ordered and booked dash replacements we were denied on the day by the dealer and then by Toyota Customer service. Good luck though!