Dash warpage?

HTMLSpinnr · 06-21-2005, 03:58 PM

On my way to work today in our 115°F Phoenix heat, I noticed that the dash on the passenger side where it meets up with the upper glove box seems to be warping. My guess would be due to this lovely heat we have here. Most times I am able to use the windshield heat shield which removes most direct sun from it, however there are times where it's forgotten.

Anyway, I tried to push down to see if it had just come unseated, but no luck thus far. The change in shape is also making the upper glove compartment difficult to open (they seem to be rubbing together).

Worst part is I'm at 36,500 miles now which would put me just out of basic warranty where this would be covered (?).

Any ideas on how to get this back into place? Any other experiences? Are we discovering the pitfalls of bio-plastic?

I'll try to attach pics of this later on.

MarinJohn · 06-21-2005, 05:04 PM

115 DEGREES? I'd warp too! Well, at least whine.

**efusco** · 06-22-2005, 02:14 AM

500 miles over...take it in an ask Rick. A good dealer will 'fudge' the mileage a bit to keep it under warranty.

Sufferin' Prius Envy · 06-22-2005, 02:55 AM

OUCH! I feel for you man. By all means, go to the dealer. It may be considered a design flaw. (Believe it or not, there are hotter areas in the world . . . but Phoenix’s record of 122F ties Europe’s and beats South America’s.)

On the bright side, lets all take this as a hard lesson learned, and be thankful we don’t live in these areas . . . and . . . that the Prius does not come with vinyl seats as standard equipment.

HIGHEST RECORDED TEMPERATURE:

AFRICA
* Al'Aziziyah, Libya 57.7 C (135.9 F) on the 13th September, 1922

ASIA
* Tirat Tsvi, Israel 53.9 C (129.0 F) on the 21st June, 1942

AUSTRALIA
* Oodnadatta, South Australia 50.7 C (123.3 F) on the 2nd January, 1960

EUROPE
* Seville, Spain 50.0 C (122.0 F) on the 4th August, 1881

NORTH AMERICA
* Death Valley, USA 56.7 C (134.0 F) on the 10th July, 1913

SOUTH AMERICA
* Rivadavia, Argentina 48.9 C (120.0 F) on the 11th December, 1905

http://members.iinet.net.au/~jacob/worldtp.html

[all 13 of my PriusChat points donated to htmlspinnr]

Rick Grahn · 06-22-2005, 05:54 AM

Almost sounds like it is where the passenger side airbag sets. If that is true, I would definitely have the dealer look at it. I have a dashdesigns cover over mine to help prevent this....hope it works!

Good Luck!

jayman · 06-22-2005, 09:52 AM

A dashpad cover would be a good idea in any hot climate, eg Nevada or Utah. A lot of cars/trucks there have cracked dash from baking in the hot sun.

What I don't like to see is the dashpad cover that clearly covers the passenger airbag. If the airbag ever deploys, that could create a serious risk to the passenger and driver.

HTMLSpinnr · 06-22-2005, 04:18 PM

This is in the area where the passenger airbag sits. I'm going to approach it as a safety concern when I present it since I don't want the airbag to malfunction if the panel is no longer in the "right" location. However, if the airbag is attached to the panel, that won't fly. Perhaps I should invest in the pad - but I've always had the same airbag concern with said items.

nowr2go · 06-23-2005, 12:54 AM

I noticed last week that I have the same warpage as you do. I live in Los Angeles and the upper glove compartment is hard to open. Luckily, I have 25,000 miles on my 2004 and should have it fixed under warrantly. So it sounds like you are not the only one with a unique problem. I'll bet that a few more owners will experience the same thing as well now that the weather is warming up.

Kev1000000 · 06-23-2005, 01:23 AM

my plasticy thing where my speedometer is warped a little bit, and now it looks all distorted (my dash display)

Could i get that plastic stuff replaced?

HTMLSpinnr · 06-23-2005, 01:48 AM

(edit 6/25/2006 to replace dropped pics)

Attached is a picture of the separation. It's not extreme as in visibility, but it does cause the upper glove compartment to not open.

Also, it seems the upper glove compartment pulls forward a bit too easily. I'm wondering if when my ECU was replaced back when they had SSC-40D (?) done, if they didn't put it back together correctly, and it compounded this problem?

[attachmentid=3910]

I'm at 36700 miles, but the car's only 1½ years old. This shouldn't be happening.

As a side note, I tried to pull the part up, then reseat it. The plastic itself is definately deformed.

Also attached for amusement was a really nice lightning shot I grabbed while I went out to grab pics of the dash. Sorta OT, but had to share.

[attachmentid=3911]

06-21-2005, 03:58 PM	#1
HTMLSpinnr Gen III Forums Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Surprise, AZ (Phoenix) Posts: 4,073 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 216 Thanked 437 Times in 196 Posts Friends: 18	Dash warpage? On my way to work today in our 115°F Phoenix heat, I noticed that the dash on the passenger side where it meets up with the upper glove box seems to be warping. My guess would be due to this lovely heat we have here. Most times I am able to use the windshield heat shield which removes most direct sun from it, however there are times where it's forgotten. Anyway, I tried to push down to see if it had just come unseated, but no luck thus far. The change in shape is also making the upper glove compartment difficult to open (they seem to be rubbing together). Worst part is I'm at 36,500 miles now which would put me just out of basic warranty where this would be covered (?). Any ideas on how to get this back into place? Any other experiences? Are we discovering the pitfalls of bio-plastic? I'll try to attach pics of this later on. __________________ Rick Johnson - Prius Expert/Gen III Forums Moderator His: Gen III 2010 Prius - Blizzard Pearl Prius IV w/ Solar - 6.3k miles - (First in SW Region!) - 2010 Photos - Mods: Curt Hitch, Toyota Premium Horn, Illuminated Door Sills Hers: Gen II 2004 - Tideland Green Pearl #9 - 117.6K miles - Mods: Bridgestone Ecopia Tires, Homemade mesh foglamp grills Past: Gen I 2002 - Blue Moon Pearl - Mods: Costal hitch Facebook - Ask an Expert I am not employed by Toyota, and the opinions expressed by me as a Prius Expert are not those of Toyota.

06-22-2005, 02:55 AM	#4
Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 4,012 My Car: Other Non-Hybrid Model: Package: N/A Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Dash warpage? OUCH! I feel for you man. By all means, go to the dealer. It may be considered a design flaw. (Believe it or not, there are hotter areas in the world . . . but Phoenix’s record of 122F ties Europe’s and beats South America’s.) On the bright side, lets all take this as a hard lesson learned, and be thankful we don’t live in these areas . . . and . . . that the Prius does not come with vinyl seats as standard equipment. HIGHEST RECORDED TEMPERATURE: AFRICA * Al'Aziziyah, Libya 57.7 C (135.9 F) on the 13th September, 1922 ASIA * Tirat Tsvi, Israel 53.9 C (129.0 F) on the 21st June, 1942 AUSTRALIA * Oodnadatta, South Australia 50.7 C (123.3 F) on the 2nd January, 1960 EUROPE * Seville, Spain 50.0 C (122.0 F) on the 4th August, 1881 NORTH AMERICA * Death Valley, USA 56.7 C (134.0 F) on the 10th July, 1913 SOUTH AMERICA * Rivadavia, Argentina 48.9 C (120.0 F) on the 11th December, 1905 http://members.iinet.net.au/~jacob/worldtp.html [all 13 of my PriusChat points donated to htmlspinnr] __________________ My words are my word. I refuse to actively participate in any forum where my written words can/are changed by the powers that be. If you don't like what I wrote, delete it – but don't put words in my mouth that aren't mine. Good-bye.

06-22-2005, 09:52 AM	#6
jayman Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Winnipeg Manitoba Posts: 11,562 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: B Thanks: 35 Thanked 185 Times in 168 Posts Friends: 12	Re: Dash warpage? A dashpad cover would be a good idea in any hot climate, eg Nevada or Utah. A lot of cars/trucks there have cracked dash from baking in the hot sun. What I don't like to see is the dashpad cover that clearly covers the passenger airbag. If the airbag ever deploys, that could create a serious risk to the passenger and driver.

06-23-2005, 12:54 AM	#8
nowr2go Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 5 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Dash warpage? I noticed last week that I have the same warpage as you do. I live in Los Angeles and the upper glove compartment is hard to open. Luckily, I have 25,000 miles on my 2004 and should have it fixed under warrantly. So it sounds like you are not the only one with a unique problem. I'll bet that a few more owners will experience the same thing as well now that the weather is warming up.

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06-21-2005, 05:04 PM	#2
MarinJohn Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 3,330 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 399 Thanked 77 Times in 44 Posts Friends: 7	115 DEGREES? I'd warp too! Well, at least whine.

06-22-2005, 02:14 AM	#3
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 17,231 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 49 Thanked 249 Times in 148 Posts Friends: 37	500 miles over...take it in an ask Rick. A good dealer will 'fudge' the mileage a bit to keep it under warranty.

06-22-2005, 05:54 AM	#5
Rick Grahn Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Illinois Posts: 285 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Almost sounds like it is where the passenger side airbag sets. If that is true, I would definitely have the dealer look at it. I have a dashdesigns cover over mine to help prevent this....hope it works! Good Luck!

06-22-2005, 04:18 PM	#7
HTMLSpinnr Gen III Forums Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Surprise, AZ (Phoenix) Posts: 4,073 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 216 Thanked 437 Times in 196 Posts Friends: 18	This is in the area where the passenger airbag sits. I'm going to approach it as a safety concern when I present it since I don't want the airbag to malfunction if the panel is no longer in the "right" location. However, if the airbag is attached to the panel, that won't fly. Perhaps I should invest in the pad - but I've always had the same airbag concern with said items.

06-23-2005, 01:23 AM	#9
Kev1000000 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Livonia, MI Posts: 251 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	my plasticy thing where my speedometer is warped a little bit, and now it looks all distorted (my dash display) Could i get that plastic stuff replaced?

06-23-2005, 01:48 AM	#10
HTMLSpinnr Gen III Forums Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Surprise, AZ (Phoenix) Posts: 4,073 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 216 Thanked 437 Times in 196 Posts Friends: 18	(edit 6/25/2006 to replace dropped pics) Attached is a picture of the separation. It's not extreme as in visibility, but it does cause the upper glove compartment to not open. Also, it seems the upper glove compartment pulls forward a bit too easily. I'm wondering if when my ECU was replaced back when they had SSC-40D (?) done, if they didn't put it back together correctly, and it compounded this problem? [attachmentid=3910] I'm at 36700 miles, but the car's only 1½ years old. This shouldn't be happening. As a side note, I tried to pull the part up, then reseat it. The plastic itself is definately deformed. Also attached for amusement was a really nice lightning shot I grabbed while I went out to grab pics of the dash. Sorta OT, but had to share. [attachmentid=3911]