Another dash crack victim w/pics
- Thread starter SolRayz
- Start date
GalacticToy
New member
Not to make an older thread back to life but I thought my dash was the only one!!!
I too have horrible cracking issues. It looks like someone took a razor blade to my dashboard and went to town. And it was like magic one moment not there came back and BOOM!
I will get pics of it soon.
All the windows are professionally tinted including the privacy glass since it's not UV rated and a sun visor has always been in use. Dash was kept with leather care treatment products. It's only a 2003 with 188k on the clock.
I too have horrible cracking issues. It looks like someone took a razor blade to my dashboard and went to town. And it was like magic one moment not there came back and BOOM!
I will get pics of it soon.
All the windows are professionally tinted including the privacy glass since it's not UV rated and a sun visor has always been in use. Dash was kept with leather care treatment products. It's only a 2003 with 188k on the clock.
Last edited:
knightsfs4
New member
Mine was driven for 56K miles in Florida and never had a problem. That said, I now baby oil my dash every once and a while. It's just one of those things your happy you did from the get go
Armor All and Sun Visor and no cracks. I lived in TX (hot/sunny) and in D.C.;
I think it is more care than anything else. All dashes will crack if you don't cover them. It isn't the "heat" that is doing it. It is the UV rays, which are destructive to everything. The UV rays degrade the skin, which makes it brittle and then the heat can exploit it and cause tension temperature expansion cycles which I am guessing cause the cracks.
I think UV prevention is the KEY. A Sun Visor and some type of chemical protectent is probably all you need. Armor All is kind of the dash version of sunscreen.
I think it is more care than anything else. All dashes will crack if you don't cover them. It isn't the "heat" that is doing it. It is the UV rays, which are destructive to everything. The UV rays degrade the skin, which makes it brittle and then the heat can exploit it and cause tension temperature expansion cycles which I am guessing cause the cracks.
I think UV prevention is the KEY. A Sun Visor and some type of chemical protectent is probably all you need. Armor All is kind of the dash version of sunscreen.
Me too...
2004 4Runner Limited V8
98k Miles
2nd Owner
At about 45k miles I got into my car after a day of work and noticed a crack in the dash forming over the passenger airbag area. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. Read about the issue online and it quickly became clear that there was nothing Toyota was planning to do about it. I gave up and just tried to ignore it.
Fast forward 55k miles and that small crack has now made its way across my entire dash just above the left-most AC vent. I won't hold my breath, but I'm more than happy to be part of the cause to get Toyota to acknowledge this issue, if there is such a cause...
One other thing I should mention. On hotter days, and when the dash is hot, I can literally dig my fingernail into the dash and peel chunks out. I've tried this on a couple less visible areas. Wow....
2004 4Runner Limited V8
98k Miles
2nd Owner
At about 45k miles I got into my car after a day of work and noticed a crack in the dash forming over the passenger airbag area. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. Read about the issue online and it quickly became clear that there was nothing Toyota was planning to do about it. I gave up and just tried to ignore it.
Fast forward 55k miles and that small crack has now made its way across my entire dash just above the left-most AC vent. I won't hold my breath, but I'm more than happy to be part of the cause to get Toyota to acknowledge this issue, if there is such a cause...
One other thing I should mention. On hotter days, and when the dash is hot, I can literally dig my fingernail into the dash and peel chunks out. I've tried this on a couple less visible areas. Wow....
morphius909
New member
That is CRAZEE.
120,000kms and dash still looks new.
120,000kms and dash still looks new.
dressage rider
New member
I just purchased a 2005 in perfect condition except for the dash crack. The dealer had someone come in and fix the crack/seam before I picked it up the next day. I can barely see a line now and probably only because I knew it was there.
The dealer said he sees this a lot with Toyota and some other vehicle dashes. He said it is an easy fix. The crack in my seam was pretty thin, but it ran along the entire top of my gauges on the drivers side.
Good luck!
The dealer said he sees this a lot with Toyota and some other vehicle dashes. He said it is an easy fix. The crack in my seam was pretty thin, but it ran along the entire top of my gauges on the drivers side.
Good luck!
GolfKing5150
New member
Wow, mine looks exactly the same as ev10pvmt pictures!
I thought that this was just me?
I thought that this was just me?
TRDSmokedU
New member
My brother in law has a 2004 SE V8 and had a crack in his dashboard. I have a 07 SE V8 and not one issue. From what I learned, Toyota changed the 4th gen dashboard material in 2006. Anyway, my bro in law called Toyota and raised hell about his dashboard. We have seven Toyotas in the family now and after demanding to speak with a supervisor Toyota agreed to paying half of the cost to replace the dashboard. Yes, we both live in south Florida. Good luck.
Anonymous4Runner
New member
There was a repair program that recently expired a while back. During that time period you were able to have dash inspected and replaced free of charge pending confirmation. I was one of those affected owners whose dash was replaced free of charge. I do not know of any DYI to mend cracks on dash. I'd probably wait it out until cracks expanded too much for my taste then replace it with another one. Probably troll junkyards and hope to see if you can swap out a dash from the same model as your 4R.
Good luck
