Failing dashboard in a 2006

[jarrenowen]

had the inspection done today at my local dealer,
same old news saying they haven't heard or seen anything like this before, i told them about the subaru america recall and all he said was we'll deal with it through subaru australia.
he checked the dash and noticed the melting and stickiness on the front closer to the window, and also ontop of the cluster column there is a bit of stickiness. there was some whitish residue on the bottom of the dash on the passenger side where it meets the glovebox and below the cubby holder as well. he quickly said something along the lines of someone has used a product which has caused this, and i said to him no, i put my car under a cover with the windows down slightly to allow fresh air in the car, so it'd say it's just dirty & dust buildup
He kept on his tangent about the chemical 'someone' has used in the cleaner has caused it, somehow only in certain areas which beats me, cause if a cleaner was used it would've covered the whole dash.
i also showed him the few minor cracks i have in mine, & also noted to him other members have a lot worse...
he took a few photos and said he'd send them through to head office and i'd get a reply within a few days.
once i got home i got a warm microfibre cloth and wiped the residue off around the areas, and clearly it was just dust and buildup in these spots as it's actually been a fair while since i've wiped over my dash. took some more photos for my own reference and when head office reply's i will forward them as well through, and see what they say.
now just gotta wait on a reply and see what they say about this.

just on a side note; my father (& pop as a matter of fact) has actually had a similar problem with his nissan patrol dashboard literally bubbling and cooking and creating bubbles on the dash. his is an 05 and nissan did a recall on these for the same issue, not meeting a quality standard due to the sun damage. it'd be interesting to find more information on this as it may be used as precedent if actions are taken further.

[tom_kauf]

Cool. Thanks for the update

[Tank]

Hi JD79,

You can add my car to your tally. (already on your FB group)
MY09 (was parked outside) no cracks yet but very sticky and shiny. i tried cleaning recently with a damp microfiber cloth and it scratched the dash on the first swipe. I have never used cleaning products, just a damp cloth until very recently in an attempt to remove the stickiness.

Have not reported to Subaru as i knew they would palm it off and i have a strong dislike of my local dealer.
I will email Subaru Aus to add it officially.

[jarrenowen]

got my response back from the dealer yesterday, said there is nothing they can do as they haven't heard anything about it before, & is outside of warranty period.
have offered to get it replaced for a cost (which i didn't even bother asking about), but i did let them know my concerns will be escalated & that i am disappointed in the lack of understanding & post purchase customer support i received, knowing many other car manufacturers have had similar problems and it seems every one has come to a positive outcome besides Subaru.
i will be sending an email through to subaru customer service & will be talking in further detail about this issue with them, but from now on in i guess people who are having the sticky/cracked dash issue need to bring it up with their local dealer, so that they understand there are many many more cases of this problem than what they think.

[dave]

hey mate, just gave my car a clean and guess what........dash has cracked.....l think in the same area as yours......big hair line crack......not happy.....mines a subaru liberty wagon spec B 2006 face lift model......

[tom_kauf]

Since Gen4 Libertys are now being recalled for the Airbag Safety Issue https://www.recalls.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1089478, I'm thinking I might use that opportunity to get the dash replaced at cost (Parts only). Since the recall affects the passenger airbag, they probably have to remove the dash anyway to replace it.

It depends on whether a Dashboard recall looks like happening any time soon....

[JD79]

I was thinking along the same lines, but apparently the airbag is replaced without removing the dash.
On a positive note, I got a call from Subaru this morning. The rep who I've been dealing with said that the dashboard issue should be sorted out pretty soon. I won't hold my breath until it's formalized, but sounds like Subaru are coming around

[tom_kauf]

Ah ok, thanks for the Info. I thought they may have to remove the dash, but thanks for clarifying that. Makes sense that they find the easiest way of doing it, to minimise the time & cost to them.

Oh, exciting!

[dangry]

I was thinking along the same lines, but apparently the airbag is replaced without removing the dash.
On a positive note, I got a call from Subaru this morning. The rep who I've been dealing with said that the dashboard issue should be sorted out pretty soon. I won't hold my breath until it's formalized, but sounds like Subaru are coming around

I also had a phone call from Subaru Aus this morning. They asked me a few more questions regarding the issue, how long I had owned the car, when it started showing up etc and said they had been discussing the issue with the manufacturer. Hopefully something good comes of it.

[jarrenowen]

i spoke with them in regards to the failing dashboards when i was on the phone to them about the recall.
lady said she hasn't heard of anything, then put me on hold (must have spoken to someone), and then told me there have been a few reports of this.
said she'd get back to me, hasn't happened yet...
gonna shoot subaru customer service an email now.

[dave]

just another follow up, last friday had my car inspected and photos taken of my cracking dash board ( liberty 2006 ),( no charge ) the dealership has emailed subaru Australia and told me will take up to a week or so for a reply.....lets see what happens.....

[tom_kauf]

An interesting comment by the tuner Matt/Kido. He said our airbags are not affected by the recall, but it is being used by Subaru as a way to inspect a lot of dashboards

[dangry]

An interesting comment by the tuner Matt/Kido. He said our airbags are not affected by the recall, but it is being used by Subaru as a way to inspect a lot of dashboards

This seems like an odd claim to make. Would be a massive waste of funds and resources on Subarus end just to do a simple inspection. A simple letter would be much cheaper and easier, plus Subaru know that those involved have been encouraging others affected to get their dashes inspected. I can understand if they are doing the inspection at the SAMETIME as the airbag replacement, but highly doubt it is the MAIN reason for the airbag replacement. Also consider if a problem is identified they then have to fork out the cost of dash replacement as well as airbag. This claim doesn't make any sense and I would take it with a tiny grain of salt

[tom_kauf]

I'm not saying they'd replace the Airbag just for fun. Getting people to bring in their cars doesn't cost Subaru anything (apart from the short amount of time to do a quick inspection of each dash).
But yeah, I only passed on what Matt said....

[3rspecb]

FFS. People need to stick to what they know best I work in the automotive industry for an OEM. The only way to get on the government recall register is to lodge the appropriate paperwork (lots of it in detail) with the government. Their is no way Subaru would of lodged an airbag recall with the government just to inspect our dashes. Also not all Gen 4's are affected due to airbags being made / supplied in batch sequence. Common sense peoples..