noticed cracking in dash

[axel2078]

I have a 2010 Mazda 3 iTouring and the other day, I noticed how dusty the dash was, so I decided to clean it up. As I was cleaning it, I noticed what appeared to be very thin line running running from the bottom of that soft vinyl material on the dash to the top. I then noticed another one of those very thin lines splitting off from that one and going to the right. I pushed down it a bit can could see that it was indeed cracked....almost like it had been cut with a precision instrument. Could this have happened due to the extreme cold we've had the last few weeks? My car has only been garage kept for a year, which means it has spent most of its life parked outside and exposed to the elements (like direct sunlight) and I just got the windows tinted on it last year. (Now my new CX-5 is in the garage, so the Mazda 3 is parked outside again.) I guess it's possible that this could have happened months before and I just never noticed it since the lines (cracks) are so small.

Has anyone else experienced any cracking like this on their dash? I got some Armor All wipes and wiped down the dashboard really good. I can't fix the damage, but maybe I can keep it from spreading.

 

[concept]

I know that Lexus is replacing the dashes of some 2006-2008 vehicles due to cracking and sticky dashes. Our RX400h dash has been ordered by the dealership and should arrive from Japan within the next few weeks. You might want to check with your dealership to see if there are any factory notices about your issue. I would imagine that Illinois weather is not like Arizona or San Diego (regarding percentage of sunny days during the year), so your dash shouldn't crack that quickly, IMO.

 

[axel2078]

Actually, I did get a recall notice from Mazda a while back that affected "sticky dashboards" in 2010 Mazda 3 vehicles. I ignored it at the time because my dash does not have a tacky or sticky feel to it, but now it seems to be cracking. Maybe I'll check with Mazda and see what they say about it.