Gx470 Cracked Dash

[jbwineman]

I have an '03 GX470 with a cracked dash. My car is garage kept and 42K miles. I purchased an extended warranty from the Lexus dealer and of course it is not covered. I contacted Lexus corporate; they offered to pay 50% of the repair. JM Lexus in Margate, FL wants to charge me $1400 and split it. Corp is firm and JM won’t budge. This is clearly a manufacturing defect or poor raw materials. Lexus corporate was polite but will not pick up the full cost. Clearly JM is overcharging me after reading the posts.

Has anyone contacted a lawyer for a class action suit? The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (P.L. 93-637) is a United States federal law (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.). Enacted in 1975, it is the federal statute that governs warranties on consumer products.

[NicLX470]

700 dollars aint bad! I'd take it while they are offering. Those extended warranties are junk and they are pretty firm about what is covered and what is not. They are only worth it if you worry about engine or transmission failure. Besides that alot of anything else isn't covered. I'm sure there is a 6 inch thick contract of the extended warranty waiting for you to read it. Post a picture of the crack if you have time.

[rikeshp89]

I have a black 2003 with 68,000 miles and mine cracked about 7 months ago! i didnt know if it was just my car or was it happening to everyone until i came across this forum, the dealership in west palm,fl told me they couldnt do anything for me since mine was out of warranty! extremely mad! ive never had a dashboard just crack like this... and to happen in a lexus of all vehicles?!? what an outrage!

[cduluk]

Can you get them to do it out of good will? Lexus dealers have a budget in their "good will" warranty policy to cover stuff like this for good customers.

Are they trying to tell you this is normal "wear and tear"? If so, just ask if it's a common problem (which they'd reply it ISN'T) and then ask them how it's normal wear and tear if they've never seen it before...

[donkelly]

I bought an 03 GX470 in 2008 and not long after the dash began developing some serious cracks. I took it to Park Place in Grapevine and was quoted over $2,000 to replace, to which I quickly said no thanks. It appears that the design/manufacture was flawed and I have been surprised about how Lexus has not stepped up and made right. Lexus seems to do everything first class and hard to believe they would not stand behind this problem.

[tlbarton]

Found a hairline crack in the dash above the instrument panel today. I was devasted. As many other owners my Lexus is garage kept. I only drive it work a couple of times a week and put a sun screen in the windshield while it's outside. Does any other members have updates on this? It apparently is a problem with other GX470 owners. I've sent an email to Lexus but doubt I will get a response. Does anyone have a specific address or phone number to contact Lexus directly about this?

[Ncwalther]

I have an 04 and it started cracking a year ago. It spread like wildfire and my dash looks like 40 year old POS at the junk yard. I asked the dealer about it and was told its a known problem with 2003-2004 models but Lexus will not cover it. Part of wear and tear of the vehicle. Very poor customer support from Lexus in my book. I have 114k miles on it now and it is in wonderful condition......except the terrible looking dash. Just typical Toyota customer service. It is sad though because it is not normal wear and tear if it is a common problem on 2003-2004 models. Should have been a voluntary recall.

[JMARK]

I have an 04 and it started cracking a year ago. It spread like wildfire and my dash looks like 40 year old POS at the junk yard. I asked the dealer about it and was told its a known problem with 2003-2004 models but Lexus will not cover it. Part of wear and tear of the vehicle. Very poor customer support from Lexus in my book. I have 114k miles on it now and it is in wonderful condition......except the terrible looking dash. Just typical Toyota customer service. It is sad though because it is not normal wear and tear if it is a common problem on 2003-2004 models. Should have been a voluntary recall.

Yes, I had the exact same problem with my 2005 GX470 several cracks in the dash. I noticed it a couple of days after I bought it from Lexus dealership in West Palm Beach (certified pre-owned!). When I contacted them about it they basically just ignored me, I was driving back home to Canada so they probably knew I wouldn't be back. I had mine repaired locally for a couple of hundred dollars (these trim repair guys can do a really good job). Could not be detected when they finished. However 2 years later I am starting to notice hairline cracks reappearing. Pretty sad in a luxury vehicle.

[sfussell]

It is a known problem with the GX470. The dealer in Jacksonville contacted their rep and offered to cover the replacement but not the labor. I believe it was around 1500 for the part and around 400 to 500 for labor. Anyway, I have noticed several other gx470 with the same issue. It looks like someone took a razor to the dash.

[Hacketthornet]

Hello,

I found a hairliner type crack in the dash of my 2004 GX about two years ago. I took it to a upholstery repair shop and they did a fair job of repairing. I was reasonably happy with the result. About 30 days after that repair I found other small cracks beginning. Keep in mind I treat this auto like my baby. I was also devastated. While I pondered this situation for several months more small cracks began to appear.

I took two pictures showing various cracks and enclosed them in a letter to Lexus Corporation in Torrance, California. What must of been the first day they received this letter they called me. They said they had already contacted my closest dealer in Tulsa, Oklahoma and they would pay half of the repair. They told me to the penny that my cost would be $80l.12. I told them I was just ready to leave on vacation and didn't have the money to spare at the moment. They told me they would go ahead and set it up with the dealer and whenever I was ready the offer was good. I had the dash replaced around three months later and I was charged exactly what they had told me.

All in all, I was happy with the way Lexus responded. I do agree they probably should have paid for it all but then again they werent obligated to do anything. Because they did respond in the manner they did I feel I can be pleased with Lexus and I will probably buy a Lexus again when I trade.

[lagtang]

i also have a GX470 wiyh cracked dashboard. i went to the dealer in west palm beach fl. they told me to wait for the letter and that was by May 2015. until now i did not recd nothing.

anybody has the same problem what shall we do.. very poor quality and materials

[sadclown]

I have read in a thread from another forum that this isa common issue with this model and that you can contact Lexus Corp about it and they will offer you a free replacement if you haven't had it repaired, If you already spent money for replacement, they will reimburse your expenses as long as you send them an a photocopy of your repair invoice, the proof of payment and proof of your ownership of the said vehicle.