Q: Melted dashboard, smells bad and is sticky
I recently moved to a much hotter area of the country and now the dashboard in my 2008 Nissan Altima is melting! This is crazy! The plastic is shiny and sticky and gets residue on your hands if you touch it. It is so ugly to look and and the smell is disgusting! I didn’t know new cars had problems like this? I have no idea what I’m going to do now, I can’t afford to replace the interior just to have it melt in the Texas sun again! Is there any solution for me? I loved my car before this and it only has 70,000 miles on it!
Nissan does not have any recalls or Service Bulletins regarding this issue currently. You are not alone though, many owners in hot climates like Texas are experiencing the same issue. There is a class action lawsuit involving your car and several Infiniti models as well. In the meantime, a dash cover made of fabric would be a solution to the glare issue. Aftermarket companies such as J.C Whitney and others offer a direct fit cover that is relatively easy to install. Complete dashboard panel replacement is costly and time consuming, but would be an idea to consider. I would recommend keeping the cover on the new dashboard if you do go that route, to prevent the harsh sun from degrading the new part.
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