Is The Dash On Your GM Truck Cracked? New Lawsuit Launched

[SnakeEyeSS]

 

Doesnt the glass in our trucks provide some UV protection?

 

All modern vehicles sold here do

[Dnt]

I took real good care of my 2009 Sierra SLE with regular truck dash. I did not use Armor all on my dash and I used a sun shade most all the time. I live near Atlanta area so we get a real good hot sun in the summer here. I found info on the dash cracking in the earlier year models and decided to look at mine. Sure enough there was a crack in the dash around the instrument panel. A coworker has an SLT model 2009 as well. His has cracks around the instrument panel and the airbag. I have since traded off my 2009 and got a 2014 model This is one of the reasons I love my 14 because the dash is not all hard plastic.

Sounds familiar I had a 2009 SLT oilburner with 87k that had a couple of dash cracks around the pass airbag. Traded in Jan of 2014 for a Irridium SLT Z71 4x4. Dash looks good on the 2014 so far and I have 45k on it and it sits outside in summer in mid TN. Not a lot to complain about on the 2014 I am actually enjoying it. IMHO it is a much improved truck. Not real fond of the 50k plus sticker prices though! I better NOT be seeing any dash cracks on this gold plated truck LOL

Edited September 26, 2015 by MyFavTruck

[j-ten-ner]

Maybe it was mentioned before but I didn't catch it...

 

...I detailed my truck on the weekend and cleaned the windows.

To do so I use a water/vinegar mix and wipe it off/dry with news paper.

Since I've got the news paper handy anyway, I lay out some sheets on top of the dash board before I start spraying the mix on the windshield. Just to prevent sprinkles on the dashboard.

 

I'm wondering if the use of window cleaner could have an effect for the early aging of the dash board plastic?

It'll still break at the weakest points though.

But could it be a factor?

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[BRay'sGirl]

I read some articles about cracked dashboards and it looks like it's a common problem (meaning not only GM but Daimler Benz etc).

 

My understanding is that the dashboard just dries out in time. The UV breaks the chemical bonds. Not really something you can avoid. Some tried Armor-All, some Vaseline and even sunscreen (because it blocks UV...).

 

The best solution is to become a polymer scientist and develop better materials. As always using cheap materials makes a difference even though dashboards have been cracking for forever.

 

[okfoz]

At some point GM will stop replacing dashes, it is inevitable, even if there is a service letter to replace a cracked dash not everyone will have a cracked dash at the time that it is in effect. Personally I agree that better materials should have been used, or a better design. BUT in the meantime I would suggest people think about what causes plastics to deteriorate and then avoid those actions to prolong their dash.

 

I know from personal experience, dealing with plastics in my job, that some cleaners (NOT ALL) are not good for plastics. Take for example (I think I mentioned this previously) that if you spray Ammonia on a piece of Lexan it will haze it almost instantly, likewise for every plastic there is something out there that will attack it. No plastic is impervious to everything, some plastics are definitely better than others.

 

I believe the dash is made from an acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene more commonly ABS.

From Wikipedia:

Acrylonitrile is a synthetic monomer produced from propylene and ammonia;

butadiene is a petroleum hydrocarbon obtained from the C4 fraction of steam cracking;

styrene monomer is made by dehydrogenation of ethyl benzene — a hydrocarbon obtained in the reaction of ethylene and benzene.

 

Based on this, I would personally avoid Ammonia, MEK, Gasoline, Benzene, or things like that. Even Alcohol in high concentrations could pull out the oils.

 

Personally I only wipe off my dash with a microfiber cloth, and if I have to really clean it, I use water... If there is a spot that is really dirty I might use a brush like a toothbrush, I use a microfiber cloth on the inside of my windshields with a water spray/mist. If I can and I get fog on the inside of my windshield, I use the microfiber cloth at that point to clean it. stroke UP AND DOWN on the windshield to hide the streaks if any, side to side you are more likely to see them (don't ask me why, it is what it is). I literally leave a clean microfiber cloth in my drivers door pocket for wiping the dash and the windows, and my glasses...

 

John

[golf9604]

09 Sierra SLT

Cracked over instrument panel and passenger airbag...another one bites the dust. Glad I didnt pay the new price and got this used or I would be highly upset at GM.

 

Wait a minute...Im still upset with GM

Edited December 12, 2015 by golf9604

[tbarn]

Just found this topic. Interesting. I work in a dealership. Have never seen a cracked dash. At least none that I remember. I see hundreds of these a year. Maybe it's regional, sun load etc.

[dsr611]

Just found this topic. Interesting. I work in a dealership. Have never seen a cracked dash. At least none that I remember. I see hundreds of these a year. Maybe it's regional, sun load etc.

Nope,,.has nothing to do with region of the country, sun load, etc. It is due to GMs shoddy engineering. There is a facebook page about the cracked dashes, and there are trucks/SUVs from all over the country with cracks, all of them around the passenger airbag.

 

I checked a bunch of Sierras/SIlverados on used lots here in this area one night while waiting on my daughter. Out of the 15 trucks I saw in the 07-11 model year range, there were 10 with cracks in the same exact places.

[tbarn]

Not that I have a dog in this fight, but I think I'll start watching for these. Just for the hell of it.

[topdj]

neighbor had his done at dealer last 8 months , I think the kid tightened the crap out of it

[chxpla2]

Had an 08 Silverado LTZ, dash cracked 3 times, that's 3 separate dashes in 7yrs and 130k miles. Sorry but that's not normal wear.

[okfoz]

One thing I would suggest is start paying attention to the interior color. The BLACK interiors got the Better Drivers and Passenger door glass (e9), and the Tan or Gray interiors only got the (e1) Glass. I suspect that the Black interior cars may have a lower incident of it than the tan or gray.

[Jim Eliason]

In 2009 I bought a 2008 2500 HD Diesel that was driven only by the dealer. Couple of years later the dash cracked. I chalked it up bad luck and left it at that. I didn't pursue it because I thought I was the only one it happened to and I didn't want to put myself through the frustration of arguing with a company I knew wouldn't fix it anyway.

 

The dash is now cracked on both sides and crawling further every day. In an effort to find a way to fix it I did some Internet searches and found that this is a major issue for many of GM’s trucks. So what’s up GM, you didn’t learn last time around? You have to support your customers if you want them to support you and refusing to replace defective equipment or parts is no way to ensure future sales numbers and keep market share.

 

So reluctantly I’ve taken to the task of getting GM to repair what is considered to be a dangerous safety issue. And as expected, GM refuses to do anything to fix the problem because the vehicle is out of warranty. But warranty isn’t the issue here. Warranties cover mechanical deficiencies and generally these mechanical problems aren’t safety concerns. But a broken dash that (upon air bag deployment) can splinter and send plastic projectiles throughout the cabin, injuring and possibly killing the occupants, is a major safety concern that should be fixed regardless of age.

 

If you’re having problems with your dash I highly suggest you visit safercar.gov and fill out a Safety Complaint. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/ GM isn’t interested in recalling our vehicles but if enough complaints are received NHTSA will force a recall. It’s a shame that it’s going to take this kind of action but apparently GM is (once again) putting their profits in front of your safety.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Jim Eliason

[Cowpie]

Well, one thing for sure, if one does get in a situation where the air bag pops and splinters of dash do cause injury and it can be shown to be the fault of the cracked dash, some enterprising lawyer will make a case of it against the OEM and probably get better results than some government agency.

[Combahee]

I recently had to move a large number of vehicles from one parking area to another. In every case the GM trucks, P/U, Tahoe, Surburban, Denali all had the same cracked dash. Some were worse than others and it covered a bunch of years. But all had the passenger side dash crack or more.