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Another Carmaker Under Fire For Melting, Sticky Dashboards

Since NBC 5's last investigation into melting, sticky and gooey dashboards, many viewers sent in their own pictures, demanding a fix. 

We first told you about melting Nissan dashboards, but it appears that another carmaker is under fire for the same issue.

Earlene Morgan said she didn't have any problems with her 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid, that's until her dashboard turned into a sticky board.

"One time it was a bug, it had flown in and it was just stuck there. I couldn't get it off," she said.

Morgan calls the problem gross gross, but even more concerning, she believes it's a safety hazard.

There's a glare that reflects on her windshield from her shiny dashboard, which creates visibility challenges as she drives around North Texas.

"My son and my daughter, they say, 'mom you can't drive that car like that. It's not safe to drive that car,'" said Morgan. "It's terrible. It's just terrible."

Morgan said she reached out to Toyota about a year ago to get it fixed, but was told because the car was no longer under warranty, it would cost her $1,100 out of pocket. 

"I don't have $1,100 sitting around to be put on something that I didn't have anything to do with," she said.

Automotive expert James Martin said regardless of your car's age, your dashboard is not supposed to melt.

He said it's possible that certain automakers didn't install their dashboards with the proper material, which can cause them to melt and create an unsafe glare on the windshield.

Since 2006, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received more than 150 complaints about Toyota Camry dashboards melting, and becoming sticky and gooey.

"Where it's most prevalent is Florida and Texas," said Martin. "Your expectation is, you sell the vehicle in this climate, I expect that my interior will not melt."

NBC 5 Responds brought these concerns to Toyota, and the carmaker responded.

Toyota said that in 2014, it offered to fix certain vehicles with cracked, sticky and/or melting dashboards, but that program ended in 2017.

Toyota said Morgan's car was a part of that program, and they tried reaching her via first class mail.

But Morgan said she didn't receive anything from Toyota.

"Nobody ever called me. Nobody sent me anything in the mail," she said. "Live up to what I thought Toyota was. That's why I bought your car."

NHTSA said that they are aware of the issue with melting Toyota dashboards, and will take further steps if appropriate.

Meanwhile, auto experts say as a preventative measures, consumers in hot climates like Texas may want to put a sun shade on their dashboard.

To file a complaint about your melting dashboard, or any vehicle problem, click here.

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