Started to notice sticky residue on the inside of the windshield. Hard to clean off making for a visibility issue. Days later after the vehicle had been parked noticed the dashboard was very sticky and appears to be melting. After some investigation online realize this is an going issue with these cars and others. I.e. Toyota/lexus .
2010 Mazda MAZDA3 visibility complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 109, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Over time the dashboard has gone from a matt black rubber material to a very shiny, sticky, melting surface, which is quite visible when looking forward through the windshield. It adversely effects the visibility, especially when driving into the sun.
I purchased a 2010 mazda 3 in 2009. This year (2015), around april/may, before the summer heat even got bad, I noticed the dashboard was sticky. Since then, it has pretty much completely melted. The dashboard is extremely sticky and soft when you touch it, almost has a putty consistency, but that is not the main issue. The safety issue is my main concern. There is a horrible glare the shine from the dashboard creates on the front windshield. It is almost impossible to see out of the front windshield when the sun is out because of this glare. A dashboard cover is not an option because of how sticky the dashboard is; a cover will definitely get stuck to the dash and destroy it. I have done some research online and there are hundreds of claims for melting dashboards for models between 2009 and 2011. This is such a serious safety hazard, it is difficult to understand why the manufacturer has not been forced to recall these faulty parts.
The dashboard on my 2010 mazda 3 has become sticky, there is a slight shine to it which glares off the windshield. I have contacted the dealership and am taking it in tomorrow to see about repair/replacement. I use a sunshade though I do not have a dashboard cover. The affected area is clearly where the dash gets the hottest.
The dashboard on my 2010 mazda 3 started melting about two years ago becoming more sticky and reflective over time to point where it has a plastic, chemical smell emitting from it. Moreover, it has become almost impossible to see out of the driver side window due to the severe reflection. This has progressively worsened over the past year. I am in disbelief that the manufacturer would use material for a dashboard that melts and emits chemicals. Clearly, mazda chose to use inferior materials for the dashboard. Considering the plethora of complaints and statements regarding the safety issue of limited visibility due to reflection, it is vastly irresponsible that mazda has not issued a recall to correct this problem. Vehicle owners should not be left to seeking class action law suits to make mazda correct their mistake.
The plastic dashboard panel has melted and now has a sticky texture. It is also highly reflective, causing dangerous glare on the windshield when driving.
The dash board is melting which is causing a reflection into the windshield making it difficult to see while driving.
Dashboard is melting creating horrible glare in line of vision occluding oncoming cars. I have pictures of how terrible the glare of the dashboard reflection is creating while driving. I feel like this is a safety hazard and someone will fail to see an oncoming car or child crossing the street due to this defect.
Dashboard is melting creating horrible glare in line of vision occluding oncoming cars. Spoke to mazda hq with no help simply stating that they had heard of this happening to other cars of the same make and year but since it isn't causing a "safety hazard" they will not cover it under warranty or recall it. I have pictures of how terrible the glare of the dashboard reflection is creating while driving. I feel like this is a safety hazard and someone will fail to see an oncoming car or child crossing the street due to this defect. Feel free to contact me. Thank you for your consideration!
Dash has glare from on the top that causes safety issues. Dash has areas that are melting and cause glare from the sun that prevents safe driving. Mazda needs to replace dash just like toyota is doing on even older cars. Mazda choose inferiors parts and not owners have a safety issue; mazda step-up and replace the dash on mazda 3.
My dashboard is melting. My car isn't even five years old and the dashboard has basically melted to a point where I have to replace it. There are issues all over about this on certain vehicles and as far as I understand mazda will not place a recall, but says I have to pay $1500 to fix it because the glare of the melting reflects off my windshield when I drive which causes a hazard.
My 2010 mazda3 has a black tar-like substance that has coated the soft dashboard. I first noticed it last summer (2014). This defect has caused a huge glare across my windshield that limits my visibility any time light is reflected off of it.
I have a 2010 mazda3 I-sport model. After coming back from a two week vacation, I found my dashboard to become sticky and, while under direct sunlight, will emit a glare onto the windshield that greatly reduces visibility. It appears as if it is melting. The problem is most apparent close to the windshield, but has spread a great deal across the dashboard on the driver side. It cannot be cleaned.
I own a 2010 mazda 3 I-touring and I began to notice around the summer of 2014 that the top of my dashboard on the driver side started to melt. Since it first started it has greatly expanded in size- it's beginning to cross over to the passenger side. It's also leaving a sticky residue on the dash that hinders my ability to clean it nor can I put up any sun visors to protect the rest of the interior because the visors will stick to the dash. If I'm driving in direct sunlight the dashboard emits a horrify glare on the windshield that has me worried that, as time goes on, driving will become unsafe.
Dashboard melting causing intense glare on windshield making it hard to see drivers in front of me and traffic lights as well.
My dashboard melted.
I bought my 2010 mazda 3 brand new. Now that I have paid it off, I've noticed the dashboard starting to melt right above the steering wheel. This started over the summer and has become worse spreading over a rather large portion of my dash. And while this may look like an undesirable black tar mess, it's actually a very large safety issue as it's impeding upon my visibility. The glare on a bright sunny day has been so bad that I've had to put my head out the window in order to see. I could drive perhaps another way, or wait until there is no sun, but that is not how my life works. I don't understand why there is not a recall about this safety issue.
There is an area of approximately 6" wide of dashboard that is melting directly above the steering wheel. When driving, the sun shines directly on the melted parts and causes a glare which prevents me from seeing the road clearly.
As an owner of a 2010 mazda 3 over the past year I have been noticing a sticky film on my dashboard. It has become increasingly worse and I realized my dashboard is melting!! It causing a blindspot due to the reflection of the sun. I have not suffered any damage yet but clearly this is faulty on behalf of mazda and they should replace the dashboard as it is a safety hazard.
The front glass of the vehicle broken in a small holes.
The dashboard on my car started melting on the driver side but now the entire dash is melted and shiny. I can't see to drive when the sun is out. The refection obscures my vision and is very unsafe. I talked to mazda dealership and they will not do anything.
My dashboard is a sticky safety hazard. I cannot see in front of me while driving, seeing other cars and predestines is impossible with the glare from the dashboard on the window. Mazda refuses to do anything about it.
After 3 years of normal commuter use, the dashboard in front of the driver seat has become excessively shiny. It is the top hump of the dashboard closest to the windshield. The shine reflects a glare onto the windshield directly in the driver's field of vision. The glare is sometimes so bad that it hinders the ability to see other vehicles directly in front of the car. The shine is unable to be wiped clean and leaves a sticky black residue when touched. It appears that the dashboard upholstery material and/or adhesive is defective.
The dashboard of my mazda 3 is melted from the sun and causes glare on the windshield. It blocks vision of a portion of the road.
Vehicle with continued issue with melting dashboard. Requires very frequent cleaning of the inside of the windshield due to the substance build-up from the daily heating in the florida climate. During the day the glare from the sun reflects back onto the windshield causing it to be very difficult to see. Polarized sunglasses seems to minimize the issue. At night, certain lighting also highlights the problems especially when sunglasses are not appropriate. On december 8th just after sundown a vehicle began to make a left turn into my right of way at an intersection. The star bursting from the windshield made it impossible to see that they were turning in from of me leading to an impact. I believe that this dashboard issue played a very significant issue contributing to this crash. The fault was obviously the other driver but due to the circumstances I was unable to react quickly.
My dashboard is melting (and sticky) and is causing a significant glare on my windshield reducing my visibility. I am experiencing a lot of difficulty seeing out of my windshield since it is almost impossible to see out of it at times due to the glare.
I have a 2010 mazda 3i and the dashboard is melting into a black rubber tar alike substance very sticky and is reflecting onto my windshield blocking my view of traffic after noticing it early on I tried using a windshield visor but to no affect due to the amount of melting the image of the shiny melting rubber is reflecting onto my windshield now to the point I'm seeing it I can not clean it due to its stickiness and the reflection is getting worse if I can not see what's in front of me is that not a safely concern when your field of view is blocked by a defected part made by mazda its.
My dashboard (on the driver side and middle) appears to be melting (and sticky) and is causing a significant glare on my windshield reducing my visibility. I am experiencing a lot of difficulty seeing out of my windsheild since it is almost impossible to see out of it at times due to the glare.
I own a 2010 mazda 3 and the dashboard has melted to the point that it produces a glare on the windshield right at eye level. I tried to have mazda replace it but they said because my warranty had expired they would not do it. I bought the car in 2010 any by 2012 it had started melting. This is clearly a safety hazard for me and everyone else on the road as sometimes it prevents me from seeing out the windshield at all.
My dashboard has been increasingly sticky for years now, despite all attempts to clean it. It has increased to the point of reflecting off of the dashboard and distracting me when I drive. I took it into the mazda dealership and they informed me that the dashboard is melting. I cannot imagine the chemicals are good to breathe in.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2010 Mazda MAZDA3?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history