Nissan Melting Dashboard

Plaintiffs bring this proposed class action on behalf of themselves and other Florida owners and lessees of Nissan GT-Rs, (a separate case was settled on behalf of owners and lessees of Nissan Altima and Infiniti vehicle models years 2008 and 2009). Nissan sold the vehicles without first telling consumers that Nissan had opted to install dashboards in the vehicles that do not withstand exposure to sunlight and that melt, emit a noxious chemical smell, and take on a reflective quality. When the dashboards become reflective, drivers trying to see through the windshield have to struggle to see past the image of the dashboard in the windshield. When the sun or another bright light catches the dashboard at the right angle, the glare off of a melted dashboard can significantly obstruct the driver's view, thus endangering everyone on the road.

As a result of the defect, there have been at least two reported accidents, while many other drivers have told Nissan and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that they feel unsafe driving their vehicles. Because the replacement of the dashboard can cost several thousand dollars, however, and because Nissan refuses to cover the full cost of repairs, many drivers are not in a position to replace the dashboard when they learn of the problem. Additionally, Nissan has provided no assurances that replacement dashboards will not suffer from the same problems.

Nissan's conduct violates Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. On behalf of themselves and the proposed class, Plaintiffs seek to compel Nissan to warn drivers about the known defect and to bear the expense of replacing dashboards that should never have been placed in the stream of commerce in the first place.