Fungus (!!!) growing inside dashboard glass

I don't know if it's fungus or moisture, but I have something similar. I took the car to the dealer & the maintenance guy said that mine is the third one he's seen with the problem. He said that Toyota is aware of the problem and is working on a fix. He's put me on his list for a callback once the necessary new parts, or whatever, arrive, but he also said not to expect anything soon.

Don

 

I live in Ft Lauderdale, FL and have the same problem with my 2010 Prius III. Looks like mold or fungus to me and has been increasing in area where "Trip A" MPG etc are displayed.
If only solution dealer has is to remove dash to fix I am hoping to find another solution because they never get dash back without leaving some washers, etc missing, which one post here as already happened to him.
Before I would have my dashboard removed, I thought about drilling a small hole then inserting something through hole to clean off mold.
Anyone else had any ideas, other than having dashboard removed, to fix?

 

if you have the time to spare, ask if you can watch the techs work. if they sy no, go to another dealer.

 

I contacted my dealer and he was aware of a couple of others with similar problem. They said it wasn't a "fungus" but that the plastic was deteriorating because it wasn't coated properly at the factory. They will install for free under warranty, I am waiting to bring it in for its first oil change at 10 K miles and will have it done then.

 

I have a 2010 and noticed a similar blurring on the plastic dash cover in the same areas. The dealer thought it was a finger print on the inside, but I told him it wasn't there when I got the car and has just begun to show up. Someone told me it was caused by the car being in the sunlight for an extended period and the plastic just can't take that kind of heat. If there is a recall, let us know.

 

U said, "if recall, let's us know". I see u have a 2010 model. No recall necessary to get it fixed under warranty. They have ordered parts for mine. Taking it in next week to be fixed.

 

U say "rain sensor does not work". I have 2010PriusIII First time I have heard Prius comes with a rain sensor. Wondering if you could explain its use?Thanks, Mike

 

Mine looks like a fingerprint too - realized behind the glass. Is covering "Trip" right before the mileage. Have had the Prius for 9 months. Cranked the A/C last night to see if it would dry it up (no luck) Thank you, Karen

 

That is exactly where mine is! Like a cloud over the Trip A. Very annoying. Just happened overnight.

 

Unfortunately I have the same blurred display and will take it to the dealer next week - Seems to be a common issue, if I follow this thread...

 

We had near record rainfall and flooding in my area last week. I had the Climate Control on defrost/floor mode almost all week to keep the windshield from fogging.

At the end of the week I began to notice moisture at the bottom of the Trip A readout and again right at the bottom of the CONS text, beginning to cover the NS letters.

Has anyone had the moisture dry up on its own?

 

I have been today at the dealership.

They were very well aware of the problem and have seen several cars with the same issue. The one mechanic mentioned that he has installed already six VFDs so far...

Even though it seems to be a known problem, the Toyota dealer had to order it.

 

Week b4 last took my 2010 Prius III and had lens replaced. Was in and out in less than 3 hours. Looks like they did a good job of putting everything back together. I could not find any leftover parts and all seams look tight. So far no problems.

 

Is the replacement part redesigned, or does it need to be replaced every year?
Story like this makes me think I should have waited longer before buying first years of new generation.

 

My Prius also have this problem few months ago. The blurred spot original so pretty small, but it grows even larger and larger and covered the whole "Trip A" words. Took it to the dealer to check for it. My dealer said it is some kind of dirt and try to clean it for me but no luck, so they put the blurred display back and order the replacement parts. At least the fungus like "dirt" stopped to grow. After a month they call me again to drive the car back and replace the display for free. After reading the other case, it seems all appear over the same spot - "Trip" word on the display. Also do not know if other are same as me, the blurred display only start to appear after I used the defrost function.

 

Mine appeared after a week of heavy rain and using the defrost almost constantly. The car was full of moisture with wet feet and umbrellas. I had two blurred spots, one over the last two digits in Trip A and the other coverins the NS in CONS.

Sitting in an asphalt parking lot for the last couple of weeks with temps in the mid-80's has seen the blurred areas begin to dry up. I can at least see through the blurred spots now.

I am thinking of waiting to see if it will dry up on its own before having the dealer taking the dash apart to replace.

 

The exchange of the VFD took all in all 3 hrs.

The dealership was not able to receive any information, if the replacement displays are from a different batch than the original ones, but they assumed so.

 

I tried what you had success with . . . put my car in sunny locations, kept the windows open a crack during nice low humidity days, but no luck. The blur is a large triangle starting over the trip A bottom corner up to the battery display and to the right over the odometer. Did your blur come back? Like previous comments mine happened during heavy use of my defogger - rain for two weeks.

 

What is a VFD? Did they say the cause of the problem - sounds like we all have it in the exact same location. I agree with the earlier post about purchasing the first year of the new generation. I bought a Honda during it's first redesign year and had to trade it in for a Toyota. They didn't have the parts to fix it since it was so new!

 

Yes, after a few weeks the condensation has dried up and is much better but it has left two blurry half-moon areas. I will be taking my car in to the dealer shortly for the 20K service and will have them replace my MFD like others.

The MFD (not VFD ?) is the multi-function display which is the right side of the instrument panel that displays the Energy Monitor, Hybrid System, Trip Mileage, etc. displays. This is what the dealer has been replacing for others reported on here.