Leather dash lifting and bubbling

[BowDown]

Is the syringe hole visible?

Not really, after you roll it and place a weighted bag over the spot, it glues itself closed. The 23ga syringes created a bigger hole than the 18ga because of the difficulty in pushing the adhesive out which made me move more as my hand was getting tired. The 18ga flows like butter so you don't widen the hole moving around because you're straining your hand.

I post a pic of two repaired spots shortly

 

[BowDown]

This is an area that I did in 2 places




Below is the same area above but enlarged.
You wouldn't know if it said if it wasn't pointed out to you




Given The options available, I'm satisfied with the outcome of this repair as opposed to leaving it or spending a couple of thousand having the dealer fix it or spending a similar amount having an upholstery shop pull it out and wrap it in vinyl and put it back in.

If it becomes a bigger problem like some of the other pictures I've seen from people, I may opt for having the leather removed and replacing it with a simulated leather but if I can stay on top of it and keep it looking like this, I'm not going to bother.

I believe the issue is the manufacturer doesn't use enough adhesive and probably doesn't use a good adhesive to apply the leather to these dashes.
I believe the problem is also compounded if you don't address the the trouble spots right away versus just letting it go and it getting worse to the point where now you have to replace the dash

 

[grimreefer]

Well, I failed miserably. Injected the adhesive, rolled it out and left sandbags on it for 24 hours+. Looked good for two days.... but the bubbles are back.

Good news is, when I took my truck to my local dealer for an alignment, tire rotation and 30K service this morning, they're going to do a goodwill warranty repair on the dash. They said that since I'm the original owner and only the time ran out on the warranty that they have no problem doing it goodwill. Parts on order baby. Now to get a carport for the driveway...

 

[FastBlackRam]

Well, I failed miserably. Injected the adhesive, rolled it out and left sandbags on it for 24 hours+. Looked good for two days.... but the bubbles are back.

Good news is, when I took my truck to my local dealer for an alignment, tire rotation and 30K service this morning, they're going to do a goodwill warranty repair on the dash. They said that since I'm the original owner and only the time ran out on the warranty that they have no problem doing it goodwill. Parts on order baby. Now to get a carport for the driveway...

It's great to hear that yours is being goodwill fixed. It is by no means a cheap quick fix for the dealer. It is time consuming and a skilled job. Mine came out perfect and has been holding up for almost 2 years now. I don't use any cleaners on this one like the last one. Just a damp chamois or damp microfiber very infrequently. I mostly just dust it off with no moisture at all. I do use a windshield screen when parked outside and always have. It is parked in my garage when I'm home.

 

[grimreefer]

It's great to hear that yours is being goodwill fixed. It is by no means a cheap quick fix for the dealer. It is time consuming and a skilled job. Mine came out perfect and has been holding up for almost 2 years now. I don't use any cleaners on this one like the last one. Just a damp chamois or damp microfiber very infrequently. I mostly just dust it off with no moisture at all. I do use a windshield screen when parked outside and always have. It is parked in my garage when I'm home.

I think it's the high temps and high humidity we're having now that threw a wrench into the fix. I use a screen and dash cover but the truck just bakes in the sun since it doesn't fit in our garage. It was worth the effort anyway.

 

[Biga]

Dashboards can get over 150 degrees in the Summer, Leather combined with glue is going to fail at some point, one reason I will never buy a vehicle with a leather dash.

 

[ethanl732]

Would Barge All Purpose Cement be good to use for the dash? I read somewhere that the leather will tear before it comes apart.

 

[BowDown]

I did my repair Jan 30, 9 months later still good.
I do think the Dap Weldwood may be a better adhesive choice though.
I had to modify the center console in my car and re-glue the leather. I think the weldwood worked better, seamed to stay flexible

 

[firecadet613]

I did my repair Jan 30, 9 months later still good.
I do think the Dap Weldwood may be a better adhesive choice though.
I had to modify the center console in my car and re-glue the leather. I think the weldwood worked better, seamed to stay flexible

View attachment 189979

View attachment 189981

That looks fantastic!

 

[pofallon]

This is obviously a defective part (dash) and it is a common problem. I've never experienced it with any other truck or with my high end (NSX) car.
I own a 2019 2500 cummins limited. Replaced the original dash in 2021 because it was coming apart. Bought the extended warranty for @$3,000.00 and found out later the dash is not covered by the extended warranty(contrary to what the warranty salesman had said. Ram Doesn't Care dropped the ball on two warranty requests and pushed it to the dealer. The Dealers best offer was to split the cost. This is a well know defective part that should be replaced by Ram. How many customers will they lose over this?

 

[firecadet613]

This is obviously a defective part (dash) and it is a common problem. I've never experienced it with any other truck or with my high end (NSX) car.
I own a 2019 2500 cummins limited. Replaced the original dash in 2021 because it was coming apart. Bought the extended warranty for @$3,000.00 and found out later the dash is not covered by the extended warranty(contrary to what the warranty salesman had said. Ram Doesn't Care dropped the ball on two warranty requests and pushed it to the dealer. The Dealers best offer was to split the cost. This is a well know defective part that should be replaced by Ram. How many customers will they lose over this?

See the fix @BowDown did, one day I'll do the same.

 

[BowDown]

This is obviously a defective part (dash) and it is a common problem. I've never experienced it with any other truck or with my high end (NSX) car.
I own a 2019 2500 cummins limited. Replaced the original dash in 2021 because it was coming apart. Bought the extended warranty for @$3,000.00 and found out later the dash is not covered by the extended warranty(contrary to what the warranty salesman had said. Ram Doesn't Care dropped the ball on two warranty requests and pushed it to the dealer. The Dealers best offer was to split the cost. This is a well know defective part that should be replaced by Ram. How many customers will they lose over this?

They won't lose me, not over this. No one has a handle on factory leather covered dashes. I've found a new factory replacement for mine for $480 which is more than reasonable to me, I just don't want the hassle of the install and my solution has worked great so far. If you don't want this headache or it to happen again, don't get a leather wrapped dash. The only defect is either the adhesive or the amount of adhesive and that's on the dash manufacturer, not Ram. I think Ram should and I thought they did move to a different material in 2022-23 for Limited/Longhorn dashes

 

[Toolman_42]

2021 RAM Limited, 28k miles...starting my journey with this issue

 

[FastBlackRam]

2021 RAM Limited, 28k miles...starting my journey with this issueView attachment 191562View attachment 191563View attachment 191564View attachment 191565

Good grief how disappointing. That looks a lot like how mine looked before they replaced it under warranty. Did you report it and let them see it before your 3/36 warranty expires? Good luck with it. You deserve better. Mine has been fine since replacement almost 3 years ago. Some on here will disagree or have a different story but I only wipe down my new one with a damp microfiber cloth. I used a Mopar cleaner on the original one.

 

[Toolman_42]

Good grief how disappointing. That looks a lot like how mine looked before they replaced it under warranty. Did you report it and let them see it before your 3/36 warranty expires? Good luck with it. You deserve better. Mine has been fine since replacement almost 3 years ago. Some on here will disagree or have a different story but I only wipe down my new one with a damp microfiber cloth. I used a Mopar cleaner on the original one.

Visited Dealership today. With small co-pay they will replace the dash. New dash placed on order.

 

[Airbearmd]

2019 ram 1500 limited leather dash coming up dealership and warranty not replacing it. Have any one find a repair solution for this yet?

I have a 2019 Limited with only 44K miles and it has done the same thing in the last couple of days! Called the dealership and the service writer told me it is a known defect and to bring in so the warranty person can look at. They said Chrysler is repairing these under a "good will" program. She said the cost is approx $1500 to get it repaired out of pocket.

 

[BowDown]

I just left the ram dealership and let them look at mine while I was there and they gave me a response that ram will pay 60% of the repair and I would be responsible for $604 of it.

I know the dash is around $700 and I have found it as low as $490 The bulk of it is in the labor.
Mine is nowhere near as bad as many of the other people have posted but given that there is a redesign and a new part, I may go ahead and

Just FYI, there does seem to be a quiet goodwill toward this. Go to your service center and nicely ask them to look at it and mention that it's a known defect and RAM has been Goodwill replacing the dash

 

[Nja112189]

Just to confirm and I don't mean to change the subject. The dash on 2025 Laramie's are no longer leather - correct?

 

[ChrisJ796]

Same issue here on 2019 Limited. This just should not happen on a high-end truck <5 years old. The finish on this truck looked great new, but construction quality is awful. Too many issues for me; switching back to Ford.

As a life long ford guy I agree they are the best quality turd out there

 

[grimreefer]

5 months of Big Stella being an absolute ****, but I finally have an appointment to get the dash done this Tuesday. Ended up where I'll pay about tree fiddy as a "deductible".