I purchased my XB in June of 04' but its an 05' - well I love my little car haven't had any problems really until recently. Figures because I'm coming up on the warranty expiration. The first problem I had was the hatch handle falling off, which was repaired under the warranty but the dealership has done such a crappy job it looks like they just glued it back on with Elmer's or something.

But the point of this post is that I was in an accident on July 3rd, some idiot 16 kid at a stop sign pulled too far up into the road (in an SUV) then decided to throw into reverse and backed into me! Did over $3000 in damage so far. They call last week say "its ready come and get it" I get there pick up my car and the entire dash looks shifted, the AC dials won't turn and the vents look recessed. They say they didn't do anything with the Dash, to which I reply then you probably should have. I tell them this wasn't broken prior to the accident, I'm not taking it until you fix it. At my insistence because I know nothing was wrong with my car prior to this, they take it the dealership. They look it over, say its a warranty issue not accident related.

I'm completely baffled because I did not have any issues with the dash, the AC, or the heater. Which is what they said at the dealership, that a heater something or other broke.

All in all they replaced the front bumper because the SUV literally sat on the front bumper of my car. The radiator, the compressor, the drivers side door had to be buffed out (because the hood pushed into the door)

questions to you guys are, Have any other XB's been in accidents? and how do they fair in the long run? What about the issues with the dash? Has anyone heard of this type of problem before?

I... was in an accident... backed into me... the entire dash looks shifted, the AC dials won't turn and the vents look recessed... I tell them this wasn't broken prior to the accident... they take it to the dealership. They look it over, say its a warranty issue not accident related....

The light, fragile xBs don't do well in accidents.

The dash does sound like accident damage, where the car was bumped backwards so hard that differential movement occured between the light dash and the heavy heater and AC stuff behind the dash. Either the inertia of the heater and AC stuff collapsed their mounts, or the dash got knocked out of its clips and screws.

One would think that the insurance adjuster and the body shop together would have noticed the dash problem and included it in the estimate. I would wonder what else might have been missed.

If the dealer will fix the dash and all the stuff behind it as a warranty claim, you will probably get a better repair than if the body shop handled it under your insurance claim.

It sounds accident related to me too. I'm sure everyone you have explained and showed this to, knows it is also. People just always seem insistant on screwwing others over. Please don't allow that to happen. It sounds like you're off to a great start by refusing to take your xB until it's fixed.

Seems like so often I have to fight and fight and fight to get the service or treatment that I, the paying customer, deserves. I have learned how to not back down and be bent over by people and it has worked so far. It's a hassle and stressfull at times but it's got to be done.

I hope you update us on what's being done to correct your dash problems on your xB. I wish you all the strength in the world to deal with these people and get the repairs you deserve.

There are many horror stories out there about xB's and other cars after accidents. Most say the car is never the same. Sue the Crap out of the guy and buy a new one........

Thanks very much guys, I really appreciate all the support. I will an update, once I get it back *fingers crossed* I hope soon

sucks , welcome to the forum though

I had a Mustang that was an accident magnet. Got t-boned in the passenger side once, rear end collision while it was parked once, and t-boned someone that pulled right in front of me once. All in all, every exterior panel on the car minus the drivers side rear quarter panel was replaced at one point or another. None were serious enough for insurance to total out the car, but at 37k miles my tranny took a dump. I offloaded the car at that point, and chalked it up to it being knocked around so much, the interior components were all going to start failing much earlier then they should have. Anyway, hopefully you have better luck then I did.