Just posting this message to see if anyone else with a 2010 4Runner hears the same noise I hear with my 4Runner.

When I put it into Drive with the brake on (not moving). I hear a rattling sound. Put it into Neutral the rattle goes away. Its not loud enough where you can hear it over outside noise. I do this in my garage and its obvious.

Took it to the dealer and they said it was noise from the timing chain and that its Normal???

I question their answer because I don't hear the noise while the truck is in Park or Neutral. Are the Torque Converters normally noisy?

My 4R has 1500 miles on it and I don't think the noise is Normal. Can anyone else with a 2010 let me know if they do or do not hear the a rattling like sound while they are in gear but not moving?

Heat shield for your exhaust.

When the engine is under load at low idle, it vibrates everything connected to it. Motor mounts are made so to isolate vibration so you don't feel it.

My 4R has 1500 miles on it and I don't think the noise is Normal. Can anyone else with a 2010 let me know if they do or do not hear the a rattling like sound while they are in gear but not moving?[/QUOTE]

750 Miles on mine, no such noise. In my humble opinion, if it truly is a timing chain issue, that needs to be corrected. Should not be making a noise. Some of you might know, does this engine have a true "chain" or a belt? If belt, should not make ANY noise. If a chain, might make a small amount, but you would really have to be looking for it to hear it. (Outside of the truck with the hood open and probably a long screwdriver placed in your ear....)

Thanks for the message. I'm thinking this will be a case of, which service department is willing to help me out. I'm going to try a different dealer.

Any one from the San Francisco Bay Area know which service department will go the extra mile and fully troubleshoot customer's concerns?

Sorry to bring this back up just hoping to see if more new owners notice the same noise I have in my 2010 SR5.

It occurs only when in Drive or Reverse while stopped. I hear a very slight rattle or whirring noise. I isolated the noise to around the area of the transmission / back of the engine.

The noise is more noticeable in a garage or driving next to a wall. I can also faintly hear it when inside the truck with all windows rolled up and the radio off.

The service department's answer to my report of the noise is "It's Normal". I keep thinking I'm the only one who ended up with a lame 2010 4Runner.

It's not normal. I had this noise on my 4g and it turned out to be the spring loaded joint where the exhaust pipe joins the tailpipe. The springs were pretty rusty, probably limiting the force they could exert because of binding so they couldn't hold the joint tight. Flooding them with penetrating oil eventually solved the problem.

I also had the same noise on my 5g when it was maybe 500 miles old. Obviously not from rust, but the problem went away by itself over the next few hundred miles. YMMV. If yours persists, you can diagnose it just by having someone put a little side force on the pipe, either from the side or back at the tailpipe. Just resting my foot on the exhaust tip would make it go quiet.

I am having a 2011 TE and have exactly the same problem as you have. It have grind/rubbing noise only in Drive or R with truck in stationary. My extra observation is that it did not happen every time. The sound is more loud when the truck has been driven for a while, in other words, it is warm. When the truck is cold, it did not have the sound or maybe the sound is too little I can not hear. I can only hear it with windows rolled down and in a garage or walls around.
I only have 600 miles on it.
How is your situation now?

Sorry to dig up an old thread. It has been a year. Just wondering whether how many still experiencing this rattle in gear issue? Does anybody experiencing it turning to mechanical problems? Or found the cause or solution to it?
My TE had a loose starter cover heat shield that the dealer fixed it at 5K mile service. But the rattle still there.
Now at 10K service, I requested dealer to check the rattle again. But the dealership place is too noisy for me to even show them the rattle sound. They took it in anyway to check it but they claim they could not reproduce it and everything is normal.

The thing is that if I can be sure that it is only a heat shield or exhaust rattle, I will be absolutely fine to live with it. My only concern is that if it is any mechanical related in torque converter or transmission.

I had this issue for past month or so and just solved it. In my case, my 04 V8 AWD (125k miles) would get a vibration/rattling sound when in gear but stationary (e.g. when in D or R but foot on brake idling). As soon as I let foot off brake and started to move, it would disappear. It did not happen in park or neutral either. Oddly, it would only happen after warming up.

Problem: The front skid plate. It had one bolt (there are 4) that was not fully tightened. I change my own oil and remove this skid plate to replace filter. I noticed last couple times that upon tightening down this one bolt, it would seem "snugged down" and fully tightened, however it was actually not snugging the plate up against the frame completely. Perhaps a millimeter gap or so was still remaining. This was vibrating ... presumably sort of in a harmonic vibration sort of manner that took place from the engine under load of being in gear, but not moving. I put a washer on to fill the gap and ... voila ... silence. It was one of the front two bolts (I just put washers on both front bolts).

To see if this is your problem ... just push your foot up against it to see if it stops the rattle/vibration noise. You might best have another person in the car with the e-brake applied in addition to their foot on the brake while in gear to do this check safely. I put mine in reverse (with back end up against garage wall and e-brake applied) and hopped out and did this myself .... not the safest/smartest thing.

Hope this helps ... and it can be an easy solution for one or more of you folks too.

Thanks Diego, Really glad that you have solved your rattle problem!

Did you feel your skit plate moves if you shake/push it? I am wondering if you use a rubber mallet to tap your skid plate, would it produce the same rattle sound with the lose bolt? For my case, I have tried using mallet to tap on it and other places many times before and did not find the similar sound. But I will definitely try to check the bolts in couple of days.
Mine rattle also sounds obvious after warmed up.

I still suspect mine is some heat shield or exhaust related issue somewhere near engine and transmission. Also, in my case, I can hear the rattle jingling at the beginning of acceleration, just for 1 seconds or so and disappears after speeds are up.

Actually .. yes I could feel and hear the skid plate move if I shook/pushed it when truck was off and before I removed bolts to put the washers in. It was not the same identical sound as that generated by the fast vibration of the engine of course though. But ... for me it was immediately obvious as the culprit because as soon as I put my foot up against it to brace it while it was idling in gear, the vibration/rattle stopped.

If it isn't the same front skid plate on your newer model (i.e. a front skid plate in same location), it might just be some other heat shield or bracket that is a bit loose somewhere in the under carriage as you described. If you have a skid plate under your oil pan that requires removing for oil change, check that too. Perhaps last oil change, a bolt wasn't fully tightened? The simple thing like that is most plausible. Perhaps have someone sit in the car with car in gear and e-brake on to get the sound happening ... then use that same rubber mallet and just touch around on all the skid plates, heat shields, exhaust components, etc. Hopefully ... when you touch one of these things with the rubber mallet the sound will stop ... identifying the culprit.