4Runner Rattle Noise

[FourRunner08]

Hello!

I have a 2019 TRD Off Road 4Runner with 750 miles on it. I have a clunk/rattle in the front end when going over sharp speed bumps, and ruts in the road (such as breaks in pavement, or going on/off of a bridge).

I have two recordings... One of my suspension HERE ( YouTube )

I have one of the outside, too HERE ( YouTube )

I have tried the following things:

Removed Front AND Transmission skidplates
Removed the mudflap in the wheel well
Removed the plastic wheel hubs on the TRD Off Road wheels
Checked the clips on the upper control arms and sealed them in place
They also torqued all suspension components to factory specs

They "insulated" my skid plate which was useless since I told them it happens without skid plate on it... HEH


Thanks

LOVE my 4Runner, HATE that it rattles already!

 

[TOYO74]

Sounds like a thin metal rattle to me.

Have the you checked the thin metal heat shields around the catalytic converter and around the exhaust pipes in the engine bay?

May be some others in that area but those are the ones I can think of that are close enough to front to be heard if they are rattling.

I also hate rattles! Good luck!

 

[nb rob]

I have gravel on top of my gas tank skid plate. Kinda sounds like that.

You could check your hood latch too. There’s rubber adjusters on either side that you can turn by hand. It’s one of those things that sounds like it’s coming from elsewhere

 

[mteolus]

Well I had a rattle I couldn't figure out until someone on here posted a thread about it. Not sure if your rattle is it, hard to tell from the video, but there is a thin piece of dark grey fabric (I think it is a splash guard) in the driver wheel well that has the letters AE cut out on the bottom of it that is attached with 4 plastic pins. The very top one by my UCA was the culprit. As a quick check I just sprayed some WD40 on it. Stopped the squeak immediately. Permanent fix is to find some two sided foam tape and put it between the metal and the piece of fabric and then run the pin through it to secure it so it won't move. Never would have figured it out had it not been for a topic on this forum.

I just re-checked your post and you said mud-flaps in your wheel well so that may be the same thing I am talking about. I thought you might have mean the mud-flaps that prevents mud from slinging up on the side of the truck.

 

[Georgiey22]

Have the same squeak and it’s getting under my skin. I thought it was maybe my rear driver side shock. Any luck?

Hello!

I have a 2019 TRD Off Road 4Runner with 750 miles on it. I have a clunk/rattle in the front end when going over sharp speed bumps, and ruts in the road (such as breaks in pavement, or going on/off of a bridge).

I have two recordings... One of my suspension HERE ( YouTube )

I have one of the outside, too HERE ( YouTube )

I have tried the following things:

Removed Front AND Transmission skidplates
Removed the mudflap in the wheel well
Removed the plastic wheel hubs on the TRD Off Road wheels
Checked the clips on the upper control arms and sealed them in place
They also torqued all suspension components to factory specs

They "insulated" my skid plate which was useless since I told them it happens without skid plate on it... HEH


Thanks

LOVE my 4Runner, HATE that it rattles already!

 

[Jarheadoo7]

Common rattles not mentioned yet are the LCA alignment bolt not torqued to 130FtLbs. It may be close and close causes rattles. Also sway bar mounts not torqued. might be worth a check.

 

[nb rob]

Have the same squeak and it’s getting under my skin. I thought it was maybe my rear driver side shock. Any luck?

Hey Georgiey,

I had a mystery squeak and occasional rattle from the rear. I had a friend jump up and down on the trailer hitch while I crawled underneath. It turns out that it was the lower mount of the driver side rear shock. There was a tiny bit of slop. Basically the misalignment spacers were just a whisker narrower than the post that they mount to. When the bolt was torqued tight, the misalignment spacer could still wiggle around and make noise.

I found a 1/32 spacer washer at Home Depot of all places (after looking everywhere) that solved the problem completely for $0.75. It goes on the post, and then the shock, and then the retaining bolt. It’s worth checking out if that’s where your noise is coming from.

 

[blanchard7684]

that sounds a lot like typical ball joint or suspension rattle.

Given what has been done so far, I'd be looking for something loose.

I know the skid plate has been covered, I would check the other skid plates first.

then check under hood for things loose. brackets, hood latch, wire harnesses, even the engine and "radiator" cover.


I watched the videos again...I wonder if one of the shocks is making that noise internally...

 

[Georgiey22]

Hey Georgiey,

I had a mystery squeak and occasional rattle from the rear. I had a friend jump up and down on the trailer hitch while I crawled underneath. It turns out that it was the lower mount of the driver side rear shock. There was a tiny bit of slop. Basically the misalignment spacers were just a whisker narrower than the post that they mount to. When the bolt was torqued tight, the misalignment spacer could still wiggle around and make noise.

I found a 1/32 spacer washer at Home Depot of all places (after looking everywhere) that solved the problem completely for $0.75. It goes on the post, and then the shock, and then the retaining bolt. It’s worth checking out if that’s where your noise is coming from.

Thanks pal. I thought I found the issue because my Kings were making my skid rub the radiator brackets. Replaced the TRD skid plate with the OEM and added a new spacer. No more rub but the squeak is still present and is definitely coming from the rear. I need to remove the rear Kings and find my problem.

 

[Salvo Jimmy]

Couldn’t resist

 

[blanchard7684]

any news on this?

 

[ryanbt]

I have the EXACT same rattle that just started in my 2014 Limited with 60K miles and it's driving me absolutely crazy. I've tried most of the suggestions in this post and it won't go away. So far the only way I've 'fixed' it is to crank up the stereo. lol. Did this ever get resolved by anyone?

 

[Spungus]

Do you feel it in the steering column or is it just the noise that you hear?

 

[ryanbt]

It's just the noise that I hear. I don't feel anything at all, which makes me believe it's annoyance and not something serious. It's coming from the front passenger wheel area. My Dad is going to drive it later on and I'm going to sit in the passenger seat and see if I can isolate it any further. The noise is exactly like the OP's video taken from the suspension. Noise started randomly a week ago and then quit for several days, and now it's back. So it could be temperature related, too since both times it's been doing it the temps were in the 30°Fs. I've wiggled all of the heat shields and found one that was loose and fixed that, but I still have the rattle.

 

[pDubs]

I had the most annoying squeaking coming from drivers side front somewhere, it got to the point where I was considering trading in the 4runner for a newer one then I came across this post:

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/2825358-post23.html

Turns out that was exactly what mine was, the little plastic piece rattled so much it took the paint off the metal behind it. I used double sided tape, and better clips and it went away.

 

[ryanbt]

I noticed the rear one in the passenger front wheel well, but just found the front one and a clip had pulled out. I'm going to wash it now, then try the double sided tape! I will report back!

 

[ryanbt]

So far so good! It was that one little clip that had popped out. I put it back in and shoved in some double sided tape. You guys are awesome! Amazing how a stupid little clip can make so much NOISE.

 

[Moving Chicane]

Any thoughts on if the "rubber hanging guards" are even necessary in that spot? I'd like to just remove it all together.... :shrug:

 

[ryanbt]

I was thinking the same thing. I might rip them right out next!

 

[Okusputokus]

I've been chasing some metallic rattles for a while. I'm thinking it's lateral play in my axles. Everything else has been replaced and it's still there, except my front axles, which seem fine, but I noticed today that I can laterally move them 1/4 inch or so using my hand. Just the axle shaft moves not the end joints. Anyway else try this? Please do and report back.! Wondering if it's normal or if my axles are worn. I use my rig mostly for trails so once i air down there is A LOT lateral movement and it drives me nuts!

Cheers