Rattle/Knocking in Rear Cargo Area... Any Ideas?!

[Derek]

Well, I've put about 1,500 miles on my '05 and so far not too much to complain about. When I was driving home from the dealership, I did notice a rattle coming from the right rear of the cargo area. I did some searching here and decided to try the electrical tape over the seat latch trick. That actually worked at getting rid of the consistent rattle. I thought I had fixed it for good, but another rattle or knocking noise has become very annoying and it is literally driving me crazy.

It sounds like metal on metal almost or even hard plastic on metal. It can be heard when accelerating from a dead stop from the initial jerk forward. It is also VERY present when going over speed bumps or roads that aren't very smooth. It sounds to me like something is loose near the right rear cargo area. My '04 SR5 didn't have this problem, and the only real difference is that my '05 has the JBL audio, so I wonder if the amp or sub could be loose and knocking around.

Anybody have any suggestions before I start tearing apart my interior trying to find this rattle? I don't really trust service departments so I'd rather fix it myself if I can.

:bash:

 

[toybox]

Check to see if the jack is secured properly in the rear compartment. This has been the cause of rattles in some trucks.

 

[GA_4Runner]

Let me know what you find out. I have this same knock/rattle and it's driving me nuts. I think it's more than just the rear seat, but I will be trying that fix tonight.

 

[Derek]

Let me know what you find out. I have this same knock/rattle and it's driving me nuts. I think it's more than just the rear seat, but I will be trying that fix tonight.

I thought it was the rear seat too, so I folded it flat and drove around and the rattle was still there.

I have also checked the jack and made sure it was secure so I know that isn't the cause either. It really sounds like it is coming from the right side where the subwoofer and amp are, but I can't be too sure. I guess I might have somebody drive it in a parking lot over some speedbumps tonight while I sit in the back and listen for it. I was just hoping somebody else had this problem so I could save myself some trouble.

 

[spyderdoc]

I thought there was a TSB somewhere about the fold down armrest due to a bad rattle....I am not sure if this pertains to the '05 or not....Just a thought...Good luck.

 

[toybox]

One more suggestion is that the cupholders on the rear seat is a known source of rattling and I think a TSB was issued for this. I know you said it comes from the rear corner but sometimes these noises can be deceiving. Not likely but the spare tire may not be totally secured either.

 

[JRisner]

Check the cargo cover...the long piece that connects to each side the the cargo area. Mine rattles like crazy. Still working on fixing it!
Something on the inside of mine rattles, esp. when going over speed bumps.

 

[Derek]

Thanks for the suggestions everybody. I will take a look at the cupholders, and also take the cargo cover out completely then drive it around and see what happens. I am very determined because I can't live with a rattle this loud. I will update with anything I find. If anybody has any other idea, feel free to share.

 

[AlexJet]

I have the same issue. I thought it's coming from rear right wheel and/or probably rear axle or any other transmission/suspension parts. It's very strange for me; I've only 3500 miles on my truck. Let us know if you'll figure out where it's coming from?

BTW, a few days ago, when I was driving on the parking lot and made a 120 degrees right turn I heard the metallic sound from my front left side like I had broke front suspension. Speed was about 2-3mph and I didn't hear it since that turn.

 

[Derek]

Okay, I just spent some time doing some investigating. I went ahead and removed my cargo cover and checked the jack and anything else I could think of including seat latches and the spare wheel and tire. I then went across the street into a parking lot full of speed bumps. I drove over the speed bumps over and over again. And... it has stopped rattling all of the sudden. I'm going to leave the cargo cover out for a few days to see if it returns but that may be what was causing it as someone mentioned earlier. I will post any updates I have but so far so good, I just hope it doesn't come back.

 

[Cliff s]

Here is a couple of parts that rattle.

The small plastic door on the rear hatch,
a small piece of mounting tape cures
that. Another, I found recently are the
reat seat belts. My cure just fasten the
belts so the ends don't flop around. The
plastic cover piece that is next to the
seat seems to be the culprit.

Cliff s

 

[gRunner3]

I had the seat rattle that seems to be fixed by electrical tape. However, during my initial research on this board I came accross another potential place that could cause a rattle. If your problem comes back, check out the thread below and look for the post by AK602. I haven't had this problem but if your problem returns it may be what you need.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10483&highlight=rear+seat+latch

 

[Derek]

Check the cargo cover...the long piece that connects to each side the the cargo area. Mine rattles like crazy. Still working on fixing it!
Something on the inside of mine rattles, esp. when going over speed bumps.

THANK YOU! I left the cargo cover out from when I removed it two days ago. During my drive to work this morning I made sure to hit every bump I could find and guess what... NO more rattle noise! I never use the cargo cover anyways so I'm going to leave it out until I can find a way to fix whatever is making all that noise. This saved me a lot of frustration and a trip to the service department, where they'd probably have ripped apart the interior before thinking about the cargo cover. I'm so glad this forum is here. :bowdown:

 

[JRisner]

WOO-HOO What prize do I win .....LOL

 

[benk777]

I have the same noise problem. I'll remove the cargo cover and take her for a drive tomorrow. Hopefully this fixes my rattling rear.

Ben

 

[MsMarine]

Roof Rack

This wasn't mentioned. I too had a banging. I swore the engine was falling out. Took it to the dealership in a panic. It was the darn roof racks.
To me the noise was coming from the firewall.
So you may want to check that back roof rail.

Just a thought.

And I did feel like a comlete idiot when I picked up the truck from the dealer. I'm sure they thought I should have been a blond.

 

[Derek]

I have the same noise problem. I'll remove the cargo cover and take her for a drive tomorrow. Hopefully this fixes my rattling rear.

Ben

also make sure you check the rear seat latches to make sure they are secure. I had to wrap electrical tape around the right one because it was rattling.

 

[mjfrank]

I had a similar problem with the cargo cover, but only had it when the rear window was open.

I realized that it was those little clips that hold the front part of the cover to the rear seat headrests. I never had them clipped on, and when a good gust of wind would hit it just right, they would whip around and hit the metal part of the cargo cover bar. Scared the heck out of me a couple times, because it sounded like a big rock bouncing off the body.

--Mike

 

[tp0908]

I have been trying to look where that noise is coming from. At first I thought it was from the right front door. Last week I removed the cover and checked. Nothing unusual but made it a point to check the tightness of screws and bolts. Last night I removed and leave cargo cover in my garage. Loaded heavy stuffs at the back and 3 passengers with me. Noise seems gone. But on my way back, noise appeared again. Therefore, noise did not come from the cargo cover. Will check sometime today (again) and get rid of that noise

I have tried almost all of the things mentioned here except the roof rack (will check it later).

Didn't know a lot have this problem. I've been dealing with this noise for a year now. Although very minor - but its annoying !!!Hope we get a conclusive solution to it.

 

[hre814]

i had a similar rattle right when i got the rig. it was the subwoofer behind the right rear panel. it was loose.

herman