Rattle Noise From Driverside Dash Area

[helpmet4r]

Rattle Noise From Driverside Dash Area UPDATED - LOCATED

Rattles... ugh.. I love my 2006 4Runner SR5. It seems to have developed a noise / rattle.

The following is what I have determined and what I have tried:

--Rattle appears to be coming from the driverside dashboard area... perhaps close to where the hood, windshield and dash meet

--Noise / rattle only occurs at speeds greater than 60 mph. So... it appears to be wind related???

--I've had passengers agree that they believe sound is coming from driverside (as I guess rattles can travel/echo i've had others confirm driver side). Obviously I can't say for sure because I'm not able to locate and fix it.

--I do not have a sunroof.

--I've paid the dealership $220... they checked front bumper, license plate, roof racks, windshield area... removed black plastic cover right underneath windshield wipers, removed wiper motor, and more. Drove it 70 miles... They were unsuccessful. ouch.

--I have taped down electrical cables under the hood, the hood release cable, a plastic cap that leads towards the driverside wheel well that is in the hood. Unsuccessful.

--Is it possible leaves / debris has made it's way into the vent-system??? If so... how would I clean this (ideally w/out removing the dash)

What else can I check?

Dealer wants another $300 to place microphones in the car... no guarantee this will locate the problem or fix it?

Extended warranty seems like they will probably not cover this so I am out of pocket. Frowning at the idea of spending $1,000+ to fix a rattle.

Love the car and keep it in great condition... can't believe it's making the noise. I've spent a lot of time reading through posts here... I'll continue to read... most of the posts I have found have dealt with a sunroof (which I do not have).


Thoughts!?!


Any ideas to check are very much appreciated.

I'll be prompt about trying ideas and giving feedback so others experiencing this problem can perhaps fix this as well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[CRDT4R]

wow i would not spend the $300 unless you got money to spend out the ass. I have no idea whats causing it but the only thing i can think of is turn the radio up. it'll save you 300. Sorry I couldnt help but i wanted to at least stop you before you spent 300 unless everyone else thinks it a good idea

 

[helpmet4r]

wow i would not spend the $300 unless you got money to spend out the ass. I have no idea whats causing it but the only thing i can think of is turn the radio up. it'll save you 300. Sorry I couldnt help but i wanted to at least stop you before you spent 300 unless everyone else thinks it a good idea

thanks for the reply... perhaps I should spend the $300 on therapy to cure my O.C.D. about rattle noises.

Being serious though... I would really love to fix the problem. I'm hoping someone else out there may have had this problem and might know what is causing it / how to fix it.

If so... let me know!

Thanks!

 

[CRDT4R]

yeah i hope you find it too. Then you can atleast help everyone else out. I know how you feel though, everyone wants there car to be as perfect as it can be. good luck

 

[shuly]

Rattles just plain s*ck! Especially if you have to be driving to find them. You said you do not have a sunroof, however...have you been able to eliminate any rattles coming from above? Inside the headliner is wiring that could be loose. My other thought would be the inside of the driver

 

[helpmet4r]

OKAY... SO... FOUND SOMETHING!!!

I have not permanently fixed the problem yet... but I have a temporary fix and therefore I am 99.9% sure I know where the rattle is coming from.

If you lift up the hood and look at the black plastic sheet panel with the vents/slats in it that is directly underneath the windshield wipers and lines the edge of the windshield... this is the source (or at least the source of the air flow that is causing the problems).

Here's what I did:

Get painters tape or masking tape (something that will stick for a short test drive but can be easily removed without leaving goo behind or damaging the car).

Take the tape and cover the 3 vent sections (left, center, and right side) vents / slats that are described above.

Covering the vents should be fine temporarily as it should have nothing to do with engine cooling... i'm guessing these just lead to the ventilation system? To be safe... when test driving the car... I just turned the air conditioner / heater completely off so I wouldn't mess it up. This is also better to try and listen for rattles.

After covering the vents/slats... I took it for a spin... NO RATTLES even at 85mph+

This goes back to the issue of the rattle only occurring above 60mph... basically the rattle appears to be confirmed wind related. IE / block the wind... no rattle.

So... what's next:

1) This strengthens my suspicion that the cause of the rattle is some type of debris... possibly a small pebble from the freeway... but more likely... I seriously think it is a certain type a leaf that has a bulbous end, a twig, or some type of dropping from a tree. I almost never park under a tree unless I have too but there are certain types of trees where I live that will drop heavier types of leaves. I have had these leaves get stuck in the windshield wiper before and they will rattle on the windshield... of course that is easily removed... however, if something like that got stuck in those vents... there would be no way for it to dislodge itself.

2) This vent panel needs to be removed... and I guess I'm going to see if I can shop-vac it or something to try and clear debris out.

3) I do not think it's a loose wire or broken wire mount... just because... I just don't think anything is broken. Car is only 3 years old and I make a point of taking care of it. However... if the shop-vac doesn't work... then... i'll start looking for loose wires or broken mounts.

4) I'm upset the dealership was not able to resolve this issue originally because they took the whole plastic vent panel off... and I also told them I thought it might be debris in there. I do not know how to remove this panel... i'm sure i could, but i don't want to accidentally break anything... i'll see if they can remove this and shop-vac this under the original $220 i have already paid them. Just out of curiosity... does anyone have experience with removing this panel... is it easy enough for a novice to do without damaging it?


Interesting side notes...

1) I have not driven the car again yet with the tape removed as it's getting late... I took the tape off and will see if the noise returns tomorrow on my way to work. 99% sure it will as it's been there the last 5,000 miles driven... (I'll post what I find here).

2) While test driving with the tape on... there were no rattles at all, period. however... there was one single larger loud pop when I reached over 60ish... it probably was a pebble or something... but I almost wonder if I have changed the air flow that enters whatever compartment is causing the rattle... and perhaps something dislodged?? 1% chance??? Don't know, but again, I'll post what I find tomorrow.



If anyone has had something similar happen or might know how to dislodge the suspected debris... please let me know as I am only getting closer to solving this and I have not been able to permanently fix this issue.

Thanks in advance... and I hope this post gives other people out there with rattles some ideas to try.

 

[pipspeak]

This vents are the air intakes for the ventilation system... you might be able to give each vent a pressure clean by totally taping the other two, giving the air only one place to be sucked in then blasting it with a shop-vac blower. I've had leaves get jammed in there before but they usually make it through to the cabin air filter with no problem after a few days.

You could also try removing the plastic piece entirely and re-fitting it. No idea how hard that would be but someone here might know.

As for being OCD about rattles... you're not IMO! I'm probably as fanatical as you about rattles and sadly the T4R is no better than my old Jeep rattle-wise. I was hoping it would be. About every month I need to find and fix a new rattle or creak, the latest (creak) being in trunk area. Just be thankful you don't have a sunroof. My GF cracks up every time I open and slam shut the sunroof cover to stop it rattling

And as you probably discovered, dealers are utterly useless at detecting noises, even mechanical noises. Not worth paying for their time in such cases IMO.

 

[helpmet4r]

This vents are the air intakes for the ventilation system... you might be able to give each vent a pressure clean by totally taping the other two, giving the air only one place to be sucked in then blasting it with a shop-vac blower. I've had leaves get jammed in there before but they usually make it through to the cabin air filter with no problem after a few days.

Ok... so just to quickly follow up from last nights post... driving with the tape removed made the sound come back.


Your idea about closing off two sides.. and then using the shop vac to blast out one side sounds good. Thanks! I was thinking about something similar last night as opposed to vacuuming it... I'm wondering though... do you think i could lodge it deeper into the vent system by blasting it with air?

Perhaps I'll try closing off two sides at a time and vacuuming it first.

If that doesn't work, then I'll try closing off two sides at a time and blasting it with air.


Still no word on removing this panel as whole though... does anyone on this forum know how difficult it is to remove that panel entirely??? Seems like it would be easier to clean in there then???

 

[mattmiller1978]

wind rattle

I have an '09 Sienna LE and at around 22,000 miles, I started experiencing a rattle noise at speeds of 65 mph and above. It seems to be wind related. I took it to the dealer and had the cowl panel replaced and lined with foam backing, but still have the noise. Something has to be loose and is moving around as a result of wind.

HAS ANYONE FOUND A SOLUTION?

 

[tahoe2bay]

1998 Toyota 4Runner passenger side dash rattles

I have been experiencing the same horrible rattle in the right side of my dash for one year. The one piece plastic cover that fits over the air intakes in between the windshield and the engine compartment. A friend of mine suggested that I remove and inspect. As it turns out all 4 of the plastic pins that hold the one piece slotted plastic cover were broken and 3 of the 4 washer receiving inserts holders were missing. I suspect that broken plastic bits are floating about in the area below this between the firewall and the engine compartment. I have ordered 4 new pins and washers to plug them into. I have no idea how I will be able to fish out any broken plastic parts. When I hit 60 MPH all hell breaks loose with a lot of noise from the passenger side. Were you able to remove any loose parts below the plastic cover? Did anything get lodged into the venting system? Did you resolve the rattle problem? Thanks.

 

[ddnww]

Rattles... ugh.. I love my 2006 4Runner SR5. It seems to have developed a noise / rattle.

The following is what I have determined and what I have tried:

--Rattle appears to be coming from the driverside dashboard area... perhaps close to where the hood, windshield and dash meet

--Noise / rattle only occurs at speeds greater than 60 mph. So... it appears to be wind related???

--I've had passengers agree that they believe sound is coming from driverside (as I guess rattles can travel/echo i've had others confirm driver side). Obviously I can't say for sure because I'm not able to locate and fix it.

--I do not have a sunroof.

--I've paid the dealership $220... they checked front bumper, license plate, roof racks, windshield area... removed black plastic cover right underneath windshield wipers, removed wiper motor, and more. Drove it 70 miles... They were unsuccessful. ouch.

--I have taped down electrical cables under the hood, the hood release cable, a plastic cap that leads towards the driverside wheel well that is in the hood. Unsuccessful.

--Is it possible leaves / debris has made it's way into the vent-system??? If so... how would I clean this (ideally w/out removing the dash)

What else can I check?

Dealer wants another $300 to place microphones in the car... no guarantee this will locate the problem or fix it?

Extended warranty seems like they will probably not cover this so I am out of pocket. Frowning at the idea of spending $1,000+ to fix a rattle.

Love the car and keep it in great condition... can't believe it's making the noise. I've spent a lot of time reading through posts here... I'll continue to read... most of the posts I have found have dealt with a sunroof (which I do not have).


Thoughts!?!


Any ideas to check are very much appreciated.

I'll be prompt about trying ideas and giving feedback so others experiencing this problem can perhaps fix this as well.

Thanks in advance!

o.m.g I have the exact same rattle, been wondering what it is for months

,

 

[riceandpho]

if its that plastic peice under the windshield, have the windshield been replaced? do it say toyota on it or another name? if its not toyota, chances are the repair installer did not put that part on right, causes noise.

 

[tahoe2bay]

You are correct. Over 1 year ago I had the windshield replaced. I have been living with the maddening rattle for the past year. The install person broke one of the pins, and removed 3 of the 4 washers insert pieces. So the plastic piece was not secure. In addition I am certain to find broken washers rolling around in the space underneath where the plastic piece lays flat. Don't you just love a "professional windshield installation."

 

[tahoe2bay]

I have not resolved the rattle as of yet. It is getting worse. The rattle noise is constant over 65 MPH, and even over large road bumps.

 

[earthrealm]

mine is more of a fluttering noise, thought it was the ac or blower, but the noise is still there with the fan off. n mine strts as soon as you start the car


edit: mine was resolved by switching the airflow knob from feet to chest/front.......the fluttering noise stopped when i did this...so i guess something in the mechanism was stuck

 

[HaulsBike]

I have not resolved the rattle as of yet. It is getting worse. The rattle noise is constant over 65 MPH, and even over large road bumps.

I seem to have this exact same rattle. Driving me nuts. Something in the air vents maybe?

Anyway, I was wondering if you ever solved this one?

 

[haydenjcollins]

Windshield Replacement

I had this exact same noise start after I had my windshield 'professionally replaced'. I took it back to them and they glued the rubber stripping that runs the width of the engine bay near these intake vents and it didn't fix it. Guess I'll have to take it back to them and have them figure it out, now that I know 100% that their shoddy work is the culprit.

 

[Breton]

Rattle

Did anyone find a solution to this? I took my 2007 SR5 into the shop a couple of days ago for a used car inspection and the next day it was doing this. They claim it was not a result of their work and that it was the windshield clasps at the bottom and top of the windshield, which needed to be replaced for $302. I feel like even if this was correct, it should be fairly easy to do myself (if I could find the parts) once the windshield was removed.