Tailgate rattle solved

[rockwall]

My tailgate has been rattling a lot lately and driving me crazy. I have seen that others have experienced this also. I had a hunch that the rear license plate may be the rattle and I put some pink insulation behind it. The noise was instantly gone.

I plan to replace this with some mounted foam board for a more permanent solution. This sounds too easy, but it made a difference.

 

[riceandpho]

get some carpet for speaker box from audio shops, usually they have a left over peice, ask to see if they have a scrap thats big enough to cover the plate, then spray some glue on the carpet and plate and stick it together, the noise will be gone, also stick some foam strips on the gas door, it helps.

 

[acer0611]

I personally apply thick double sided tape behind the license plate though i do leave the plastic that comes with it on and face it towards the vehicle. quick and simple

 

[mrrab]

Hmm, I have a rear tailgate rattle, but I'm convinced it's coming from the interior panel. Nontheless, I'll take a look at the license plate.

 

[R.A.]

Hmm, I have a rear tailgate rattle, but I'm convinced it's coming from the interior panel. Nontheless, I'll take a look at the license plate.

I solved my license plate rattle, but still had a rattle on the inside of the liftgate. I found that after taking off the trim panel to the liftgate, the plastic access panel that covers the opening was making noise (it would actually increase in noise in the winter vs summer). I put some material like dynamat on the plastic access panel (building it up in layers so it pressed against the trim panel) and the noise went away.

 

[MikeinCincy]

Thanks for this. My license plate has become warped over time and it smacks up against my tailgate and is beyond annoying. I will try what others have outlined above.

 

[MikeinCincy]

There was also another sound coming from my tailgate area. It was more of a creaking sound, especially when turning or going over curbs/bumps. It was obnoxious, to say the least, and took my a while to figure out what it was. Here, it was the tailgate latch that was making all the noise. I sprayed some lube on the latch and the latch mechanism that is on the actual tailgate and voila, noise went completely away.

 

[mrrab]

I solved my license plate rattle, but still had a rattle on the inside of the liftgate. I found that after taking off the trim panel to the liftgate, the plastic access panel that covers the opening was making noise (it would actually increase in noise in the winter vs summer). I put some material like dynamat on the plastic access panel (building it up in layers so it pressed against the trim panel) and the noise went away.

Like you I'm pretty sure mine gets worst in colder temperatures. The rattle is pretty noticeable when first driving around in the winter, but will become less noticeable as the cabin warms up.

Think I'll do that same thing you did to remedy the rattle.

 

[rockwall]

In addition to taking care of the license plate rattle I did spray the latch and catch on the hatch with white lithium grease. I eliminated a bad rattle to my back seat with electrical tape applied to the latches. I decided to wipe off the grease on the rear hatch latch and put electrical tape on this also. After doing this my truck sound so much more solid and rattle free. It is amazing how little, simple things can make such a difference.

 

[Mark86]

Thank you for all this great info, especially on the trunk rattle. I have been trying to solve this mystery for the past month and it has been driving my brother and I crazy. Just lubed it all up and will see how it sounds. Mine happens on right turns and when going over bumps. It sounds like a metal on metal rub.

 

[kcSNOWrunner]

I decided to wipe off the grease on the rear hatch latch and put electrical tape on this also.

I just discovered the same liftgate rattle on a new-to-me 5th gen 4runner...i would have sworn it sounded like the rear window was slightly loose and clanking around inside the liftgate when hitting bigger road bumps. Thanks to the suggestions here....and by process of elimination, the electric tape on the liftgate hatch was the solution. After wrapping the liftgate latch in 3-4 turns of electrical tape and the rattle is gone...albeit i may have over applied as the liftgate takes a good tug to open up now. I swear I didnt notice this rattle until temps hit below 20º in our area this week, its been floating between 0º-15º in Kansas City...not sure if there's any correlation in the low temps and the emergence of the rattle. i've had this 5th gen for about a month and just noticed this rattle this week. glad its gone!

 

[BullRNR]

I have the same issue with my 5th gen which I bought new in April, 2017 and it's driving me insane. I have ruled out the license plate and done the following:

1. Summer, louder with the rear window down. Took it to local Toyota dealership under warranty and they told me I shouldn't be driving it with the rear window down and they provided a photocopy of the page in the owner's manual. I took it home, removed the inside plastic cover and found that one of the bolts securing the window regulator was > 1/4" backed out and another one was loose. I tightened them and the rattle was gone.

2. Fast forward to the winter months in Chicago and its back - louder than ever. (Window up, of course!) I brought it to a different dealership 12/28/17 and they disassembled and found nothing. They have asked me to come back after the holidays so they could spend more time looking into this and I am going back this Saturday to drop the truck off. Again, I removed the plastic interior panel hoping to find something loose but I had no luck this time. Fiance drove around with me sitting in the back and it's definitely coming from the hatch, but no idea where.

I will try the latch to see if there is just too much play in it - any idea how this can be fixed with more of a permanent solution than tape?

I don't see this really being an issue on the 5th gen forum other than [MENTION=207571]kcSNOWrunner[/MENTION]'s post above.

 

[kcSNOWrunner]

I will try the latch to see if there is just too much play in it - any idea how this can be fixed with more of a permanent solution than tape?

i read somewhere, I cant recall which thread it was about liftgate rattle (there were a couple threads about liftgate rattle), but someone mentioned a Dealer hammering the upside down U-shaped latch "forward" ...I would imagine "forward" means toward the windshield...which i think makes sense as the contact point of the liftgate latch and the latch itself seems to be on the back part furthest away from the windshield and there's play in in.

 

[Bluesky 07]

Just a heads up for 4th Gen owners: the cargo cover can rattle if it isn't fully retracted. It's rapid and intermittent; sounds almost like a rattlesnake noise lasting for a second or two at a time. Drove me batty until I figured out what it was.

 

[BullRNR]

I know us 5th gen guys are still hijacking your thread but I'm going to at least post a resolution for the next guy that searches tailgate rattle...

Dealership was able to fix it rather quickly with just adjusting the tailgate striker - similar to the electrical tape method but just putting it back in the right spot.

 

[CowboyTaco]

Lots of good ideas in here.

2014 TEP here, bought new in 2014. 75k mi. So I guess another 5th gen hijacking a 4th gen thread, but the info is good!

Tailgate/liftgate/rear hatch has developed a squeak over the last few months. Only noticeable when you close it. Similar squeak/creak can be heard when closing the rear doors. Kind of embarrassing on such a nice vehicle. I'll report back whether any of the above mentioned suggestions fix the issue.

 

[CowboyTaco]

Lots of good ideas in here.

2014 TEP here, bought new in 2014. 75k mi. So I guess another 5th gen hijacking a 4th gen thread, but the info is good!

Tailgate/liftgate/rear hatch has developed a squeak over the last few months. Only noticeable when you close it. Similar squeak/creak can be heard when closing the rear doors. Kind of embarrassing on such a nice vehicle. I'll report back whether any of the above mentioned suggestions fix the issue.

Bought some Dry Lube yesterday (figured that would be better than WD-40) and sprayed the latch and catch with it. Left it open for a minute to dry. No squeak when I closed the liftgate. We'll see how long that lasts.

 

[MikeyMTBs]

I know us 5th gen guys are still hijacking your thread but I'm going to at least post a resolution for the next guy that searches tailgate rattle...

Dealership was able to fix it rather quickly with just adjusting the tailgate striker - similar to the electrical tape method but just putting it back in the right spot.

Thanks for this update. My 2019 is plagued with rattles and squeaks and the tailgate clunk is one of them.

Will post back up the results of adjusting the striker. Adjusting it seems odd as it appears to be in a fixed position held with two T20 or T25 Torx bits. Maybe that’s the latch and the striker is in the actual hatch... ?

Thanks
Mike

 

[TheWage]

I had a rattle that developed over a few months and I could not figure out where it was coming from other than the passenger side corner. I was convinced it was in the tail light but couldn't find anything. Finally I removed the tailgate strut and the noise is gone. Thought the old HD strut was going bad so I replaced it with a new one and the exact same noise is back. It goes away when removing that strut. I cannot figure out why my strut is making noise when closed but at least I found the source. Now I just have to figure out how to eliminate it with the strut installed.

 

[tksirius]

Thanks for this update. My 2019 is plagued with rattles and squeaks and the tailgate clunk is one of them.

Will post back up the results of adjusting the striker. Adjusting it seems odd as it appears to be in a fixed position held with two T20 or T25 Torx bits. Maybe that’s the latch and the striker is in the actual hatch... ?

Thanks
Mike

Any luck with adjusting the striker plate? Doesn't seem like it could be moved.