I had my dashboard replaced in December 2010 after hearing rattles. The rattles started up again two weeks ago and worse than ever. I don't believe the weather is a contributing factor. The dealer says that they added padding inside the dash but who knows? I'm at a loss as to what to do.
it's sad really that a mfg. known for quality executed something as poor as the 10 interior. i think their search for more environmentally sound materials has caused them to take risks before potential problems are known.
More like Toyota got greedy and started to cut costs for more profit. See the gas pedal debacle. They took cost cutting too far and these latest models are suffering. Take the case of the Toyota Sienna, it couldn't even score a 5 star rating on crash tests! How does that happen on a new model?
I think the above statement is a gross exaggeration. I've owned 4 Toyotas over the years, and they've all been excellent. My 2010 Prius has excellent quality, and no squeaks, and no rattles. Just because there's a few rattle threads that are repeated here ad infinitum every few weeks does not mean that the every one of the tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of Prii built since the 2010 model year are afflicted with the rattle issue. THE PRIUS IS A CHEAP, LIGHT, ECONOMY CAR. It is NOT a BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, or any other luxury car brand. It will have the occasional rattle and squeak. I personally HATE rattles. I won't tolerate them. I had a rattle in my 08 RAV4 that I bought used that I made the dealer work on for 3 days to resolve (under warranty of course). They fixed it ... it never returned. Problem solved. To say that the 2010 interior is 'executed poorly' is unfair. You may like your 08 interior better, but painting the 2010 with that much of a broad, and accusatory brush is simply wrong. If your car has a rattle or squeak, TAKE IT BACK AND GET IT FIXED. If it isn't fixed properly, TAKE IT BACK AGAIN ... AND AGAIN ... AND AGAIN ... until they fix it just to get rid of you. Complaining about something in every similar thread every two weeks here on the forum has never fixed a car yet. If you argue that it 'shouldn't' have any rattles, and that Toyota is so pathetic ... fine ... I hear you .... buy something else next time, and see if your new different-brand econobox doesn't have any issues, AND gets 50+ MPG. When gas hits $4-5 a gallon you'll easily be able to dump your Prius with minimal loss. Then you can buy your rattle free $75K Mercedes or $50K BMW or Lexus or Infiniti that gets 20 MPG, is rattle free, and costs you 4 or 5 times as much per month. I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who absolutely insist on trying to believe that the Toyota Prius is anything other than an economy car, with all the traits that have been, and always will be, inherent to that class of vehicle. Paying $30K+ for a Prius does not change the fact that it is an economy car .... it just means that you paid $30K for a nicely equipped economy car. That's what businesses do ... if they go too far ... their sales will suffer and the pendulum will need to swing back the other way to restore sales ... if it doesn't swing back, they'll cease to exist. REV
Replaced or sound insulated? I had mine sound insulated and it is fine. I did however discover on my own some other rattle sources the dealer might not have aware of such as the hole between the engine compartment and the A pillar. I've had my dash apart several times to discover minor creaks and ticks. Slowly, I have nailed them down. But to revhigh's point, many of the 2010's are tight and rattle-free. It's been theorized that some of shifts on builds were not as careful so there could be batches where interior rattles are more prevalent. I have a friend with nearly the same car as mine and his is rattle-free.
Not sure why you write so harshly about the OP's expectations... The cost of parts and presence of features such as LED lights, ECU's, HSD drivetrain electronics, TCS, MFD's do not lead to the conclusion that the Prius is a economy car (think $25 oil change and $5 lights). The Prius is the flagship of the Toyota brand so no one should expect Corolla level service and maintenance costs.....thus the expectation for a rattle free experience.
Huh ??? How in the world do you figure THAT ?? I'd say the Avalon is the flagship. If you doubt that the Prius is an economy car ... take a door panel off and look inside .... I wasn't denigrating the OP's car, just stating that many here (not necessarily the OP) seem to think that the Prius is some kind of luxury car just because you can pay $30K+ for one. If the Prius is a so-called 'flagship' ... it's a pretty junky fleet .... I have a Prius and LOVE it, and think all Toyotas are great cars, but I don't try to pretend that it's something that it's not. A rattle here and there is to be expected, and you should be diligent in getting it fixed by the dealer. REV
