I thought I had a rattle in my 2008 but after further review I discovered that it was the after-market add-on sun visor that I had clipped to both standard sun visors. I hope your situation is not serious. Also, something in the side pockets in the doors can rattle. I'm assuming you've already checked these things.
Check that the rear seatbelt buckles aren't banging against each other. Mine were. I placed a wide rubberband around one of the buckles and that took care of the problem.
I was able to locate and solve all the glovebox/rear rattles however the crackling noise from the center console/dash area appears to be non-correctable. I checked out a couple GEN III's at my dealership which all have this crackling center console/dash material that is noisey when the car has been sitting in the heat and or when the AC comes on. Anyone else tracking with what I'm on about or am I in the minority? Thanks. Ed
Wrap the sunglasses that are in the overhead storage in a soft cloth. I had a rattle and this was the solution.
I have a persistent rattle in the front passenger door. It could have something to do with the buckeye and two small rocks my wife insists on keeping in the handle well. Tom
-- Yes, I determined that my spare pair of sun glasses was rattling around in the holder above the rear view mirror. The glove box had a ball point pen that was sitting just right...basically totally clear out everything from all the compartments including anything you may have hanging from your rear view mirror and reset all your seats (front and back). Once cleared, go for a quick drive and listen. You can use a bit of foam tape in case you do indeed have a rattle. I would steer you away from having your dealer try to locate and silence any rattles you find...my Corolla was never the same after they touched it! YMMV... Ed
I finally found & fixed the interior noises in my car. Sounded like it was coming from the glovebox, so I emptied both, but no luck. Thought it might be the glove box latches, so tried I leaving them opened to see if it went away--no luck. Then it seemed it was coming from the shifter console area, so I drove and tried pressing various areas to see when it went away. 3 areas were making noises: --2 areas of the shifter console area (circled in red below), so I gave them a good hit with the heel of my palm, which probably helped seat the retaining clips --the left side of the storage area below the shifter (circled in yellow below): the inner and outer panels were rubbing and squeaking so I squeezed them together The squeaks & rattles were driving me nuts, and I dreaded taking it to the dealer because my experience with getting interior noises resolved is it's hit and miss, and sometimes you get the car back with more than you started with.
I am not sure if this help your Gen 3 Prius. . I Got Rattling noise in both sides (passenger side 1st then driver side after a year) on my Gen 2 Prius 07 at the "Plastic Cover"; it took me almost 8 months to nail em down. Here is the picture (you need two people one driver and other person touch and hold down around to find the problem; very dangerous to find problem yourself while driving). Details in post #20 of this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/32854-clicking-noise-behind-glove-box-2.html
I eliminated the rattle in what seemed to be the upper glovebox by lowering the tire pressures from 44/42 to 38/36. The ride comfort improved a bit, too.
I will throw my hat into this as well. Thanks for the all the feedback and I will see if your solutions work.
I'm surprised by this thread, since I've got a front-passenger seat noise. It's a metallic buzz heard on the freewaywhere the road surface is rough. It sounds like a thin steel plate anchored on one end that's being resonantly driven. I've just heard that the dealership has finished adding a few things to my car, and supposedly fixed the issue. When we get back next week, I'll report on this plus the USB adaptor and some other add-ons.
Dark_matter_doesn't, I assume that you are referring to an aftermarket USB? Or is this a dealer installed option? Also, where is it installed, as compared to the 3.5mm mini plug?
I had a resonant rattling sound coming from the passenger dash/engine compartment the day that I bought my Pruis. Literally, I drove it off the lot and noticed the sound. It only happened when I was accelerating going from 12-18 MPH. I took it right back, and what they told me when I came to pick it up the next day (we had completed the deal late in the day, and by the time I got back the techs had gone home for the day), they told me that arm that holds the hood up when you have it open was loose, and that they tightened it in its fixture. Well, there's been no more rattling, so I feel OK about it now.
Found mine! 1st there was a piece of plastic (most likely from what they used to cover the seats) stuck in the rear seat fold down. 2nd, the hatch cover when fully opened rattles when on the highway.