Gen 3 Dashboard rattles & creaks

There's hope--6 months and no rattles or creaks on mine even now that colder weather is here.

 

You must be one of the lucky ones Jim ;-)
Hope you stay one of the lucky ones :-D

Best wishes for '10

 

Ok, I fixed one of my rattles yesterday. I had a really bad rattle in the center console where the center box meets the dashboard. (Below the shifter.) If I tapped on the lower part of the swoopy console I would it.

I removed the trim around the shifter, then the gray trim which holds the cup holder. Inside, I repositioned the bottom trim by loosening three screws, pushing on the plastic and then tightening. I then used rubber cements on the edges and trim where the top trim goes back on.

Now the only occasional rattle I get over bumps is the center console arm rest door thing and the glove boxes. If you rest your arm on the sliding door, it's quiet -- and I found if I push on the two glove box doors they are quiet. So I am going to get some weather stripping and put it in selective spots on the glove box doors -- this should help by putting more pressure on the door.

The middle arm-rest thing -- not sure what to do about that yet. It's complex.

But overall, my rattles are reduced 10 fold as that middle console thing rattled like crazy.

One bad thing happened, I accidentally dripped one drop of rubber cement on my passenger seat cushion. I didn't notice until about 20 minutes later. UGH! I scarped it off but if you touch the seat, you can still feel it -- though not see where it dripped. I'll probably just leave it at this point. I could try some upholstery cleaner solvent, but it could make it worse.

 

Was there ever an attempt to do a poll or trace back through these complaints whether there was a connection to a specific build site? It just seems like this is such an Either/Or problem. Which just makes me wonder if Toyota doesn't have a specific plant or assembly line that isn't finishing the dash as well as the others. Otherwise I just don't get the discrepancy between those that say their dash's are mostly quiet and those that seem to have such a problem with rattles. Same assembly, same build products, the end result should be relatively uniform.

 

That was already done. It didn't appear to stand out. I believe those who were Plant "0" seemed to have somewhat less complaints. But like myself, I have only one occasional rattle, nothing extensive as some complain of....

I actually put felt in the glove box (thicker) to use as a bumper to stop that from it's little annoyance, and the console bridge only rattles on a severe bump, but you could get that in any car when going over a large bump.

The car is relatively quiet other than that, and I am still loving it!

 

My center console also has rattle noises--how did you remove the trim pieces described above? I have a set of plastic interior trim removal tools, so any detailed instructions would be great.

 

EASY Fix

My center console started creaking and I've found a simple fix.

The creak sounded like it was coming from the temperature control area or even the radio area, but in fact it was being caused by the seam between the bridge part and the between-the-seats part. It's amazing how deceptive the sound is, and how far from the apparent source the cause is.

My rattle was eliminated by taking a piece of a dense 1/16" foam sheet and wedging it in the gap, on the passenger side at basically the pointiest point of the seam.

 

I get rattle's on upper right side glovebox...any ideas for a fix..??

 

Quote: One bad thing happened, I accidentally dripped one drop of rubber cement on my passenger seat cushion. I didn't notice until about 20 minutes later. UGH! I scarped it off but if you touch the seat, you can still feel it -- though not see where it dripped. I'll probably just leave it at this point. I could try some upholstery cleaner solvent, but it could make it worse.


Reply---> I received a sample of Toyota Fabric Spot Remover when I bought my Sienna (nothing when I bought my Prius, but that's another topic!). It comes in a spray can, for about $5. It is the best upholstery cleaner I've used, and has removed crayon, ink, gum, etc, from my cloth interiors, though I can't vouch for rubber cement.

Alternately, if you "massage" the area, maybe the cement will break up into tiny pieces...and forever become part of your seat cushion? Good luck.

 

Yeah, I have a few in my new 2010 also and I'm clearing them one ar a time. For the glove box right side rattle I put a small square of foam or sponge about 1x1 inch between the piston and the side of the glove box. Wedge it in there because the piston is very loose and rattles.

 

That is the last of my brain busters too. The middle arm rest has play in it and I will find a way to put tension on it so it won't rattle. The rattles are one of the biggest complaints I have of the 2010.

 

For the doors try adding the adhesive Felt (thicker) or the small rubber bumpers (as used in the kitchen cabinet door corners) at the corners of the glove box doors. I did it and it's silent.

As for the floating Console, I just seem to rest my arm on that area which stops it. I also added it to the drink holder immediately adjacent to the shift lever. That helps too.

 

I'm wondering if climate plays a part - expansion/contraction of plastics due to temperature.

There's still no excuse for it, as far as I'm concerned. Not on a car that's far from cheap from a manufacturer whose reputation is built on better.

 

Temperature certainly makes a difference, when it's warm out mine is pretty good but the colder it gets the more squeaks and rattles I have.

 

My 2010 has just under 5000 miles now, and my center console has also been rattling since about a month after i purchased it. I came from a '99 saturn where EVERYTHING rattled, and thought getting a brand new $30000 car would alleviate those sounds! I thought it was because I live on a gravel road, but it seems to be a common thing in the Gen 3. I still love the car, it's just annoying. I find if I firmly rest my hand on the console, the sound goes away... at least for now.

 

Another day, another rattle.... I'm so annoyed by this. It started the week after I bought the car and almost every day I hear a rattle in a new place. How can this car from this company be so rattly? Extremely annoying!

 

I thought I was inside a popcorn popper on my first trip out to Monmouth Beach after the car sat freezing in the driveway for days.

The standard GM solution worked--turn on the radio.

 

Here's another data poing for a rattly-rattlington Prius '10. I had a VW Beetle prior to the Prius, and it rattled from the first week I had it. I then learned that was apparently quite common for the Beetle, but it drove me crazy. Like many others in this thread, I paid attention to the (lack of) rattles during my test drive. My Prius had three miles on it when I got it. A week or two later, the rattles began. I can't always tell where they're coming from - dash, middle console, door...? I thought paying almost $30,000 for a car would diminish this. I guess not. For what it's worth, the noises are significantly decreased when I am driving on perfectly smooth road. Unfortunately, there's not much of that.

ETA: All that said, I still love my Prius. I know there are folks around here who tend to interpret any negative commentary as treason. If I had it to do over again, I'd buy my Prius even with the rattles. I just wish they weren't there.

 

Mine is the opposite. When it got cold, the squawks and squeaks stopped. They were driving me crazy when it was warm, and I took it back to the dealer. A rather heavy salesman rode with me in the car to listen as I drove down a bumpy road - of course, it was silent!

These things are hard to find. In my car, it comes from the center console's plastic parts rubbing against each other. I can make it stop by inserting a business card at the right places. Doesn't that look great!?

I've wondered if a little talcum powder at the right points would help?

My dealer told me I'd need to leave the car for a day with them, and they would disassemble the dash - I'm not sure if I want them to do that!

So in the meantime, the cold is keeping things quiet. In summer when the heat returns, I'll have to decide. I have 5410 miles on it now.

 

I am afraid of having them (dealer) start taking things apart to look for rattles also. I think there is a good chance I might have more when they finish than I do now. I'm going to keep looking for a while but I have a couple of very annoying ones over on the passenger's side somewhere that have been unable to find, I may need help with them.