Gen 3 Dashboard rattles & creaks

So, I took my G-3 into the dealer yesterday for it's 15,000 mile service. I was armed with my complaint of "creaks and rattles," as well as detailed information from this website. I had attached blue painter's tape to the specific areas where the unwanted noise was coming from.

My wife and I retired to a movie and lunch.

We returned to find that they were unable to replicate the noise. I told the tech that he didn't need to replicate the noise, because I had marked the offending spots with the tape. He grunted.

He wanted to take me on a ride. I said "no need." One of the laws of nature is that a noise that I hear regularly in my day-to-day driving, will never be heard by a tech during a "drive." He said that he would call Toyota to find out what he could do.

20-minutes later, he comes back and says that Toyota has only one other record of a dashboard noise complaint! ONE! From Oregon. He said that he had read the comments from "Prius Chat" to the Toyota rep.

So, are all of the posters here, not taking their complaints to Toyota (not likely), or is Toyota not tracking problems properly?

Bottom line: It was recommended that I monitor the "creaks and rattles" and see if they get worse. It was further recommended that Toyota not take apart the dash, as "that will most likely only make things worse."

I was told that from a warranty standpoint, that since my problem has been written into the vehicle's record, that Toyota will stand behind it beyond the 36-months. But since Toyota doesn't seem to have a solution now, I take small comfort in that.

 

Unfortunately your experience is fairly typical. Car dealers don't want to be bothered with rattles so they refuse to fix them. Toyota's "oh we have never heard of that problem before" answer is typical of virtually all problems they don't want to bother with.

Best thing for us is to try and fix the rattles ourselves and post our solutions so others can try them. I have had a lot of the interior trim off and have found a few rattles. As far as I know however no one has located the right side dash board rattle. I am afraid to take top of the dash board off, that really might make things worse. If some other brave sole tries it and has some success I might give it a try, but I don't want to be the first.

 

This is crazy. Can someone post a step-by-step guide on fixing the rattles from the lower glove box? When I open the box, the rattles go away, but when it's closed, sometimes the noise is very very jarring.

 

I took the lower glove box out and used sticky back felt sheets cut into strips and felt pads all along where it contacts the dash to keep the door from moving when it's closed. I also wrapped the plastic piston in sticky back felt.

There is a black plastic cover under the lower glove box that rattles, I put a large piece of foam behind it to keep it from moving.

I got the felt sheets at a sewing store and the felt pads are for furniture and you can get them at a hardware store. My foam pieces are old packing materials from computer stuff I have ordered.

I used the same techniques on the center console lid.

 

I thought my Prius is free of rattles but recently it started a little buzz at the driver's syde dash board. It's not loud but it's annoying as hell. I got so angry with it I gave it a good WACK with my left palm and guess what? the buzz has stopped!

I suspect that it's not the dash board itself being loose, but something beneath it is and is touching the dash board from inside. So when the car hit a bump on the road, this thing rattles against the plastic dash board. It might be wiring.

Anyways, the angry wacking I gave it probably pound the wiring away from touching the dash board so the buzzing stopped. I wish it's really that simple. Why not give a good shot (pun intended).

 

I had a dash rattle in my Tacoma. Mentioned to the dealer, turns out there was a TSB for missing insulation on a wiring harness. Fixed.

Are we sure there are no rattle TSBs for the Prius?

 

I found that on my 2010 V, the rattles were extream in cold weather (especially in the center extention.) But they went totally away in warm weather. I think that the cold weather makes the different parts contract in different ways, and in varying degrees, causing friction and loosness.

 

That's pretty much my experience as well. On cold winter days, lots of creaks (as you said, center console in particular). On warm days, much better, though still some creaks.

 

Yes, the colder it gets the worse it rattles.

 

my 08 had a LOT of very aggravating squeaks and rattles...my 10 has a few very intermittent, toughest one is coming from the back of the car, can't seem to isolate it. I fixed the center console rattles myself.

 

It took me a week to find the rattles in my hatch door area. I even rode in the back with a driver to try to find where the noise was coming from. I had a sinking thought that the glass (upper) had bad seal, but that was not it - it passed the water test. A loose seal on a rear window can cause a true rattle.

I solved the mystery by trial and error. I did 4 things - sorry, I don't know which one solved my rattle, but it is gone:

1) I put double-stick heavy-duty pads between my lower license plate and the body. I also put the same pads between the license frame (lower) and the front of the plate (hidden). Now the frame and plate do not rattle when the hatch is closed - or during driving.

2) I put a generous coating of silicon plumbers grease on the entire rear seal - I rubbed it in as the seal absorbed it. These seals tend to dry out quickly as the sun heats them up.

3) Using more silicon grease, I put plenty on the hard plastic spacers that run along the rain track and the corresponding spacers on the hatch. Again, they absorbed the grease quickly. Don't forget the the 2 smaller round spacers near the lower corners of the hatch door.

4) The 2 gas strut pistons have a ball-and-socket assembly on each end that had dried. They might have been greased from the factory. I had to force new grease around each ball and socket. Then by removing the small clips on the backs, I forced more grease into the slots.

All those measures made my rattle go away. No guarantee this process will work for your noise.

 

Just had my 5000 mile check-up and didn't want to spend the time having them check out what it is that vibrates or buzzes right around the glove compartment whenever I accelerate past 19 mph. But my complaints so far are minor compared to others. I guess it will get worse as it gets colder.

 

As a follow-up to a previous post (on another rattle thread), I had several glovebox parts replaced by the dealer after I brought the tech out to the parking lot and demonstrated the glovebox rattles while the car was stationary. This tactic convinced him of the legitimacy of glovebox rattles.

Hence the following parts were replaced under warranty:

55511-47040-E0 Door, Glove Compa
55550-47080-E0 Door Assy, Glove
55054-1203 Stopper Sub-Assy
55560-47060-E0 Lock Assy, Glove
55607-47040 Cover Sub-Assy, I

There seems to be improvement. The irony is I can now discern the rattles coming from the rear of the vehicle all the better…

 

Anyone in Canada experiencing these problems?

 

Oh yeah. Very annoying rattle from the centre console when it is cold. If I push it sideways, it stops for a little. Also a rattle from the back that I cannot locate. Also much worse in the cold. Going to have toyota deal with the centre console at least when I take it in for the 16K kilometre oil change. Last time they said they couldn't find it. BS

 

GWhizzer thanks for the reply. Pls keep us posted on what happens during your oil change.
The rattle is just so painful. Now Ottawa mornings are quite cold. It goes away sort of when the cabin warms up though... I am getting a rattle in centre console and the lower glovebox...

 

Rattles behind glove boxes on 2010 Prius II. 1960 miles, two months old. It sounds like something bouncing around in glovebox. But glovebox is empty.

 

I have that ticking/rattle too. The lower glove box is comprised of 2 pieces of plastic glued together sandwich-style. Notice the upper inside part that has more girth. Inside there is a mechanism that I'm convinced is the source of noise. If you press on one of the black latches, the other side also retracts. In the center of it, there is a gear inside that is loosely mounted causing a ticking or rattle. I have not worked up the courage to separate the plastic components to cure it. Probably a good dose of grease in there would stop the noise.

 

Could you test your theory by completely removing the lower glove box and see if the rattle/tick goes away?

I have been looking for that annoying noise also. My current attempt has been to remove the little black vent (not the larger adjustable one) on the top far right side of the dash and stuff a lot of foam rubber in and around the vent line which put some upward tension on the dash. It seems to have helped but I'm not sure enough to claim success yet.

To get the little black vent out you can use a plastic tool or a screwdriver with tape on it and pry it toward you gently, it should slide right out. It has a rectangular fitting on it that goes into the vent line. I put as much foam rubber as I could in and around that area and still have the black piece fit back in.

 

Yes, I have had the lower glovebox removed several times to verify the specific noise you refer to. To all: There is a simple test you can do to verify the "dreaded" glovebox rattle. While driving on a rough road, open the lower box and then support it up a bit with your right hand so it does not sit on the lower stop. If the noise seems to be less or disappears, you have the same trouble as many of us here. PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD WHILE DOING THIS - preferably with no or little traffic. I will assume you have emptied both the upper and lower boxes for this test.

To Tumbleweed: I have the lower box in my office right now and will try to work up the courage to separate the 2 components to get to the mechanism making the noise. If I am successful, I will post pictures.