Rattle from the passenger side dashboard

Extraction needs to be done carefully or you will guff the plastic. I started with the right-most edge of the upper vent nearest the passenger door prying with a screwdriver to begin the removal. Once you get movement, you can work it the rest of the way out. Do the same for the lower vent - start at the rightmost edge.

Here are some shots:

1) Shows exposed opening in dash after vents are removed. Use a Q-tip soaked in silicon lubricant to coat the ridges just around where the vents seat. Be careful not to get the silicon on areas that will be visible once the vents are re-installed. It can stain the plastic so it should only go on surfaces that will be covered once the vents are back in place. That should eliminate any ticking from the vent housing rubbing on the dash.


2) Pics of the vents removed (forward view)


3) Pics of the vents removed (rear view showing mounting clips). Also put silicon lubricant on each clip and along the backside where the edges meet the dash.


4) Recently discovered the upper right vent is composed of 2 pieces! There was no foam to buffer the vent tube from rattling so I added some shown below. It helped get rid of the little noise coming from there (lower left in pic below).


Reverse the process to re-install. Start with the lower vent - press in place. Then the upper vent. Be careful and good luck

 

Yes, I have the totally annoying right side dash rattle. Dealer unable to fix. Interesting that as it is in for the last try, the Prius rental car the dealer provided ALSO has the same rattle. Have had other minor rattles; center console, door handle, driver side front window. I am considering arbitration with Toyota.

 

I had this noise......seem to come from the speaker grill...dealer tightened door jamb bolts......took care of my noise

 

I have a 2008 Gen II, that rattles. After reading this, I guess I'll wait to see if things improve - before buying a Gen III.

 

It's just crazy, you know? My 2010 Prius III was perfect until month number three or four, then the rattle/creaking started. So, I didn't even get to put down the issue on the post-sale survey I filled out. No wonder Toyota doesn't know about it.

It's got to be something really stupid, with my luck. I had a 1958 Chevy with a rattle and I found it--right before I sold it! LOL

 

My dealer found the problem to be a stablizer bar from the front bumper that at high vibrations rattled againsted the plastc in the rear of the dash. Removed the front passenger fender and a small tac weld and the problem is solved. No rattle at all now and the dash did not have to come apart.

 

Its a broken clip in the centre of the dash in front of the speedo.
if you press down on it then it stops.
My dealer was aware of it and fixed it at 20000km I have now done 37000km and its not back yet.
They just un clip the top of the dash and put a new clip in the middle.Good Luck

 

I had a similar ticking noise and they discovered that the problem was the triangular shaped glass was incorrectly installed at the factory.

 

I finally solved the rattle and it is rather simple to solve. I figured when it got warmer and the rattle stopped automatically it had something to do with the expansion or shrinking of the dashboard. Past summer when it was over 20°Celsius there was no rattle. Now it is becoming colder again in Belgium the rattle has returned.
How to solve: where the front speaker meets the white plastic dash-cover from the little side window you can insert a small peace of felt. Cut a small piece of self adhesive black felt about 1 centimetre in square and stick it to a hard paper card so it has some rigidity. When you now push it in the gap between the speaker and the white plastic just in front of the A-pillar the ticking noise is gone. That's it. The noise is gone and makes driving a pleasure. If done carefully you can make it almost invisible.
Thanks to the advice I could read on this American site I could solve all the rattles I previously experienced.

 

I tried to do that for my rattle but to have amplified the noise for me.

My rattle is a bit different in nature though, mine doesn't rattle on bumpy roads but on acceleration. At a certain RPM, about 3/4 way through the ECO bar, it'll start to rattle until I go above that point or lower, which makes it really irritating because I will always hear it no matter the roads are bumpy or smooth. But I think I have found the root of the problem at least. The dealership so far has been useless in trying to fix the noise.

So when I tried the solution, it make the card vibrate and cause more noise.

 

Courtesy of "The Critic"...this is the cause of your right side noise:

"Hey guys,

It turns out some of the posters were in fact correct on the source of this noise. Toyota just released a TSB on correcting this issue. TSB is # 0064-12, dated 4/16/12.

The TSB states that the upper fender retainer clips are the cause of the rattle. The fix is to remove the front corner window and remove the fender, in order to replace the clips with an updated part. Warranty time for the job is 3.0 hours.

Luckily, the only parts required to fix the problem are TWO new clips, part # 53813-47040, and they are about $2/ea. You may also need a "piano wire" for removing the window and some general weatherstrip adhesive.

This only applies to 2010-11 Prius before a certain VIN. My 2011 is affected."

Read more: http://priuschat.com/threads/rattle-or-buzz-on-passenger-side-check-here.93716/page-2#ixzz2Bpi0Kko6

 

Thanks! That's exactly the noise! I've been trying to narrow it down forever. I've booked the appointment with the TSB number, hopefully they can fix the problem.

 

Good luck Lantec...let us know how the repairs went.

 

It's finally fixed! After 2 weeks, the first time around, they didn't book the body shop so they couldn't take the window off but this week, they booked the body shop and they got it fixed. I just told them the TSB number. So happy now.

 

Congrats on the repair - was it covered under warranty?

 

Had this problem fixed as well, covered under extended warranty. They also fixed the squeaking brakes when backing up.

 

Yes it was. Overall, it was good. Took a bit over a day but in the end, it was very much worth it.

 

I decided to check the cabin filter today and look what I found in there. The noise is now gone.