2011 prius = the rattle machine

It took me three days - it helped allot but I didn't get the whisper-quiet cabin I had hoped for. Much of the road noise comes thru the suspension system. I would not do it again. The Dynamat on the doors made a huge improvement.

 

no rattles on our 2013 prius persona.

wow. 300 posts/messages!

 

I think it has to do with the amount of flexing the car-body has experienced driving on rough roads. The body panels have to flex to some degree, and each time they do, things get looser.

 

I know what you meant. I used to think the Outback had little or no wind noise until the floor is insulated, and there is nothing we can do about wind noise.

I agree about the body flexing induce the noise. When I first bought the car, 2 weeks ago, it was rattling everywhere inside. I spent a day looking at all panels, with some tips I got from here, and heavy use of foam sheets, I say it's at least 70% quieter now. Hopefully the foam will prevent the noise from the loose panels that eventually caused by the body flexing.

 

I have a three month old '15 Three and a rattle just started to show up. It sounds like it is in the upper part of the "bridge" but haven't narrowed it down yet. I did make sure all the stuff kept in the glove boxes and the under bridge storage areas was secured and it is still there.
I'll work on it some more and see if I can find it.
Has anyone had any luck getting the dealer to do anything about something like this? This is not an "intermittent" problem and it is really aggravating.

Update: I found the problem! My grand daughter dropped a nickel in the crack between the two cup holders and it got caught there almost completely hidden and just lose enough to cause a rattle. Got it out with a small screwdriver and a little patience so it wasn't the car after all - just a careless grand daughter.

 

Occasionally my Prius will have a small rattle noise, but only when it's cold outside. Like, really cold. I assume it's from the plastic shrinking and rubbing against each other that would cause a squeak or rattle. When it's warm out, I hear nothing.

 

For the most part, I file rattles with a Prius under "Nature of The Beast".

It's a car designed to be light weight and efficient.

Most of the interior is plastic.

Mine has been pretty rattle free, it's had a rattle from the front passenger side nearly from day one, but it doesn't really bother me.
I recently developed an annoying rattle from the rear, which may or may not of been related to the spoiler, it seems to have gone away.

In operation, since it's a hybrid and thus, often NOT running an ICE, I find the Prius to be very, very quiet.
Since the interior is mostly plastic, rattles come and go...

Maybe I've been lucky, so far only one really annoying rattle and that one seems to have vanished.

 

How much Dynamat did it take to do each door? and also did you buy a certain size roll? Where did you get it from?

Thanks! This might just do the trick for me!

 

My armrest has a creaking/rubbing noise that stops when I wedge my finger tips between it and the center console. I might see if I can remove the armrest to see if something can be added/changed to stop it.

 

You might try this on just the front 2 doors first, and if you like the results, go on to the 2 rear doors. This stuff is nasty to use as you will probably get some tar on your fingers and the foil backing is sharp (it can cut you). Plus you have to map out all the wiring and remount it over the applied Dynamat. Also, the attachment "buttons" in the door panel are tricky, but I was able to re-use them. If you know a good auto stereo installer, they might have experience in this, but I will say once it was done on my car, the result was dramatic.

Now when you close the doors, they have that "Lexus" feel instead of a "tinny" sound. Also, now the OEM speakers are awesome sounding. Lacquer thinner becomes your friend during the installation for removing excess tar. Be careful not to get any on the interior panels.

 

2010, i will say my back hatch area rattles at times but everything else is good

 

Well, I am still bothered by what I would call "crinkly wrapper" sounds on passenger side. Was quite bad when really cold, better now. I have removed the glove compartments, tied down all cable harnesses, checked for loose stuff. Most rattles when going over bumps gone but crinkly wrapper sound still shows up occasionally. Not loud but very annoying due to its high frequency - most rattles all lower in pitch.

 

I been in the automotive repairs/ body for over 30 years there is a quality difference! Toyota,s body's are soft thin metals, fastening panels are done fast as possible and as cheap as possible! But all in all its to save weight! OTHERWISE NO ONE AND NO ONE BEATS IT MPG!