Noise in Dash...Arrghh!!

Yeah, I've got the dash rattle, too. The more I read about the fixes, the more confused I get. I think it is the mirror that's making the noise, because when I push down on the dash section directly above the speedo, it goes away. Maybe I could just set an elephant on my dash or something..

 

Actually, if you could acquire a few cubic mm of black hole material, it would also hold down the rattle, and be less obtrusive than those pesky dashboard pachyderms.

BillG
Minneapolis

 

I'm not convinced that John and I had the same noises. But mine was a pronounced sqeak or creak that occured with most bumps on the road. When I post a pic maybe John can comment further. But I did not have to take apart my dash to do this. Since the fix is somewhat flexible, being rubber, I don't think it will over-stress any portion of the dash at least. In that way its more like a gasket and does prevent all the motion and contact between the large dash expanse and the reflective display mirror by putting the rubber between the two. Let's see what the dealer comes up with when I get the car back Wednesday.

 

Ok, I got the car back today. I guess since they had some portion of the dash out for the fuel tank TSB they went ahead and fixed the creak and the small panel rattle right. There isn't any creak anymore...period. And the panel that rattled has zero play now too. All and all I'm pretty happy. They removed my o-ring fix and did it right. So my recommendation is to put pressure on your dealer and make them fix it.

Sadly the car still wanders, lol. It's normal according to the dealer. About what I expected at this point. I will say this...as much as I don't like the sort of lazy low freqency wandering I have now, it is a lot better that the 2005 Corolla they loaned me. That car was actually worse and was all over the place! I was not very impressed. The Acura RSX really puts that car to shame big time in the 'tracking" department. I beginning to think that Toyota is not big on designing cars that track very well. I learned today that my friend's wife has a new MR2 and she feels the same way about it. Says her old Miata was far better.

 

OK, right below tape is where I slid in the oring...which the dealer didn't use. They had part of the dash out for the TSB I think I were able to better get proper noise issolation material in the right spot to stop the sqeak. The smaller panel with the blue tape on it is no longer loose. You could tap on mine with your finger and make it rattle. But it only rattled on it's own with 42/40 psi in the Michelin Hydroedge tires on a wash board type surface.

Oh I just notice my dash is a little bit scratched up, the side of the car was scratched (but this buffed out), and one of my wheel covers is gone!!!

 

Yes the small panel at the left would previously only rattle when I tapped on it with my finger. It didn't ratltle with 42/40 and the Goodyear tires either. But the Hydroedge tires at 40/38 and above with the right road surface made it rattle like crazy. But both small panels are tight now and are quiet.

 

Will ask dealer about the rattles as well. I don't think Toyota's should rattle.

As for wandering, I've never driven a Toyota Supra, but I don't think they wander... How about the MR2, does it wander, I wonder?

 

I have a friend that has owned several Miatas and recently bought a Toyota MR2. Her husband told me that it felt twitchy to her on the road compared to all her Miatas. But I've never driven one, only the Corolla. I think coincindentially that the Corolla has a similar torsion bar suspension in back like the Prius. I'm not sure about that one so anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

I remember well my first drive of the Prius. The ultra soft suspension really surprised me having owned cars like the RX-7, 2 CRX-SI's, and three Acura Integras. It really reminded me of the Cadillacs of the the 60's, soft, mushy, with lots of body roll on the corners. So as soft as the car rides, I am sort of surprised at all the sqeaks, creaks, and rattles I've experienced. But maybe this is mostly on the early builds because I drove a 2005 and it was very quiet. Now that they fixed the squeak I have a brand new sound.....some kind of buzz inside the dash! Can't win I guess!

 

Just got my 2004 Prius back fron the dealers repair. You are very correct, the dash had to be take apart, but the mechanic did a wonderful job and was able to resolve the noice. It is better than brand new.

 

ok so i've had my prius, no more then a week, i was driving along happily last night when i noticed a static like noise coming from the center speaker. the sound would get louder and faster the more i accelerated.....i did the whole patting/pressing/pushing on the dash thing (while weaving all over the road) and just grew more and more frustrated with not being able to find the source of this annoying sound.....which i dreaded could be a serious electrical issue. I sat up till 1:30am reading these posts thinking ....hmmm i must have one of these issues.....i really didnt want to have to jam a comb into the dash of my shiny new prius......ah well.... i went to bed. I would troubleshoot more in the morning........the sound was still there on the way to work. And more patting and pushing on the dash insued......then i spotted the culprit.....a leaf was caught under the windshield wiper. ugh. .....at least now i can say my hair still has a nice clean part down the side :roll:

 

That's a good one. I can almost picture that too. When you said a static sound I too thought some sort of electrical interference or a loose speaker connection. Good luck with your new car and try to keep your head inside from now on!

 

Just to add one more location to check, my rattle problem is coming from the rearview mirror. It sounds like it's behind the dash, but when I put my hand on the power wire going to the back of the mirror, it silences the rattle.

But it's really hard to drive that way.

 

I suspect that some of the rattles are due to the suggestion of inflating the tires well above the 35/33 recomended pressures.

 

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Yes the mirror does rattle. Now that the dealer has fixed the dash again, it might just be the mirror alone now.

And yes the increased pressure did make mine rattle. The squeaks and creaks were always there. The Michelins made the rattle worse too...stiffer than the Goodyears I think.

Fred

 

I had a really bad clunking sound from my glove box every time I went round a corner. I padded the CDs in there as much as I possibly could, to no avail. Then I removed the pen from the centre-console drawer, and the clunk went away.

Later, I became convinced that the steering wheel buttons were rattling. This really drove me crazy as I attempted to pin down the source. All the trim, air vents, drive selector, everything I checked and it made no difference. Then I removed my (metal) watch...

 

I can hear a rattle coming from the passenger side window when it is down a few inches. It is OK when it's closed. I grabbed the glass and tried to move it back and forth. It moved about half an inch. It may be the cause of the rattle. I will ask the mechanic to check it when I bring my car in for 10K service, fuel gage TSB, nav DVD update and the new brake pedal recall. Whew, too many things to cover....

Tosh
Salsa 04 BC
San Diego, CA

 

I found another source of rattle which is a center speaker grille. I removed the speaker and put a few drops of glue on the back side where the grille is bent over. 90% of my rattle is now gone. The dashboard may rattle but it is not as annoying as the speaker grille. Oh, when you do this, check the back of the speaker still has a plastic cap with the JBL logo. If you see the bare magnet, the cap should be jumping up and down inside the space.

Tosh

Salsa 04 BC + EVb
San Diego, CA