Does your Prius rattle a lot?

Yes. Mine is a Gen II, but the Gen IIIs rattle too. It gets worse with time.

Tom

 

Yep, mine does a little. On small roads going 50 mph or slower it has some rattle, but once your on the expressway nothing rattles. Really strange, but since I drive 90 % highway I'm happy. I've also taken some felt with a sticky tape side and placed it in the glove box areas. Some areas still rattle, but I need someone to drive the car to find them.

 

As an outsider, from the standpoint that I do not own a Prius yet, I can only say that the rattles seem to be a pretty bad problem. Many complaints, many long threads.

This is suprising to me, not only because fit and finish is a Toyota hallmark, but also because I read an article about Prius Chief Engineer Akihiko Otsuka that said this: "After getting his electrical engineering degree in 1986, Chief Engineer Akihiko Otsuka joined Toyota as an engineer in the noise and vibration department".

So Chief Engineer Akihiko Otsuka got his start working in the noise and vibration department? Sounds to me like he lost contact with his roots, given the problems with noise and vibration.

I don't feel qualified to offer much more than this is unfortunately not an uncommon problem and I am really suprised.

I'm wondering and would like feedback from owners if these rattles and noises might have something to do with the use of the newer "ecological" plastics. Maybe there is just a different flexibility to these plastics?

In anycase, I know Toyota must keep costs down to compete with Honda, Hyundai and others but at least where The 2010 Prius is concerned sounds like they dropped the ball in some of the fit and finish areas.

 

We replaced a 1995 Mercedes C280 with our new Prius and the ol' Benz was still remarkably quiet considering its age and mileage, with hardly any rattles. There is a lot of truth to talk of German engineering when it comes to fit and finish, IMHO. But the Prius received enough rave reviews that we decided to pull the trigger, buy a new one (our first new car ever), and experience the finest in HEV's offered. I hope the rattles don't show up much over time for our car, as this is the kind of annoying thing that can keep me from buying another Toyota in the future. We also have a '04 GMC Yukon w/ 55K mi that is darn near as tight as the day it was made (bought it from my parents when they decided to upgrade to a new Buick, also a very, very quiet and tight car).

We're paying attention, Toyota. Please don't disappoint.

 

Yes, I do have some rattles coming from the back of the car. Nothing I can't live with.

 

I have a G2 Prius. No rattles yet. But it's still in its first year, so I don't know yet if any will surface in the future.

 

Four months and 5000 miles and no rattles to date. It has been in the 30's today and still no rattles.

 

My Prius has 1200 miles and started rattling as soon as the weather turned cold. It seems to be in the right side of the dash. It rattles more than my 2005 Envoy (body on frame no less.)

 

My Prius is by far the noisiest (and not in a good way) car I've owned. I've been fortunate enough to own many fantastic cars, including Porsches, BMWs, Mercedes AMG, etc. The BMWs and Mercedes, as you'd expect, are vault-like and very quiet inside. But even the handful of Porsches I've owned have been quieter inside than my Prius. And even my Fiat 124 Spider and VW Rabbit (first 2 cars I owned) from long ago were quieter.

The Prius dash & center console area is a noise machine, with new creaks, squeaks and rattles coming and going every day, and it's particularly bad when the car is cold in the morning. I've had several loaners while my Prius has been in the shop (Enterprise rentals), and every one seemed so quiet by comparison.

I got a Prius for the ecological reasons many do, and prepared myself for a major change in driving experience from what I've become accustomed to. Honestly, the one area that has really disappointed me is the interior noises. Perhaps my next hybrid will be a Lexus, or some other brand that focuses more on a quiet interior.

 

I had rattles on both the left and right side of my dash in my Gen III. Took it to the dealer, they drove it and also heard the rattles. they took the car for a day, pulled the dashboard spread some foam replaced the dash and tightened everything they could. It was quiet for a few days but has since started again although seems to be only half as bad. I find it very irritating especially since I bought the car largely based on Toyota's rep for quality.

I haven't decided if I'm going back to the dealer yet, as they said, after they worked on it, they couldn't think of anything else to do. I may just contact Toyota directly.

 

I haven't even bothered having the dealer try to fix the dash & center console noises, because my experience is you're opening up a can of worms. Just a theory, but I think the hollow center console (where the shifter is) acts like an amplification chamber, which exacerbates any noise issues.

 

I agree to not have the Dealer start pulling things apart, unless they are unbearable. I have found that the floating console is somewhat to blame. I am hopeful that Toyota may come out with a mod for that one.

I get a few they are really NOT BAD at all, and I think since the engine is so quiet we tend to notice them that much more.

I fixed the rear rattle (Toneau Cover) and the console is much better now...and putting the adhesive foam on the gloveboxes has helped a tremendous amount to virtually eliminate those rattle areas....

 

I recently bought a 3rd Gen prius in late November. I also started to notice vibrations from the center console and it goes away when I press on it. It became more noticeable when the weather became much colder. Oddly, it doesn't always vibrate especially during higher speeds. I might take it into the dealer soon if the vibrations get worse.

Other than that, the car has been enjoyable to drive and I am very impressed with it. I plan to drive it for many happy miles.

 

My wifes prius has no rattles.

 

30 days of ownership, and no rattles.

 

Many of the Gen3 cars are plagued with rattles and other signs of poor quality control. I found 5 of the 6 bolts that hold the front cover under the engine had fallen out and the last one was finger tight. I also have numerous rattles from all over the interior that I'm trying to find and fix, many dealers are not of much help with rattles. There are other quality related issues as well including improperly aimed headlights and CC cancel switches that are adjusted wrong.

Here are a couple of other rattle threads:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ing/69128-gen-3-dashboard-rattles-creaks.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ooting/71142-do-you-hear-rattling-noises.html

 

3- weeks...brick streets no rattles.
I am pretty spoiled since my last lease was a Murano and that thing was solid! I did notice that all the Murano storage boxes were felt lined...the Prius are not so anything stored will set up a rattle...also since you often lack the "white noise" of the engine you tend to notice every little thing. At first I found the basic sounds of the many motors (comming from the drivers door?) slightly disturbing but then...I discovered the great radio and now all is well...with 311 playing I can't hear anything from the powertrain.

 

just a general observation, but PriusChat does have a lot of complainers. squeaks, rattles, what do you wish your Gen III had, etc.

psychologically, i think most Prius owners are very analytical and ocd to some degree, myself included

i have to believe that for most, the Prius was their first hybrid vehicle... as such, will be the quietest car they've ever driven. so any squeak or rattle is magnified 10 fold, and 100 fold when in pure EV mode.

let's be honest, the construction of the car is pure econo-box / tin can... partly due to trying to keep the weight down, and moreso due to keep the costs down... otherwise, we'd be buying $35k to $40k Priuses.

rattles and squeaks are one thing... and i can live with that. having body panels or covers lose bolts and screws is a manufacturing issue, and that is unacceptable. if i see threads about body panels falling off, then i'll start to worry and 2nd guess my decision to buy a Toyota Prius.

 

I have lived with asperger's for 46 years and the exterme OCD behaviors that accompany my condition. My symptoms include a need to obsessivly learn everything I can down to the smallest detail about a subject once I get started.
...I only mention this because I seemed drawn to the Prius mainly because there is so much to learn...such a long detailed owner's manual...a cd to view...so many threads on the forum...so much to do...
Yes I can sincerely say that people with OCD tendencies are drawn to the Prius.