Gen 3 Dashboard rattles & creaks

Great! Good luck with it, I understand your apprehension, plastic stuff is so easy to break.

 

It's apart now, but I would not suggest this to members here! There are 9 horizontal interior "ribs" that were glued but I was able to separate the front cover plate from the glovebox body going very slowly. There are a few minor guffs on one edge that no one but me will notice, but I now have a clear view of the errant mechanism causing the rattle. I have photographed it and will post a new thread here when I get it all back together and it is truly fixed. Shame on Toyota for creating this mess! Fixes include adding some felt pads on an interior track to the latches and of course plenty of grease on the spindle gear inside. There was also a loose screw holding the center mechanism in place that could have been part of the problem.
Stay tuned for a new thread on this!

 

Hi Greg!

Thanks for pursuing this issue.
I'm not ready to take the step of a complete teardown, but am wondering if it might be possible to "inject" enough silicone-based grease into the assembly from either end to help tighten things up inside.

Can't wait to see the photos....

 

Dan,

I want to road-test my fix this morning. I find that all the noises, rattles, etc. present themselves more when it is cold out. I also forced a thick wad of foam rubber between the sky-bridge console and the center console. It seems to have stopped much of ticking and creaks associated with that area too. Once I'm convinced the fixes worked to my satisfaction, I will post a new thread here with pictures.

To address your question about injecting grease from either end, you would need a grease gun with a needle attachment that could reach laterally about 8 inches. I don't think such a device exists. Add to that, you would be doing it blind and part of the problem is an internal mounting screw that wasn't snug enough. More later when I post pictures.

 

Hi Greg!

I've found that putting downward pressure on the area between the sky-bridge and the center console did help, but the foam stuffing did not (in my case, at least). Still pursuing...

Thanks for that info: maybe if I were to drill a few small holes toward the center it would help (still trying to avoid the whole breaking/repairing the glue joints)

I hope it all works out, and you get us some good, concrete answers.

On another note: does your rear spoiler vibrate?
I found that mine does, both against the hatch (cured with some foam stuffed up from underneath) and internally as well. If you tap on the top of it near the stop light assembly it seems loudest. As the spoiler is apparently blow-molded and hollow, it may be the wiring to the stop light that's making the noise.
Sadly, removing the stop light assembly doesn't gain access to the hollow area as it sits in a molded recess in the plastic.

 

I tried that but I could not get the grease into the exact spots that were the cause. The spindle-gear is inside a small channel made of plastic. It's nearly impossible to grease it properly without separating the glove-box assembly. Please wait for my new thread so you can see the actual mechanism. My first attempt was to drill 2 holes behind that black sticker but that did not solve the rattle. Luckily, the sticker now covers the 2 holes I drilled.

Yes to that problem as well! I found forcing some thin dense foam rubber up underneath the spoiler so it was tight again and then trimming off the excess with a carpet knife solved that problem. BTW, for another bad rattle I had back there, I actually removed the inner black plastic housing material to get "eyes" on that structure too. I may post pics of that later. There are some black plastic spacers in the rain-track that I believe were causing my rattle back there. I think I have a solve, but need to road-test it before posting that fix.

Greg

 

You're far more adventurous than I.hwell:

Waiting patiently for the results of your good work :thumb:

 

I just finished my road tests with good results - no more ticking or rattle. I will compose a new thread with the details shortly.

 

:hail::hail::hail::hail:

 

I found a perfect rubber piece the other day for stopping the center console rattle - I took a piece of roughly 3/8 inch rubber foam floor matt (the type used in gyms, for placing weight-lifting weights on), and it stopped the rattle cold. Its perfect since its very dense and can absorb up any vibrations. Much better than the felt piece I inserted between the center console and floating console.

 

Hi Michael,

Good idea!

I'm going to try a similar item: I've got an old mousepad that's about 5/16" thick, having the foam on one side and the smooth material on the other.
Best part is that it's not an additional purchase

I'll post the results when I fully test it.

 

I have a new Gen 3 Prius V with less than 2k miles on it. I have rattle in the center console, and also in the aftermarket moonroof. Both are mild, but they bother me since the car is so quiet. I know pressing on the moonroof silences the rattle. But the center console is beyond me... I can't tell exactly where it's coming from. I think it's the part where the U-shaped center console merges with the cabinet between the front seats, but I can't press on it and silence it in any way. Has anyone been able to silence these creaks?

 

Purchased my 2010 Prius III in June 2009, heard the "glovebox buzz" in first cold drive last winter. Now this winter it is more noticeable, New York. Very distracting sound at low speeds!! I hope I can live with it, because I have tried to stop the buzz without success.

 

Had the 16K km oil change done yesterday (OMG they actually put in the WRONG oil even after I specifically told them I wanted 0w20, but that's another story) and got them to look at the centre console. They put some sort of padding in the centre console and tightened it up. It's definitely better, but it still rattles. And it still temporarily stops when I push it sideways a little.

Decisions, decisions - get them to try again or, given the time associated with taking it in again, etc., just try myself as this may actually be easier...

 

My 2010 III had a slight static noise...sounded like it was coming out of the speaker grill on the dashboard passenger side. I reported it today during my 5000K service checkup....they tightened the door jam bolts...why they would do that....maybe they know more then they are telling us...but I did not hear the noise on my trip home.

 

My Prius II (built April 2010) is at the dealership for a couple days; they are pulling the dash apart. They didn't know about the dash/hatch rattle TSB; I gave it to service over the phone after the tech said he'd be able to locate it. Tech went on a test drive and located all the major rattles mentioned earlier in this thread.

Not to fan the flames, but this number of rattles in a car with 5K (I noticed them a week after purchase) is laughable. I can't even put my elbow on the center console without a loud crack and creak. Toyota simply went ape with the costcutting. Edmunds has already noticed -- "a symphony of creaks and rattles."

They should step it up: Ford is coming, Hyundai is on the move. I'm quite confident the quality of the new Focus hybrid interior will make an embarrassment of these Prius cabins. And I'm excited to give the new Sonata hybrid a test drive when it hits lots.

 

Could you please post that TSB number here when the dealership finds it? Thanks.

 

T-SB-0141-10
Upper/Lower Windshield + Rear Glass Tick Noise

It was originally posted in another thread. This seems to be a general tsb for clicking noises in Toyota vehicles, and not specific to the 2010 Prius. I think this is why the tech couldn't locate it.

Has anyone aside from zencar had success in requesting a sound insulation package for their Prius, under warranty?

 

Thanks erikl, I made a note of the TSB as some dealerships are in denial about this problem. I just purchased the pdf download on how to remove the upper dash board. OMG, it is major! Vents must come out, speakers, upper glove box, panels beside the steering wheel to name a few. This is probably too involved for a DIY. I hope it will be covered under the new car warranty.

 

FWIW, my experience is having something as involved as this performed is opening up a giant can of worms. It could likely create more issues than it would solve. Unless I had unbearable noises that were present in all temps, I wouldn't risk it. My car has plenty of noises--worse at low temps--but there's no way I'd let them rip out my dash.