Squeaky Noise From Front Passenger Area

Lately, I’ve been hearing a squeaky noise from the front passenger area when my car’s in forward motion. Never when the brake’s been applied or the car’s in reverse. I can only describe the noise as reminiscent of squeaky coils or a bird’s trill. It’s intermittent and noticeable enough to be irritating but not loud enough to be alarming.

I’ve checked the front passenger seat and it seems firmly locked in. The dealer checked the suspension but ruled it out as a cause. I was told the suspension did not appear to need lubrication. Moreover, it’s in the back, not front where I’m hearing the noise. After the technician was done, I accompanied him, sitting in the back, while he drove. He was unable to tune into the noise, even after I would point it out.

I asked if it might be a matter of the seat requiring lubrication. The tech dismissed that outright as a possibility. The dealer said no other customer had ever complained of the symptoms I described. I’m unsure if their inability to connect with my complaint is due to its uniqueness, failure on my part to inspire their curiosity or the time of day, a Friday afternoon.

While paying particularly close attention today, I noticed the noise did not begin until a few miles into my first trip of the day. It did not occur immediately upon start-up in the morning.

As another option, the dealer suggested I leave the car with them for a good part of one day, so they could test drive it a few times. Before doing that, I’m hoping other owners who’ve had a similar problem will share their diagnoses and hypotheses. In case it’s relevant, my car is 3+ years old with less than 12K miles.

 

That's exactly how mine sounds. How did you get rid of the problem? I took the "mattress" out today and the squeaking started almost right away. It continued through multiple stop-and-go errands. Then, silence on the trip home. My inability to replicate conditions for the squeaking (at least for purposes of dealer illustration) is almost as frustrating as the noise itself. The TSB is encouraging. If only my car was still under warranty ...

 

Thanks for the report. It's been awhile since I checked and didn't realize there was another comment. My search of the TSB your dealer cited, 0390-08, yielded nothing. Is it different from TSB NV004-06 ("Front Seat Squeak Noise")? If your problem's been resolved, I'd love to hear an update.

 

Rest, I'm glad to hear of your success in eliminating the squeaks. I don’t think ours are similar but wholeheartedly agree that they can be so annoying as to drive one nuts. If I’m reading you correctly, yours hinted of plastic. Mine, on the other hand, is reminiscent of metal. Emanating from the center of the seat, it sounds like sagging coils in an aging piece of furniture no longer able to absorb pressure.

halpos4, I’ve got no progress to report in identifying culprit, though I appreciate your interest. As mentioned earlier, the dealer ruled out suspension. I have no reason to question that diagnosis. The squeaking occurs erratically and intermittently. Making it even harder to discern patterns are the low mileages that I put on the car; I don’t normally give it much of a workout. .

A few months ago, I was rear-ended by another car. Offsetting the damage, which amounted to no more than a few superficial scratches, was a month or so of no squeaks. Just as I began to let down my guard, assuming the accident had oddly solved the problem, the squeaks returned. Arrgh! .

With the car out of warranty and my dealer’s rate north of $100/hour, I’ve not been eager to commission work on the TSB. Also, at least one person here has said it failed to eliminate their squeaks completely. If the repair's to be on my dime, that's hardly confidence inspiring.