Rattle from driver's side dash?
 

I know there are multiple threads on this issue, and I've read all of the relevant ones I could find, but I'm still looking for ideas here before I give up and bring my car to the dealer.

I have a rattle coming from the area of the dash speaker on the left/driver's side of the car. It's been there since I got the car brand new (~1100 miles now). At first I thought it was the speaker grill, so I ignored it until I got around to getting a set of interior panel removal tools and some free time this past weekend. I pulled the grill, the mid, and the tweeter out, and the rattle is still there (and on that note, it's there with the stereo on or off). It seems to happen most often in the 35-45 MPH range (possibly more so during engine braking). It usually pops up for a few seconds and then goes away, making it extremely hard to pinpoint.

It's really, really annoying, and I want to avoid bringing it to the dealer if possible due to the hassle and I doubt they'll give me a loaner car for something like this while they keep my car, so I'm looking for any help I can get. Does anyone have any clue what it could be? I know these rattles are notorious for being hard to track down. :(

I found that one of the wire bundles around what I think was the ecu under the drivers dash (by the left leg) was rubbing against it. Pushing against this stopped the rattle sound. I shoved some paper up there to test it and the sound went away. I have yet to hear it again in months.

assuming you have an autodim mirror, check the mount at the windshield.

when it comes loose, which it will if you havent had it fixed yet, it'll rattle and resonate through the windshield and make it sound like the dash is rattling. got mine fixed a few months ago and so far so good

check the wires under the dash on the far left (driver's side) near the fuse box. Others, including myself, found these wires can move around and cause rattle/clicks/tapping sounds. I applied clear caulk to keep the wires from moving around, and the sound is gone.

As a matter of fact, caulk has been my friend with this car to stop various rattles-->black caulk around the home link mirror mount, clear on the wires in the trunk, clear on the panels under the car, and clear all around the wheel-well plastic followed by spray undercoating, has kept my BRZ as quiet as a church mouse. Sounds crazy, but I don't have time going to the dealer for every rattle, which they most likely would not be able to fix anyway.

I couldn't find anything that seemed loose in there, so I'm assuming it was just a bundle of wires hitting the metallic side of the car?



I actually found your posts multiple times while searching, but my mirror seems fine. It is sturdy and doesn't shake. Was this what was happening with yours? The car is only a month old and was probably at port about 2 months ago. Maybe they fixed the issue?

I probably won't use caulk, but I'll definitely feel around down there if I can next time I hear the noise. I hate to say it, but it would be easier to diagnose if the noise wasn't so random. But I can reproduce it on certain roads, oddly enough. They must be just bumpy enough to cause the right vibrations.

Went to the dealers and the tech said he couldnt hear it... I will have to fix it myself. The sound is coming from the fuse box wires causing the rattle sound.

I just went back down there and tried stuffing a small microfiber towel under various wires and I cannot figure out which one it is. I'm almost positive that's where it's coming from now, as I've put my phone on record and stuck my it above the dash and down by the fuse box and it was almost inaudible above the dash and clearly audible down below. Can any of you guys that fixed this be more specific on which bundle was the issue? I'm so close and this is driving me crazy.

I've attached a picture of the wires down there if it helps in the description.

I know you don't want to use caulk but what I did was fix any wire that had significant movement to the closest structure next to it with a small bead of caulk to keep it from moving.

I tried putting electrical tape around a few things, but it didn't help. It is incredibly hard to work down there. :(

I took a video of the rattle and myself speaking after the noise occurs and saying where I'm holding my phone. It is clearly under the dash somewhere.

[ame]http://youtu.be/oKsXN6YZ0sk[/ame]

Still looking for help on this. :( Thanks guys!

No idea what bundle of wires is causing the rattle but I know when my left knee pushes against the panel, the rattle stops.

I might shove a towel as well and see if that works.

I already tried shoving a towel in and around various places and wires near the fuse box. I also used electrical tape on a few things. Still rattles.

:cry:

Have you tried removing the panel to locate the rattle?

I might take it to the dealers and have a drive with a tech about the noise.

I didn't remove the panel down there yet. That's my next step. After that, it's going to the dealer.

I removed the panel down there, added some more tape, held some of the plastic back...still nothing, the rattle/buzz continues. It's starting to sound like it's coming from behind the dash, maybe in the gauge cluster or to the left of it or something. I don't know, but I give up at this point. It's going to the dealer this week.

I think I've have this same problem. I noticed it about 10k miles ago and it's become worse. I've taken it to the dealer twice and both times they told me they couldn't hear it, or that it was within spec—whatever that's supposed to mean. I'm going to take it in again because it now happens pretty loudly every time I take my foot off the accelerator. It has always sounded like metal on metal to me, but it's hard to tell. I've also had a very hard time telling exactly where it's coming from, but it almost sounds like the wheel well to me. At first I thought it might be down by the speaker cover, but I'm now pretty sure it's either at the firewall or on the other side. The amount of rattles and issues in this car are really adding up—to the point where I don't plan to keep it past three years at this point, which is too bad because it is fun to drive. I'm looking forward to what your dealer tells you because mine has not been helpful so far. Best of luck.

Brought it to the dealer yesterday. Took the tech for a drive, and he clearly heard the noise. I will update the thread as soon as I have my car back. In the meantime, I'll be breaking in this brand new Forester for them.

Mine also making some kind of rattling sound behind the dash while driving. I tried removing everything but couldn't find any lose wiring.

[ame]http://youtu.be/lUEf3E2IrPo[/ame]


To my surprise after i loosen this screw the sound is gone. When I tried tightening it back, the sound comes back. It sounds like the plastic is rubbing/knocking against the metal bar behind.

What i did was to take some foam padding and stick it in between and the sound is gone.

Going to test drive it later :cheers:

Is the noise you were hearing the same as the noise in my video? I also believe my noise sounded like plastic touching metal.

I have this exact noise. Let's fix it!

I'm hoping it's this simple.

I removed so many panels and taped up so many things that I gave up and brought it to the dealer. I will update the thread when I get my car back and confirm it's gone. Hopefully they'll be able to tell me what the cause was so you can fix it yourself if you'd like, or you can let your dealer know the cause and quickly get your car in and out.

I've got a tapping noise coming from the drivers side dash. It happens while car is moving and for a few seconds once the car stops and is idle. I think its somewhere around the speaker on top of the driver's side dash. I've noticed if I push down on the speaker cover the sound goes away. I've tried removing the speaker cover but the tapping noise is still there.

That isn't what I have. I completely removed the speaker grill, mid, and tweeter, then stuffed a towel around the wires to make sure they didn't slap the dash.

Update: Called the dealership for an update. Apparently they have some kind of device at the Acura dealership (the parent company of the Subaru dealership owns a few dealerships around here) that they can stick in random places to diagnose sound problems. They haven't figured out exactly what is causing the noise yet, but it is coming from the steering column.

More updates when I have them.

I've got the exact same noise from the steering column area. I'm a dealership tech but I decided to check the forums before I tore my brand new car apart. Let me know what you find and I can speak with my field rep and hopefully get a TSB started.

Will definitely keep the thread updated. I really doubt they did any work on Saturday and they're closed Sunday, so hopefully they'll make some progress tomorrow. I miss my car, but I want that rattle/buzz GONE. It was so freaking annoying and that's just embarrassing for a brand new car.

I have this same issue. I think it's coming from the wires near the fuse box but I haven't had the chance to stuff some towels down there to see if it fixes it.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a fix!

Thank you!!! let me see if i can reproduce their fix! He must have spent some serious time on it if he was able to get 4.9 hrs out of warranty lol. Nice!

He did. My odometer was 1546 when I dropped it off and 1672 when I picked it up. :eyebulge:

Thanks for the follow up post! :party0030:

I'll give this a look, but it seems strange that a vibration that is happening at the pedal is heard from the vent area.

I have that creaking sound too.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Human hearing isn't always great at determining what height a noise is coming from. That's why using a stethoscope (traditional or electronic) can be quite helpful in pinpointing noise locations. :)

Also have this buzzing sound. same as the one in your video. How's the fix holding up? Is this something we can do ourselves now that we know the cause?

It is holding up fine so far. I have no idea how easy this is to do yourself since I didn't do it myself. Sorry. :(

I had a rattle but it was the actual windshield vent rattling. I punched it a couple times but that didn't seem to help. It mysteriously went away after a few days.

I did the fix on my own car yesterday. Some sticky felt in between the gas pedal and the bracket for it on the body of the car. Seems to have fixed it so far!

For anyone wondering, it's extremely easy to do yourself. Unbolt the 2 10mm nuts on the gas pedal, and unplug it. Apply the felt to the back of it, and retighten it.

First off, thanks for posting the video. I have a mere 200+ miles on my BRZ, and I started to notice a familiar (not as noisy) sound. Just as OP described, I thought it was coming from the speaker, and at first thought it was static coming from the audio. I'd hear it with my music turned up, so you could say it was pretty noticeable. It almost sounded like it was coming from outside the vehicle, but the noise was audible usually when I depress the accelerator during engine breaking. For that reason, it would make sense that this noise is somehow related to the accelerator. I drove it on the freeway today, and I could replicate the same noise cutting the throttle and letting the RPM's go down from 4000-3000 in 4th gear. What's strange, is that it seemed to go away on much smoother roads :iono:

I'm still confused to how the bracket would make such a noise, and why not all BRZ's are affected by this. Would you be kind enough to take a picture of where the felt is applied?