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Toyota Camry Rattles

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Comments

  • badgerfanbadgerfan Member Posts: 1,565
    Ho-Hum.

    Happily tooling along in my 2000 Ford Taurus SES with DOHC Duratech V-6. Now at 48K miles and approaching 5 years of ownership come October, and not one interior squeek or rattle and thus no need to tear apart anything to find rattles and squeaks. (OK I will fess up, I had new sway bar links replaced under warranty as they started rattling over rough pavement, but dealer found it right away and it hasn't come back with the replacements.)

    The car bought new only cost me $18K before TTL as well with no trade in. No buyer's remorse as it drives like new, though I will need to replace the original tires before winter and probably will need brakes fairly soon as well.
  • cam2003cam2003 Member Posts: 131
    Re: 2005 Camry [jbollt]" I actually thought the gas guage was broken, with the odo reading 330 miles at half tank! 4 Cyl 5spd automatic"

    When you saw the gauge at middle level, actually 1/3 gas tank remained!
  • bostonarea1bostonarea1 Member Posts: 4
    I bought a 2005 Camry LE V6 about 2 months ago. It now has about 1,400 miles of driving over bumpy Boston area roads on it. So far, I don't hear any rattles. I do hear minor rear suspension noise when driving over large bumps. This car is very quiet compared to the 1997 Mercury Sable (47,000 miles) that I previously owned. After reading all these postings, I guess I'll have a lot of rattles to look forward to.
  • doosaiwolfdoosaiwolf Member Posts: 7
    Well, I am done attempting to fix my car myself, I called and filed a complaint with Toyota, so I will wait for their case specialist to review my case and call me back. (Should be today.) They are more than likely going to take this to arbitration as I have not yet seen any resolve. The noise in the doors is getting worse and now is occuring in the passenger side as well, I can't figure out why, but it is as if the doors are coming loose (even after they tightened the mounting points) so I just don't get it, maybe I got a camry that was destined to be a crash test model...

    Maybe I will be lucky and they will actually do something for me, but I am not counting on it...

    All I know is if I place something in the door when shutting it, between the rubber seal and the door, it tightens the fit so it isn't so loose and the noise goes away but the dealer claims they can't do anything more to tighten the doors.

    I know the rubber seal is hollow in the middle so I thought about adding some insulation to make it a little thicker so that it isn't so loose against the door when it is shut, but I will wait to see what arbitration does first as I don't think I should have to be taking these steps to fix my own car as it is brand new.

    They make a ton of camry each year and they are bound to have a very minor percentage with problems as with any mass production manufacturing process so I am hoping I am just part of that small percentage and they can fix this problem.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    They do it to mine every oil change. It eliminates crackles and pops for a few weeks anyway.
  • junepugjunepug Member Posts: 161
    Please do not worry. We have a 2002 Camry LE V6 with 30,000 rattle free miles.
  • elpcgringoelpcgringo Member Posts: 3
    You are definitely not alone. I have a 2003 Camry SE V6 and the rattles started almost within the first 2 mos of ownership. Don't get me wrong the car drives and performs great, but I hate rattles. That is one of the reasons, I stayed away from American cars. Toyota has a much tighter fit and finish, or at least I thought. Along with the rattles in the dash and left door near the seat belt height adjustment. I also have one in the right front passenger door and the rear door. I have had it in twice. They took the dash apart and had sound equipment hooked up and we all went for a ride. Of course they couldn't reproduce it. I also have a popping/clunking sound when I back up down my driveway. It has something to do with the rear struts/suspension. They couldn't figure it out. There may be a bulletin on this one. Luckily the don't effect performance, but are extremely annoying.
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    I just picked up my 2005 Camry XLE V6 two nights ago and in less than 50 feet out on the road from the dealership, I noticed a rattle coming from the back somewhere. I thought it might be something to do with the spare tire or jack but they all seem to be tight. Also, even worse than that, I am extremely dismayed at how this car takes moderate to hard bumps. I am used to the ride of a Grand Marquis, and I know full well this car won't ride like that, but this seems excessive. It makes loud thunking noises when going over bumps. Where the Marquis seems to evenly disperse bump noise over the whole car, the Camry is all coming from the rear. When I sat in the back seat last night to take my parents for a ride, I could hardly stand it. Are other owners experiencing this? Tomorrow will be the end of my 72-hour Buyback period, so I need an answer quick! Is this thumping just part of this model's makeup that I need to get used to, or is it something fixable? Thanks for any advice.
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    Two things. First, unless the dealership itself has a "buyback" policy, there is no such law in any of the 50 states that I am aware of. Secondly, check or have checked the tire pressures for the tires. Often, the dealer may have missed reducing the tire pressures from the shipping pressure of 45-50psi down to 35psi. The only time I've ever heard such sounds from a Camry going over bumps is when the tires are overinflated. Hope this helps.

    Ken
  • totitoti Member Posts: 2
    Mine is 2005 Camry LE. I do not know the similarity on suspension components vs. XLE. I experience the same thumping on the rear (a soft pounding noise) whenever I drive on bumps. The noise is like metal pounding on a worn rubber bush. I took my car back to the dealer (Hamer-Toyota, Mission Hills, CA) week after. Along with that, I also complained that my RPM idle runs between 850-900rpm. Left my car overnight. When I got my car - nothing was done on my car. Service advisor said their test drive indicated everything is normal (I wonder if they really did a road test), RPM not adjusted because it will adjust by itself when the engine "breaks-in". Now, I guess I have to live with that for now because I can't waste my time taking the car for service and get the same reply. Sucks!!! BTW, my tire pressure was set at 34 when I experience the thumping noise. My old Altima 2001 GXE is a much better car. - I wish I got Accord instead.
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Thanks, Ken - You got it! Sorry I didn't see your message until after the problem was solved, but I wanted to tell you how right you were. It was the tire pressure! Apparently the sales manager at my dealership was aware of previous complaints from new owners about the same issue I was having, but they haven't learned to check the tire pressure before sending a customer home in the car. I guess the Toyota factory loves to overinflate tires for whatever reason. Maybe it's a car carrier regulation or something. Anyway, the sticker on my doorjamb says the tires should be 29 psi and they were all 42 psi!! Once we let the air out the car rides just fine. Whew! What anxiety THAT caused me!

    My dealership has a written policy that within 72 hours (and not more than 250 miles) from delivery, you can return the car (undamaged) for full purchase price refund. Obviously, this is just an individual dealership policy. But I can tell you I was thisclose to calling it into play. I chastised the sales manager for not checking the tire pressure beforehand. It would have saved me a lot of grief.

    The slight rattle is still there and the sales manager rode with me and heard it, too. He thinks it's the rear seat belt mechanisms in the top of the seat and they will be ordering me new ones to replace them. Otherwise, I now love the car.
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    The reason they are overinflated from the factory is so that they don't get flat spots on them from the transport trucks. If you've ever watched them unload a truck, you'll notice that they chain them down at all 4 corners and when they release the chains, the car/truck pops up about 6-8". When they're chained down this hard for any period of time, if the tires are not overinflated, they will get flattened. Part of the PDI (pre delivery inspection) for the dealer to do is to check the tire pressure. So either someone forgot or was lazy, but at least you found what it was. I'm glad you're enjoying the new car and I'm sure you'll have many more miles of enjoyable ownership.

    Ken
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...they also get flat-spotted just sitting on the dealer's lot, which is another reason they are reluctant to set the pressures at proper delivery levels until the car is actually ready for the customer.

    I can't tell you how often I have answered this question or couseled people complaining about ride and noise problems with a new car to CHECK THE TIRE PRESSURES BEFORE YOU TAKE DELIVERY OF ANY NEW CAR. For that matter, I never sign anything on a new car until I have driven the particular car I'm intending to buy - a couple of times I've called off the deal, or picked another car in stock, because of issues that have arisen on that "acceptance drive".

    Nothing unique about Toyota here - I've had to adjust the tire pressures on a number of Mercedes, BMWs and other high-line cars before taking them on a test drive. I consider the tire gauge an essential tool for any test drive.
  • makarandmakarand Member Posts: 3
    Hi,

    I bought a 2005 Camry hardly 10 miles on it. I observed a rattling noise
    driving above 50 miles while passing over bumps. It mostly cme on the
    concrete road not on a smooth road. It sounded like noise of glass
    vibrating in a frame. It could not pin-point it but seemed from the
    passenger side door.

    Anyone had such problem ? Any solutions ?

    Regards
    Makarand Vaidya
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    Seat belt mechanism noises are quite common and annoying. They come an go. I have heard of NO solution to the issue short of one dude taking the thing apart and fixing it himself by adding insulation. He outlined his solution...it was complex. After they install the new mechanisms and the noise remains you may wish to consider printing his solution and brining it to your dealer...ot Toyota if they balk. I think his post was somewhere in the last 10 pages or so.

    I wonder if his solution has endured?

    Personally I gave up on getting this annoyance resolved. Perhaps when the next complete redesign occurs....

    Regarding the window buz.....get used to lubing you door seals every 10 days or so. That usually quiets many of these pops and buzzes.

    Good Luck and remember, just like in my old GM and Chrysler days...you can always crank up the radio!
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Thank you both for the info on tire pressure. I will never go to a dealership again without a tire gauge in my hand. :D Lesson learned. I thought I went into this deal relatively well-informed, but I can always learn something new.
  • slim2slim2 Member Posts: 20
    I noticed my dealer put in 35 psi and so did Sears when they put the replacement tires on. Yet the door label says 29 PSI . Which is right ?
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    I would use the tire manufacturer's ratings over the car manufacturer's ratings all the time. However, with any tire there is a minimum and maximum rating. So the recomended may be 35 but 29 may be within tolerence. The 29 will give you a softer, probably quieter ride, the 35 will give you better handling.

    Hope this helps.

    Toyata Ken
  • doosaiwolfdoosaiwolf Member Posts: 7
    Yeah, I posted that solution a few weeks back. Since then it has endured. My best advise is try to put as much insulation as possible (Burbur Insulation is what the factory uses) without obstructing the movement of the seatbelt height adjuster or the seatbelt in the column itself. You should be able to put 2 or 3 layers of insulation inside the plastic pillars, and one layer against the frame column itself. It doesn't "FIX" the noise issue but it muffles it enough making it hardly noticeable.

    From what I can tell, inside the frame column there is an impact beam which is insulated using what appears to be some sort of spray foam, it seems they don't use "enough" to prevent minor vibrations inside this frame column. I assume they have to use the insulation as the car needs to be just a little tiny bit flexible as cars flex slightly when they move. I imagine making these things so rigid would produce an unpleasant ride.

    -------------------

    I honestly don't think they will change the manufacturing in the new Camry model that is coming soon as before this current generation Camry the seatbelt pillars have been similar construction year over year for a long time (not only in the camry but in other cars like corolla as well).. as such, I assume they will continue to make internally housed seatbelt height adjusters as visually it gives the car a more clean luxurious appearance.
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    My '05 XLE V6 has had a rattle in the back since I first left the dealership with it. It just had the outboard rear seat belts replaced but the rattle is still there as bad as before. Maybe someone can give me a hint as to what is rattling. It comes from the right side just inside the trunk behind the seat. When I fold down the passenger rear seat and stick my head in the opening, I can hear the rattle as plain as day right at the side wall just inside the opening. I can't tell if it is the seat belt, although I will say that when I first left the dealership after the belt replacement I didn't hear the noise, but by the time I got home it was back full force. I will be riding with a technician on Saturday to try again to diagnose this, but I'm hopeful one of you will have a clue.
  • ray_paray_pa Member Posts: 10
    After 500mi, my LE now has exactly the same rattle. whenever it runs over a tiny tiny hole/bump. certainly not deafening but audible all the time. it's embarrassing. sounds like falling apart. :cry: nothing wrong w/ the trunk, cabin tho. it must be suspension. it all started after i took two friends for a ride in the back seats. but they are skinny people.
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Have you had the rattle checked out by the dealership? Is it on both sides of the car? Mine is only on the passenger side. It probably has nothing to do with people sitting in the back seat. I'd be interested to know what you discover. You're right though -- although not a deafening noise, it's irritating nonetheless. I don't want to always have my radio on just to cover up a rattle.
  • ray_paray_pa Member Posts: 10
    "Have you had the rattle checked out by the dealership? "
    Not yet. will do it soon. only on the passengre side.
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Well, I took the car to the dealership last Saturday for the tech to hopefully hear the rattle. The skies were clear and the road dry when I left home (and the rattle was there), but within a few miles it had rained and the road was all wet. Well, shortly after the car got wet, the rattle stopped. The tech heard absolutely nothing and neither did I. I was told that anytime you schedule to have a rattle checked, and it's raining or really humid out, just cancel the appointment. Seems moisture makes almost all rattles disappear. Tomorrow is another day, and the skies should be clear -- I'll try again. Obviously it has nothing to do with the seat belt mechanism or it wouldn't have stopped rattling. I think it's in the suspension, because the car also thunks badly over bumps. I truly hope something is loose that they can find because the thunking is driving me nuts. If this keeps up, I won't have this car too long.
  • 05camry0505camry05 Member Posts: 1
    Some rattle all the time on the smallest bump or little rough road from both front corners of the car. One big rattle from passenger side back of the car whenever car passes over a hole or bump. Had not expected camry to do that. I am totally disappointed. Wish had bought Accord instead. Will take my car to the dealership today and check out what they say...
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    I HOPE there is a solution! I have a had a 'vibration' noise in my ear periodically since I got my '02 three years ago. Of course the dealer never could hear it. Well now it is non stop. It quiets a little if I put the window down 1/8 inch or so. It stops if push the inside of the window outwards while driving. I cleaned the window and weather stripping and ,oiled and lubricated. It's still there. I am due for an oil change and I dread going in because everytime I go in I have a new rattle related complaint.

    If they do not 'hear' this one or fix it, I am having a Toyota rep come in. If anyone has had this issue and has a DIY fix, please post!
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    What did your dealer say? Mine found that the rattle in the rear was caused by the right rear strut being bad. They have ordered the parts and will replace them. I don't know how long they had to look for the problem, but it couldn't have been long, as they called me about two hours after the service dept. opened. Maybe you have bad struts, too -- more than one! I am anxious to hear what you found out.
  • cold_in_towncold_in_town Member Posts: 10
    today I called the dealer and ask if I can get the car rental for free before my car can be fixed since i bought the 7 year /75K extended warrenty including the car rental. but the guy said the rental does not cover the rattling, is this true?

    I just had my camry LE for 10 days, now the rear passenger side between the seat and the trunk start to rattle, seems from the side wall, creaking and rattling sound, I am so depressed by this.

    Please help me and give me some ideas about the rental.

    thanks
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    If you have rental car coverage I see no reason why you should be denied a rental car under the extended warranty simply because the car is rattling. I'm assuming you bought the warranty from the dealer. Ask to talk to the service manager, or the salesman who sold you the car. A brand-new car should not be rattling. Mine did, too, from the day I picked it up. Rattle was coming from the same area you describe. Maybe Toyota had a defective batch of struts, since that's what mine is, and my salesman told me that someone else just recently had the same rattle and he had a bad strut, too. Check that out, maybe that's your problem.
  • cold_in_towncold_in_town Member Posts: 10
    ragdollgirl, thanks for your information.
    I am wondering how loud your car rattling, mine isn't that loud, but it is annoying.
    I am a little worried to let them tear apart the brand new car.

    I still didn't receive the warrenty information from dealer yet, is there any limitation on the car rental? I bought the extended warranty at the dealer, seems after i bought it, they don't care you anymore.

    thanks again,
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Unfortunately, cold_in_town, I can't answer your question regarding the extended warranty since I've never had one. But on the subject of the rattle, ANY rattle is annoying, I'll agree, and mine is not noticeable when the radio is on, but certainly is when it's quiet. It rattles all the time, and since I'm very sensitive to funny noises, it drives me crazy. I also agree with your hesitation to tear the car apart, although I will say that if it is a bad strut, or something else mechanical, you definitely want to get it fixed, and the sooner the better. You want your suspension to be right, as it will only get worse later. Good luck. Let me know what you discover.
  • cold_in_towncold_in_town Member Posts: 10
    Ragdollgirl, thanks for your reply, I do have one more question, does your rattling sound come from the upper side wall between the rear door and the back windsheild or lower ? what kinda sound? creakiing, clicking?
    mine is kinda right above the deck, clicking kinda sound,
    especially over the bumpy road. I made an appointment on next Tuesday, hope the dealer can have a solution.
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Cold_in_town, my rattle comes from the same area you are describing (upper side wall). It is a constant tapping sound (but not evenly like a clock ticking, it's changeable), not creaking -- sounds like two parts vibrating against each other. I guess you could also call it "clicking". I don't have to be going over bumps, it rattles all the time. I do have what I consider an excessive thunking noise in the rear when going over sharp bumps, although now I hope that is also connected to the bad strut and will be corrected as well as the rattle. The technician at the dealership told me that Camrys do have a certain amount of "thump" in the rear, as he's driven many of them and rented others. So some of THAT noise may be normal, but I hope it does lessen a little with the repair. If you haven't done so already, fold the passenger rear seat down and ride in the back seat with someone else driving. That's what I did, stuck my head in the trunk compartment and could hear the rattle plain as day coming from the side wall right in back of the rear seat. Frustrating, isn't it? I also have the same complaint many others have of a ticking sound coming from the driver's side seat adjuster on the side pillar. It's not to the maddening stage yet, but when I go in for the seat rattle, I plan to ask the technician to show me how to pop the seat adjuster cover off so, if necessary, I can do it myself and attach some foam as I've heard others have done. I sure hope no more funny noises show up. This is a brand new car, for cripes' sake!! :mad:
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    They did my oil change and tire rotation and applied some sort of tephlon around all the door and window sills...again. This quieted some of the pop and crackles but not the one right in my ear. I can however duplicate it if I press on the window and let go. It almost sounds as if the window perhaps compreses against some dried up foam insulation or something. I'll be brining it back again as soon as I have a chance and if they say nothing can be done then I am calling Toyota. My only hope is it goes away when the colder weather comes...of course that is when the noises in the dash by the speaker grills start again.
  • cold_in_towncold_in_town Member Posts: 10
    today it rains in my area, the car getwet, and like you said before, the rattles are gone, I am just worried that how long the quietness lasts if the weather gets good later. like one hour or two right after the rain or need longer time? since I want the mechanic to hear the rattles and don't want to drive there for nothing, hope tomorrow the weather is hot and dry, :)

    how is your driver's side seat adjuster noise? Did you do something about it already?

    Keep me posted and thank you for your information.
  • cold_in_towncold_in_town Member Posts: 10
    just want to add something, I am just confused that how come the strut would cause the tapping noise upper rear seat so far away from the strut.

    Does your rear rattles stay gone?

    Thanks
  • midorigalmidorigal Member Posts: 8
    Hi All,

    Well, I'm glad I found this board, I just posted my question under Problems and Maintence but just now noticed this. Ragdollgirl, I seem to have the same problem as you. I just bought my car about a month ago and about 2 weeks ago I noticed a sound coming from my back passenger seat (the seat behind the driver's), I thought it sounded like a rubbing sound, another friend thought it was rattling and yet another thought it sounds like tapping. I've pulled down the seat thinking it didn't click back right, I've thought it was the safety belt and then I thought it was stuff in my trunk. I still can't figure it out.

    I've made an appointment for Wednesday and like Cold_In_Town, I just hope it makes that noise when I am there!

    I am slightly disappointed because this is a new car and the sound wasn't there when I bought it!!! I hope it doesn't mean this is a :lemon: cuz I would be really depressed!
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    cold_in_town, I'm happy to say that my rear seat rattle seems to be gone! They replaced the bad strut last week and so far, no noise (from that area, at least). I have no idea why a strut would be rattling that far up in the side of the car, except that I do know noises aren't always originating from where you think you're hearing them. Good example: Several years ago, my '94 Grand Marquis did a lot of squeaking that I would have sworn was coming from the front suspension. Turns out some "on the ball" technician discovered that the adjustable hood mounts were loose and needed to be tightened up against the hood when it's closed. Figure that one! Regarding how long to wait for moisture to dry out, I would give it a couple of days, or at least a day, to be sure the rattle is back so your mechanic can hear it. The last thing we all want to do is waste time running the car back and forth and nobody can hear the noises. I certainly learned something new about not bothering to take a car in for a rattle noise if it's raining or wet. It's true. Of course, if it's something in the interior that's causing the rattle, moisture may not make a difference, but it might. It doesn't seem to affect the ticking noise in my driver's side seat belt adjuster. That is still happening. I had a tech drive the car while I sat in the back and neither one of us could hear anything. Of course, I wasn't sitting where I normally am when I hear it, but I thought since I was putting my ear right up near it, I would have heard it. But nothing that day. Next day, I heard it (naturally). I will probably be taking it back again at some point to try again on that one. I sure hope you have a bad strut. That's a relatively easy fix. Keep me posted.
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Boy, midorigal, SLIGHTLY disappointed didn't begin to describe how I felt about that rear rattle. Mine was apparent the moment I drove the car away from the dealership the night I bought it. Talk about fearing you bought a lemon! Rattles and squeaks are some of my biggest nightmares, as I have extra keen hearing and the slightest strange noise drives me buggy. I just prayed they could find and fix it, and for now it seems they have. Have your checked your spare tire and jack to be sure they are tightened down? Have you tried pulling down the rear seat and sticking your head in the trunk while someone else drives? If it's coming from just inside the trunk on the side wall, it could be the strut, as mine was. Yours may have just taken a little while longer to show up. However, as a sideline, my dealer located my car in Virginia (I live in Delaware) and they had an older, retired man who works part-time for them driving cars around take one of their cars down to VA to swap for mine. He drove it back, putting 171 miles on it before I ever got it. I can't believe he didn't hear that noise! Either he was stone deaf, or he figured his job was to drive the car back, not report on funny noises. If he had mentioned it, maybe they could have fixed it before I got it and lost a few years off my life worrying. Let me know what you discover about yours. Good luck! Oh, by the way, have you checked your tire pressure? The tires are overinflated from the factory and mine were not checked by the service department before I took the car, causing it to ride like a truck. Also, check the spare. All four of my tires on the car had 42 psi, and the spare had 46 psi. They should have 29-31. Just thought I'd mention that.
  • cold_in_towncold_in_town Member Posts: 10
    Hi, Ragdollgirl, thanks for your response. I finally went to dealer where I bought the car, I am glad they took the rattling serious instead of saying " we can't hear anything", first I insist to ride with the techician, but they did the testdirve without me. :( anyway, they found out the rattles at the rear seat coming from the two metal things inside the sidewall, they just refix everything there, now I think the noise is gone for the past several days, but I could still hear sometimes when i go over really big bumps. right after this noise fixed, seems like the dealer made a new one coming from the drive seat side like yours, it is still not very annoying now, I can live with it for a while i guess. I am afraid now if i go there to get this new one fixed, i gonna get another one right after that. maybe I just bought a rattler.

    BTW, they checked the strut and tires, said they are fine. thanks for the information on those two things. at least i know now they are not bad. :)
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Well, cold_in_town, I'm sure glad your rattle is fixed. However, I had to chuckle a little when you said the dealership seemed to cause another rattle on the driver's side. When I drove home from getting my strut replaced, I, too, had another rattle on the driver's side (opposite from the bad strut) that had not been there before. I was beside myself! My husband had followed me home and the first thing I did was go back out the driveway with me in the back seat and my husband driving and tried to hear it again. But before driving away, I had pulled the back seat down and pushed it back again, in case it had been loose. Maybe that was it, as we didn't hear anything in our "test drive". But the next time I drove it, I heard a little something coming from that area, but I think I can live with it if it doesn't get worse. Why does it happen that so many times they fix one thing and muck up another? Anyway, I'm glad your problem is fixed. On to the next rattle! :mad:
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    Naaa those tissues wadded up and sticking out the driver and passenger window in the corner are only there to prvent the incessant vibration/rattle that is getting worse. It looks stupid but quiets the noise. You may want to try it. Fold a tissue in half 4 or 5 times. Lower the window a half inch, insert the wad in the rear corner, careflly close the window without cutting off you finger. It does work! I guess I'll have to trek up to the dealer yet again to get this looked at. This time the 'lube' they put on the door gasket will not be accepted. What a pain in the but on an otherwise fine car. Shame Shame Shame!
  • maddgoomaddgoo Member Posts: 7
    check the brake light on the rear deck which seems to be a common item which gets loose....I had the rattles on my 03, and that was one rattle the dealer found. :lemon:
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    I've had my XLE V6 for 3 months now and more and more noises are showing up. I've only driven the thing 2500 miles. This is ridiculous. My Grand Marquis with 202K miles doesn't rattle nearly as much. When I picked up the Camry it had a horrible rattle in the rear that turned out to be a bad strut, which was replaced. That noise is gone, but there is one in the driver's door pillar (probably the seat belt adjuster), and various intermittent taps and clinks coming from the rear. I fear that they are so vague (as far as a mechanic hearing them) that it's useless for me to report them at this point, although I feel they should be able to hear the one in the door pillar. I did a lot of research before buying this car (my first "foreign" car, built in Kentucky) and although I like the way the car handles and rides, I'm not sure I will buy another one. I hate car noises and I get annoyed each time I drive this car. A new car should not do this stuff. Somebody on this forum said something like "you're worrying about strange noises, but owners of other makes are having transmission problems, and other major stuff" (to paraphrase), but I can definitely say that major problems aside, rattles can drive you crazy, too. I had planned to keep this car for 10 years, but now I doubt it. :mad:
  • axthestaxthest Member Posts: 3
    Wow...
    I have the exact same problems as you do. The rattle from the back (tapping/clicking sound) has been on & off but it's pretty constant now. Of course I have the usual seat belt noise and other rattles coming from the dash and doors...T.T
    They are so annoying that I am even thinking about trading in already. (btw, my car is only a month old with 2,000 miles).
    I dont think i've had one day of quite rattle-free driving since day 1.

    I have an appointment with the dealer this saturday (my second visit, they couldnt hear anything on my first visit) and hope they hear at least one or two rattles.

    This is so frustrating....and even pathetic...
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    Not one day of rattle-free driving? -- me, too. I also need to go to the dealer a second time to get them to (hopefully) hear the seat belt noise in the driver's door pillar. They, too, couldn't hear anything the first time. Are they deaf, or what? With all the millions of Camrys out there I can't believe there are only a relatively few of us who own ones that rattle. What do most people do? Don't they notice? Don't they care? Do they just drive on and figure the rattles are normal occurrences they just live with? Maybe I'm too picky, but from the other comments on this forum, I'm not the only one. Maybe us picky people should be writing letters to Toyota about this issue. I certainly wouldn't have bought a Camry if I had known I'd have to put up with these noises. The worst part is, with this young a car, how bad will it eventually get? I have to believe as time goes on the rattles will just multiply. What a horrendous thought!! :cry:
  • beantownbeantown Member Posts: 228
    It appears that the Camry, Matrix and Rav4 models of the past 5 yrs or so are plagued by rattles and squeaks....not sure of any other models at this point.

    Whoever thinks that this is a minor problem compared to a transmission or the like is not entirely correct. It appears that many of these noise problems never go away, whereas a "major" problem is easy to diagnose most times and can often be fixed in one service, with minimal haggling under warranty. Dealerships more often than not try to make you feel stupid for wanting your car noise free and often say they can't hear it, so nothing is wrong. If this continues, Toyota may have a problem on their hands, as people leave for other manufacturers that don't make squeaky/rattly cars and actually offer 10 year warranties on all the "major" stuff.

    It amazes me that a car company that can make engines last forever has so much trouble making certain cars quiet on the inside....
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    I have been saying this since 2002. First Toyota said these were limited run issues and were corrected. Then board posters said it was just the 02 and 03s...come on. If one model year does it all will unless they fundamentaly redesign some...well that coming in 07. The difference is that I hope folks will not just blindly purchase because of the Toyota name but instead drive one that has some miles first...then decide.
  • andrelaplumeandrelaplume Member Posts: 934
    Those door pillar rattles are no about to go away. Any buzzing from the radio area can be cleared up for about 70% of the time by having them put some felt insulation in there. The rattles from the passenger dash speaker appears more prevalent in the winter...that is when I wedge a stuffed animal over the speaker and against the windshield to quiet it. Some have had luck with the dealer putting felt in there as well....not me. The constant pop and buzzes around all windows can be temporarily quieted by having the dealer lube the seals....it'll get you threw a few weeks anyway. In fact they just lubed mine but the buzzing in my ear was so bad I took the car back and complained. Well I am out of my 36K warranty now and I guess the 7/75 does not cover door seals. I was told the door seal is loose from where I raise and lower the window and that there is some play in the area where the window inserts itself into the seal...that causes the buzzing. Yes friends, once out of warranty these noises are disnosed as normal wear and tear; nevermind I have been complaining since the beginning. WHAT A JOKE. If I click the window dow 1/16 of an inch it is better. If I wad up a paper towel, lower the window 2 inches, drape it over the window and rais the window it almost goes away. Of course this method only eventually will lead to more play between the window and seal. If I had time I'd get a rep in...but that's one reason I bought the Camry...I wanted less trips to the dealer!

    If you have CR, do your duty and check off: CRAP in t he rattle area on the yearly review they send out!

    GOOD LUCK AND TURN UP THE RADIO!
  • ragdollgirlragdollgirl Member Posts: 66
    This '05 Camry is my first non-American brand car, and I thought I had researched what to buy diligently. However, I am seriously dismayed that I did not find this forum before I purchased the car. I agree that rattles are more frustrating than major issues because, as stated above, the major issues can be found and fixed. Rattles are a shot in the dark. If I knew how to take door and pillar panels apart without breaking something, I'd try it myself and jam insulation of some kind in there, but I don't know the first thing of how to go about it. My car had a major rattle in the rear from day one, but that was a bad strut and has been fixed on the first try. After one week of ownership, the pillar noise appeared on the driver's side and has not gone away. Now, after 3 months, two more rattles have appeared, one in the driver's door panel near the pillar, and one in the right rear door panel. Both seem to come from near the edge near the opening (not the hinge side). What will rattle next week (or tomorrow)? In every other way I love this car, but if this keeps up, I will not be keeping the car more than a few years and will not buy another Camry. I will change to another brand. More times than not, I like to ride in peace and quiet with no radio on. I don't want to feel I have to blast the radio to cover up the rattles and squeaks. That's just ridiculous. Listen up, Toyota! You've got lots of disgruntled customers out there.
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