OK I don't know what is making the noise but since the cold weather has really started here, I have noticed that the "tick" has gotten WAY worse it is coming from the center console up by the air vents above the CD player and over to where that and the passenger air bag pannels meet. Car goes tomorrow morning for parking brake case replacement and I will let them know what I have found. If they fix it this time I will be sure to let you all know what they did.

 

It is hard to describe, I only heard it once. It wasn't a rattle, more like a clunk, I hope it doesn't happen again, but I'll post details if it does.

 

Ive had my car for 6 months and just this week the rattle infamous rattle began but it only happens when i first start the car. IS this the window you guys speak of?

 

window Molding*

 

Can't describe what I hear as a rattle, more as a repeated clunk as described above. It's constant when driving over bumpy roads and can't hear it at all on smooth roads. Similar to having something heavy on the floor board rolling from side to side as you take turns, except it happens with every bump. Sounds like it's coming from where the dash ends on the passenger side. Wonder if it's the molding you guys are talking about. I'll have to check that out first.

 

I had the rattle over the instrument cluster. It all started when the temps got under 50 degrees or so. I placed some high-density foam between the vent pipe and underneath the dashboard and the rattle is gone.

 

This sounds like what I WAS having. Thats right I said was. Well, when I said it was coming from the pillar inside the car I was almost correct. On the passengers side near the bottom of the plastic that runs down the door and next to the glass, it's where the plastic of the top of the dash meets the glass in the corner. I included a pic. inside the area I circled all the way down you can see a seperated area if you put some foam or felt in there the tick or clunk you describe should go away. If not keep moving it around till it does. Once you find it get a soft material that had a little bonding glue on it and stick it right where the noise was coming from. I had my service technician put the felt with the glue on. Hope this helps!

 

I think I've finally tracked down the dash rattle problem and have the definitive solution.

The source of the rattle is where the dash top panel meets a sheet metal support pad far forward at the windshield base located at the extreme end of the dash on both sides.

Like many of the other symptoms noted in these posts, my rattles seemed to occur when going over bumps, rough surfaces or under certain engine vibration conditions. It gets worse in colder weather because the plastic shrinks and the gap opens up slightly.

What made this hard to track down was the propensity of the rattle to "echo" or travel down the hard plastic dash top. I had difficulty telling if it came from the dash top, the A pillars or under the dash. It seemed to come from everywhere at one time or another.

However, 2 weeks after implementing the fix all the previous rattles have gone. It's the first time in 6 months I've had a rattle-free car!

Here is the fix:

- Remove the A pillar moulding (as described in other posts)
- Look forward through the exposed gap to where the dash top panel meets the windshield (a flashligh may help). You should see a bump on the plastic dash that sits on a metal pad. That is the source of the rattle.
- If you tap the dash panel or lift it up and down you can clearly see how the rattle is created
- Place a small piece of foam with adhesive (like a piece of weatherstripping) on the metal pad. It's hard to get in there, I used a long thin screwdriver with the adhesive backed foam on the end. I lifted the dash top slightly, placed the foam on the pad and pushed down on the dash to grab it, then pulled out the screwdriver.
- Confirm the contact point is damped by tapping the dash top
- Replace the A piller
- Repeat the fix for the other A piller. Watch out for the wiring harness getting in the way on the passenger side.

Some cars may have other problems like improperly installed A pillar mouldings or loose vent bezels, as noted by some posters. However this problem appears to be generic and should solve a huge number of rattle problems.

Good Luck!

 

Mine has a rattle now that I guess started with the cold weather, but mine is directly related to engine revs, and it seems to go away when the interior of the car is fully warmed up. Sounds like its coming from the tach area, but hard to tell for sure. At less than 1/4 throttle, there is no rattle - it only happens when I step on it more than that.

Does anyone else's dash rattle sound like that?

 

There is another recent topic related to noise coming from the tach in this forum.