Silver06ES

Hi All,

For about a month I've noticed a noise coming from my dash on the driver's side near the side airbag cover. It almost sounds like something flexing or rubbing, like plastic contacting metal. It is driving be nuts.

I have tried inserting shims, to no avail. I have also pulled the cluster to see if anything is loose back there. I thought maybe the ducts were rubbing together, but that isn't it.

I wanted to remove the A-pillar cover, but it seems that it can't be done without disturbing the side airbag. This noise is driving me insane. The car is very quiet except for this. When the noise happens, I've tried applying pressure to the dashboard or holding down certain areas, and this doesn't seem to help.

Any ideas? It's annoying me to the point that I was considering trading it. I might bring it to the dealer, but I was told that trim/interior issues are not covered by the platinum extended warranty, and I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for them to tear the dash apart. Maybe I'll be lucky enough for a goodwill repair? I bought it 4 months ago from the Lexus dealer. It's my first Lexus, and outside of this noise I am very impressed with the overall quality.

Thanks in advance...

andybisnut

Hi Silver06ES. First off, glad you didn't sell the car because of a dash rattle. How loud would you say the "rattle" is? Like if you're cruising at 70MPH, is it still easy to hear? Does it happen all the time? At all speeds? In warm and cold weather? Does it ever go away? I guess what I am getting at is, what triggers the rattle?

Silver06ES

Thanks for the reply. I don't notice it as much on the highway, it is much more noticeable driving around town. The interesting part is that it doesn't do it all the time, but lately, its been doing it frequently.

I bought the car in July, and I didn't notice the noise til about a month or so. That being said, the temperature doesn't seem to matter, as it was warm this weekend (mid 50's) and the noise was still there. It's really not a rattle, its more like a pop or a creak. It doesn't take much to make it happen, any kind of small imperfection in the road. That's why its so annoying.

It sounds like it's coming from right between the a pillar cover and the dash. If I could get the cover off the a pillar I feel like I could isolate it, but I don't want to remove it because of the airbag. I've driven the car with the cluster removed, holding onto different components in there to see if I could make it stop. I've ruled out the vents (at least I think I have), as well as the sunroof drain tube, wiring, and anything else I can feel in there. I wedged a piece of plastic tubing (as mentioned in another post) between the windshield and dash, and that didn't work.

andybisnut

And would you say it is more likely to be triggered by bumps in the road, or does it happen regardless?

Silver06ES

Definitely more likely to be triggered by bumps or imperfections in the road. If I am driving down, say, a newly paved stretch of road, it will not happen.

Silver06ES

I forgot to post the resolution for this. I ended up getting it fixed for about $900 at the Lexus dealer - they removed, insulated and reinstalled the dash in December, and the noise has been gone since. It was an expensive fix, but I'm glad I did it, they noise was very annoying.