I actually fixed my noise. Next time you hear the noise coming from driver side b-pillar. Roll the rear driver side window down slightly. Does it stop? Then its coming from the rear door panel. There is a tiny piece that bangs against metal door. For some reason it was only making the noise when window was rolled up fully. I put a felt tape and foam in the area and that solved it. If your sound continues even with rear window down, its likely coming from the seatbelt area inside the pillar. Top piece comes outs easily, and it is held by 2 screwdrivers underneath the plastic cover in the bottom. Put some foams inside without getting in the actual seatbelt operation, that should fix the noise.

There are a couple of other places that can be common sources of chatter and that can be checked easily.

First, check the headrests. On each of the rods that allow the headrests to be adjusted up or down, there are multiple notches that lock the headrests into the desired position. If a headrest is sitting between two of the notches, I can be another cause of chatter. So, check to make sure that the headrests are actually locked into one of the notched positions. Check all of the headrests because, again, sounds in a car can appear to come from locations other than their actual sources.

Also check the rails on which the front seats slide back and forth. At the back of each of those rails, there should be a plastic cap covering the end of the rail. Often, a backseat passenger can unintentionally dislodge or even break one of the caps with his/her foot. If any of those caps is either loose or broken, it will also cause a chatter. Again, even if the sound does not seem to be coming from that area, it still could be coming from there.

I also have a 2013 ES350 with this same exact noise. Some good suggestions here and I'll try it. So far, I have just dealt with it as my time from work and dealing with toddlers, I hardly have time to tinker in the garage. My noise comes in hot weather, cold weather, doesn't matter.

Does the ticking noise go away when you push the door outward with your elbow or pull the door handle in? If yes, then the likely source of the annoying noise is a mechanism inside the door.
My 2014 ES has been noise free ever since I started using the felt pads fix. The link to the website discussing this fix can be found in my earlier reply.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...-anyone-3.html

so annoying
My 4th Gen 2005 ES330 had zero rattles through ten years of ownership

I have read the the newer ES's tend to have more rattles on those made in the U.S, but my ES300h is made in Japan,

are rattles more with the new generations than in years past?

Except for the easily fixed chatter discussed earlier from the assist handles above the doors, my Japanese-built 2013 ES was rattle free. The fits and finishes were generally okay, but they were far from perfect. With my US-built 2017 ES, not only is it rattle free, but the fits and finishes are virtually perfect and noticeably better than they were with the Japanese-built 2013.

I'm someone who has always felt that the quality of the cars built in Japan was better than the quality of cars built by the same manufacturers in the US, but I'm very impressed by every facet of the quality of my US-built 2017 ES.

Nice! I thought you forgot about it or were a superduperDUPER safety type of person and wouldn't drive for 1 second with your seatbelt off!

Good news from the dealer too. Stinks you have to take it in though. While you're taking it there, does the passenger side do the same trick? You might want to tell them to check it out also!

Weird that your quote linked the wrong post.

update:

So I took my car to the dealership, and test-drove with a technician, with the B-pillar panel off. This time he finally heard it. Although it did get louder after I took the pillar panel off, the tech guy believes this sound actually comes from the door lock position, around the latch/lock area. He said when he applied some pressure on the door panel the noise was completely gone. But after he let go of it the noise came back again. Some mechanism need to be tightened up obviously. I don't know if he is right, because from my observation it does come from the inside of b pillar. Anyway I left my car there and he said it could take up to a week to fix it. Will keep updating this thread.

Yes somehow it quotes the wrong post. The passenger door is quite, but my girlfriend told me she noticed the same noise coming from the passenger side back door. Already told them all the details. Looks like they are going to order some parts from Lexus and replace something.

Yes that is exactly what the tech guy from the dealership said this afternoon. Hope he is right about it.

If the source of the sound is the door latch assembly, that would not necessarily be inconsistent with your perception that it is coming from the B pillar. It could be the case that the latch is the source of the sound but that the opening in the metal of the B pillar allows that sound a pathway into the cabin. I'll say it again. The source of a sound in a car can be a location different from where it seems like it would be coming from.

Yes exactly. Sound can travel through the car body and ends up reaching ears from any angles. Anyway I just hope the tech is right and it can be fixed for good.

I heard somewhere that the source of a sound in a car can be a location different from where it seems like it would be coming from. Not sure where exactly I heard this, because the source can be a location different from where it seems like it's coming from, but, I hear it very consistently in this area. :agreed:

More food for thought, I had a clicking and tapping noise that sounded like it came from the B pillar area. It was especially loud when driving on rough roads. Turns out it was the rear driver's side grab handles that were rattling and putting felt between the handle covers and the headliner stopped the noise.

Hi Kerwin, have you resolved your problem? I'm now having the same issue as yours, could you let me know how your dealer solved it?