Hi folks.

I haven't posted in a couple of months because, honestly, my 2021 has been trouble-free - except for one issue. I'm at just about 10k miles and I've had it back to the dealer four times now for a recurring rattle that seems to be coming from the passenger-side dashboard speaker. It's constant, and worse, of course, on bumpy roads. The rattle essentially stops when I hold my hand even gently on top of the speaker grill. Two times the dealer took off the speaker grill and added foam insulation to tighten things up. That did not work. Then they pulled the grill, the speaker and the A-pillar trim and added tape and more foam. Finally they replaced the grill and the A pillar trim. They also removed the speaker and checked for loose wiring underneath. When the put the speaker back supposedly the used some kind of rubber or foam washers. The final approach seemed to solve the problem - for about a week. Now the rattle is back. It's driving me nuts and I'm so frustrated. I expect better from a $43k+ car. This is a Lexus - I should be able to stack champagne glasses on the hood and drive all over town with out rattles.

I'm pretty frustrated and the dealer is getting annoyed at me for continuing to insist there is still an issue - I'm starting to get the "I can't hear anything" response from the service manager and the techs. But I'm not crazy.

Anyone have any advice or suggestions? Should I try a different Lexus dealer service dept? I've been taking it to the dealer where I bought there car, but there are at least two other Lexus dealers nearby. I'm not sure what else I should do.

Thanks!
Zig

 

I replaced the two (left & right) speakers in the dash on my 2020 several months after purchasing the vehicle. By the way, there is also a third (center) speaker as well.

Pulling off the grill and removing the speaker is relatively simple. I should take no more than 8 minutes to remove it. I suggest you use a nylon/plastic body tool that you can purchase at Harbor Freight in a kit/set for about $4.

What I would suggest to you is that you REMOVE the speaker entirely and CONFIRM that the rattle is indeed coming from that speaker. From what you're telling me, it sounds to me as though it is something other than the speaker/mounting.

Maybe, just MAYBE because you were so insistent that the sound was coming from the speaker that is what they attacked, when in fact the sound is coming from somewhere else in that same area.

Here's a question for you...Did you ask them to, or DID they, reproduce the sound?

 

I am amazed at the amount of effort expended by the dealer in (apparently futile) attempts to eliminate your rattle. My dealer would just blame the type of audio material I listen to, even if the rattle persisted with the sound system turned off .
If you temporarily wedge something soft between the grille and windshield (where they meet), is there any change? I am thinking the plastic grill expands and contracts, and over time, rises slightly and contacts the windshield. Adding insulation below the grill, in this case, would likely only make the condition worse. An effective solution might be removing some plastic from the grille in a strategic location.

The comments provided by LexMan2003 make a lot of sense to me, and are certainly worth a follow-up.
LexMan2003: can you advise the best location along the periphery of the grill to insert the nylon panel removal tool? The factory repair manual instructs to remove the A-pillar trim first, which seems more work than necessary.

 

I agree - they did put a lot of effort but this probably has do with the fact that we're well-known to the dealer. Though this is my first Lexus my in-laws have probably purchased or leased a dozen or more cars from them over the past decade and continue to do so - a new ES every few years for my MIL, and something new for my FIL on a regular basis. Regardless, this isn't how a lux car is supposed to sound. There's definitely something going on they can't find, or haven't found.

I'm not opposed to popping off the speaker grill, though I don't want to mar the dash. I have some thin plastic pry tools. Any suggestions re: above (where to begin prying) would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

IMHO rattles are a per person thing, my wife can drive the car with change rattling away in the cupholder unscathed, while it drives me nuts. I too am surprised the dealer put that much effort in it for you. I have found all the rattles myself and fixed them in my previous cards, its usually something stupid like a wire tapping something or a piece of foam tape can solve it. I don't think it has anything to do with a $46k car, because nowadays 46k isn't much, its just luck. It seems like a pretty small issue, good luck fixing it, I agree with trying to find the source first by popping out the speaker.

 

I have 16,000kms on my 2020 NX and exact same started with my passenger side speaker grill. When I press down on grille close to windshield, noise stops. Dealer put some noise insulation tape and continued. I went back and they installed more under removable speaker grille along edge where windshield would be and it has stopped since work done last week. My NX has had numerous problems. Worst vehicle I ever bought. I’ve owned 6 Toyotas over past 35 years without issue. Loud Suspension creaking and knocking re-appears less than a year after stabilizer bar bushings are replaced. Now rear doing same only when I have either some weight in trunk if one or two people in back seat. Rear liftgate shocks developed extremely loud creaking and replaced a couple months ago. Rear window defroster never turned off since new and switch/timer replaced, etc.

 

Sorry, I do not recall WHERE I placed the tool to remove the grill. I most probably found a YouTube video and went with someone else's suggestion, and it certainly worked. So I would suggest you search YouTube, and you may have to search a few, to find where the smart guy expresses his concern for prying at the right location.

There is NO NEED to remove the a-pillar trim. All I did was remove each of the two grills, and very easily replaced the speakers.

Here's another suggestion for the OP: YOU sit in the passenger seat and have someone else drive around. YOU listen carefully for the sound and try to narrow down WHERE it is coming from. You need to be SURE it is coming from the speaker/grill. Sometimes noises can be very tricky. Perhaps it's coming from the glove box? Perhaps it's coming from the cabin filter cover from not being reinstalled properly? Have you had any work done on the car recently? One thing I am convinced of....If it IS coming from the speaker/grill, this should be VERY easy to fix.

Too bad you're not close by, otherwise I would've been happy to take a look at it myself (I love a good puzzle).

 

Great suggestion. Using the NX forum search function, I found these fairly-detailed instructions (copied below):

"Getting to and taking out the speakers is very easy. Tools needed: a trim pry tool and a small adjustable wrench.
Use the trim tool to pop out the interior front corner (the corner closest to the center of the dash and furthest from the windshield) and then move along that front edge (furthest from the windshield). The clips are easy to disengage with just a little bit of pressure, and then the edge along the windshield are just tabs that hook in - just pull away from the windshield when you have that front edge out. It'll take all of 10 seconds for this entire procedure. You'll also discover that the dash material is really just an enormous piece of very dense foam.
The speaker is held in place by 2 bolts, just loosen them and un-clip the speaker from the wiring harness by pressing on the small tab."