Help Tracking Rock Like Sound in Rear

I have the strangest of the issues that’s driving me nuts. 2023 ORP.

I developed a sound, 30k miles, in the rear that is hard to isolate.

I’m fairly certain it’s happening in the rear center or in the rear passenger side.

It is not the spare tire chain though it sounds like it could be, I tied it up against the tow hitch, sound is still there.

I emptied the car and cargo of stuff. Sound still there.

It sort of sounds like a bolt rolling around somewhere.

I went under the car checked all suspension components. Bounced the car up and down a lot. Could not replicate.

I happens mostly while turning right, and if there’s a slight incline on that right turn, it’s guaranteed to do it. If it’s flat, rarely.

What could this be? It’s driving me off the wall. Any ideas?

 

Maybe it is a loose bolt. Move your tail gate up and down with your hands and see if the sound comes. Do the same with your doors to see if something is behind the door card.

 

I had this happen to me, turned out it was the wheel lock/key rolling around in my glove box. I put it in there but wedged it between some stuff so it wouldn't make noise. But it got jarred loose.

Before I found out where it was coming from, it sounded like it was coming from the back.

 

It’s definitely in the back for me. I sat in the trunk to listen to it while my girlfriend drove around. (she is a keeper)

 

Couldn’t find anything by moving tailgate. But I will check the doors.

 

Nothing on doors. And I also realized that the car needs to warm up a bit to start doing it. Either that, or needs to get a little wet first (streets were wet from the rain).

So strange.

 

In my case, my tire pressure gauge was knocking against the wall in the compartment where the jack is stored, is everything out of there and jack stowed firmly?

Is the spoiler firmly secured?

 

My truck after a year developed a noise towards the back that was driving me crazy. I finally went tru it opened every door and kind of shook them, finally found the sound coming from the rear tailgate, it was a small nut that came off somewhere in the rear tailgate. When I replaced the speakers last month I found the bolt that was missing the nut and re-installed and tightened all the nuts in the tailgate, one was pretty loose. The sound was like a marble rolling around but it wouldn’t do it all the time. I was able to remove the nut at the time by removing the lowering “handles” on the tailgate.

 

Yep. Tools are removed and Jack is solid as a rock.

 

something like this is what I’m suspecting.

 

Do you have someone in your life who would mess with you by placing a marble in an ideal location? I heard a story once where a guy had a pickup with a soft rubber bedliner. Someone placed a bowling ball in the bed. It only made a noise when it contacted the cab or tailgate.

 

Since it's temperature related, try shaking your tail pipe.

 

The nut looked like it came from the bolt that holds the plastic “4runner” emblem on the tailgate. I used one of those extending magnet tools to retrieve it. The rear door panel of the hatch comes off easily, when I replaced the speakers it was the easiest of all the doors to take off and put back on. Leave the window up.

 

Good luck, I had a similar sound in a Celica GTS I drove a couple decades ago. I crawled into the hatch area and had my girlfriend drive around, specifically looking for pot holes and speed bumps. Could never replicate it on those trials. Finally, I picked up a co-worker to give him a ride to work one morning and he turned around and grabbed my briefcase that I carried on my daily drive to and from work and found the rattle was one of the clasps that was loose. I bet I searched for that rattle for months, and he found it in about 10 minutes.

 

Years ago, I had a similar sound- was definitely something rolling around. Isolated it to the gas tank. We found a 2" socket extension in there.

 

Shouldn’t I be able to hear something if I shake the tail gate? I can’t hear a thing

 

I can confirm the temperature related aspect of it. There are two right turns where it makes the sound consistently. This morning it went when the car was cold. Later it did when the car had driven around for a bit. I checked the crap out of the rear suspension components under the car absolutely nothing is amiss.

 

If I remember I let my wife drive while I sat in the back seat to narrow the sound down, it rattled when I drove over uneven surfaces or bumps in the road it wasn’t all the time.

 

It’s 100% happening on right turns and on rear right wheel articulation.

it’s actually more like a slow-door-creak. Because it sort of “creaks back” as I’m exiting the turn and re-straightening the car.

Happens more after a rain.

What back there can creak in the suspension components? Any of the arms or connecting links? No idea what those are called on a body on frame. Any lubrication that should officially be happening back there?

I also forgot to shake the wheel. I wonder if there’s something inside the wheel somehow managing to do this.

 

There is a parking brake line that goes through a metal loop close to the rear wheels on both sides. It is known to cause a creaking sound when the line contacts with the metal.
You can stand on your running board and swing up and down to see if the creaking replicates itself. If it does, go under the truck, find the loop, clean it and grease it. Maybe it solves it maybe not.

 

My tailgate latch used to make subtle rattling noises when turning or going over speed bumps. I wrapped a few turns of electrical tape around the striker loop. Problem solved.

 

I strongly suspected the tailgate latch by the way.

 

I’ve seen this loop. Though it seems well rubbered. I will check it out and report back.

 

Ditto on this

 

Had to tap my gate striker forward to get my tailgate to close tighter. Had to do the same on my 2017 as well.
I also had nuts that hold the 4Runner trim to the tailgate fall off and roll around.

 

I put a microfiber towel in between the latch and striker of the tail gate and it has been 1.5 days with zero sound so far. Fingers crossed.

 

If it's the latch, mine squeaked/ creaked too. I put a bit of lithium grease on the loop and latch and it's been fine for at least a month so far.

 

That sou8nds a bit far fetched.

 

Agreed, but I have had some characters in my life. Practical jokers. Another put a long zip tie on someone’s drive shaft.

 

Fairly sure it’s the trunk latch and after a rain. I’ve been able to immediately open it, put a microfiber towel in the latch close the trunk on it. And the sound immediately goes away. The question is what and why. But no big thing.