New OR, Justified Disappointment?

So I'm new to this forum, I recently purchased a TRD OR and it now has about 600 miles on it. I'm enjoying many aspects of the truck, however, I'm disappointed in a few things and would love to hear from others on whether they are experiencing similar issues or if perhaps I'm being too critical.

Its been pretty cold out recently and I'm suddenly starting to hear some creaks and rattles in the interior specifically the passenger dash, one in the back cargo area, and a strange buzzing sound with vibration from the engine at low rpms. I've already checked the inner wheel well splash guards and have taped those down to diagnose and the sounds are still present. I'm contemplating trying to find and apply some foam to these rattles but it still sucks to have to do that with so little miles. This is my first truly rugged vehicle as my last was a Mazda suv that was solid.

Is my disappointment valid or are these trucks/Toyota known to not have the best interior fit and finish? Should I just forget it and turn up the radio and move on?

Thanks a bunch.

 

mine has a vibration in the 4x4 shifter that goes away as soon as I put it drive or it warms up (2-3 min)
plastics will rattle in all modern vehicles as far as i can tell, probably normal expansion of tight plastics, no rattles in mine yet at 4000 km.
and you should hear my 2019 ram, that thing rattled on the flattest roads, i wanted to turn the music louder, but the speakers were such bad quality, it would make the doors rattle louder than the dashboard; i had to drive with my knee pressed firmly against the door to have decent volume with no additional noises.
our 2020 f150 rental rattled at 55 mph, our 2019 mustang rattles on cold days.
our 2014 rolla has zero rattles at 110.000 miles, go figure

 

It’s an 11 year old truck chassis Toyota, it’s not a nice vehicle.

 

I have found little rattles like this in my last 3 Toyotas but in the end they are a little nuisance (usually easily fixed) compared to what friends and colleagues put up with in their brand new vehicles. Our 2016 Mazda CX-5 has an unbelievably good fit and finish but it likes to rust in super random spots; I will take a rattle any day over this. I think with any vehicle it is a little give and take, none are perfect.

 

Something I do is spray a very small amount of WD40 into the cracks in the dash and then clean up quickly. It has helped a ton.

 

All of my Toyota’s have had no noises what your complaining about. Brand new vehicle I would be taking it back.
1998Tacoma offroad
2008 Tacoma sport
2010 Tacoma sport
2015 Tacoma sport
2017 4Runner Pro
2020 4runner Pro
And before them.

 

Lol I'm assuming you've had similar sounds on your rig? I never thought to try that, thanks.

 

I've had a few, but I've had some on every vehicle.

 

We are on our third 4Runner, and thus far it's been extremely quiet (rattle wise) just like the rest. If the rattles are bad, I'd take it to the dealer to let them sort it out.

 

I have been driving the shit out of mine for 45K miles, and it's still pretty quiet. I hear some squeaks and rattles when I hit bumps on occasion, but that's it. I wouldn't be satisfied with the noises you're describing. I got back into a 4runner to get away from the noise.

 

One thing I noticed when I first got mine, if that of you have ANYTHING at all solid in the shift boot, or touching the shifter, it WILL vibrate annoyingly. I thought I had a bad u-joint till I realized it was my sunglass against the shifter, haha.

Also, buying a new 2021 4R is pretty much like buying a new 2010 in 2009. I wouldn't be surprised if the tooling is starting to wear out. And even in2010, these had a lot of carryover parts dating back almost a decade. Civilized these are not.

Edit: mine is a 2013 that just hit 110k. When I test drove it in Feb of 19 with 79k, I was impressed at the build quality feel and I purposely hit the biggest bumps I could find.

I can hear the rear suspension working, but don't feel any clunks or anything like that.

When I first got it there was a slight rattle from underneath, turns out it was the splash guards on the driver side. Then I noticed a squeak from the driver's door. I lubed the door gasket with silicone spray, and it went away.

I DID notice a slight "pop" from the dash the other day, now that it's colder. Not sure if I noticed it last year. Every once in a while I think I hear a noise from the cargo area, but I think it's coming from something I stored under the cargo tray clunking around. I thought I had it secured but it may have shifted.

Anyway, compared to all the other vehicles I've owned, it's probably the best in that regard, with maybe the exception of my 07 Volvo wagon. In that car the build quality was on par, but with much nicer materials/feel.

I would at least try to get the dealer to look into some of these things, especially for the money they charge for them, haha.

 

Thanks for all the reply’s everyone. An appointments been made for the dealer to have a look. But if things don’t get resolved and I can’t fix things myself, I’ll just turn the radio up and enjoy the thing lol.

 

Only squeak I've ever had on mine was a very mild one happening at very low speeds. I adjusted the hood bump stops and sprayed some white lithium on the hood latch. No more noise. Squeaks and rattles drive me crazy. If you can't troubleshoot/fix it yourself, I'd take it in and let them try and fix it under warranty.

 

I’m not saying you’re wrong... but the buzzing/vibe from the engine at low rpm might be normal. These engines make some strange noises. Lots of different ones.

 

I have a new SR5 Premium, and have no rattles at all at 400 miles. Yesterday was the first day its been cold though, and I let my car warm up before I drove it (I wasn't ready to deal with the cold yet, plus I had frost all over the car), but this morning it was about 40 and I just got in and drove it with no rattles. I agree taking it to the dealer is a good idea. I would bet they will come back with "could not recreate problem" but at least you tried.

 

No joke!! This engine makes me cringe. Probably for the first six months I had mine, I was convinced there was something internally wrong with it. Everybody told me it was normal, but I had such a hard time believing that the same company that was so proud of their ball bearing test would put out a rattly clanking motor like this.

 

I’m really surprised how many have rattles and noises with new vehicles. My wife and I have owned a lot of new vehicles and no issues with rattles. I’m Toyota and she is Acura and oh I should say I’m Acura also with my 2003 beater I use for work. It was mentioned to about taking interior apart. I have had a lot of my Toyota taken apart for full audio system and no issues. Even my 19 C7Z06 taken apart for sound and heat deadening.

 

Yeah maybe I’m just unlucky lol. When I test drove my runner it was silent and felt like a vault. Well 600 miles later there are a few sounds. I’m going to remove all items in the interior to see if maybe sound is traveling from something. I’ve had several new cars in my life and while a few have been absolutely tight and silent(Mazda), many had small creaks and rattles that may or may not have been fixed by the dealer.

And strangely enough, sometimes the rattles go away on their own with time, as if the parts wear together and no longer rub.

Is it just me or does automotive fit and finish seem to be slowly but surely decreasing with time as more pennies get pinched to appease the shareholders?

 

I keep a couple water bottle in my door pockets. I note they make rattling sounds.

I also have this really annoying squeak:

https://www.4runners.com/threads/annoying-rattle-squeak-back-right-of-4runner.16616/

 

Hmm strange, almost sounds like pieces of styrofoam rubbing together, I don’t have that sound...yet.

 

Hoping taking out my rubber cargo mat will fix this. Haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

I recently picked up a 21 OR as well (running up on 400 miles), and I do not have any of these issues you're experiencing. In fact, it's rather quiet in the interior. The only sounds I hear is the engine while on (this is the same case in my 05 Taco as well, which from what I've been reading is normal).

 

Take this into consideration if I’m right manufactures are building these cars and trucks thru this COVID mess. So if there working with less workers it could be taking a toll on how there built. Just like how hard it is to get a certain tire size.

 

I have thought about that also, how is quality impacted by Covid and the workers and their ability to focus. My first Honda Accord in 2005 which was my first non domestic car had all sort of noises from the doors. I had it to three different dealers, new seals, gaskets, sound deading etal and to no avail. After much time spent on a Honda forum and some patients others across the country told me to put a Japanese Honda grease called "ShinEtsu" around all the seals on the doors and jams. Well I lubed the heck out of everything and it was so peaceful it worked. So once per year I spent 15 minutes lubing every peace of rubber and no problem.

Sometimes the best advice we can get is on here from all of us who share knowledge. Dealers don't get paid much to look for squeaks/rattles so they dont spend too much time or effort; they simply say "cannot replicate"....next

 

Fair point, though I have a hard time believing the Japanese would let their QC standards slip for ANY reason.

Shinetsu makes silicones, so that's probably what you used. I had a similar issue, and silicone spray on a rag and applied to all the door seals did the trick. I did the rear window channels with it as well. I also sprayed inside the fender liners and mudflaps, I learned that's a trick atv and dirtbikers use to keep mud from sticking to the plastics.

 

Thanks so much for this info! I agree that dealers are almost useless when it comes to issues that aren’t totally obvious lol. We have to help out and take care of each other on here.

 

Ive always had the best luck with fit and finish on vehicles made in Japan but I suppose no one is perfect, but yeah other than a few sounds, the 4Runner is still pretty's well built; certainly when compared to the American assembled Honda and Mexico made VW I had.

 

I'm really not. The interior of a brand new 2021 is made from so many cheap and hard plastic materials, it's really no wonder these create noises. All kinds of noises. One of the biggest problems with discussions like this is perception. I've had cars where people get in and say "there is no noise, the quality is great" and I personally hear tons of creaking and rubbing and rattling. Yes, faint noises, but to me annoying nonetheless.

Most people just don't hear these sounds. I used to be a sound technician with my own company in my earlier years while in university, I hear EVERYTHING that is out of the ordinary in pretty much any environment. And that even with my fading hearing and tinnitus – it's what I what I was paid for in the 90s.

And to be honest: the materials in the 4Runner are REALLY cheap. They WILL creak and rattle. There is no way around that, just a matter of time. If you want a really quiet car that gives a luxury dampened impression, a 4Runner is nearly as far away from what you're looking for as is possible.

 

Good point. That's something I DID notice about my 4R. Coming from an 07 Volvo XC70 (Cross Country Wagon, which is itself is not a true luxo car), the materials in the 4R felt very cheap as compared to the Volvo. And like you said, so many types and grains of materials in the 4R. The interior works, just looks kind of weird. I notice a big difference in the way the doors shut too. Very "tinny" in the 4R, much more solid sounding in the Volvo. Also, Toyota could learn a LOT from Volvo about corrosion resistance. Volvo's corrosion warranty is 12 YEARS/144,000 miles.

 

I noticed the same. I came from the Mini Cooper we traded in for the 4Runner (better and more solid), my previous car was an Audi (MUCH better), and our second car together with the 4Runner is a 2017 Porsche 911 (don't even start comparing – the 911 interior/infotainment/lights/etc isn't just worlds better, it's frigging galaxies better, granted, it was pretty much twice the price, but a Macan starts roughly at the same price as a Limited or Nightshade, and is still lightyears ahead with regards to the interior).