Slight rattle in the driver front

All,

I apologize in advance for the vagueness of this post, but after having my '18 TRD Off Road for about 6 months I noticed a slight rattle in the driver side front tire area. I let it go for a while and after a few more months I took it to the Toyota shop and the maintenance guy went for a ride with me and I pointed out the noise. He said he heard it, and I left the runner with them.

I went back at the end of the day, and the dude told me that the wingnut holding my roof rack was loose, so they tightened it and said viloa - the issue was solved. I went about my business thinking problem solved, turned up the satellite radio, and didn't think of it.

Now that the warranty has expired, I hear the exact same noise from the front wheel well, only much more pronounced. Mind you, I have have no steering issues and no "shimmy" in the wheel, but the noise is getting more pronounced, and it is driving me nuts. Short of going back to the shop (which is a pain in the rear, AND you never get the same guy or gal twice), I am hoping it is a problem that someone out there has had and I can fix on my own. Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

 

I haven't had that issue but I believe the dealer would back up their work for at least 6 months to a year from its repair, even if you're outside your warranty. If its covered by the dealer, its worth the pain IMO.

 

You took it in for warranty before I'd call them and let um know its the same issue. Its not like its the first time you are saying something about it.

 

I cannot really help other than saying, interestingly, that my nearly-brand-new 4Runner also made a bit of a rattle sound in that area one time that I was driving on a dirt / forest road at a fair speed (25 MPH or so). It was a faint sound and sounded like something might have been loose. Unnerving, but I was off-road so it was bumpy, and I try to trust my brand new Toyota, so I figured it could have been about anything.. even a rock stuck in a caliper which certainly happens. I chose not to worry about it unless it pops up again. I haven't been back out there since, so I don't know if it will happen again. I don't hear anything on the paved roads. Please report back if you figure it out! Good luck!

I've started making techs document everything I say in the work orders / receipts, even if they cannot replicate, so that I have proof in case issues arise in the future.. for reasons just as this.

 

I do plan on going back and telling them this is an issue that they previously dismissed, but before I go in there and they tell me that they think its the windshield wiper this time, I wanted to check and see if there was anything out there that I should know, like a recurring issue with '18's, before I head to the shop

Thanks

 

Is it a rattle or a squeek? I had a squeek type noise almost sounded like metal on metal in my drivers side front wheel well, it turned out to be the fastener on the splash guard. I got some silicon lubricant and blasted all the clips and it made it go away. If thats not your problem then disregard this.

 

The splash guards in the wheel well tend to end up squeaking. Try that first

 

its definitely a slight rattle. I dont feel anything, but i hear it and it is driving me nuts. Back to the darn shop....

 

We have an old subaru outback and it was rattling... I was away on a work trip and i told her to drive it over to my friend's place to look at it. He found the lug nuts were all loose... hopefully you dont have this case.

 

guaranteed this is it.

 

Yep. A very common problem. Those two rubber flaps are held in place with plastic push clips. They loosen and rattle and squeak. You can get new bigger ones at any auto parts store. Or apply a thick adhesive like shoe goo, silicone glue, clear E6000, to spots to hold the flaps in place better. Let it dry overnight.

 

Had the same issue with mine, was the splash shield in thedriver's side fender. I just wrapped a zip tie around the fastener behind the shield to put some tension on it and problem solved.

If you haven't already, definitely check this before wasting gas on another trip to the dealer.

 

Viola - problem solved. Thank you all for your posts and help. The worse part is realizing that the original trip to the dealership and their solution was all fantasy and made up garbage. Will be looking for a new dealership to go to.

Thank you all again

 

Was it the clips?

 

I had the same issue on my passenger side. I replaced all the oem plastic clips from the splash shield with bigger ones and problem solved!

 

So help me understand; our OEM front splash guards are causing the rattling noises because of cheap & quick push in type fasteners? … if so, why not just remove them (plastic fasteners) all together and use some larger diameter & shorter in length self tapping bolts to fix it?

 

Go for it, no one is stopping you

 

Now if we can get the lower windshield L and R black plastic trim pieces to not squeak when on a dusty trail. Damn those things.

 

It was the clips. All I did was buy some new slightly larger clips, cleaned it all up, re-installed the clips and guards, and so far no squeak or rattle. I was so worried it was a tire rod or strut issue

 

A bolt, two large washers and a wing nuts on each side takes care of that for about $2.

 

Guys, I finally have something to contribute!! So I found the splash guard rattle after thinking I had some sort of serious issue. I found it because this forum, as usual. Well, I didn't want to put the sticky foam on it so I bought a bunch of different washers. Several washers and 1 broken clip later, I found one that works.

Lowes part 880370. "HILLMAN RUBBER WASHERS 5/16 x 3/4 x 1/16. Its under a dollar for two. They go closest to the body of the vehicle, then the rubber splash guard, then the factory clip. No more rattles!!

I noticed that under the splash guard the metal is showing nice and bare. Did you all do something about that?

 

Glad you found it.

I had the same issue as others stated. One thing I would add is that when I removed the splash guard attach points I found that they had rubbed some of the paint off the frame where they contacted. So I cleaned up the frame and sprayed some touch up paint on the frame. Then I reinstalled the clips after applying a liberal amount of RTV around the clip holes, splash guard and clips. No more noise.

Another FYI, when off roading in a dusty environment the hood latch and the two main rubber hood stops will get dust in between the mating surfaces and you will swear you have a loose front suspension problem because of the noise when turning or going over a bump. Clean these areas with water and noise goes away.

One other area that can make noise when dusty is the two lower corner plastic trim pieces on the front windshield. I used to get in the habit of pouring water on these corners as soon as I was back on pavement. I finally took them off and applied a thin layer of RTV on them, let it cure and reinstalled.

 

I have the paint worn of too from the rubbing! I take it you sprayed, as in you have painting skill and not a rattle can? Only touch up paint I have is that little pen. Any tips on how score something better to slather on there?

RTV silicone?

I have that chirping over bumps! I couldn't find it. I am going to check the latch and stops. Thank you!

 

I usually just use rattle can paint. Spray some into the paint cap and then apply to frame with a touch up brush. Not very professional, but it gets the job done.

 

Not a bad idea. Thank you. I am surprised in this thread more people aren't addressing the paint rubbed off.

 

Maybe they live in road salt states and the frame was already rusty? Lol

 

I also had the rattling noise coming from my drivers front on my 2019 TRD Pro, however the problem appears to be w/ the Fox Shocks. Toyota told me there is a service bulletin out for these, problem rears its head when the weather turns cold and gets worse over time. You can hear it over washboard or sharp bumps at any speed, becomes more pronounced when turning, and on severe bumps you can almost feel it through the floor board on the drivers side. Seems like the fix is new Fox shocks, thankfully its still in the warranty period.