Driver's side air vent rattle?
 

After some 11k miles . . . The only annoying rattle, which I had was the driver's side air vent rattle. It was driving me crazy. No amount of adjusting it while I was driving would seem to cure the rattle. One morning on my way to work, as I heard the rattle, I by chance simply slid and wedged my finger tips in between the door the air vent. The rattle went away. Repeated a few times this process with the same results.

Last weekend I went out and bought a package of black 3/4" diameter by 1/8" thick self adhering felt furniture pads.
I then secured one on the driver's side vent. The rattle is went away and has not been back since.

There is a TSB for this particular rattle. However, the fix is not long lasting, as I have researched and read. The dealer simply wedges a plastic shim into the side of the vent and sprays a silicone based lubicant into the vent, which might get a bit messy. I wanted a longer lasting fix.

The vents operates the same as before without issue(s). I trust this fix may help others in resolving the rattling adjustable side air vents. ;)

Thank you! I thought the rattle was down in the dash. I'll try some black gasketing I have at work to see if that will get rid of the rattle. Any chance on a quick pic to see exactly where you placed the pad?

i had an annoying rattle as well and thought it was the dreaded vent. i went out and bought the 3m lubricant specified in the tsb. sprayed the crap inside a bunch of times but the rattle was still there. then one day i noticed that the rattle wasn't coming from the vent but from underneath my steering wheel column. i took the sucker apart as much as i could and covered every contact edge with felt tape then put it back together. problem solved. great solution andy to the vent as i can't see the 3m stuff doing anything. i sprayed some on a rag and although it's a little greasy to the touch i don't see any lasting benefits especially when it comes to a rattle. i have now been using the 3m can on my weatherstriping around my windows (which is it's true intended use anyways).

I have that same rattle. If I position the driver side vent JUST right, it'll go away. Sometimes, if it rattles and I push the entire vent assembly into the dash just a bit, it'll go away.

Where specifically did you put that felt? I want to give it a try but I'm not sure what you mean by "securing one on the driver's vent".

LOL . . . Sorry, I never learned how to post pics on this site. Nonetheless, open the driver's side door and the left side of the vent enclosure is in plan site. The elevation, which I chose is inline with the adjusting tab at the front face of the vent. I simply put the felt tab approxiamatelt 1" in from the end. Good luck, I hope this fixes your rattling issue, as well. ;)

The felt pads that I got are self sticking. These were designed to be applied to the bottom of chair legs, so that they do not mark your flooring. I got mine at Lowes Home Improvement. They had a hard plastic type. However, I got the felt ones, because they compress a bit when the door is closed. ;)

So you're putting the felt pads on the side of the dash where it meets the door? I guess I'm not sure on the location of the pad placement.

Yes, the whole idea here is to compress the side of the dash/vent where it meets the door. It seems dash/vent is loose inside and by compressing it down a little bit . . . That remedies the rattle.

Thanks
 

i saw your post and tried your solution!!! it works thanks so much, i had only one problem but its really minor (the felt pads were not sticking to the door, but they did stick to the vent!!!)

thanks for the solution :D