I guess if things get really bad we can all get service manuals, disassemble our interiors and stick foam and felt tape everywhere there could be a potential rattle. I'm not kidding either.

My wife bought a Chevy Tracker with a salvage title on it. Totally beat to heck vandalized. Her dad and myself rebuilt it good as new. I disassembled the entire interior, cleaned it to a spit shine, then reassembled it and paid special attention to panel gaps, potential friction, rattle, and click areas and the thing is tighter than a drum now. ZERO noises whatsoever.

The biggest issue was the wire harness and other wiring running through the interior. So many places where it was either pinched slightly or too loosely contained. As I isolated those spots with adhesive foam, the noises specific to the wiring went away for good.

 

okee dokee....obnoxious buzzing/rattle noise coming from the shifter area ended up being the sliding door on the cup holders. They replaced it and it's gone! I still have a few other rattles and buzzes but not nearly as obnoxious.

Anyone know how to take the rear deck area out? Can you do it from the trunk? Something's rattling there and they didn't fix it.

 

Do you have the high-mounted 3rd brake light on that rear deck? Might be a source.

Haven't looked myself yet (car is at the bodyshop), but the access for the rear deck has to be through the trunk.


And I like the foam-tape-everywhere plan... ...if I can just avoid removing all those panels.

 

05 6mt, 4800 miles... rattle from rear passenger trim, rattle from rear deck cover, creaking from all the air vents in the front, squeeky arm rest if leaning on it, belt buckes bumping against the door (lousy design on position), and a stray noise from the passenger head rest. DRIVES ME BATTY.

I don't have the time to dig into all this so I keep turning up the stereo. Unacceptable for a car of this price. And I read the service manual procedures for identifying and fixing these things, so a visit to the dealer is pretty worthless. It's a hunt and locate on your own process if you want it done right.

 

I only notice rattles in colder temps... generally below 60F I start to get them. I get one on the rear deck that sounds like a speaker cover might be rattling slightly. I get another in the speaker cover on the driver's side door, and another is the rear view mirror but squeezing it slightly and/or moving it even a tiny amount, tends to stop that one.

Btw, they're more buzzes than rattles.

Those are the three I can think of. The passenger seatbelt-rattle-against-the-door is only when no one's in the seat and the little arm is down. Generally if the belt extender arm is clicked up into place it doesn't rattle.


Oh and it's a MY04.5 w/ 14.5k miles. Btw, check where people's location is when they say no rattles. If they live in warmer climates that explains a lot.

 

That makes sense, but since I live in Pennsylvania, where it stays relatively cold from November-March, I will probably be thrown into the group that is prone to rattles. I'm going to test drive a 2005 6MT tomorrow so I will be sure to keep my ears open.

 

Move to Florida- I've never had a rattle yet after almost a year and 12,000 miles.

 

I'll take the rattles over the hurricanes any day.