[Crimson3]

As many of you tC owners have experienced a terrible rattle sound coming from the back of the car. For those of you who have not, consider yourself extremely lucky. This is a new topic because I felt that the other rattle topics were be coming way to clustered. I have taken my car to the dealership and had the shocks replaced and a week later the rattle starts right back up even worse. In taking everything out of that car almost the rattle still continued like many of you have experienced. I have found my solution to the rattle problem, the one that sounds like a a bunch of ball bearing in a coffee can being shaken around. While having my friend lay down in the trunk while i drove over some of the terrible roads here in texas we found out the rattle is coming from the mechanical mechanism in the actual latch part located on the hatchback.

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The second picture is of the actual lock taken with my camera phone, the first picture is my friend showing you the latch that is making the noise. When driving around and holding that little metal latch down the noise stopped, when driving while not touching it, rattles like crazy. Now the rattle went away after pushing on that latch and taking a air hose and clearing it out. Hopefully that rattle doesn't come back, but if it does i know what to show the dealership whats wrong, and its not the stupid hatchback shocks. Tomorrow I am going to call the scion phone number and let scion know thats what was causing the rattle. After getting it "fixed" i did almost everting except drive into a ditch to get the car to rattle, nothing. You guys with the rattle don't realize how nice it is to drive around without that rattle, finally peace and quiet for now. YEAH!!!!!, hopefully it last, but at least i've located my problem. Hopefully this will help all you with the same problem.

*EDIT: For those of you that have a hard time understanding what part is actually making the noise, since the first picture is way to blurry, go to that spot and with the hatch open and looking at that mechanism, press the truck open button on the hatchback, the part that goes clunt and allows the trunk to open, that part that is moving has two seperate pieces that move, seems that those were banging together. Hope that makes it even easier.

 

[Crimson3]

Sorry about the small pictures, taken with a camera phone, plus i dont know how to make them bigger

. But the easiest way to find those gears that are making the noise. Take off the little panel door on the hatchback where the mechanical latch is located (this is on the actual hatchback and not the car itself. While looking at that mechanism while holding the hatchback open, press the button on the outside of the car where you lift up to open the hatchback, pretty much the handle, but since its electric its just a big button. Press it like your gonna open the trunk and watch how the latch moves, the 2 parts that move (well actually pay attention, it starts out and looks like one part (in the picutre my friend is pushing down the latch with the screw driver)). While your paying attentino to that level inside, look ever closer, ITS TWO SEPERATE METAL PIECES WITH NO PLASTIC GUARD TO SEPERATE THE TWO. I have no clue why toyota was so stupid to allow to small metal pieces like that sit together with no noise dampening protection. So in short my horrible rattles was comming from those two seperate metal pieces tapping together on bumpy roads. If your having a hard time understanding what im talkign about just go take a look at your car in the hatchback, its pretty simple.

I do realize for some of you this isnt the rattle problem. Im just informing you guys that this is a new solution to the rattle problem. Judging by the design of that latch and the opinion of my friend (who is a mechanic for bmw dealership, and you have no clue how many peopel come in a bitch about the simpliest rattle or noise) that is possible the location of the rattles from the majority of tC's on the road. I will say it wasnt some stupid hatchback strut like toyota was BSing us. If this solves the rattle in any of you guys problems then please let me know, would like to know if im right.

JustWhite:The noise i was hearing was when i was driving around and would hit a rough spot in the road or any thing small, such as when changing lanes and you hit a reflector on the road and the car jerks around a little. Its not an extremely lound rattle, cant even hear it when i have my stock radio up to 35, but any other time its plain as day and annoying as hell. Here is an idea to replicate the sound, get a small coffee can, some medium size ball bearing and fill the can up with some oil, shake it around like a maraca. That metal banging sound is close tot he rattle i was getting. Was being hte key word

 

[Crimson3]

Ok guys here is some better pictures.

This is where its located.

This is me pointing at the place where the noise is comming from.

This is how the gear moves when you open the trunk.

Here I am seperating the mechanism, now why toyota allowed this piece to be seperate I have no clue, but the rattle is from this piece beating up on the top piece, hope this helps.

 

[Crimson3]

I guess special for some people means just 1 car out of thousands. But none the less, my problem is fixed

. Even today I drove around through some rough roads where I thought my car would fall apart, hell i even think i have created several new rattles, but the old tin can rattle is now effectively gone. What i was sayng is this latch problem is how the car is designed it doesnt seem to be a slip up such as a spot weld. The only reason I would say why some cars dont rattle and some do might be the amount of grease that was applied to that particular area, or those mechanical latch system all have a different level of quality. None the less I figure this is a good thing to point out to toyota to fix, there should be a little boot or something on that to keep it from rattling. Although this fixed the big rattle I still have some plastic dash rattles and rear rattles (but they are the muffled plastic rattles you hear, not some metal tinging). Well again, I hope people try this if they have the problem and let me know if it fixes it. Thanks