Over very rough pavement I get a rattling sound from the hatch area. It is lower-pitched but 'big' and semi-metallic. In my old car, it was the actual striker plate and latch. Plumber's grease and it was gone...

In this car, I can't pinpoint where it is coming from:
1) the cover over the spare tire is so light. Is it bouncing up and down? I had a 50lb bag of sand back there and I still kinda got the noise.
2) the day I got the car, the license plate was put on loose. I tightened it but it vibrated a bit so I attached felt pads to the back of the license plate and the vibration went away. Still the other noise.
3) the tool kit was underneath the rear seat when I got the car, manual says it belongs in the spare tire well in a certain corner. i put it in the correct place in the well, but noise didn't change.
4) no plastic is loose back there, it is all attached, but it seems "floppy"...

Any ideas? Lubricating the door seals helped with weird creaky noises this winter, but I just don't think a noise that sounds that big and low-pitched could be the hatch seal.

Pointers welcome...

 

If you drive in Mass, you might have less pot holes, those sounds drive me nuts too. good luck, some times you need to stuff foam insulation under plastic moldings.

 

I would recheck the way the jack and lug wrench are secured with the spare tire, that was what I had rattling in my car.

 

Do you have a cargo cover?

Also--with the hatch open, push against the plastic hatch trim (where the handle for the hatch is. If you feel it give, or a rattle--that may be your culprit.
I put a little foam stick weather stripping in a few inconspicuous corners and it's gone.

I also had a small hatch cover rattle, again--fixed with the same stuff.

 

You mean the inside handle, right? The one you reach for to close it?

No, I don't have a cargo cover.

Looks like I'll be out there this weekend with my roll of weatherstrip foam!

 

Check the docking of the middle shoulder belt (the one that retracts into the roof in the rear). That's where my rattle was coming from. If it's not stowed properly it will rattle. I'm at work, so I can't explain exactly how it docks, but there's a right way, and at least one wrong way to do it.

 

Check the cargo net hold-down rings. One or more may be loosely jumping around. I would also check out the lug wrenches, jack, etc. Use bungees to tightened them to the area.

 

I just thought of something. I have an 09 with the extra storage box in the seat behind the driver. For a while, I was getting noise that I thought was coming from the hatch area, also. It turned out that the knobs on the storage box on the seat were rattling.

 

This weekend I stuffed fire-retardant felt underlay (much like what is under our carpeting) in every area where I tapped on a plastic panel and felt it contact something 'undamped' (ie, hard). I also took a loop of polyfoam and tucked it all in around the spare tire well. I was careful enough so that I would hold the trim away with one plastic knife while sliding the felt under the plastic with another.

Good news, the buzz from the centre console where the cupholders are is gone.

Bad news, I can still hear the hatch rattle. It seems like it is less, or that could be me being crazy.

Still sounds like a metal-on-metal type of rattle, like a latch or something. And it only happens on uneven pavement, not when you hit a "real bump".

This is the first car I have ever owned that within 5k miles I had already relubricated all of the door strips and stuffed it full of foam to stop rattles.
Between all of this, the already worn tires and the driver's seat upholstery already wearing (I am 5'8 and 150 pounds), I'm actually starting to worry. I have a low-impact suburban/city commute, it isn't like this car is pushed hard at all.

I'm about to visit the dealer for a tire rotation and alignment and ask them about the tires. Perhaps also get them to look at the suspension.

 

Take the stock axle back pipe and muffler off and run a straight pipe..... Your rattles will no longer be a nuisance if you do it..... Hearing about all of these rattles make me kind of appreciate my hearing loss.

 

So everything else seems to be on as tight as a drum and I stuffed that felt stuff everywhere I felt "give".

For my next feat I will attempt to "damp" the little secret box under the rear driver's side seat. It is a little jiggly. The screws were on tight, though.

The license plate did rattle when I got it. I attached felt to the back of the plate and that went away. Maybe it still is a little bit?

 

Did you actually check the tailgate stops? You know those rubber round looking things that are supposed to contact the body when the tailgate closes? They actually adjust outward by spinning them (righty tighty/ lefty loosy). The trick I use is to wipe a thin layer of caulk on them and lightly close the door, then look on the body to see if it transfered (and how much it "smooshes")- then wipe it off before it dries. I bet you that's the issue. I found many of mine were not adjusted correctly from the factory.

The fix to your license plate is to use 4 screws.

 

I think I'm getting a rattling sound from my back seats, when in the regular seating position. It goes away when I have them folded down into the floor. Couldn't be that could it?

 

I had that noise. As I mentioned before, it turned out to be the loose knobs on that utility box in the seat behind the driver.

 

OK Guys, I had the same noise comming from the back of my 09 sport. The answer is the seats. I have a small rattle or thudding as i drive over rough sufaces. Try folding the seats all the way down and driving around. I have found that it completly eliminates the noise. The car is utterly silent after that.

Give it a shot, it worked for me!

 

That'll be my last try (putting the seats down)...

As for the rubber hatch stops, they are contacting the hatch when it is closed (thanks for the tip!)

It is still there, but lessened a bit from something. I notice it is less when it is very warm outside and the car itself is warm.

 

hi and welcome to the fit, mine rattles a lot, I took it to the dealer and they fix one thing (not) and the car comes worst with more crapy sounds, I´m tired of that, I´m thinking about fix it by myself or sell it, the "technicians" that "fix" the cars are mokeys with screwdrivers you know, so good luck.

I know I know my english is not good, so I´m sorry

 

Let us know what the problem was after you fix it.

Despues de arreglarlo su carro, dimelo que fue. Mi espanol es mas peor que su ingles. Buena suerte en su problema.

 

I think it is the jack. It is just kind of wedged beneath the hatch and it worked it's way loose and rattles. I was thinking of insulating it from the area around it by putting a shop towel around it.

Does anyone else have this problem and how did you fix it?

Is there a way to jack up the jack so it is tighter and does it stay?

 

I do...
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