So im driving around tonight in my new tC and there is a noise with every bump in the road. it sounds like my tailgate is not latched, but it is.....
I thought maybe it was the spare tire was loose, but it wasnt....
Anyone have any idea what it may be? PLEASE HELP!!!! its driving me insane!

 

hatch rattle? license plate?

 

you've got hatch rattle...its a very annoying problem with the tc but you shouldnt have it if you just bought ur car..mine came about 6000miles later. i took it to the dealer to get it fixed but they just replaced the hatch lifts with friggin weak ones that dont even lift the hatch on its own. my fix was :

cut about 3-4 inches of black wire tape and wrap it around the metal latch that the hatch latches onto. at first when u try to lift it you will have to use a bit of force but after it forms its groove, it'll lift on its own like before. i've done that about 3000 miles ago and absolutely no hatch rattle. good luck!

 

dont worry about it, it is a _____ to finally get rid of that rattle. i just ignore it.

 

So this is a common issue then? I wrap the electrical tape around the metal bar where the latch actual hooks around?
thanks for the help, i will try that in the morning.

 

Looks like you live where it's cold. It rattles in the cold.
I bet that when it warms up, it'll stop.

Mine only hints at rattling when I drive up to the local mountains in the snow.

Scott

 

Welcome to my world of Hell (rattling tC). You'll be lucky enough if your dealer can fix it without having to make four trips. While using electrical tape may solve the problem, it's only a temporary fix. As others have mentioned, it will get warped out of shape and you'll have to replace it.

I'm so fed up with the rattles, I just flat out paid off my entire loan yesterday and I'm waiting for my bank to transfer the title to me so I can sell this hunk of metal.

 

this post helped me fix the rattle in the hatch area.
$4 and it was over.
forget the service area, it will waste your time and most are clueless.

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...latch&&start=0

 

yup wrap it around the metal latch. and like someone said, this is only a bandaid, not a fix. but i think i'd wrather do this rather then go thru the dealer esp, if the rattle is gonna come right back.

yeh my rattles became 10x worse in cold whether.

btw, i dont think you have to worry about the tape becoming "warped". you are basically increasiing the width of that spot on the latch. the reason the hatch rattles like it does is because the hatch part is not holding onto the latch perfectly snug. sure it holds the hatch down but when u hit a bump it will rattle and create the noise. since the tape makes the latch a bit thicker (mayb 1mm or so), the hatch is able to grab and completely hold onto the hatch. the layer of electrical tape somewhat absorbs some of the rattling and eliminates the rattle as well. like i mentioned before, the hatch will be a tad harder to lift and close at first but after a some open/closing of the hatch, a "groove" will develop and this drawback will be at a minimal. (i had to deal with it for about a week tops before it went back to normal). and so the bandaid is pretty convenient, unless the tape starts tearing off somehow.

hope that helps. btw, i recommmend using black electrical tape so it blends in with the surroundings better, drawing less attention to it. (nobody notices mine unless i point it out.)

 

The hatch rattle stems from where the hatch glass meets the metal frame. I discovered this when I slammed my door one time, I heard the rattle from the outside coming from the lower left corner of the hatch glass.

 

i think there are a couple places where the rattle can come from. i know of one from the latch, the one ur talking about, and another with something inside one of the grey pillars on the hatch.

 

this could be true, because my rattles stoped after my hatch glass was replaced due to an accident. at least i got somthing good out of that car accident

 

I Have the rattle too. I took it to Toyota of seattle and the beat around the bush put some new clips in and called it a day. I picked it up and the first bump i hit it came back. Go Dealership! Don't worry they still owe me two free more LOF. So they will here from me and maybe we can get to the bottom of this.

 

I had the same problem when I bought my tC back in Jan 06. Took it back to the dealership, they said they adjusted the rear hatch latch and now, no more rattle.

 

Is this "hatch rattle" what I'm experiencing as well? Everytime I turn I hear what sounds like a loose screw rolling around inside the ceiling... I can fix it, I just don't feel likt it yet... oh, and by the way, I tried to take the ceiling out a while ago just to look, and the velcro part holding the roof up didn't separate... no, actually, the adhesive wasn't stuck to the ceiling, so basically those velcro pads are doing jack.