Since I haven't heard of this fix on this website I think it deserves a new thread...

For those of you who've been following my rattle I'm getting my car back after nearly a month! I'll save you some reading.....and hopefully this isn't premature....my rattle was coming from an unseated rivet in the frame of the roof (passenger side) between the hatch and the rear sunroof (the one that doesn't open). In a lot of ways this makes sense for many other rattle sufferers. When you look at the various fixes posted at Scionlife most have to do with applying upward pressure on the hatch which could prevent the frame from movement (due to an unseated rivet). It could also explain the fix involving pulling down the roof liner by the dome light (by placing foam between the fins you may be preventing the roof frame from rattling on the fins instead of the other way around) Other things done to my car during it's many weeks in the shop:

*rear window removed and replaced.
*spot welding
*wiring harnesses secured.
*tail lights removed and replaced.
*side hatch catches moved inward.

These first four things had no result, the fifth made a minor difference. The Scion tech also found a noise in the rear airflow vents above the wheel wells...I hadn't heard this noise before.

My advise to all of you... Let the Scion people do their jobs. If you have the rattle give your dealer a chance to fix it. If not satisfied get a case number through 1-866-70SCION. When your service department throws their hands in the air and say they've done all they can do they probably have...but you haven't done all that you can do, call Scion, they are great at their jobs. The Field Technician spent three days in my city hours away from home working on my car. My Toyota service department was really impressed not only with him but with his methods (like a headset listening device with an amplifier to hear noise). I know none of the people involved built my car and did the best they could do. Good luck to all of you....hopefully I won't have to post again about a hatch rattle!

 

Glad to hear that someone is at least doing something about it. And thankfully, corporate was helpful and .. well... useful.

 

divadax
my tc is going in on the 20th to meet with a special toyota tech
do you know the name of the tech that worked on your car?

 

Thanks for update. Is this RIVET something we can do or something that a Scion mechanic has to fix? If Scion has to do, can you tell post your dealership, city/state so others can talk to the mechanic?

Also, did his "rivet" fix completely do away with your hatch rattle? This might be the one as most of us posting are saying that it is coming from the passenger side.

Thanks.

Kevin

 

And did you ask the Scion guy if there might be another TSB for this?

I got the hatch stays replaced today and the rattle is still there. But, I expected it to not fix it. Plus with all I've done it's pretty much all gone.

But if a TSB becomes of this I'll get it done. I'd rather not have to try and twist the dealers arm into doing it. Plus it sounds like the fix is in one persons head right now.

I'm so tempted to yell "THIS THREAD IS USELESS WITHOUT PICS!"

Uh, I guess I just did.

 

The unseated Rivet makes sense , Im hoping mine stays gone for a bit . Maybe mines quiet cuz they knocked it or soemthing . More info on this would be nice cuz I have a feeling there are more roofs out there with faulty rivits

 

Mine is going in for the third time next week to hopefully have this issue resolved.

I'm going thru SL to find all the posts about the hatch rattle and will include this.

They have replaced the struts on the hatch and now want to take apart the inside...hopefully they find something next week!! The rattle is definitely worse now.

 

the big question is.. is this rivet broken on its own? or did the factory not crimp it down into place?

 

Hopefully I'm not responding twice. I finished my post then went back to answer questions....my first post was gone. If this is redundant I'm sorry.

I wasn't going to do this but I know the hatch rattle is like water torture and I feel for all of you who have it. I live in Nashville and my case manager with Scion is Gina (thanks Gina!). I don't know the name of the lady who came down from Cincinnatti to drive with me but I was impressed. She called the Field Tech from my car while we were driving to describe the rattle. The Field Tech arrived the next day (from Cincinnatti) and his name was Eric....he stayed 3 days to work on my rattle! I've had my car for 4 hours and I've not heard the rattle...even in the areas on rural roads around my home where I heard it the worst. To answer questions...there will be no pictures as I don't have a camera and the rivet is above the headliner. I don't know if it's a factory issue but if there's one employee in Japan who installs that rivet all day he should be fired! I don't know if the rivet was the only issue. I did not get to follow-up with Eric, he either went back to Cincinnatti or was working on another car somewhere else so I couldn't ask any questions about TSB's or whatever. I'm sure he's learned more than he's ever wanted to know about a TC hatchback in the last few days and it's clear that the Scion people communicate with one another constantly. My dealer and service department is Beaman Scion in Nashville. Once Eric arrived they let him do his thing. My service coordinator is Eric (Thanks Eric!!!!) (geezzzz, I've had a few drinks....I hope they are both named "Eric"). $700 was spent on my rental car not to mention hotel stays for Eric etc.... I'm glad I own a Scion....Beaman even sent me away with parting gifts like oil changes/movies which I did not expect or feel was necessary at all. Two caviots to my happy ending....it's been raining outside all day and the temperature is much cooler than the entire 3 weeks I drove with the rattle, hopefully not a factor but I thought I'd throw it in.

 

To sciontc_mich...

Mine rattled off the lot with only 2 miles on it. I'd think that points to the factory.

 

One more thing...

Never in a million years would I have guessed that the roof was causing the rattle. It was most pronounced when the interior tail light covers were removed while riding in the back....I guess noise travels or possibly the loose frame made the hatch unstable...I don't know. Every time I heard it driving I'd look straight between the latch and the passenger side rear...it still echos in my mind, but so far NOT IN MY CAR.....YEAHHHHH!

 

hey divadax.. is yours an auto or a manual model?

 

Divadax,

Thanks for update. Hopefully Scion will put whatever Eric did in a TSB so we can also get fix.

One question is "Did your hatch rattle sometimes go away for several hours, maybe a day"? Mine is mostly there but sometimes there is no hatch rattle going over the same "bumps".

And I take it whatever Eric did the "average" person could NOT do????

Kevin

 

Mine is an auto. I don't know if the average person can do it. I know my car was in the shop for over 20 days with various mechanics working on it who did not get results. My rattle did not come and go. It was there all the time although most pronounced on minor pavement shifts, not the big bumps. I'm getting ready to drive to work....fingers crossed!

 

For those who are very disappointed and frustrated, don't be, I really think this small defect is fixable, and doesn't make tC a "bad" car quality wise.

I am going to call Scion on monday and going to ask them to look into my car's problem right away. I am actually a bit encourage throug this post.

 

Suggestion to everyone. Copy/paste the "fix" that was posted in this thread by divdax and send to your local Scion dealer/service to have on file and review. Hopefully enough of these and a TSB will be issued based on the Cincinatti work up.

This fix is definitely a whole lot more legit than the stupid strut fix/TSB. What a waste of time for that one.

Kevin

 

I had my entire roof replaced. And now there are more rattles than before. Before it was limited to the back. But now when I open the front sunroof slightly, it rattles too. So all the fixes are actually making mine worse. Thanks for the post, Ill print it and bring it in.

Oh and guys, the common rattle is the rear roof and not actually the hatch latch or struts that most people commonly think.

 

I regret and am sorry I didn't get more information on this. I'm not sure the rivet was the only problem or a combination of things fixed the rattle. Technically the rattle was "helped", not 100% fixed. Today was our first hot day here and if my old rattle was a "10" on a scale today's was about a "2". The car is 98% quieter than when I drove it off the lot and quieter than the Tahoo and Focus that I've been driving for the past month. I'm satisfied with that but Scion really needs to address this going forward because the TC is not a cheap car, ALL new cars are expensive. I waited 7 years before I bought a new car and advances in design, technology and style are very evident in the TC...rattles are inexcusable. It's like buying the prettiest cake you've ever seen from a bakery only to get it home and find eggshells in every delicious bite.

 

What's makes it most frustrating is that the hatch rattle has been around since inception and nobody, including Scion, can come up with a 100% fix. As most of you, I have tried all the "cheap" fixes as well as the strut TSB. All of them useless. To me it would seem like it is the hatch hitting the frame as the rattle is not present if I drive with the hatch up. But trying to "tighten" the connection has not worked. I did put a hoodie on the back plastic piece and I thought that was the answer. But after no rattle for a day, the same rattle was back.

Kevin

 

I wonder if anyone has tried to file a lemon lawsuit after so many attempts to fix the roof. Im waiting to hear back from the service manager, because he said he would contact toyota directly. But if that doesnt work, I will file a case with the better business bureau. My original plan was just to trade it in and not have to deal with this scion crap anymore, but then I thought to myself "Why should I have to take a loss on the car?" Its not fair.

For those people who have been back to the dealership repeatedly like I have for the stupid roof. Would anyone consider getting a group lemon lawsuit going? Lets show scion we mean business.