Dear Toyota, the 2010 is a rattler.

Eh .... slots are slots ... I'm a table games guy. There's just something I don't like about a machine where you put in hard earned money and then 'hope' that more comes back out with no input whatsoever. In my experience, it's very rare that more comes out than you put in.

Any idea what street your father's friend is on in the Pines ?

LOL !! I thought you had a new Prius also, I did see your signature about your 04. Nice stable you have there.

When are you headed down again, and how far is Gaithersburg from OC ?

We'll definitely hook up when our schedules allow it ! I may be going down this coming weekend. We love the off season, especially now that it's warming up a little.

REV

 

Yeah I kind of compare slots to just setting your money on fire. At least with a table game theres some sport in it...something to enjoy at least...

I don't know what street he lives on unfortunately.

I'm sure we'll be down sometime in early to mid July, we usually go down for 9-10 days or so. Its about 150 miles...3 hours or so. We had a condo when I was a kid, but nowadays we always go and stay at the Clarion on 101st St because its one of the last places left that will let us bring the dog...

 

I've had my 2010 V for nearly 22 months. It was among the first made, so it may be that the rest of you benefitted from the early build issues and complaints some of us complained about.

The areas you note are the ones I experienced. I found the noises to be present regardless of temperature. The flying bridge remains the noisiest part of the car (aside from tire noise, obviously). There is an on-and-off noise in the area of the display (perhaps the same as your left dash area), and I've had regular noises coming from the upper dash in the center-to-right portion. The biggest bother was a noise that came from the right rear seat.

I took the car back to the dealer regularly for the first two months, and they took the car apart -- literally. The dash was removed at least twice, and they took out the back seat and all of the back panels. Each time they reassembled and added padding and tighted whatever screws/bolts were encountered. It didn't resolve all sounds, but the bothersome rear seat sound did cease. It could have resolved itself simply through considerable use!

The flying bridge noise is the only one that really persists and bugs me. Perhaps it is because I've never liked the look of the thing! (I have found that it is convenient for changing gears, but I'd still prefer to get the gear shift back onto the dash and out of the way. How often do you switch gears, anway?)

In my case, I'd have to echo these sentiments. My 2007 had much better fit and finish, but the other features and performance of the 2010 are so much better that I'll live with the rattles.

The odd thing is that I believe I've compensated by turning up my radio. So much so that my high schooler asks me to turn down the radio when she rides with me!

I agree with many of the feelings you've expressed -- meaning that I share many of the same responses.

I've had other Toyotas, and I've developed an expectation for quality fit and finish, and my 2010 did not live up to those expectations. There are other issues than the little rattles, and I've shared those issues with my dealer and with Toyota directly. I encourage everyone to do the same if the issues truly bother you and change your opinion about the value and quality of Toyota vehicles.

Whether a dealer would rather lose a customer than spend time trying to find rattles is a question to be answered by each customer. My dealer may not be perfect, but I do know that they have spent a lot of time trying to find and fix the issues. I may not be pleased with the rattles, but I can't complain about the dealer's approach in my case.

 

A priori, it's good to hear from you again. You are one of the people who helped me decide which options to order on my Prius, I have no regrets in that regard. Other than some initial quality problems and fighting with rattles I am pleased with the car. I hope no one else has run into yours while parked?

 

a priori! Long time, no see!

 

Thanks, guys! I appreciate the kind sentiments.

What a memory! I haven't been crunched in a parking lot for a LONG time. There are a few more dings and door scratches coming from people who seem to think my car's doors are a good stop for their cars' doors.

For those who are interested in a long, sad story of woe, you can read my thread Again & Again!! Third Time to be Hit in Four Months.

 

It is happening more often than you would think . On Saturday we had like a mixture of a Haily Snowy thing that wasnt falling like hail was. It was some ice but frosted like snow ! The Area i live in was covered in it. Cars all over had like 2-4 inches of it on them. This year alone temps have fallen to low 30's and frost has been an issue here in Tujunga. Last year was the same too. The year before temps were like mid 30's and before that high 30's I hope i dont run into Rattling problems when i get my car =(

Global warming ...

 

Being somewhat OCD like some, maybe most Prius owners, the rattles drove me crazy in my black V. My wife's white V doesn't rattle and it was built earlier. The noise didn't start until about 5-6 months of driving. The dealer took the dash off and resealed it. That helped some. But after reading everyone's suggestions here, I found the rear seats and the tailgate were a major part of the noise. So as someone suggested, I lubed the U hook on the seats and the tailgate. It's much improved. Ahh the bliss of a quiet car again!

 

My rattle was "real". I had it fixed. Here is what the printout from my service sheet says:

"Customer states rattling from the right side dash board when first starting car, most when cold. Tech found peice of metal behind dash inside R/F fender causing vibration..."

I do think this is a real problem. Noticed the same thing on my sister's 2010. I don't know if she's taken it in or not. She lives in Seattle. I live in NY.

 

why did you leave a piece of metal in the fender?

 

I have 12,000 on my 010 that covered a good part of the US. No rattles at all.
Did I mention that I was hard of hearing.