I would never buy any Toyota

I think your opinion is 100 percent correct. Good explanation.

 

Double check glove box ☺

 

Does it say the above on your work order? At least they actually heard the rattle to try and fix it. If you are happy with the shops work, and friendliness, ask them to try again. Take it to another shop and let them try, tell them what has been done, save all your work order paperwork. Sometimes another shop can be better "rattle detectors"... Another trick we used was use your cell phone to record the noise, (or for other issues, take pictures or video's of it occurring for proof it happens). Give Toyota ample opportunity to fix it, but remain firm in saying it must be fixed. As consumers, we should not "settle", or "put up with" something on a brand new car, (within reason). I can see a car rattle on occasion, on a real rough road, but if it is all the time, on smooth roads,, no way, you paid too much for it.

Oh, also,, sometimes a dash rattle, is actually on the engine side! Possibly have them check the engine compartment, too!

 

We had a buzz happening, under light to moderate acceleration, from somewhere in behind the glove box zone. For maybe 10,000 km. Just recalled it now, because haven't heard it in some time.

Moral of the story, with the myriad components fitting together, it's very easy for something to loosen up, start making a noise. It's a testament to thorough engineering that it's infrequent.

Which doesn't help with your issue. What I'd say:

Have you ever watched one of those home improvement shows, where they involve the owners, have them stripping the wallpaper, or pulling up the old carpeting. Where I'm going:

The pros excel at the tough, mechanically intensive jobs. And they get paid to work fast. But something like this, chasing a rattle, is frustrating, time consuming, for all parties. Maybe talk with the shop, get their best ideas, then attempt to isolate the sound yourself, as much as possible. Maybe you'll find it and solve it yourself. Or give the info they need. The more legwork you can do, the better for everyone.

I appreciate it's a near-new car, a warranty issue, but still, since you live with the car, hear the rattle all the time, I think you can help them get it solved. Or wait 10,000 miles.

 

I think your idea is a very good one. I have a "sometimes" rattle that bothers me in my new Avalon. I had to go to the dealer for another problem and I told them about the rattle but not to spend a lot of time trying to find it because it could be very time consuming. It is just a "me thing", I do not like to impose on a dealer to spend a lot of time trying to find a rattle. They took the car for a drive and said they could not hear the rattle. I believe them. It just was not rattling at the time. I am about to think in my case that it just might be the hybrid vent fan that is causing the rattling noise and maybe that is normal. In my owners manual it says something to the effect that fan noise from the vent is normal. Your suggestion to maybe wait 10,000 miles is a good common sense suggestion. That is something that I very much like about Prius Chat. There are a lot of intelligent people like you that comes up with some very good common sense suggestions.

 

If the arm that holds the hood up comes loose, it will rattle at certain rpms and drive you nuts too.

Had that several times on my G3

 

Hah, is there any wood in the Prius to knock on

 

I just use my head

 

when you reassemble the dash, put some felt between all hard surfaces.

 

I think it boils down to what are your priorities and why did you buy the Prius.

I wanted a Hybrid for efficiency, and The Prius for also being a fully utilizable, IMO comfortable vehicle.

It's delivered on those priorities in spades.

Of course I spent a lot of time researching and a lot of time in Prius Chat, so I had some foreknowledge that rattles were a possibility, even perhaps a likely scenario with the Gen 3.

Yeah, I've got some rattles. But on a vehicle built to be light, with a full plastic dash, and a full plastic flying buttress? I kind of expected it.

I've balanced...living with the rattles, vs. complaining and having a dealership try to hunt them down, and at least at this point, the occasional rattle is easily something I can live with.

I really wouldn't buy a Prius with the expectations of a luxury car quietness attached.

 

I would rather have a loud rattle I can hear with the radio on than a small intermittent one that drives me crazy at least it would be easy to find the loud one

 

OP...
FWIW- My 2012 Prius Five (bought brand new) was a rattle trap- and the low profile 17" tires didn't help. It was very disappointing. I traded it in for a 2012 PIP- that was much better, but still had occasional rattles I couldn't get rid of (except by finally trading it in).
My 2014 Volt had an occasional buzz at the driver side B pillar- I was able to fix it and another in the glove box damper (which is fixed by removing it). I can't over emphasize how nice it is now to ride in a rattle free car in silent EV mode.
It bothers some people more than others, I also get annoyed by motion jitter on some modern TV's and other people don't even notice it. I guess it's based on how critical you are.

In any case- I think you'll get better results tracking it down yourself and with the help of people here rather than having the dealer pull your car apart which is bound to introduce even more rattles/noises over time.
I can't even remember a post where the dealer successfully fixed a dash rattle that didn't come back eventually, and in most cases sooner rather than later...

 

I certainly agree with you concerning tracking down rattles yourself rather than having the dealer dismantle parts of your car trying to find them. Just the thoughts of that scares me. I think a person is looking for a lot more trouble going that route.

 

(not exactly sure what its called).. as of this time, there is still rattle but not as bad as it was before[/QUOTE]

Now that rattles me!

 

At least you found out what is causing it. I think you are lucky to have discovered the problem. You must have a pretty decent dealer. I don't think some of them bother to look that far.