06' Avalon interior "rattles" and "pops"- anyone have them?

[gold4runner]

My 2006 avalon has a series of rattles, none are that big of a deal, however when I rent a car like an impala and I notice that it is quieter than my avalon, well that is not good. Some fit and finish issues also. I suspect the pursuit of the dollar and yen are driving some of this stuff. Oh well, I will still buy toyota, but the gap between them some of the US models appears to be narrowing.

[xsnrg]

I have a rattle coming from above the front passenger's head, ahead of the sunroof. Perhaps it is the headliner slapping against the roof as another user posted his was doing that in the rear. It is the most annoying, occurring every time I hit a minor bump in the road. Also, there is a 'foily' crinkling sound that comes from my dash pad just ahead of the steering wheel...if I grab that piece and squeeze it or move it up and down, it is easy to replicate... this one I hear over every decent size bump in the road.

If I take it to the dealer and demonstrate these, will they have to fix them under warranty (I have about 6k miles left).

Ditto ditto ditto on how much the Nav joystick (and overall interface) are. I like the moving map for location awareness, but using the system to navigate is a pain. I usually just end up using VZ Navigator on my phone which is worlds better (minus only the large the moving map) for entry, searching, flexibility, freedom (not restricted while moving), and for spoken directions including pronounced street names. For $10 per month, it would take me 200 months to equal the cost of the factory Nav which just happened to be in the '06 Limited I purchased.

[benbeaux]

I bet the rattle is the metal support bracket for the map light/sunglass holder. The front of the bracket towards the windshield is tack welded to the roof in each corner & the back (above the lights) is free floating. There's a piece of industrial velcro that connects it to the area above the maplight. Really hokey design, IMHO. Missing or poorly installed insulation can let rattles develope since there's a wiring harness snaking through the area. The headliner can also rattle if they didn't get the insulation installed properly.

I found all this when I added a Gentex mirror & Escort x50 hardwire kit last week.

During our recent road trip, I found the click/clack rattle comes from the rear seat passenger side. I'll pull the seat & try to find it.

[alamogunr]

Originally Posted by davison.rj

No rattles in my '06 after 8 months. I do get a minor clunk sometimes (not always) when I come to a stop and when I start up from a stop. Seems like it is coming from the trunk and as if something is loose back there. Nothing is loose that I can see. One of these days I'll try to figure it out.

I've got the same thing on my '06 XLS. Been there from the beginning. It is now about 16 months old. So far it is the only noise complaint I have. Like others have said, this car is not nearly the quality of the '96 I had previously. If the engine holds up and I don't have too many problems with other things, I am going to try to keep this one 10 years too. I don't think Avalons will be around to buy another one if the quality stays on it's downward trend.

[Heatwave]

Originally Posted by Tennesseestorm

A friend of mine has a 06' Avalon XLS and has been complaining of interior noises. Anyone else have this issue?

Strange, because I had a 1981 Toyota Cressida luxury sedan (which was the Avalon of the 1980s) and with over 200K miles and it was still 100% squeak and rattle free, even over rough terrain, but the interior materials seemed to be of higher quality than they are now.

The '81 Cressida was a jewel. I had one ... probably the best automobile I've ever owned. Rock solid, tight as a bank vault, totally dependable and reliable, over 200,000 miles and (except for tires) nothing ever wore out. It was the car that made me a believer in Toyota products.

[amaury]

I started noticing the rattling around the 3rd day I purchased the car. It is not so much of an issue but the noise is there; seems to be coming from the front passenger side. Like it is the wooden panels on that door rubbing against the channels in which they're seated. What I assumed was, since it is winter the air is dryer and all things shrink with dry air. Therefore, the panels have shrik a bit. I would expect the noise to dissappear during the humid air of summer.

Anyway, not so sure about that assumption. I'd have to look at it more closely. Never thought many other drivers would have a similar problem.

Amaury
'08 Limited (with all the bells & whitles...and then more)

[A K]

We also have a soft, metallic click/clack coming from the back end. It only happens with sharp bumps in the road. I stuffed foam insulation strips into the metal cover where the subwoofer would go if we had one. Didn't help much.

On my 2000 XLS there is a clicking noise from the back, seems like from subwoofer area... but since I do have a subwoofer, there is nowhere to stuff insulation, it will damage the sub.. DUH !

[ElDiabloJoe]

Have had my 06 Limited since June 06. It still rides so smoothly and quietly, that I am amazed. In fact, it rides much better than, costs less to maintain/operate than, and needs less maintenance than my E-class Mercedes Benz E-500 ever did.

EDJ

[Tundrav8yamaha]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

Have had my 06 Limited since June 06. It still rides so smoothly and quietly, that I am amazed. In fact, it rides much better than, costs less to maintain/operate than, and needs less maintenance than my E-class Mercedes Benz E-500 ever did.

EDJ

I like the 99 Avalon Better the new one sucks and i can't wait till Toyota does a full redesign Soon 2009 or 2010..MB is also over rated too but i like the GL class nice Suv

[JourneyNC]

My 2000 Avalon XLS v6 began noticeable rattling noise that sounds like chain links falling or clanking against each other. It's a very light noise and appears to come from around the stearing wheel area. I also noticed on a cold start, a high hum noise starts in that same area and as the car warms up, it starts the light chain link rattling noise.

Turning on the radio to drown this out helps. My Toyota states they have not had any rattling complaints on this vehicle. Any clues?