Dashboard Tapping - Fixed it!

[jchammer]

After reading all the posts on the dreaded dashboard tapping noise, I tried everything to no avail. The caulk backer rod didn't help at all. So I took my stereo/HVAC bezel off and looked around in there.

1. Slide the heating/cooling unit down and out of the way. (Black box with white sticks pointing out for the heating/cooling knobs)
2. Look for a flex-tube underneath your stereo that runs down behind the ECU (silver box with wires coming out).
3. Shake the flex tube and notice as it taps against the black plastic heating/cooling duct that runs left/right behind the dash that it makes the dreaded noise.
4. Shove something (anything) down in-between the flex tube and the heating/cooling duct so it can't move anymore.

Done! No more noise. I'm not saying this is everybody's problem, but it fixed mine. Also as I was putting the bezel back on the dash I noticed that as it rubs on the dash at the top it makes a similar noise, so I put some duct tape in between the 2 surfaces. This might be where the noise comes from that is fixed by the caulk backer rod due to the dash flexing just enough to not move around in that spot. Anyway... good luck! Hope this helps somebody.

[TundraTRX]

THANK YOU! I will definitely give that a try this weekend, along with the caulking thing-a-ma-bob. I suffer from the rattle, but only occaisonally. I also have a rattling like sound coming from somewhere on the driver's side I need to hunt down. Sounds like metal-on-metal almost, and highly annoying.

[cubic22]

Good post, I have a slight rattle, on the dash between the front door and the left-hand side of the dash. I was driving and stuck my hand in between and it seemed to stop, but it was late so I didn't mess with it too much and its really on noticeable on colder days.

[matttom]

I've been the dealer three times for this! Last time I took out a tech to listen but he said he didn't hear it! I was tring to avoid fixing this myself but it seems i'll have too. Keep the fixes coming guys

[ibleedblue]

I've got a 2001 and I found that the tapping sound was from the defroster vents rubbing against the plastic dash. As you're driving down the road, if you shove your fingers down the defrost vents against the windsheild I bet you can feel the vent underneath the dash wiggling. I only had a real issue with it when it was cold. The colder it was, the worse the problem. I never took it to the dealer. I fixed it myself with the backer rod and some foam tape placement. I detailed as best I could in my pics.

Greg