Passenger Seat Rattle Clicking FIXED 3G Garage #F-044
 

I am very happy with my new TL but it did come with a few rattles. Now that I have solved all the major rattles (thanks to this forum) the car is almost deafening and I love it. The engine sounds so much better when it's the only thing you hear. :2cents:

These are the rattles I solved using this forum:

Both front door window trims. Pulled the trim out and put in weather stripping
Front Left Speaker rattle
Front Center Speaker rattle
Left Rear Door Panel (Dealer fixed this one, something was really loose in there)
Removed Sun Glasses Holders from both pockets
Front Passenger Seat Rattle (This Thread)

So I have searched long and hard for this rattle, even took it into the dealer and they couldn't find it. I just told them it was a passenger side rattle so they didn't have much to work with any way. This was the most annoying rattle so I had to fix it. I got some of the ideas from others who posted putting felt under the front seat bolt but here's my story.

Description:

You hear a clicking/popping rattle that sounds like taking a nickel and tapping it against metal on the passenger side (actually under the seat). At first it sounded like it was coming from the passenger door panel but when I hunted it down I realized it was the seat. It normally occurs when you have a passenger sitting in the seat and you go over a rough road. For me it didn't really do it as often if there was no one sitting in the seat. The clicks were around 3 or 4 a second so it was slow and kinda loud.

You can reproduce the sound by doing one of the following.

Sit in the seat and head bang (as if you were at a rock concert that had the music turned down so it's kinda mellow) :butthead: . Don't head bang too hard, but not too soft either.

OR

Open the passenger car door, kneeling outside the car, put your chest on the seat, and chest hump it :bounce: yeah that motion :haha: . That's how I was able to track it down finally.


So if you have this rattle here's what's going on and how to fix it.

Problem:

It's metal on metal a couple inches behind the front 2 seat bolts. For me the only one making noise was the metal tab on the right side closest to the door. Here are some pictures.

Looking from outside the passenger side door. Front right of passenger side seat. The noise maker is a couple inches behind the seat bolt.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...eatRattle1.jpg

Camera under the front right of seat (hard pic to take, geez! :blink:)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...eatRattle2.jpg

Much clearer side angle pic of the metal tab behind the front left bolt. Remember this metal tab sits on the metal floor so it clicks/pops if it has any play.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...eatRattle3.jpg


Solution:

Things you will need to fix it:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...eatRattle4.jpg

Materials:

One sheet of felt from Walmart (20 cents)
Scissors
14mm Socket
Flashlight if you're not a carrot eater

Instructions:

1. Cut out two 1" x 2" rectangles of felt
2. Take out the front two seat bolts with 14mm socket.
3. Lift up on the seat and slide felt pieces under left and right metal tabs shown in pictures above
4. Chest hump the seat to make sure you got it right (make sure neighbors aren't around)
5. Put the seat bolts back in nice and tight.

That's it! Not very difficult and works like a charm! Seeya rattle! :wave:

I don't have that rattle, but I must say you did a awesome job of explaining it and showing a fix for it! Awesome! :thumbsup:

Yup, that's the fix. Looks like exactly what I did back in June.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...98#post1240898 post#2
Your post is a great update since you have added pics and the title will make it much easier for searchers to find it. Nice work.

Nice....I don't have this one (just a jillion others), but your explanation is top notch. I wish all were this good! Thanks for the effort!

WTH? Ok for $30K plus the car should come with felt padding and weather stripping.

This is silly. My experience with the TL is not as good as the '03 RSX and '95 T-Bird I own.

The '05 AT TL is Abyss Blue and from the first day we got it, the mirror on the drivers side has always made noise when shutting the door. The harder you shut it, the more the mirror rattles.

The dealer gladly ordered a new mirror, p.n. 76250-S3V-A14ZA. 2 weeks later we went back to have the mirror swapped. They come pre-painted (which I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing).

The tech opens the box to find a BLACK mirror, not an Abyss Blue one. So they apologize (not really their fault, I think...provided the p.n. matches a blue mirror and not a black one).

I'm still waiting for the mirror to come in. The car was bought on 7-15-05.

Ok, I'll get down off my soap box now.

A-Train

Wow! Very well done! You should get a job writing instruction booklets.

I have a rattle near the front passenger side door (I think) but you're rattle could be it too since it's VERY hard to tell where a rattle comes from sometimes.

WOW!! Nicely done. Now, if you could just explain how to fix my rattle in the dash near the Navi a case of beer will be on its way :)

So I'm about to do this fix and just wanted to confirm a few things.

First, are the bolts I want to remove the ones at the very front of the seat? Where I added the arrow in the picture below?

http://thebettertons.com/_images/misc/tlseatbolt.jpg

I assume so, especially since I checked and those bolts are 14mm. But just want to make sure.

Second, the seat will still be attached in the rear, right? So I assume I don't want to (and won't be able to) lift the seat very much. How much play will there be? I'm just wondering if it will be hard to fit adhesive backed felt under there, or if I should find non-adhesive felt that will be easier to slip under the bracket.

Thanks all.

Yes the bolts you pointed to are correct.

Yes I left the seat attached in the rear. You will get a little play when you loosen things (as shown in the picture you edited), probably enough to slide some adhesive felt in if you are really motivated =). But I dont think you need adhesive felt if you dont want to deal with it. Mine has held in place for a while now and theres not really any play when you tighten things back down.

Thanks for the response.

I happen to have the adhesive backed felt already so I will give it a try. Nothing like crawling around on the floor of a car, trying to contort yourself into a tight space. Reminds me of high school. :yum:

What I hear is not so much a rattle as a click... sounds like the door locking in front on the passenger side (only ONE click) when I make a left turn regardless of speed. It's driving me crazy... Is this the same thing, or something else?

You can backhand the seat and make the noise...

This will be my weekend project. Thanks for the write up.

I just want to thank you for that post. It was an odd rattle because I would only hear it when I had someone in the passenger seat. I originally thought that it couldn't be the seat because that's gotta be the one thing bolted down securely. Sure enough, I put the felt pad it, and it's like night and day. I still have no idea how you found that little tab to be the problem. Anyhow, Thanks.

Do I put the felt between the seat and the floor - or does it go between the tab and the seat rail?

My rattle only happens when seat is empty? It seems like my rattle is coming from the rail itself - if I put the seat all the way back (like if I had real long legs!) the rattle stops.

well, the rattle sounds mine, but i have it when no one is sitting on it. anyone with an input?

I have this exact same rattle/click and it occurs whether someone is or is not sitting in the passenger seat. Been driving me crazy for the past few days. It is actually the only rattle I have in the car.

Will get under there a little later today and try out the fix. Thanx for the detailed posting with pics :thumbsup:

With so many people having all these rattles and such, makes you wonder what kind of QC Acura employs now? I know for a fact that the "Made in Japan" Acuras are tight as a vault....cannot say the same for the Ohio ones.

thanks for the awesome info! i've had this problem for the last 1 1/2 years & several trips to the dealer turned up zilch~even when i specifically said it came from the front passenger seats. i just got fed up & somehow began ignoring it. this will silence it for good! THANKS AGAIN!

It's american made. I dont' know but when japanese cars were made in japan. They were solid. MOst of them are made in america where they employ lazy american autoworkers. I have a nissan armada....it's made in america. I have had rattles galore.

thx mercurytl !! ur post was so helpful. got the rattle fixed in 5 min. i wouldve had a hard time locating the rattle without the info. great work. :thumbsup:

Another big thanks. This is the only rattle I've experienced so far (1,100 miles) but it was driving me crazy! The pictures and your explanation were awesome.

Thank!I got the same problem as you said on the pass seat,the "click,click"sounds.I will fix it this weekend as you showed us.

You can also push/smack the passenger seat headrest (toward the door) and it will make the noise. You can also backhand the headrest (to the trunk) and you will get a rattle.

Snakes in a car. Rattles everywhere.

I am also having front passenger seat problem but it appears to be a little different. What is happening is the seat makes almost constant noise, but when I hold the head rest or perhaps lean my right hand on the seat it stops. Has anybody experienced this?

Yes, I have the same problem in my 2005 TL. If I push on the side of the passenger seat or push down on the seat, or on the head rest the constant tick/clicking goes away. The ticking/clicking do not occur when someones actually sitting in the passenger seat. I am unsure if this is related to this current thread but I have a feeling it does.

Fixed...
 

mlody, I just applied the fix MercuryTL documented here in this thread and it fixed my problem. This is the only rattle that really drives me nuts because it is a CONSTANT tick/click over most roads.

Many thanks to MercuryTL for discovering this and taking the time to document it in the forum :thumbsup:

I think i might have this
although it sounds more like a loose metal button / zipper than two pennies as described

can anybody confirm this will solve my problem?

Does anyone know how to get rid of the rattle/ticking noise coming from the passenger side door compartment? As of right now i only know how to stop it by pulling the compartment out, but when i push it back, the rattle/ticking noise continues. :annoyed:

great explanation!
 

I seem to have the same issue...will check out your recommendation! Thanks for the detail!!

Same issue -- will try
 

Same issue; only with passaenger. Will give this a try!! Thanks

My rattle was really easy to fix. I only had to lower all the way down the passenger headrest and the rattle stopped immediately!

My seat creaks and squeaks when I am driving...the driver seat. I am not hearing "clicking" noises. Wondering if this is a fix that will do anything for me?

Thanks - I was getting really frustrated with this. Perfect instructions.... fixed my problem in about 5 minutes!

did this reduce wind noise as well? I can't stand the wind noise of our TL. I had an 05 and now an 07 Type S and the windnoise sucks when going above 65mph. I'ts hard for me to use my bluetooth at those speeeds.

Do you have to take the plastic "skirt" off the bottom of the seat to get access to underneath? I couldn't tell from your pictures. I would like to attempt this fix this weekend.
Thanks!

Thanks for the solution & diagnosis. The noise was driving me crazy! Acurazine is amazing!

I finally went ahead and tried to fix this clicking noise now that the weather is warmer. To my surprise I found a melted oatmeal cookie, AAA battery and pen glued between the seat rails next to the center console. After easily unbolting the seat and cleaning the area, the noise has not reoccurred. I guess it was the pen or battery that was clicking. Be careful to investigate before ripping into your TL ppl!

Mercury TL, thank you.

My 2010 TSX started making the noise after someone heavy sat in the seat which I think may have bent the hardware up thus causing the culprit area to start banging around when the seat was empty. The felt idea fixed it and now my car is brand new again. YEAH.

I'm glad this Acurazine site is here since the tech at the dealership had no clue what was making the noise.

thanks again
RS

I have a 2010 TL, and hear a tick on the same exact side the entire time I'm driving, It's driving me nuts. If I hit the headrest I can get it to do it. THe seat shakes some and it ticks tick ticks! My seat under there seems to made a little different. I was hoping it was the same problem as you have shown us above. I unbolted the two front bolts and it seems to stop, any suggestions???

MercuryTL, thank you so much for your investigation and fix! This was the MOST annoying rattle in my 06 TL so far, and the felt under the tab totally eliminated it.

One rattle down, two to go! (passenger side door pocket and rear deck).