Just picked up a new 09 RDX two weeks ago; love the car, but for this annoying rattle from the rear of the car - sounds like aluminum foil like noise and graduates to a true rattle depending on the condition of road.

Has anyone experienced a similar issue? Could it be from the rear hatch door or the latch where the rear seats attach?

Any and all suggestions before I bring it to the dealership are appreciated!

 

Check to make sure all the tools for the spare tire are secure. Also see if the wheel lock key is secured, if it is placed in the spare wheel well.

 

also check to see whether the rear license plate is tight.

 

did remove the license, but no luck. will go look for the key in the wheel well, where should it it placed ordinarily?

did read some threads that mentioned issues with latch where back seat connects and/or the rear seat belt assembly? Thanks!

 

Try having someone sit in the backseat while you drive and have them try to locate the rattle.

If your RDX came with wheel locks, you should find out where they are. Some dealerships put the wheel lock key in the spare tire compartment without securing it to anything so it may be rolling around the steel rim of the spare tire. Also make sure everything in the spare tire compartment is secure.

While you are back there, check to see if the privacy shelf and the rails it sits on is secure. Jiggle and wiggle stuff back there to try to replicate the rattle.

The very most important thing about getting rattles fixed is replicating it. So make sure you can replicate the rattle before going to the dealership. Good luck and let us know what's making all that noise!

 

I experienced the same noise as well (2009 RDX base), but only when driving on the highway. I had the privacy shelf off at the time. Not sure what the source was, but after I put the shelf back on, the "aluminum foil like noise" disappeared.

 

I had in issue with my 2008 model with a rattle noise from the rear. It turned out to be the rear seatbelt assembly. They had to rethread the seatbelt as it had jumped the track so to speak and was causing a rattle. Has been fine ever since.

TO diagnose I had someone sit in the rear and we drove around until they found it. Apparently the Acura dealer couldn't spare the extra person and could never pinpoint it until I told them where it was from.

 

Thanks plausible, I did look into everything you suggested - but the privacy shelf is snug as can be, and the wheel lock key until today wasn't even in the car (now securely placed in the spare tire area inside its pouch)

All - I think its the rear seat belt assembly. I pulled the seat belts all the way out, clipped them and then racheted quite slugly - NO RATTLE (while clipped) - well atleast 90% improvement. I will verify some more while driving tomorrow, but I think this may be it.

buxtons - did they need to "re-thread" all three rear seat belts? Is there a service code for the process? I think a few others on this board alone have had this issue, does Acura know about this?

 

They only had to adjust the passenger side rear belt. I am not aware of a tsb for this