I have been getting this rattle noise near the center console for the past 2 weeks. I have been avoiding it by turning up the volume. But tonight after a long day at work, I really just want to drive home in peace and quiet. And that's when I got pissed off hearing the rattling everytime I accelerate and decelerate and making turns. So after I got home, I spend at least 1/2 hr trying to figure out where it is coming from. I thought it was the fake wood trim on the sides, I removed them, the noise is still there. Then I proceeded in taking out everything in glove compartment, my radar detector, stuff under the armrest area. So I was accelerating and reversing at least 20 times going back and forth trying to find out where this rattle is. And finally, I found that it was a plastic piece underneath the shift knob. I have attached a pic for better reference. I used a little piece of cardboard and put between the sides and then finally the rattle is gone. Hope this will help someone if they have a rattle that they can't find.

 

nice work! Now you don't have to worry about hearing loss :p

 

hahaha, such a b!tch

 

well I'll be! I think i may be suffering from that very same rattle. I had all 6 or so of the "factory issued" rattles when i bought my TL last year and it has been quiet for the past 6 months since i found and fixed them. The past month a new sound has appeared and it appears to be coming from the center area. I too though it was the side pieces but i held them, moved them around, etc while driving and the noise didnt go away. I will pop off the trim piece around the shifter in the moring and see if the noise is gone. If so, YOU RULE!

 

how did you pop that piece off??

 

most cars you just pull - there look to be 4 tabs on the sides of the piece in the picture.

 

I just bought an 01 and immediately noticed this rattle coming from the center console (I think.) I have owned many cars, but never one with a sound this annoying. I traded in a perfectly good and quiet 98 Camry for this, so it is doubly distressing.
Thanks for the advice..I will take the picture to the dealer this week.

 

I know you all know how to get rid of the sunroof rattle. But i dont know. I think i remember somewhere something about silicone. Could someone explain the procedure to stop this rattle for me. I am finally ready to fix it. My temporary fix is close the shade on the sunroof. I bet this was your temp. fix also.

 

NO silicone. Bring it to the dealer and have them put the clear teflon tape around the sunroof opening on the body of the car. There is a service bulletin on this so the fix is free.

 

good job! love the black wood kit also

 

How do you remove the trim on the sides of the console? Do they just snap off by clips? I just don't want to break anything.

 

Getting the wood trim off on both sides of the center console is not hard. Open the armrest top and slowly pull the end of the wood trim up and out. The rest will just follow.

GOOD LUCK

 

good work! my husband has been complaining of a rattle in this area also, I will bring your post to his attention. So this is the sunroof, this, and according to 2002acuraTL, 4 more "factory" rattles, what would they be? This forum is really helpful. There should be a forum like this for all products--so consumers can share the knowledge!!!!!! Thanks!

 

I don't think you fixed the problem it just went away for a few days or hours.

To fixed the rattle you have which is often confused with the center console. You have to put wd40 on your seatbelt buckle were it moves back and forward. Right on the hole were the metal part goes in. The reason people think is the center console and why I thought it was that is because I lean on it when cornering and my elbow was touching it, but I then figure out that it was my body leaning towards the buckle making it rattle. If you fixed good for you, but if not try to do why I just said.

 

NO, those really are two different rattles. I had the one involving the shifter trim and long ago fixed it. I ALSO now have the seat belt creaking. I took the seat belt bolt off (which isnt easy to get at without removing either the seat or center console) and what i discovered is that there is a metal pressure washer that presses against the nylon bushing the seat belt bolt passes through. I think the metal washer is there to keep the seat belt mechanism sticking up straight for ease of attaching the shoulder belt to it. The problem is over time the tension edges on this washer dig into the nylon, causing that horrlbe creaking sound. There are 2 fixes i am going to try. One would be to just remove the pressure washer. The seat belt may flop down a little when its unbuckled, but it really cant fall down to far because there is also a slot there that keeps the belt from traveling to far up or down. The other option would be to sandwich a washer in between the pressure washer and the nylon. This may or may not cause the same result as option #1. Its the metal on nylon thats causing it. I tried liberal applications of silicone spray over the parts, but it did not help. The metal pressure washer has tension edges that actually dig into the nylon. No amount of silicone spray will silence that.