After the Service center failed me 2 times, I’ve taken it into my own hands to fix this awful noise. My hands hurt, it’s been too cold outside, my car is in pieces, and I haven’t found the source yet. It’s further in the dash but I’m making progress!
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Everlasting pursuit of a dashboard rattle
- Thread starter selfbp
- Start date
whitex
Well-Known Member
I've been driving Teslas for a while. In the "old days" service would kindly try to fix any reproducible noises, but I learned after a while that most fixed were temporary. I also learned that I can do it myself with some VHB, foam, rubber seals, etc, and it's less hassle than making an appointment, dropping off the car, then dropping off the loaner, etc. To love you Tesla is to learn to love its noises, or learn how to fix them.
DCEV
Member
Honestly everything is pretty secured in the dash like harnesses and such. They did a good job on my 2017 not too sure about any earlier cars.
I’m about to remove the top skeleton of the support to check deeper and I’ll see what else I’ll find!
What car do you have?
Is it a low volume, slightly metallic sound that occurs every time you drive over slightly uneven surfaces?
I have a TMS 100D from December 2017,
and have an annoying sound like the one described above. It sounds like it comes deep from the middle, or a little right to the middle, of the dashboard.
Tesla spent two weeks trying to solve it, and in the end gave up, with the explanation that it comes from the wheelsuspension, and is a design flaw on this particular version of the TMS, where the sound is conducted via the metal frame to the dashboard. They claim that can be improved a little by changing some hardware, but not removed. Hence I still have the sound.
No you’ll need to remove
- The side panels on the dash where it meets the door
- Remove the knee trim panels by pulling them towards you with excessive amounts of force
- Then pull off the underside trim panel located 12o’ clock to the drivers display
- Remove the two upper of the four screws holding on the driver display bezel
- Remove the steering column rubber sleeve clips by popping it out towards you from its left and right pop clips
- Remove the A pillar’s airbag logo bolt by popping off the cap and removing that (8mm I think) and pull the two clips at the bottom of the A pillar trim out of the mesh dash (mine needed a lot of force)
- Remove the lower display bezel screws
- Lift up on the dash to expose some air vent trim screws (I think there’s one upper screw for each vent)
- Remove the driver left side air duct trim screws (2 lower and the 1 upper) and pull it away. There’s two clips also. One on each lower side
- Remove the passenger side air vent trim by removing its two screws (towards the top sides.. I think you lift the dashpad out of its front clips some) and pull the panel away from its 4 clip sockets (two in the center area, two towards the touch screen bezel above the glove box button)
- Remove pop in trim panel under glove box
- Remove the 6 forward facing glove box screws (3 on top 3 on bottom near hinge) and disconnect the plugs towards the back left as you pull away
- Remove your frunk large middle cover to expose the airbox tray. Remove the airbox tray by lightly pulling up on the side clips that meet the frunk weather seal area. Take that out to expose the airbox ducting, remove its two little similar clips and pull it out.
- Disconnect your Firefighters safety plug by pulling the loop connector. (Turns off power to the battery)
- Then disconnect your negative terminal then positive terminal from your 12 battery
- Back inside, Above where you just took out the glove box, lower Autopilot computer box from its 4 small bolts (not scary just be mindful to not put hard pressure anywhere on it)
- With the computer hanging down there will be 2 10mm airbag bolts (1 towards left 1 towards the right of the airbag located under the dashpad)
- With the battery disconnected and no power to anything, pull up from left and right sides of the dash pad popping out the many clips on the way... and remove the left and right airbag connectors by pulling their center safety tabs out with a pick (L-Shaped pick work best)
- Remove the slip on antenna connector above the touch screen from the dashpad remove the rest of the dashpad from the car!
I’ll make this into a separate post with pics at some point. I really wish there had been a step by step for me.
BrianS85
Member
This happened to me as well. Ironically, I went in to the SC to get a suspension rattle fixed and they performed the airbag replacement as well. I was stoked when they said they found the source of the suspension rattle and fixed it. Sadly, that was not true and the suspension rattle is exactly the same as it was before. In addition, I now have an interior squeak coming from the front passenger side due to the airbag replacement. I don't think I'm as motivated as selfbp though. I still love this car and wouldn't drive anything else, but the build quality and service is just awful compared to my Lexus.
dcevelyn
Member
I had the exact same problem that the SC just fixed yesterday under warranty. Went through at least 2 or 3 visits where they could not replicate the sound I was hearing. Feelsgoodman now that it is fixed.
whitex
Well-Known Member
Not at all in my experience with 4 Model S cars, all different. Rubbing, road noise entering through thin walls or holes, loose pieces or plastic rolling around (broken off clips), one one seat ticking noise I still don't know what it is because I don't want to take apart the seat with the airbags in it. The clicking comes and goes with the seasons, probably temperature related. SC even swapped the seat back in 2015, which fixed it for about 9 months, and then the new seat started doing the same.
For me as well it was the strut brace contact point on the right side. Tesla fix it. It really sounded from the middle of the dash.
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