I need to know about your rattles....

[voip-ninja]

I have several annoying rattles in my Model 3 which has less than 4,000 miles on the odometer. The car is an August 2018 build.

Unfortunately these rattles come and go depending on the road surface and with the exception of one rattle. Have not been able to isolate any of them.

It is quite annoying to have these issues on any new automobile let alone one I paid so much for.

I’m hoping the forum regulars can help identify if they have rattles that have been resolved and what the fix was.

1. I had an annoying intermittent rattle in the passenger side B pillar near the seatbelt anchor. It would go away if you pushed the anchor. Ranger stuffed felt in behind the roller and seems to have resolved it.

2. There is an intermittent noise that almost sounds like a groaning or resonating sound coming from the driver side dash or climate vent area when going over some road surfaces. I have a video of this.

3. There is a rattling tapping sound that sounds like it is coming from the rear passenger door area. I was suspicious this was caused by the rear seat deck above the trunk area since you can tap that and get it to make noise, but putting felt in this area did not resolve the problem. This one is the most difficult one to reproduce but sometimes it can occur continuously on some roads for minutes at a time.

 

[woodisgood]

3. There is a rattling tapping sound that sounds like it is coming from the rear passenger door area. I was suspicious this was caused by the rear seat deck above the trunk area since you can tap that and get it to make noise, but putting felt in this area did not resolve the problem. This one is the most difficult one to reproduce but sometimes it can occur continuously on some roads for minutes at a time.

Had the same sound behavior from the same location early on - it ended up going away within the first thousand miles. I suspected possibly a flapping wheel well liner given that, like many others, I was potentially missing some clips in there. Not sure if that was the issue though...

 

[run-the-joules]

I had an annoying intermittent rattle in the passenger side B pillar near the seatbelt anchor. It would go away if you pushed the anchor. Ranger stuffed felt in behind the roller and seems to have resolved it.

I've got that, on both sides. I've been meaning to just self-resolve that one, I trust myself more than I trust others to be careful not to introduce more rattles.

That's my only rattle… the damned buzzing from the mystery passenger footwell speaker, otoh…

 

[nvx1977]

3. There is a rattling tapping sound that sounds like it is coming from the rear passenger door area. I was suspicious this was caused by the rear seat deck above the trunk area since you can tap that and get it to make noise, but putting felt in this area did not resolve the problem. This one is the most difficult one to reproduce but sometimes it can occur continuously on some roads for minutes at a time.

This sounds like the tapping issue I had. Service center found the issue. Post and subsequent thread here:

just left this feedback to Tesla


-edit-
and now I see you're part of that thread, so it likely wasn't your cause... well, hope this benefits someone else out there.....

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

#2 I had/have, but was unable to reproduce when the service guy went with a drive with me.

It only happens on specific road surfaces, and speed speeds.

All in all though it's one of my better vehicles in terms of not having rattles.

I've always had performance vehicles or off-road SUV's. It's always just a matter of a little time before they get some rattle.

 

[JBT66]

I’ve got the front passenger rattle in the seatbelt area and the passenger speaker footwell issue. Also a lot of squealing when I put the passenger window up and down. Everywhere else is great.

 

[TEG]

Guess I am lucky. My Apr 2018 build has no squeaks or rattles whatsoever.

 

[voip-ninja]

This sounds like the tapping issue I had. Service center found the issue. Post and subsequent thread here:

just left this feedback to Tesla


-edit-
and now I see you're part of that thread, so it likely wasn't your cause... well, hope this benefits someone else out there.....

I suppose that could still be my issue. How do I determine if that’s the issue? Is there a spec measurement I can take?

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I have lots of squealing from the passenger seat. Usually only from people who have never ridden in a Tesla.

 

[TeeEmCee]

Guess I am lucky. My Apr 2018 build has no squeaks or rattles whatsoever.

Either your sensitivity to or tolerance of certain noises is different to that of others here or you have much smoother roads around you than some of us.

These rattles are not flukes, they are design issues that either never came up in testing (‘cause, in all fairness, there was hardly any), or were found but Tesla never cared to address them (i.e. did not have the money to redesign and get the part suppliers to adjust their molds etc).

I have had each and every one of the issues described above (and still do). I went on test drives in new cars and listened for all of the rattles known to me; many of them are there on new cars and were observable in the first 100 yards of driving.

I bet the majority of them would be trivial to fix, once identified, but Tesla seems to have zero interest in addressing this(which I find totally puzzling). Rather than let every SC battle owners on their own, there should be a task force somewhere, at the factory or at some prominent SC, that takes a car apart and develops repair procedures for all of these issues. A TSB would then be issued and they could repair every last car on the road, over time.

I think Tesla are severely underestimating how far that would go with existing owners and how many sales they are losing by not addressing this class of issues. Over time, most of my friends went from “wow, cool” to laughing at me and my *sugar*box issues. None would count all of Model 3s positives to outweigh the fact that it buzzes like a $10K *sugar*box.

 

[voip-ninja]

Either your sensitivity to or tolerance of certain noises is different to that of others here or you have much smoother roads around you than some of us.

These rattles are not flukes, they are design issues that either never came up in testing (‘cause, in all fairness, there was hardly any), or were found but Tesla never cared to address them (i.e. did not have the money to redesign and get the part suppliers to adjust their molds etc).

I have had each and every one of the issues described above (and still do). I went on test drives in new cars and listened for all of the rattles known to me; a of them are there on new cars and were observable in the first 100 yards of driving. I bet the majority of them would be trivial to fix, once identified, but Tesla seems to have zero interest in addressing this(which I find totally puzzling).

Rather than let every SC battle owners on their own, there should be a task force somewhere, at the factory or at some prominent SC, that takes a car apart and develops repair procedures for all of these issues. A TSB would then be issued and they could repair every last car on the road, over time.

I think Tesla are severely underestimating how far that would go with existing owners and how many sales they are losing by not addressing this class of issues. Over time, most of my friends went from “wow, cool” to laughing at me and my *sugar*box issues. None would count all of Model 3s positives to outweigh the fact that it buzzes like a $10K *sugar*box.

The fairly early build I rented on Turo was as solid as a bank vault. I wonder if newer cars being rattle traps is related to overly ambitious production goals.

 

[TeeEmCee]

The fairly early build I rented on Turo was as solid as a bank vault. I wonder if newer cars being rattle traps is related to overly ambitious production goals.

Surely there’s some of that but parts not fitting well together is a larger issue, i.m.o.

I bet that, given some time and different roads (like the washboard concrete roads and freeways in Texas), that Turo would have exhibited the same symptoms.

 

[nvx1977]

I'm described as overly sensitive to creaks and rattles, which I would agree with. With the exception of the tapping issue that the service center resolved for me, my cabin is really quiet. My brother in law got a MR during Christmas, and I rode with him for about 2 weeks. Completely rattle/squeak free. Plenty of potholes, frost-heaved, and chip-sealed roads here in New England to shake the car up pretty well. I don't think there's a systemic design issue that causes rattles, outside of tolerances not being met.

I love driving with no music and no HVAC just to hear the hum of the motor and the quiet of the cabin. That's a big part of the EV experience for me. I will pay money to have rattles addressed if it comes to that.

@voip-ninja: I would try taping some felt over that bolt/screw head in my photo and then drive for a few days to see if the issue is gone. If the felt does the trick, then you can use the teflon solution the service center did, which I assume is just a liberal dab of loctite over the bolt head. Or, if you can rig your trunk lid to remain cracked open without it closing when driving on bumpy roads, then drive around to see if the noise is gone.

 

[CommandoFL]

I have several annoying rattles in my Model 3 which has less than 4,000 miles on the odometer. The car is an August 2018 build.

Unfortunately these rattles come and go depending on the road surface and with the exception of one rattle. Have not been able to isolate any of them.

It is quite annoying to have these issues on any new automobile let alone one I paid so much for.

I’m hoping the forum regulars can help identify if they have rattles that have been resolved and what the fix was.

1. I had an annoying intermittent rattle in the passenger side B pillar near the seatbelt anchor. It would go away if you pushed the anchor. Ranger stuffed felt in behind the roller and seems to have resolved it.

2. There is an intermittent noise that almost sounds like a groaning or resonating sound coming from the driver side dash or climate vent area when going over some road surfaces. I have a video of this.

3. There is a rattling tapping sound that sounds like it is coming from the rear passenger door area. I was suspicious this was caused by the rear seat deck above the trunk area since you can tap that and get it to make noise, but putting felt in this area did not resolve the problem. This one is the most difficult one to reproduce but sometimes it can occur continuously on some roads for minutes at a time.

The number 3 issue is the back seat where it engages the back panel. I folded my seats down and noise gone. Put the seats back up and the noise is there.

 

[enigmata]

Re #1 eventually felt won't work. Had that done at Burbank SC and the rattle came back. Replaced entire driver side B-pillar and the rattle goes away.

Eventually everything in the interior of my Model 3 will be replaced at least once before 50,000 miles.

 

[voip-ninja]

The number 3 issue is the back seat where it engages the back panel. I folded my seats down and noise gone. Put the seats back up and the noise is there.

I will test this. If this is the case it could be solved with some adhesive felt or other means.

 

[voip-ninja]

Surely there’s some of that but parts not fitting well together is a larger issue, i.m.o.

I bet that, given some time and different roads (like the washboard concrete roads and freeways in Texas), that Turo would have exhibited the same symptoms.

I'm pretty sensitive to cabin noises, which is why for nearly 20 years I have been springing for better built German sedans that are either rattle free or will be aggressively investigated by competent mechanics to try to eliminate rattles. With the exception of an Audi A4 that had a couple of rattles that were never resolved all of my German cars (including multiple Mini vehicles for my wife) have been pretty much quiet.

The Model 3 I rented on Turo I put almost 200 miles on. I drove it all over our shitty Colorado roads and was specifically concerned about Tesla build quality and if the cabin would be quiet and I had no complaints about it. That's why it was an immediate disappointment when I started experiencing rattles and noises in my car almost immediately after taking delivery.

 

[ChadS]

No squeaks or rattles in either of my Model 3's so far. Or my father's.

Our Sig S and X have never had any either. Our performance S had a few. My Roadster...now THERE was a car with squeaks and rattles!

 

[TeeEmCee]

No squeaks or rattles in either of my Model 3's so far. Or my father's.

Our Sig S and X have never had any either. Our performance S had a few. My Roadster...now THERE was a car with squeaks and rattles!

The Signature S I drove for a while was the best Tesla I have ever driven. Good power, subtle suspension goodness and no rattles, to me that would have be enough to offset the crummy interior.

From my limited experience with various Teslas, I noticed fewer rattles and issues with the older cars.

 

[Justin30624700]

I have a Sept 2018 build non-P AWD and I encountered all three of them, with #3 being most prominent. Since I have 2 car seats at the back, I have not tried folding down my back seats.

#2 was fixed by Tesla with this note. Hope this helps:

Concern: Customer: Vehicle noisy while driving - noise from front left and right.

Corrections: Interior NVH General Diagnosis Confirmed customer's concern during road test, recommend insulating and re-securing both front left and right fender liner. Performed recommended service, upon completion, performed road test and verified customer concern has been resolved.

Pay Type: Goodwill - Service