2011 Camry B-pillar rattling sound

[royalchallenge]

I have a 2 month old 2011 Camry LE. Really disappointed by the quality of interiors.
A rattling sound comes on and off from both the B-pillars as if something is lying loose in pillar. Have tried pulling both seat belts to the max multiple times, adjusting seat belt heights but all in vain.
Has anyone else noticed it and have hound a fix to it?

[royalchallenge]

I did take my car to the dealer and the tech did hear the sound on the driver side pillar. They kept the car for a day and said they have changed a part I don't remember what it was but allegedly had loose tension.
The sound not only persists but has reciprocated itself on passenger side as well.

[Kycamrymaker]

B-pillars are fairly simple. At the top is one clip, this could be busted, in the center where the upper garnish meets the lower is a bolt, could be loose. At the bottom are two clips, these could be busted or loose, all of which require the door moldings/gaskets to be removed to remove the pillar garnishes. If none of the above are it, then it is a seatbelt pretensioner rattling in which will require a replacement part.

[Marc in da Bay]

Not sure if this is specific to the TCH's, but saw this thread (see, some of us new guys DO search first) and thought it may be related. I. too, am a 2-month owner (as of this post) having something similar; although in mine, it's in the A-pillar. Also, it's more of a buzz than a rattle, I'd say.

Mine is definitely related to the engine being on, and it comes from somewhere just above the air vent. Goes away when the car is off. Right now, I can't recall with certainty whether or not it goes away when the a/c is also turned off when the car is running.

Is what you heard (or continue to hear) a distinct rattling sound more than a buzz that is vibrating/oscillating a bit?

[royalchallenge]

Originally Posted by Kycamrymaker

B-pillars are fairly simple. At the top is one clip, this could be busted, in the center where the upper garnish meets the lower is a bolt, could be loose. At the bottom are two clips, these could be busted or loose, all of which require the door moldings/gaskets to be removed to remove the pillar garnishes. If none of the above are it, then it is a seatbelt pretensioner rattling in which will require a replacement part.

Thank you Kycamrymaker. Will go to dealer this week keeping above said info in mind and hope the sound disappears

[royalchallenge]

Originally Posted by Marc in da Bay

Not sure if this is specific to the TCH's, but saw this thread (see, some of us new guys DO search first) and thought it may be related. I. too, am a 2-month owner (as of this post) having something similar; although in mine, it's in the A-pillar. Also, it's more of a buzz than a rattle, I'd say.

Mine is definitely related to the engine being on, and it comes from somewhere just above the air vent. Goes away when the car is off. Right now, I can't recall with certainty whether or not it goes away when the a/c is also turned off when the car is running.

Is what you heard (or continue to hear) a distinct rattling sound more than a buzz that is vibrating/oscillating a bit?

the sound i have is on and off rattling....mainly at lower speeds and on uneven roads.... from both the B-pillars

[Marc in da Bay]

Originally Posted by royalchallenge

the sound i have is on and off rattling....mainly at lower speeds and on uneven roads.... from both the B-pillars

Ah thank you. Much appreciated.

[Mike Gerber]

I had a similar rattle in my 07 Camry when it was about a year old. I too thougth it was coming from the driver's side B-pillar. Took the car back to the dealer multiple times. They tried everything they could think of inside the B-pillar and nothing worked. Finally the service manager drove the car with me in the front passenger seat and a tech in the back seat on the driver's side. We didn't even get out of the lot when they both heard the rattle and the tech said that's not from the B-pillar, but the door itself rattling. He had seen this a couple of times. He took the car back inside and moved the striker in 1 notch. 5 minutes and the rattle was gone. A year later they had to do the same thing to the passeger front door. for the same noise. Mention this the next time you take the car back to the dealer and have them check this out.

Mike

[tom010]

Thanks for the info:
I have this same problem with an Camry 2011 LXE. Per Kentucky guys instructions I had the dealer do this:
" At the top is one clip, this could be busted, in the center where the upper garnish meets the lower is a bolt, could be loose. At the bottom are two clips, these could be busted or loose, all of which require the door moldings/gaskets to be removed to remove the pillar garnishes."

They SAID they did but what I asked BUT the pillar actually rattles WORSE now! Any ideas? Change the door striker in? What else?

I'm really upset at Toyota. I have owned them for years and the interiors get cheaper and cheaper. They feel less "nice" then a Corolla from 1998. Everything is so cheap looking and feeling in side now. They probably put alot less sound deadener and foam to baffle rattles. Even the seat belt straps are thinner and cheaper than my 2008 Camry (you can even FEEL it). It's just upsetting 'cause it isn't a cheap costing car.

[judge34411]

Originally Posted by Marc in da Bay

Not sure if this is specific to the TCH's, but saw this thread (see, some of us new guys DO search first) and thought it may be related. I. too, am a 2-month owner (as of this post) having something similar; although in mine, it's in the A-pillar. Also, it's more of a buzz than a rattle, I'd say.

Mine is definitely related to the engine being on, and it comes from somewhere just above the air vent. Goes away when the car is off. Right now, I can't recall with certainty whether or not it goes away when the a/c is also turned off when the car is running.

Is what you heard (or continue to hear) a distinct rattling sound more than a buzz that is vibrating/oscillating a bit?

Yours sounds more like the infamous window clip problem. You might want to search that one. I had that issue with my 2010

[1holderone]

Tom, I feel your pain! I bought a brand new 09 LE V6 that I waited MONTHS to be built exactly the way I wanted it equipped and paid CASH. I also have a 96 Camry which is built BETTER than this 09. The quality of the 96's interior, fit and finish is way better bar none. Also mechanically that car has been bulletproof. Imagine my disappointment when driving home from the dealership after taking delivery of my brand new Camry when the dash starts rattling around the center A/C vent. Minor issue I know but that was the first problem I had. I had/have at times the B-pillar rattle/buzz, driver door buzz, rear speaker shelf/deck buzz, A-pillar covers loose at headliner. Granted all of those are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things and I have fixed a couple of those myself and by reading tips here in the forum how to address some of those issues. When you start talking about these things everyone says.."take it back to the dealer" Well, NO..I have had MORE DAMAGE done to my vehicles and things made WORSE by the dealer than I care to remember! Most of those things I mentioned involving the interior I have fixed myself. If you want your interior to start rattling really good then let the dealer start taking pieces apart in their attempt to "diagnose" whats wrong! Now if you want to talk mechanical that's another story. Last April I started my car in the morning and it sounded like a machine gun was going off under the hood and the check engine light came on. Called the dealer and they had it towed to them. Of Course they couldn't get it to duplicate the problem but the code was a "piston misfire"..the car only had 15k on it and has been serviced by the dealer every 4mo/4k. They kept it for 5 days even had a factory rep come look at it...NOTHING! And it hasn't done it since. Service Mgr. explained it away as a "Computer glitch" that caused the #2 piston to misfire.."momentarily" and "not to worry because I have plenty of warranty left" Ok, maybe so but does that ease my mind knowing that I have a vehicle that could possibly do this again on a road trip leaving me stranded? What happens when the warranty runs out? Needless to say they threw in an extended warranty. Now, I've got that "loose/disconnected knock sensation" in the steering wheel when starting to accelerate or just about to stop that many have posted about here in the forum. Back to the dealer!
Overall, I have been very lucky I guess as I have not had anywhere near the problems many owners of this Camry generation have reported. But doesn't negate the fact that this generation is a prime example of Toyota's cost cutting efforts. I'm sure all of you can relate after the recall debacle how much re-sale value you instantly lost also..Thank you Toyota! I remember back in the late 80's as a teenager their slogan was "Oh what a feeling..Toyota!" I'm definitely feeling ya! We invest our money in Toyota for their reputation of being reliable, quality built vehicles with the expectation of trouble free driving for many years to come. Instead here we are researching problems we are having with our cars on the internet leading us to good ol Toyotanation! This website has really been an incredible source of good useful information. Especially from other Camry owners on how to mod their cars etc.
Stepping down now off of my soapbox, after all is said and done..ALL new cars have issues..bugs to be worked out when new models are introduced etc. Some 07-11 owners have had NO problems at all with their cars. My co-worker has a new Honda that rattles like a baby rattle and has already had to have the tranny replaced w/only 5k. I did ALOT of research before deciding what new car manufacturer I was going to give my cash too. When this generation came out, I thought WOW , a sporty baby Lexus! I was on the fence about a used Lexus IS or new Nissan Maxima, with having more or less deciding on the Max. But when I drove the new Camry, especially an SE V6 I thought it was AWESOME, especially the V6 power! I finally pulled the trigger on a LE V6..the SE just rode a little more rough to me because of the sport suspension. Overall, I like the car alot, the way it rides, handles-> (now that it has Michelin Pilot Exalto tires) and now starting to look into some mods. Am I going to keep it as long as I have the '96? Probably not and I say that because after having it for 2 years, I honestly don't think it is built well enough to last that long and that's a shame! Time will tell.
In the end Tom you have to decide how bad the interior noise bothers you and does it warrant another dealer repair attempt? It could very well be something broken that may cause a safety issue. If the dealer didn't fix it the first time, then I would take it to another dealer to get their opinion and go from there. That's what I am going to do if I have another engine issue. At any rate you have alot of information here on this website that can probably give you a good idea of what the problem may be to give you some ammo going back to the dealer. Sounds like it's probably minor and I'm sure they will get it fixed for you. Good luck!

[mikea]

Guess what? They have not fixed this in the 2012 Camry either. I have had the rattle for a couple of months now and it is really annoying. I brought it to the dealer and they said that it was "functioning normally" and they were not even going to try to fix it. They heard the rattle but did not care.
I rent different Camrys for work and not all of them rattle so this is not "functioning normally". I have written Toyota and the serice department but still no help.

[arabianobsession]

Hate to say this, but I have seen these issues in Gen 5 Camrys as well. I've fixed a couple with some clips that were broken off, but in my own car I've largely ignored it (I turn up the radio )

[molson.david]

Common source of the rattle from B-pillars are striker button –part which you need to press to slide belt up and down and plastic sliding panel around it.
Remove top part of the cover and use felt pads to put them between vibrating pieces.
Or go to “Hobby Lobby” and get sheet of felt covered paper. It is thin and soft-best material I found to eliminate squeaks and rattle.

[mikea]

I will give that a try! Thank you...