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any problems with your Tc sunroof? please help

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20K views 25 replies 18 participants last post by  fearless  
#1 ·
i am thinking of buying a Tc .. (if u already read my other thread) .. i use to have a 2000 celica GTS with sunroof and the sunroof was making all kinds of noises .. rattling and squeaking .. i just test drove a brand new Scion TC and i noticed some squeaking noise which i would think it can only get worst until it becomes so annoying that you would want to get rid of the damn thing like i did with my celica .. do any of you Tc owners have the same problem? thank you.
 
#2 ·
This was brought up before on other forums. Apparently, it has something to do with 2 loose screws/bolts in the front of the moonroof. Toyota dealerships will be getting instructions on how much to tighten these. People who have had this done are reporting no more noises.
 
#5 ·
multamc, i see that you have GTS as your signature .. i had the same car (2000 model) and with that car i had lots of noise from the sunroof .. the dealer was never able to fix it even after changing the whole sunroof assembly. I finally got rid of the car under the lemon law (it was bad and got worst evertiem they tried to fix it) .. i just think toyotas with tilted sunroof should have a lot of problems just becasue they are too heavy with little support when open .. in case of Tc and celica the roof is small ... with the TC the problem is even worst since the glass sunroof is bigger and heavier and the roof is not as solid (with the 2 sunroof an all) .. i have already talked to a few TC owners and they have noticed the noise and test drove twice and noticed it myself .. anyway, that's something that would drive me crazy but my wife, for example, can not even hear it!!! i love the Tc and that's the only think that is preventing me from buying it ..
 
#6 ·
Switch - READ WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS SAYING!!!

:eek:

Sorry, I won't yell next time :lol:

-Joel


tonester said:
This was brought up before on other forums. Apparently, it has something to do with 2 loose screws/bolts in the front of the moonroof. Toyota dealerships will be getting instructions on how much to tighten these. People who have had this done are reporting no more noises.
 
#7 ·
I've had my TC since the beginning of July and I have never heard a weird noise from the moonroof. There is the sound of a motor when opening or closing it but it's not loud at all and it isn't a squeaking noise. Also in case anyone is worried if they leak it's been raining here for 2 days HARD and not a drop has come in. =0)
 
#10 ·
Yes I have issues with the moonroof

I have had my tC for a week now and I have noticed a loud popping noise from the moonroof when the frame twists while going over bumps. I haven't yet the time to take it to the dealer to be fixed. I hope there is a tsb on this when I bring it in, so they will know how to fix it. It is such a loud noise that I'm afraid the moonroof may crack/shatter.
 
#11 ·
Sunroof

I have noticed some creaking and popping with my sunroof also. I was wondering if it was jut mine or if it was a common problem. Thanks for all the information that everone has posted about this topic.

Now all I have to do is get my dealership to fix the problem. They have been difficult with fixing the small problems in the car so far. Thanks all again for the info.
 
#12 ·
for those of u with this problem, can you please reply back once the dealer takes care of it . .i doubt if they can eally fix it otherwisw it would have been fixed on the assembly line! but just in case there is fix for, i would like to know since this is the only thing that is preventing me from buying the car. thanks.
 
#13 ·
switchex said:
for those of u with this problem, can you please reply back once the dealer takes care of it . .i doubt if they can eally fix it otherwisw it would have been fixed on the assembly line! but just in case there is fix for, i would like to know since this is the only thing that is preventing me from buying the car. thanks.
They've already mentioned the possibility of some bolts being installed with too little torque. That make it a 15 minute repair, probably a simple DIY job.

I also have the squeak and it hasn't soured my experience one bit. The car simply glides at highway speeds and the big 4 cylinder has plenty of torque even at 80 mph. It's a great car with a few wrinkles, that's all. I'm sure Scion will issue a TSB for everyone to get their cars fixed.
 
#14 ·
Sunroof Issues

Hello all,

Just thought that I would post what happened when I complained about my moonroof issues to the dealer. I actually told them about the site and they looked here and read the posts. I also printed the posts out so they could give it to their service people to check out. I went in with some rattles and the popping noise when the body would flex. I now have the car back and they took care of everything. The moonroof no longer popps when going over a speed bump or when entering a driveway with a curb. The rattle that I had was the crossbrace in the center where the sunroof covers are located. The crossbrace was loose for some reason and they took the headliner off and reparied that. Someone wanted some posts after the problem had been fixed by the dealer, so here they are. The took care of it without a problem. They even gave me a rental both times it was in so they could diagnos and repair the problem. That is my good news about those annoying rattles and noises that were taking place. Hope that this helps those that were on the fence about purchasing the car.
 
#15 ·
I just got my new tC a few days ago and I noticed quite a bit of wind noise from the closed moonroof whenever I get up to 75+ mph. Has anyone else had or heard of a similar problem? If I reach up and pull down just a bit on the leading edge of the panel it goes away until I release it again. Not sure if it would be related to the loose bolt issue other people have had or not but hopefully my dealer will be able to fix the problem. I just wanted to see if anyone here had suggestions, thanks in advance for the help.
 
#16 ·
tc sunroof problems

I have had the same problems with my TC moonroof as "Doomsday" has. When driving 65mph or higher the front leading edge of the front moonroof flutters as the seal breaks to the wind. When I softly pull down on the metal bar that frames the moonroof glass the loud fluttering wind noise ceases -- proving there is some kind of sealing problem with the moonroof. My dealer has taken the car in for this 2X but says they can't replicate the sound. We then noticed something peculiar with the timing of the loud seal break -- in the morning when it is colder the noise and seal break are loudest. Our next plan is to ride along with the dealer in the early AM to show them. Scion Customer Experience says they have a fix in the works, but that is for the body flexing pop sound others are talking about. I was told, however, by Scion that the underlying problem has to do with insulation. I am still waiting to have this loud and frustrating problem fixed after three visits to the dealer for this. Other than that I think the car is a gas and if I still have it before the lemon law grabs it, I'll probably put a supercharger on it for Christmas.
 
#17 ·
This seems to be an ongoing problem with some Toyota models. My mothers 2004 Corolla S had the exact same problem. We took it to the dealership where I explained the problem but they were not able to fix it. They ended up replacing the whole sunroof at no charge (of course) and problem solved.

Good luck... and may I just say, I WISH WE HAD SCION IN CANADA!
 
#18 ·
scion tc sunroof problems

I am having reoccuring problems with my scion tc -- the noise the sunroof makes from loud roar to constant fluttering makes me rethink my purchase of this car, which I dug until this problem began right after purchase. I hear that there is some kind of TSB from Toyota, but frankly after 3 trips to my dealer I am ready to start considering the lemon law. The sound of the noise comes from the front leading edge of the glass roof and seems to be because the mechanism of the sunroof was not designed to pull the roof closed tightly. The sound is so loud any enjoyment of the car is ruined -- cell calls and music enjoyment are ruined as well. This is a major design flaw and scion/toyota is obviously not interested in fixing this or I wouldn't be writing. I would NOT recommend this car.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I hear ya about the sunroof noise, I have made no secret that I am not a fan of the noises in the Tc. I like the car itself but they do seem to have an excessive amount of rattles and such.

Kinogod the ONLY sunroof TSB for the Tc is the one I outlined in another post. The complete design of the Tc sunroof with the panoramic roof is completely different than other designs on other modles so even if there is a TSB on another model such as a Camery I doubt it will cross over to your vehicle. But I have not looked yet so I might be wrong, Ill check tomorrow at work and post the results.

I completely agree that if the noise is as bad as your describing it needs to be addressed for I have not heard anything that bad in any other Tc's I have drivin.

I also think there is a huge design flaw in the sunroof. Honestly. Just stand back and look at the way it is designed. 75% of the roof is glass which means no sound deadening material with 3 leading edjes to pick up wind. But remember, and Im saying this from the viewpoint of the guy that does the fixing, we can not repair "design flaws", but if you have a bad seal or somethign misaligned I would hope someone fould find it.

However puting a new sunroof in a Tc is no small job like it would be in a Camery or Corolla. You have to strip most all of the interior and the front portion of the roof glass shares the upper portion of the windshield moulding with the windshield. In the past when I was chaseing a rattle in a Tc I was looking at the manual and it appeaerd to me that the windshield would have to come out to release / reinstall the windshield moulding. And I always advise against pulling out windshields if at all possible, most all dealerships sublet windshields to glass shops and I have seen too many come back leaking or with more wind noise than they left with. Also if you do end up getting a new sunroof, most windshield break during removal so inspect your glass afterwards to verify the toyota label to make sure they didnt stick an aftermarket glass in it.
 
#20 ·
TSB for sunroof noise

I just got my tc back today from the dealer for the same thing as you have discribed as a popping noise.

Have your dealer refer to TSB NV4009.

They experimented on my car to come up with this TSB.

If you are having trouble with the drivers door not activating the dome light they also used my car as an example. The factory had put the scion security connector together and bent a pin in the harness causing the problem. The are listing this on the toyota tech line if your dealer needs more info on this subject.

They had my car for two weeks and I'm glad it's fixed and home!

Flint mica tc :p:
 
#21 ·
The TSB for the moonroof appears to have fixed the problem. They had to reposition the roof and tighten. I am also having problems with the TC's cheesy stereo faceplate and center cosole fit and finish and hear that Toyota is working on a TSB to address the cheesy stereo face plate. Mine takes great effort to open and bends to the point of activating the on-radio button beneath the lid everytime I open the face plate. They installed a new face plate at the dealer after a 4wks parts wait and the plate now doesn't even open all the way. Scion C.Exper. said that Scion was working on a TSB for this and would probably take a month or more. My question is, who approved this cheesy design at the engineering level?
 
#24 ·
radio cover solution

I had my cover removed by the dealer for this problem.

I also took the cover to a local machine shop and had it made out of aluminum as a copy of the original.

This cost about a 100 bucks and it looks spectacular. This is what they should have made it out of in the first place.

I am going to put it back in this week.

Just something to think about.
 
#26 ·
Moonroof won't close!

I purchased a used 2000 Celica GT about 3 months ago. The moonroof has worked perfectly ever since I purchased the car. However, earlier today, I was detailing the car and now the moonroof is acting funny (won't close). When I got to detailing the moonroof area, there was an external attachment (tinted clear "wind deflector") covering the fore part of the moonroof that I decided to remove. It was easy to remove since only two clips held it in place. There was lots of dirt in the moonroof area around the sill, track, and drain gutters that I was able to clean out using a wet cloth and vacume cleaner. No loose parts came out and nothing broken visible either. Problem I have now is when I attemtp to close the moonroof by pressing the close part of the switch, now the moonroof almost closes then immediately reopens itself. Attempts at closing the moonroof by holding the switch in the closed position do not work. Any ideas/remedies appreciated.

Norm