OK, after 20,000 miles, I have my first problem

The a/c vent in the center of my dash on the left side rattles very loudly after the car has sat in the sun all day and the a/c is blowing full blast and the vent is pointed at the driver. If I re-aim the vent towards the passenger it stops rattling, and once the temps come down it won't rattle no matter where it is aimed.

Has anyone experienced this?

I am thinking about having the dealer fix it, but I am worried they might cause more rattles by taking the dash apart.

 

I haven't had the problem but taking the vent out is a very simple process.
I had to take my vent out to access the bolts for the radio and had no problem.

 

I had this problem the other day. I moved it ever so slightly and it went away. If it happens again I'm going to have the dealer look at it during the next service visit.

 

yeah.. i had this issue before when my car was below 5000 miles.. it was during August last year. After i re-aim the vent, the rattle disappears and I still haven't had the issue since then.

 

I have had the same problem, especially when you have the fan going on high and the air recirculating. As soon as things in the car cool down it goes away. But I still love the car.

 

Has anyone experienced this?
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I haven't - but I don't have many miles on my TCH. I don't have other rattles or squeaks either - yet.

But one thing I've discovered in my lifetime of owning Toyotas is that interior temperature extremes generate rattles and buzzes. When the interior gets back to normal temps, the noises go away. It bugged me at first, years ago, but I came to accept that all loved ones have their quirks. 'Course, if my new TCH (our one week anniversary is today) starts squeaking, I'll go through my stages of grief again.

 

I haven't experienced it (yet!). I'm at 10K miles by now, 8+ months... ag4ever, maybe I'll just have to wait until it gets a little warmer and I truly start using the A/C a lot. So far, I haven't had the car just standing outside under the sun a lot, but I know what you mean re: Texas summers just making it feel like an oven inside.

 

I had it last summer on the leftmost center vent. It was one of the vertical pieces. I reached through with my finger, moved it around a bit, and it hasn't rattled since.

 

mines been rattling on high fan since new. The dealer tried "tightening" it etc. They gave up and said it was a factory design flaw. I complained to Toyota and they were no help. After a few months, I complained at the dealer again (with a different service writer) and he order and installed new vents. So far so good.
I am replacing interior parts one-by-one in this car. a/c vents, console parts, rear speakers, sun visor, the list goes on. I hope to eventually get rid of all the buzzes, rattles, squeeks, etc. Hopefully, before the warranty runs out.

If Toyota doesn't step up to the plate on these quality control issues, I'm heading back to Honda. A shame really, since the Hybrid components work so well.

 

Wow, I guess I am not totally crazy as each person that has decribed it has described it exactly.

the left center vent when on recirc when hot when reaimed stops when temp returns to normal stops, etc...

HybridFan, since we are both in that same area, I am suprised you have not been having the excessive heat in your car recently. Just wait till August. It will be interesting to see what that heat brings. I wish i had some trees to park under here at work, but no shade for me.