03 Forester rattle-noise in dash

Now that we have plowed snow covered roads, I have a bad rattle-noise in the center dash area. At first I thought it was coming from the right side door area, but if I hold my head over to the passenger side it is definitely coming from the center area of dash. (radio, heat controls?) I cleaned out glove box and took all CD's and cassette out. Ideas?

Reply to
Jerre Bassler
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not sure if it's the same as the Impreza (it might be since the Forester is based upon the Impreza) but there are a bunch of clip connectors which are used to hold together the dash (the trim panel that the vin plate is on, the clock pod, etc.) which rattle - can be fixed with a dab of silicone on each one, or by shimming them with squares of felt. There are also places where wires and plastic portions of the dash can come into contact with the metal support which goes across the cabin inside the dash - shimming those with foam or something similar works to eliminate that, too...

Reply to
David & Caroline

Interesting, my 03 Forester has same noise. Drove about an hour Sat. morning on packed snow. Noise was irritating.

Reply to
MrEd

I have a similar problem in my Forester XT. It stops if I open the lid of the top dashboard compartment and apply a downward force to the area that houses the digital clock.

Reply to
Rob

Same noise in '04 Forester. Has less than 800 miles on the vehicle and now that snow is here in Mpls, MN, USA, and roads are more ice covered and bumpy, there is a slight rattle behind dash or near dash cd holder. That's my ONLY 'problem' with the vehicle so far.

Reply to
Jim Knoll

Same here with my 2003 Forester 2.5X. I'm VERY VERY disappointed with interior quality at this point (less than 1 year old). Silver-colored center console is very poorly designed - too many joints with plastic-on-plastic contact. Thinking it might be the little spring loaded doors in the console. If you press on them while cold they creak and groan. Bezel around heat controls also seems to flex more than it should.

Reply to
Sgt.Torg

I have a noise in my 03 Forester that I can reproduce by thumping on the top of the steering wheel. It is more a twanging sound. It acts up when I drive over rough pavement. They repave some of the roads around here with a slurry mix instead of real asphalt. This leaves a rough surface that is perfect for causing dashboard buzzes and rattles.

Can anybody else reproduce this? You don't have to thump that hard.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Chang

Answering my own post... I finally got around to diagnosing this noise. It turns out not to be any loose plastic pieces. I removed the lower dashboard under the steering column. (BTW, this was easy, just remove 2 screws, one by the hood release and one on the other corner. The top pulls out.) There's a big metal bracket that makes a U under the steering column. You'll see the top of two bolts securing the bracket staring at you. In my vehicle, this metal piece buzzes when I drive over rough pavement or thump on my steering wheel. (I don't usually thump on the steering wheel, but it reproduces the noise very well.) I think that the bracket just has an annoying resonance frequency. Nothing looked loose. It was bolted securely. I can make the noise stop by holding parts of the bracket. I couldn't think of a way to secure the bracket any tighter, so I took a raquet ball sized piece of plumber's putty and shoved it between the bracket and the instrument housing. (None of this is visible when you close up the dash.) So far the noise has gone away.

If anyone else has this problem, I can post a picture. Also, if anyone has a more elegant solution than plumber's putty, please let me know.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Chang

Duct tape!

Richard Chang wrote:

Reply to
BBB

Silastic... just pump it in between the bracket and the steering column...

Reply to
Andrew Morris

Hey Richard, I have same noise, haven't take dash apart yet. So any pics would be appreciated. TIA, Ed

Reply to
Mr_Ed

I made a web page: .

Hope it banishes your buzzes and rattles as well.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Chang

Very good info, Thanks Ed

Reply to
Mr_Ed

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