2015 interior rattle deep in dash

mikepol2 · December 30, 2015

I have a 2015 crew cab with 2,000 miles on it. At about 500 miles it developed an annoying rattle when you go over rough pavement that's hard to pinpoint but sounds like it's coming from deep inside the dashboard, behind the HVAC controls, and maybe a little towards the passenger side. I've tried all the fixes for interior rattles that I could find posted on various forums with no luck, so I started removing one part at a time and test driving to see if the rattle went away:

- "A"-pillars

- Windshield area defroster/speaker trim panel

- Trim around touch screen

- Touch screen

- HVAC controls

- Power pedal / cargo light / etc control panel

- Upper and lower glove boxes

- Black plastic shroud under lower glove box

- Sunglass holder clip

Then I had a passenger use a stethoscope with a rod end to try and locate the rattle, again with no luck. One thing I did notice was that there are small black hex head screws everywhere that you can remove with a 7mm socket. Every single one seemed to be barely snug. They screw into copper retainers with two wings that fit loosely into the dash. They SHOULD be tight when the screws are in place but I found one behind the cargo lamp light panel that connects the dash to the center console that was jiggling in it's hole even though the screw was installed! I couldn't reach the head on that one so I spread the two wings till it was tight in it's hole. Seems like at the factory the torque for the equipment that installed these screws was set too low or something. I tried tightening all the screws I could find (including under the fuse panel by the passenger door) but there are so many of these that I'm sure there are ones buried somewhere that I can't see. I think maybe one of these is loose and making the rattle, or at least the noise they make sounds similar to the rattle. This is driving me insane and I'm tired of giving people rides in my new $55K truck and having to listen to "hey what's that rattle? Isn't this brand new?". If anybody has found the cause of this rattle I'd LOVE to hear it, thanks.

Edited December 30, 2015 by mikepol2

pm26 · December 30, 2015

There was a guy on one of Impala forums that had a similar very annoying rattle in the dash in his almost new car. Repeated trips to the dealer did not fix anything, then he got some other GM dealer to work on it, they took most everything apart and finally they found some loose wire bundle which when secured, minimized the rattle and noise.

This may not be an easy fix. You may have to literally disassemble the entire dash and systematically check each fastener and secure each wire bundle which appears to be loose with zip ties. Another source of annoying rattle inside dash could be a loose A/C plastic duct which is rattling against some other plastic part. I would check those first.

Dash rattles can be extremely annoying. About two years ago I intended to buy a new Ford Taurus car, as the price was very good and the car was nicely equipped. During the test drive, there was an annoying rattle which appeared to be coming from inside the dash just behind the left A/C register. I mentioned this to the salesman who was riding with me and he seemed to be surprised that I should be concerned about something so "minor" in his opinion. I did not buy the car because of it, and I know that fixing it could have been a nightmare. It is reflective of quality built into the vehicle.

I had one annoying squeak in my 2009 Impala LTZ which developed after about 2k miles. It took me a while to find the source and I was systematically checking everything. Every time I hit a minor bump or tar strip on the road, something in the rear would squeak and it was getting unbearable. It turned out to be just a loose metal clip on one of the rear window side panels. Smacking it gently with palm of my hand fixed the problem for good when the clip got fully seated. So sometimes the fix is very simple but it takes a long time to find the source! I went as far as checking the rear suspension components to see where the squeak was coming from.

Edited December 30, 2015 by pm26

morrislee · December 30, 2015

I had rattle right on the light sensor right under the windshield (tiny half circle shaped object). When the noise occur, hold that thing down stops it.

My Homelink garage opener button's panel trim also does some too.

Try the above 2 and good luck!

2015AT6.2 · December 30, 2015

A screw fell out of my overhead console today and was rolling around, popped out my home link panel, put the screw back in place, good to go now. Thank god.

oburgtiger · January 7, 2016

The latest rattle in my 2014 seems to be coming from the dash panel under the steering wheel. I fixed the ODBII port rattle myself with a little high-density foam tape, but I have been unable to locate the dash rattle. I took it to the dealer and at first they told me it was the visor not locked in the stowage clip. Next they told me it was the key fob hitting the dash. They offered to have a tech ride with me, but I didn't have time at that moment. I'll be heading back up there soon to do the ride-along.

Potts · January 7, 2016

The latest rattle in my 2014 seems to be coming from the dash panel under the steering wheel. I fixed the ODBII port rattle myself with a little high-density foam tape, but I have been unable to locate the dash rattle. I took it to the dealer and at first they told me it was the visor not locked in the stowage clip. Next they told me it was the key fob hitting the dash. They offered to have a tech ride with me, but I didn't have time at that moment. I'll be heading back up there soon to do the ride-along.

I have had two rattles in the lower dash beneath the steering column. The first was the cable to the hood release. The cable actually seemed to be vibrating within itself. I zip tied the cable to something under the dash and that solved that problem. The other vibration is coming from behind the lower dash panel to the left of the steering wheel. I can get under there and hear the sound of I tap the panel but can't find what's causing it to fix it. When driving if the sound starts, sometimes just banging on that panel gets it to stop. This one is driving me nuts. I'm nervous to remove that whole panel and getting under there to look requires positions that are far from comfortable. I have sensitive ears - rattles drive me insane.

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reds10406 · January 7, 2016

I have the same dash rattle as the OP. Very annoying on rough streets.

ladderman · January 9, 2016

I have had two rattles in the lower dash beneath the steering column. The first was the cable to the hood release. The cable actually seemed to be vibrating within itself. I zip tied the cable to something under the dash and that solved that problem. The other vibration is coming from behind the lower dash panel to the left of the steering wheel. I can get under there and hear the sound of I tap the panel but can't find what's causing it to fix it. When driving if the sound starts, sometimes just banging on that panel gets it to stop. This one is driving me nuts. I'm nervous to remove that whole panel and getting under there to look requires positions that are far from comfortable. I have sensitive ears - rattles drive me insane.

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I had the same, took it to the dealer twice and they said they couldn't recreate it. I took the knee bolster panel off and just below the steering wheel there were 3 or 4 bolts that were very loose. I tightened them up and it has fixed the problem. It was the same as you though, if I tapped the panel, it would make the sound and sometimes tapping it made it stop.

mikepol2 · January 11, 2016

FINALLY - SOLVED!! It's the 120V AC plug where the center console meets the center dash. I removed the center console trim piece and could shake it and hear something rattling in it, the trim piece is just held in place with the snap-in tabs, here are pics of the bottom of it and the end of it where the power outlets are. The 120V outlet has 2 plugs that go into the back of it. The plugs come out by using a small screwdriver to press in the tab on the side of the plug. Then remove the outlet from the trim piece by pushing in the 4 straight plastic tabs on the sides of the outlet. Once it's out, remove the back by prying up the 4 U-shaped plastic tabs. The back assembly includes a little circuit board with copper receptacles. Trapped inside each of the 2 receptacle is a white plastic piece with a spring behind it. The copper is not tight enough to keep the white pieces from banging around. I just used needle nose pliers to squeeze the tabs together tighter until they stopped being loose, but not so tight that the white piece didn't move freely. While the trim piece was out, I put duct tape in a few places just in case, but I'm not sure it was necessary. Put it all together and now my truck feels solid as a tank again. You're welcome for the free root cause analysis and corrective action, GM. My invoice is in the mail. (I also took pics below of what the center dash looks like naked, sometimes that's helpful for other things so here you go.)

Edited January 11, 2016 by mikepol2

Joppy818 · October 7, 2018

I am having a similar issue on my 15 denali. I believe it to be coming from the top underside of the dash somewhere in between the radio and dash board. I really think it could be duct work. I removed the trim panel on the upper dash and noticed a little freeplay in some of the ducts. I wanted to try your remedy. But wanted to confirm where your rattle was coming from. Was it rattling ariund your centerstack (bottom) or dashboard area?? Thanks

DBrach · October 11, 2018

I too am having this rattle. It appears to be coming from behind the HMI screen and below the sensor on the dash. Mine isn't such a plasticky rattle as it is almost a metal rattle. Not a chirp, but a dull thud fast rattle. I've already remove the HMI and s few components but to no avail. I'll dig into the dash deeper this weekend and share my findings. (2014 Silversdo Z71)

Edited October 11, 2018 by DBrach

Joppy818 · October 11, 2018

I have been able to quiet it down by placing foam tape throughout the quarter panel dash I did seem to think it was coming from the radio and put some cardboard as a wedge to help it from moving. That didn’t do it. After i padded the quarter panel trim, one time out of three or four times so far i think i was getting some rattle from the union at the defroster grill (on panel) and the duct. For example, everything was fine this morning on the drive in. I was a

little concerned the tape i used was to thick. I did hear the dash creek from expansion heat (not moving) and I am thinking maybe it has settled in. This weekend i am set to get some flock tape and I am going to try and covertly put some tape around the duct. So weird I got the sound after I padded the panel at random times. Maybe it has settled in? I doubt it.

Edited October 11, 2018 by Joppy818

Demps · November 27, 2022

I just got a 2014 Z71 LTZ and also have an annoying rattle deep in the dash somewhere in the middle behind the head unit. It sounds Metallic (like a metal rail is loose inside (due to loose screws) and is rattling against the inside dash frame.

I've addressed every issue I can find on YouTube to no avail. The longer I experience this, the more I start to hate GM for selling this Yugo quality vehicle at a 55K+ price tag. I come from a family that has always been brand loyal to Chevy and most of us even work on our own vehicles. Dear GM: Between this dash rattle, the faulty tranny thermal valve that only opens at 190°, faulty torque converter, DOD/AFM system, and the host of other issues you sold to your customers as a "Luxury Pickup" that's "Like A Rock" you are fast tracking your own demise.

It's time for Chevy to implement Toyota's manufacturing model, source better parts and hire lead engineers that are also hobby mechanics that actually care about cars. If you change your work culture, perhaps your employees will torque screws to the right specs, your drive train will become dependable, and we will actually consider you as a viable option in the EV market one day.

Edited November 27, 2022 by Demps