Annoying rattling in the rear driving me nuts! Can't find it!!

[gpaps]

I have emptied the trunk completely and locked both lids. I even taped some felt below the lids. Figured this time nothing can rattle!But again everytime I drive around and hit some average bumps, the rattle. It sounds light and as if something is loose in the back, but there's nothing left to be loose. Am I missing something ? I've been hearing this sound since a few days after picking up the car in December 03.GOING CRAZY!

[Houston]

Check anything under that bottom cover at the rear and in those little side bins. I padded all those compartments and it eliminated those rattles.

[ragingfish]

Try removing the spare and looking under that...maybe a nut or something fell down...if all else fails, you can grab a ratchet driver and remove the entire plastic compartment, maybe something fell down into the sheet metal...

[gpaps]

Yesterday night I emptied EVERYTHING to the bare plastic and metal.I figured that at this point, nothing can rattle anymore... Drived around, heard it even louder... I'm really going crazy now. Then I thought it could be the lift glass so I drove around with it opened and the sound was almost completely gone. I believe it has something to do with it but after lifting the liftglass taillight, the wimpy wiper and the contact switch, I still cannot find what causes it.NOW I'M REALLY LOSING IT!

[philndz]

Ouch....sounds like a rattling nightmare!I had the same experience...after months i tracked the sound of a ball bearing running around a tin can to the passenger seat. if you put weight on the seat cushion there is no more rattle....i have yet to get under there and figure out what it is though.another annoying one was the strip of chrome plastic on the passenger door that buzzed w/ any music from that speaker!!ARRGHH!! Everything is worse in the winter....all the panels expand in the summer and fit together nice and tight. In winter everything shrinks and gets hard and brittle and makes lots of noise....im fed up w/ the cold. It's been 8 degrees here...in Missouri for gods sake...can humans hibernate??

[tinder]

Actually, I had the same problem with rattling in the back over bumps. I tracked it down to the roof rack where I found that the screw down nobs were loose. The crossmember was bumping up and down along the track and the vibrations were being transmitted into the interior

[esjones]

Are you sure the rattle is inside the car? Check to see if the bottom edge of the license plate is striking the liftgate. I put felt pads on the bottom of my license plate.Good luck. I hate rattles, too!

[DavidPIL]

Hi esjones...Yup, had that same problem. I used rubber bump stops but I have a frame around that back plate and it would eventually start to rattle so I ended up using 2 this metal wires and fastening the frame to the plate (with the same rubber bumpers between em) and no more rattle! YAY!gpaps, it's probably that, if you can't find something actually loose in the back anywhere.Dave