2003 Radio Rattle

Hey everyone,

I hope someone can help.

I have a 2003 Corolla Sport with the stock radio/CD player. The problem is that it rattles in tha dash like crazy. If you push on the radio face, I can stop the rattle. I remember reading that Toyota has a TSB on the radio rattling but I can not find it anywhere.

Does anyone have a copy of that TSB or know a solution in fixing the rattle short of replacing it???

Thanks!

Tim

I am not that familiar with it, but if the radio mounts are tight, I would suggest removing the trim that covers and surrounds the radio.

 

Then add some cushion or foam where it contacts the radio.

It should fit around the radio tighter and eliminate the rattling noise.

Just a suggestion.

Hello and welcome to the forum. Is this a US spec car? As they have a Corolla "Sport" overseas that is completely different than the North American Corolla "S" model. North American spec has the radio set into the upper dash with the other controls - the overseas one has the radio in a separate pod that attaches to the top of the dash.

If it is a Corolla "S" - then there is a radio gap TSB that included issues relating to the trim rattling or buzzing. Unfortunantly, the fix was to add some double sided sticky foam tape to bridge the gap (TSBs are not warrantied items or the same as recalls - so you still have to pay for parts and labor).

I'd just go ahead and pull the unit myself - tape it up and see if that changes the rattling or buzzing sound.

Another issue - the face of the radio itself is pulling off the headunit - this is starting to happen on my 2003 Matrix with a 6-disc changer. The plastic faceplate is actually pulling off the radio chassis due to warping over time. Press on the faceplate and the buzzing stops, you can visually see that the plate moves back and forth. That case, can't fix it with tape - just have to breakdown and by a new headunit. You could try separating the faceplate and glueing it back onto the chassis - but with headunits as cheap as they are - easier to replace the existing unit with a more flexible, possibly better sounding aftermarket piece.

Thank you guys for the replies!

Yes it is a N. American spec Corolla Sport. The Toyota fix was to place 2 sided tape around the edges of the deck where it meets the trim?

The rattle stops if I push on either the trim at the bottom of the deck or up hard at the top of the deck where it meets the dash. I believe it is rattling against the trim.

I wonder if using some type of rubberized tape would work? Do you have any ideas as to where to place the tape, or just wrap it around the deck where it meets the trim?

Thanks again, I really appreciate the help and the kind welcome to the site!

Tim

Clear RTV can also be used as a sound deadoner, since it dries into a rubbery consist and will act like a buffer for parts rattling against each other.