Dash Rattle / Creaking - Nissan Murano

Graphite · 11-19-2008, 10:41 PM

Well, I finally was able to figure out an annoying rattle / creaking sound that I would have sworn was coming from the center of the dash since the car was new. After much work, it turns out that the noise origin is actually from the cowl cover just under the wipers on the outside of the vehicle. The cover is apparently rattling against the windshield, which transmits the noise inside which makes it seem to originate inside. I was able to duplicate it by having someone press on the cover while I was in the cabin.

I need to do some more work to completely eliminate it, but as a temporary solution to confirm the origin, I put a couple small rubber shims between the cowl and windshield. I'll probably pull the wipers off and completely remove the cowl at some point to try to solve this more permamently.

I'm not sure how many others have had an intermittent rattle or creaking sound in this area, but I thought I'd share the information.

bobbyleung · 11-19-2008, 11:38 PM

I have this problem too, I hear noise about from left side speaker, I go to nissan try fix it, but their say no problem, i think is from dashboard inside speaker cable make the noise, need retie.

mykwalker2 · 11-20-2008, 12:25 AM

WOndering if any of you have found that the back door area rattles when the back passenger doors are closed. It happens on my current MO and the one that was a loaner. Not sure where it's from and it only happens when the trunck door is closed and either of the 2 doors are closed.

My thoughts are that it's the little flap that covers the latch on the "floor" of the MO. Anyone have a similar problem?

MarkyD · 11-20-2008, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bobbyleung
I have this problem too, I hear noise about from left side speaker, I go to nissan try fix it, but their say no problem, i think is from dashboard inside speaker cable make the noise, need retie.

I have this exact thing too, but have not been able to figure out exactly where it's coming from

Warhammer · 11-20-2008, 01:15 PM

I have a vibration rattle that is coming from somewhere in the front of my MO as well. Would you please describe the nature of the sound? Is the noise dependent on speed while you're driving or does it happen all the time regardless of movement?

Thanks! I need to get in my MO and figure out where mine is coming from.

Graphite · 11-20-2008, 10:48 PM

The noise I was getting was not necessarly speed dependent, but more dependent upon the types of bumps in the road and temperature changes. What helped me identify the problem was when I was sitting the car waiting for my wife after just driving out from a 60 degree garage to 30 degrees outside, I could hear the creaking sound about every 5-10 seconds (car was turned off). That told me that is was something that was shrinking from the thermal change, which lead me to looking outside.

Nissan had looked for the problem for me as well, but being it was intermittent, they were not able to find it.

marksuniverse · 11-21-2008, 06:24 PM

No rattles on my MO with 3000km on it. The only annoyance is when the passenger seat belt is removed it tends to sit at an angle against the pillar and rattle a bit--but a quick adjustment fixes it.

JCT · 12-30-2008, 02:04 PM

Just have to thank Graphite for the post.

I started having rattle on my 09 SL @2500 miles. Place some rubber pieces and the annoying clicking noise went away.

wpgdude · 12-30-2008, 11:33 PM

I have had the exact same rattle since delivery in June. It almost sounds like it's the windshield not placed in properly and making a popping sound. Thank you for your post.....I'm going to look into that.
I also get a rattle on occasion that seems to originate from just in front of the shifter and underneath.....almost sounds like a plastic ball rolling around...really strange...but it is inconsistent. Does anybody else have this?

Pablovgb · 04-28-2009, 07:24 PM

Good to get onto this site. My suspision on the rattle in the window confirmed, I thought it was coming from the outside, but did not know where. Cheers

Graphite · 05-07-2009, 11:48 PM

My rattle came back a couple months ago. I ended up removing the wiper arm assemblies & cowl. The design seems to be lacking any rattle control between the slot in the cowl and the bottom of the windshield (there is a tape strip on the top, but nothing on the bottom).

The solution that seems to be working well is to completely clean the bottom of the windshield and wrap some electrical tape around the bottom of the windshield along the entire length. Clean the slot in the cowl and re-assemble (the electrical tape will be completely inside the slot so you will not see it after re-assembly).

So far, no more rattles.

northwood · 05-22-2009, 12:33 AM

We took our Murano to the dealer with the same problem.
They seemed to know what we were talking about, although this was their first time fixing it.
Took about an hour, no more cracking sound.
You shouldn't have to do this yourself.

From the service invoice-

"snap rattle noise left dash windshield area.
verified concern found cowl area rubbing on windshield.
removed cowl and insulated with foam tape.
road tested with customer noise is gone at this time."

total parts & labor 0.00

The noise was gone, but a week later,
we found the washer fluid was not working.
They had pinched the washer fluid tube
under the corner of the cowl on the passenger side during replacement.
It was about a quarter inch away from the slot it was supposed to be in.
I just pulled the plastic tab and moved the tube to the slot.
All is good, for now.

mattski · 07-06-2010, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphite

My rattle came back a couple months ago. I ended up removing the wiper arm assemblies & cowl. The design seems to be lacking any rattle control between the slot in the cowl and the bottom of the windshield (there is a tape strip on the top, but nothing on the bottom).

The solution that seems to be working well is to completely clean the bottom of the windshield and wrap some electrical tape around the bottom of the windshield along the entire length. Clean the slot in the cowl and re-assemble (the electrical tape will be completely inside the slot so you will not see it after re-assembly).

So far, no more rattles.

Graphite,
How is this fix holding up? How hard is it to remove the cowl? I have a similar creak/rattle on my '10 from the same dash area. Very faint, but annoying when the radio is off.
Thx,
Matt

Graphite · 07-06-2010, 08:02 PM

Holding up well, no noises out of that area at all.

It took me about 30 minutes to do the fix - the hardest part was getting the wiper arms off the shafts. As noted above, make sure that you get the line for the wiper fluid in the slot when re-assembling to avoid pinching it. You may also want to mark on the windshield where the wiper blades are located before removal as they are on splined shafts and can be put back on in the incorrect starting spot.

mattski · 07-06-2010, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphite

Holding up well, no noises out of that area at all.

It took me about 30 minutes to do the fix - the hardest part was getting the wiper arms off the shafts. As noted above, make sure that you get the line for the wiper fluid in the slot when re-assembling to avoid pinching it. You may also want to mark on the windshield where the wiper blades are located before removal as they are on splined shafts and can be put back on in the incorrect starting spot.

Thanks Graphite. What actually holds the cowl on - those little black circles? Do you just pry them up with a small screwdriver?

11-19-2008, 10:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
Graphite Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	Dash Rattle / Creaking Well, I finally was able to figure out an annoying rattle / creaking sound that I would have sworn was coming from the center of the dash since the car was new. After much work, it turns out that the noise origin is actually from the cowl cover just under the wipers on the outside of the vehicle. The cover is apparently rattling against the windshield, which transmits the noise inside which makes it seem to originate inside. I was able to duplicate it by having someone press on the cover while I was in the cabin. I need to do some more work to completely eliminate it, but as a temporary solution to confirm the origin, I put a couple small rubber shims between the cowl and windshield. I'll probably pull the wipers off and completely remove the cowl at some point to try to solve this more permamently. I'm not sure how many others have had an intermittent rattle or creaking sound in this area, but I thought I'd share the information.

11-20-2008, 12:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
mykwalker2 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 91	WOndering if any of you have found that the back door area rattles when the back passenger doors are closed. It happens on my current MO and the one that was a loaner. Not sure where it's from and it only happens when the trunck door is closed and either of the 2 doors are closed. My thoughts are that it's the little flap that covers the latch on the "floor" of the MO. Anyone have a similar problem? __________________ '09 Murano S with added moonroof.

11-20-2008, 01:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
Warhammer Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rio Rancho, NM Posts: 2,166	I have a vibration rattle that is coming from somewhere in the front of my MO as well. Would you please describe the nature of the sound? Is the noise dependent on speed while you're driving or does it happen all the time regardless of movement? Thanks! I need to get in my MO and figure out where mine is coming from. __________________ *Ain't nothin' MO fun than drivin' a MO.*

11-21-2008, 06:24 PM	#7 (permalink)
marksuniverse Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Ontario Posts: 80	No rattles on my MO with 3000km on it. The only annoyance is when the passenger seat belt is removed it tends to sit at an angle against the pillar and rattle a bit--but a quick adjustment fixes it. __________________ 2009 SL AWD, Black on Black, CDN Model w/Moonroof and Tech Pkg

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

11-19-2008, 11:38 PM	#2 (permalink)
bobbyleung Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 19	I have this problem too, I hear noise about from left side speaker, I go to nissan try fix it, but their say no problem, i think is from dashboard inside speaker cable make the noise, need retie.

11-20-2008, 10:48 PM	#6 (permalink)
Graphite Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	The noise I was getting was not necessarly speed dependent, but more dependent upon the types of bumps in the road and temperature changes. What helped me identify the problem was when I was sitting the car waiting for my wife after just driving out from a 60 degree garage to 30 degrees outside, I could hear the creaking sound about every 5-10 seconds (car was turned off). That told me that is was something that was shrinking from the thermal change, which lead me to looking outside. Nissan had looked for the problem for me as well, but being it was intermittent, they were not able to find it.

12-30-2008, 02:04 PM	#8 (permalink)
JCT Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 7	Just have to thank Graphite for the post. I started having rattle on my 09 SL @2500 miles. Place some rubber pieces and the annoying clicking noise went away.

12-30-2008, 11:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
wpgdude Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Winnipeg, MB. Posts: 5	I have had the exact same rattle since delivery in June. It almost sounds like it's the windshield not placed in properly and making a popping sound. Thank you for your post.....I'm going to look into that. I also get a rattle on occasion that seems to originate from just in front of the shifter and underneath.....almost sounds like a plastic ball rolling around...really strange...but it is inconsistent. Does anybody else have this?

04-28-2009, 07:24 PM	#10 (permalink)
Pablovgb Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 3	Good to get onto this site. My suspision on the rattle in the window confirmed, I thought it was coming from the outside, but did not know where. Cheers

05-07-2009, 11:48 PM	#11 (permalink)
Graphite Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	My rattle came back a couple months ago. I ended up removing the wiper arm assemblies & cowl. The design seems to be lacking any rattle control between the slot in the cowl and the bottom of the windshield (there is a tape strip on the top, but nothing on the bottom). The solution that seems to be working well is to completely clean the bottom of the windshield and wrap some electrical tape around the bottom of the windshield along the entire length. Clean the slot in the cowl and re-assemble (the electrical tape will be completely inside the slot so you will not see it after re-assembly). So far, no more rattles.

05-22-2009, 12:33 AM	#12 (permalink)
northwood Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 4	We took our Murano to the dealer with the same problem. They seemed to know what we were talking about, although this was their first time fixing it. Took about an hour, no more cracking sound. You shouldn't have to do this yourself. From the service invoice- "snap rattle noise left dash windshield area. verified concern found cowl area rubbing on windshield. removed cowl and insulated with foam tape. road tested with customer noise is gone at this time." total parts & labor 0.00 The noise was gone, but a week later, we found the washer fluid was not working. They had pinched the washer fluid tube under the corner of the cowl on the passenger side during replacement. It was about a quarter inch away from the slot it was supposed to be in. I just pulled the plastic tab and moved the tube to the slot. All is good, for now.

07-06-2010, 08:02 PM	#14 (permalink)
Graphite Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16	Holding up well, no noises out of that area at all. It took me about 30 minutes to do the fix - the hardest part was getting the wiper arms off the shafts. As noted above, make sure that you get the line for the wiper fluid in the slot when re-assembling to avoid pinching it. You may also want to mark on the windshield where the wiper blades are located before removal as they are on splined shafts and can be put back on in the incorrect starting spot.

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
Nissan Murano Forums Advertisement