I been having the exact problem with my 2010 IS , I too thought the noise was coming from above the steering wheel cluster and thought about tightening the screws but i guess that's of no use.

What's more appalling is my dealers rep told me they needed to open up the whole instrument cluster and might need to change some rubber bushings inside, but as per rog1206's instruction the fix is pretty simple. My incompetent dealer

 

Thanks a lot rog1206. Just to confirm , you get these rattling noises only while driving on slightly rough pavement right ?

And can I use you fix for my 2010 IS , since I think the symptoms are all the same, almost.

 

I used to get the noise over any sort of road that was rough. The noise actually came back when it got colder and I realized the noise was coming from the gauge cluster bezel touching the left side piece where the vent is in the above picture. When you loosen the lower peice under the bezel, this should give you enough room to pull the side of the bezel out a little you can stick something soft, such as electrical tape or felt between the two. So far, no noises.

 

Hi Calvin , I saw your previous post and thought of tightening the screws but like most others here the creaking noises did not go. I think you , me and Rog1206 have the exact same problem and I believe Rog1206's fix will work.

My car is still under warranty and my service adviser last told me that they would need to dismantle the whole dash to fix this creaking noise. No way will I let them do that since I believe no dealer has been able to eliminate this noise through TSIB's and I am dead sure neither will my dealer be able to stop this noise no matter how many times they dismantle or add rubber's.

I am still very scared to do Rog's fix myself but I have no other go. I just hope it works

But one thing i need to ask before I go on with this fix, I tried applying some bottom pressure on the exact same spot where the trim was removed so as to tighten the space where you guys have put the insulation tape , but i still got the creaking noises while going on rough pavement. I don't understand the logic in putting the tape between the left bottom trim when the noise seems to be coming from between the top rubber dash and plastic trim.

Do you guys think I should go to my dealer and show them this thread to resolve this noise issue or is it safe for me to do it myself ?

 

Glad to hear that this fix worked for you when the dealer failed to fix it after taking your vehicle a million times. I am 100 % sure even my dealer wont be able to fix this issue unless I show him your fix. I am still under warranty and that's the reason I'm scared to do the fix myself fearing I might break something in the process of removing the trims as shown in the pics.

Mine is a 2010 IS , do you think I can pull it off safely ?

 

My personal advice to you two would be to take the car in to get it fixed at the dealership since you're under warranty. I know you fear the dealership won't be able to fix it, but keep in mind the dealer warranties their work and if they don't fix it the first time, you can bring it in again to get it fixed. It may seem like a headache to bring it in more than once, and maybe you live 100 miles away from a dealer making that extremely difficult, but I would argue it's worth bringing it in a few times to get it fixed once and for all, correctly.

The above fix is great for those of us out of warranty, however it's a band-aid fix that may fail someday. The dealer would have the ability to order and replace parts, etc, to make sure it goes away entirely. You both paid premium prices for your car (relative to one out of warranty) to have a full or portion of factory warranty, so I would recommend making use of it.

Also, what's the worst case scenario? The dealer causes another problem? Bring it back and they'll fix it. The noise is still there? Bring it back in, or THEN try the above fix yourself. You're not out anything in either case.

The tape is put there because it's the easiest/only place to put it. The whole black bezel plastic piece is loose, and it seems to be rattling near the top. If you put tape on the bottom part as laid out in the fix, when you snap the trim piece back in place it now pushes up more/applies more upward pressure to the bezel piece because of the tape, and this added pressure serves to keep the bezel piece in place and prevent it from rattling. You of course could put some kind of tape or something in the top area, but that would require removal of both or one of the dash pad and the gauge cluster, and no one wants to do that.

 

Hmm, Thanks for the advise Calvin. I guess you're right , it's better I let my dealership fix the problem for me while still under warranty. But thing I'm worried about most is they might screw something else up in the process of fixing this creaking noise and this is the only dealership in the whole country.

Nah they are not far away , they are within 20-25 kms from my home.

Anyways my 3rd free service is due after another 850 Kms. So I'll ask them to fix this issue with my fingers crossed then. If something else gets screwed up, I'm going to be one very unhappy man and will definitely make it a big issue with Lexus corp Japan.

 

So here is my update. I gave in my car for the 30,000 Km service and told them above the dash squeaky noises that I get , I don't know what they did but for the past 3 days there are no noises.I pressed on top of the dash with my fingers and no squeaky noises like before. I believe they might have just tightened the screws , if that's the case I the noises will come again. I really hope they put in some foam in there.

 

well I guess they didn't add any foam as the dash squeaking noise is back again this morning

Do you guy's think I should go to my service advisor again and this time tell them particularly to add some foam under the dash ?

 

My '11 has rattling noises....again! I went to the dealership the first time I heard it and about 2 months later, it started again. Will bring it back to the dealer.

Very disappointed...

 

that pop is so annoying mines sound like it comes the passenger side dash

 

Damn I didn't know this popping noise was happening to a lot of people's cars.... Time to go to the dealership cuz it's crazy annoying

 

I have a 2011 and I have the same annoying rattling noise coming from the passenger side. Already took it to the dealer and they stated there was nothing wrong and didn't hear it. Which is complete bs since I am still having this issue when driving. Taking my car back to the dealer and hopefully this time they will fix the problem.

 

Yes, have the dealer remove the bezel and re-insulate. The problem comes from the bezel and appears to loosen over time. You may have one side of your bezel with a small gap between the dash and bezel, while the other side is completely flush. I had this fixed at the dealership today, so far no more noise. Although, a road test will be needed for them to determine.

 

I'm dropping in my car at the dealership tomorrow and will show them this thread. Hopefully they fix this issue once and for all.

But the last time I went around they started giving me B.S like, the american market is different as my car is imported directly from Japan , so the same fix for you guys there is not applicable for me according to me SA. Same car's + same problem + different markets = different fix ???