Second row seat rattles—serenity now!

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GrouchyTech

GrouchyTech

Joined
May 26, 2024
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473
Location
Upper-South-Central US (USCUS)
The only rattle, squeak, creek, or tick that I have is from those second row seat latches. My solution temporarily has been to lay some stiff foam under the seats and then sit on the seat seats to compress them down until they latch. A problem with this is the foam eventually compresses enough for the rattle to come back.

I wonder if I can 3D print something out of TPU that will wrap around the striker and act as a cushion. I’m not sure how durable it would be. I once tried that with some gorilla duct tape and I put one too many wraps around the striker and the seat wouldn’t release. That was a fun time. But, it cured the rattle…

Are there any enginerds or similarly-minded folks who can think of the best way to stop this rattle? For instance, would it be better to directly cushion the interface between the striker and the latch, or make something like a bumper that would apply a constant force to prevent the rattling?

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My solution has been to use a small folded towel under the seat which doesn’t compress.
 
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Had this exact issue on a buddy's 200 series a couple years back. He tried everything including foam, rubber tape, you name it. What finally worked was getting some thin adhesive-backed neoprene weatherstrip — the kind with a lip seal profile — and wrapping it around the striker post itself, not the latch mechanism. About 1.5mm thick stuff, EPDM based. He ordered it off Amazon by the foot, door/window seal type. Key thing was he roughed up the striker surface lightly with 80-grit before sticking it so it wouldn't peel off. Been over a year now and it's still quiet.

The 3D print idea in TPU could definitely work too. If you go that route I'd suggest printing it hollow-ish so it compresses slightly — solid TPU can be pretty firm. The wrap-around-the-striker design makes the most sense because you're taking up the tiny amount of free play in the latch engagement instead of fighting the latch geometry.

Gorilla tape works in a pinch but the adhesive breaks down with heat cycles, that's why yours came back. The neoprene holds up way better.
 
The striker wrap approach works but you hit it exactly - too many layers and it won't release. I've done basically the same thing on Land Cruiser jump seats and third-row stuff over the years.

What actually worked longer-term for me was a small piece of self-adhesive neoprene foam cut to fit just behind the striker where the latch jaws make contact. Like 3mm closed-cell foam, not open-cell - you want something that doesn't compress out flat after a few weeks. Hardware store weather stripping works - the kind used for window seals. Cut a little rectangle, stick it to the striker body (not around it), gives you that slight cushion without adding enough thickness to trap the latch.

The TPU 3D print idea is solid too - I'd go 95A durometer or softer if your printer handles it. Make it like a saddle that sits on top of the striker bar rather than wrapping the whole thing, so the latch still cycles clean. Maybe 1.5-2mm wall thickness, just enough to dampen the metal-on-metal contact.

Root cause on a lot of these is the latch mechanism getting slightly loose in the floor bracket over time. Worth checking if the four bolts holding the latch body are tight before anything else. Sometimes it's not the striker at all, just slop in the mounting letting everything rattle.
 
A very crudely printed a 30 mm long cylinder with a 10 mm inner/11.5 mm outer diameter for the smaller outboard striker, and 14 mm inner/16mm outer diameter for the inboard striker. There is still movement, but it is cushioned so the noise is greatly reduced. They are also too narrow, so I need to alter the length. I printed these in 95A and they are far too pliable. It may need something as firm as 80A.

I can’t seem to reliably get the seat to come up when I have the printed piece on the outboard striker, but I think I stretched the cable back when I couldn’t release it and I had the gorilla tape on it, or the gorilla tape glue got in there and gummed things up. I’ll have to address that another time.

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And are you certain it’s the seat latch that’s rattling?

The hard to diagnose seat rattle was also the split fold middle row (top portion that folds down). I shoved a microfiber towel in between the bottom cushion and the piece that folds down. That leather to leather action likes to squeak and the towel provides a barrier.
 
Zill said:
And are you certain it’s the seat latch that’s rattling?

The hard to diagnose seat rattle was also the split fold middle row (top portion that folds down). I shoved a microfiber towel in between the bottom cushion and the piece that folds down. That leather to leather action likes to squeak and the towel provides a barrier.
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I've added some of our Toyota sticky felt to the squeaky area of the leather between the two seats, and to the armrest. I'm pretty sure it's the latches.
 
What holds the striker to the floor? Are there bolts under the surrounding trim? If so, would it be possible to remove the sticker and add a thin shim under it to tighten up the latching.
 
 
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