Rattles in B Pillar Interior

[bphansen04]

Has anyone else been experiencing rattles in the interior B pillar section by the seatbelt area? I am getting some pretty serious rattles with the slightest amount of bass from the speakers and I am wondering if anyone has removed that interior panel to fix the rattle.

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[AJasper6579]

Following...I have the exact same issue and assumed it was a loose connection with the speaker.

 

[T_Pomp]

Any aftermarket parts installed?

 

[bphansen04]

Any aftermarket parts installed?

no sir

 

[CO/ZA]

I'm pulling apart my passenger B-pillar this afternoon, as I believe it's the seat belt adjuster mechanism.

Apparently this is also common on the LC250 as well.

 

[bphansen04]

I'm pulling apart my passenger B-pillar this afternoon, as I believe it's the seat belt adjuster mechanism.

Apparently this is also common on the LC250 as well.

Would you mind taking some pictures and respond here if you find anything? It's driving me crazy!

 

[pmedicj]

Definitely the seat belt mechanism and The back seat lowers rattle like crazy over bumps.

 

[bphansen04]

Definitely the seat belt mechanism and The back seat lowers rattle like crazy over bumps.

What do you mean by back seat lowers?

 

[pmedicj]

What do you mean by back seat lowers?

The back seat lower attachment for the seat belts where they bolt in rattles like crazy over bumpy roads. Just grab the belt with it a little loose and give it a shake you’ll see what I’m mean.

 

[zgreen]

Hey guys. There are tons of threads about his on the forum. The net net is it is a wiring harness that is loose in the door. My Toyota dealer fixed it under warranty and re-affixed the harness the right way inside the door and added some foam. Before the fix, it rattled like crazy with any bass. After, you can crank it and no rattle/buzz at all.

 

[AJasper6579]

Hey guys. There are tons of threads about his on the forum. The net net is it is a wiring harness that is loose in the door. My Toyota dealer fixed it under warranty and re-affixed the harness the right way inside the door and added some foam. Before the fix, it rattled like crazy with any bass. After, you can crank it and no rattle/buzz at all.

Do you recall how long this took them? I have my dealership saying they can look for the rattles but that I need to be prepared to leave the vehicle for the whole day.

 

[zgreen]

Do you recall how long this took them? I have my dealership saying they can look for the rattles but that I need to be prepared to leave the vehicle for the whole day.

I think they had it for the day, doing the oil change as well. Got a loaner.

 

[CO/ZA]

Here is the AI guide I ended up with, it's really not too hard to disassemble the whole B-pillar trim assembly:




Tools & Materials Needed:

• Plastic trim clip removal tool
• 10mm wrench (for battery)
• 14mm socket & torque wrench
• Rubbing alcohol (for surface prep)
• Automotive cloth harness tape (Tesa Tape) <-- I used a lot of this!
• Butyl sound-deadening sheets

Phase 1: Critical Safety First
Because you are working right next to the pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners, you must kill the power first.

1. Pop the hood and disconnect the Negative (–) battery terminal using a 10mm wrench.
2. Isolate the cable so it cannot touch the post.
3. Wait 3 minutes before touching the interior. This completely drains the airbag/SRS backup capacitors so the system is dormant.

🦺 Phase 2: The Step-by-Step Teardown Sequence
To avoid breaking tabs, you must work from the floor up.

1. Remove the Door Sills: Open both doors fully. Use your plastic trim tool {can also just use your hands} to pry straight up on the front and rear door threshold kick plates (scuff plates). Set them aside.
2. Peel the Weatherstripping: Pull the black rubber door seals away from the metal pinch-welds only around the area of the B-pillar. (No need to remove the whole seal).
3. Open the Floor Bolt Cover: Look at the floor-level seatbelt anchor bracket. The plastic cover is easily removed by spreading the long, vertical sides out and putting up and out.
4. Unbolt the Lower Anchor: Use a 14mm socket to remove the floor bolt. Keep your washers stacked in the exact order they came off. They're plastic and should be retained on the seat belt itself.
5. Pop the Lower B-Pillar Trim: Reach to the bottom edges of the dark lower panel. Move your passenger seat all the way forward and up. Pull the bottom of the lower panel straight out horizontally to pop the white friction clips. The Maneuver: Once the clips pop, tilt the bottomof the panel inward toward the center console, and pull it down and out from the upper trim.
6. Unbolt the Upper Shoulder Anchor: Flip open the upper plastic cap on the sliding height adjuster and remove the upper bolt with a 14mm socket. (Torque spec for reassembly is 31 ft-lbs / 42 Nm dry).
   1. Unnecessary, I left the top bolt(s) in and just proceeded to tape and insulate around. I tried puttng TESA tape on the sliding bracket, but it would just bunch up no matter what I did.
7. Remove the Upper Trim: Remove the two press rivets with your trim tool, you might need 2 thin ones to lever out the circular center push pin. Remove the rear grab handle with a 10mm socket. The upper b pillar trim can pop right off and you can then feed the seat belt through.

Phase 3: The "Scorched Earth" Insulation Fix
Now that you have a bare steel pillar and bare panels on your workbench, insulate absolutely everything:

• The Plastic Panel Clips: Pull every yellow/white push-pin out of its plastic slot on the back of the trim. Wrap a small square of Tesa tape over the slot, poke a hole through it, and pop the pin back in. This creates a permanent fabric gasket. If there are silver metal clips, pop them off, wrap the plastic tab in Tesa tape, and force the metal clip back on.
• The Headliner Wedges & J-Tabs: Wrap the two upper alignment planes tightly in Tesa tape. Line the entire inner curve of the side J-tabs with tape so they cannot touch raw metal.
• The Panel Overlaps: Apply Tesa tape where the lower dark panel tucks underneath the upper cream panel to stop plastic-on-plastic squeaking.
• The Wire Harnesses & Seatbelt Reel: Wrap any exposed wiring bundles inside the pillar column in Tesa tape. Put a few strips of Tesa tape on the outside faces of the white plastic seatbelt reel housing.
• The Metal Column: Clean the bare steel with rubbing alcohol. Slap a heavy 5x7" butyl deadening sheet on the flat metal cavity behind/below the slider mechanism, and a 4x4" square at the base joint. Avoid the moving tracks and bolt holes. Tap it with your knuckle—it should sound like a solid thud instead of a tinny echo.

Phase 4: Reassembly Notes
Reassemble in the exact reverse order.

• Make sure your seatbelt shoulder hardware is stacked correctly so it can pivot: Bolt Plastic Cap Wave Washer Seatbelt Bracket Thick Collar Spacer Vehicle Rail.
• Torque both 14mm bolts dry to 31 ft-lbs (42 Nm).
• Pop the weatherstripping back over the panel edges tightly, snap your sills down, and hook your battery back up!

I didn't have to reset anything after re-connecting the battery, the windows and everything worked as normal.

Haven't test drove it just yet, but I feel like taping absolutely every single plastic bearing surface and pin should alleviate whatever was going on.

I neglected to take photos of the tape and insulation job, but if you get this far it's obvious what needs done.

 

[zgreen]

Here is the AI guide I ended up with, it's really not too hard to disassemble the whole B-pillar trim assembly:




Tools & Materials Needed:

• Plastic trim clip removal tool
• 10mm wrench (for battery)
• 14mm socket & torque wrench
• Rubbing alcohol (for surface prep)
• Automotive cloth harness tape (Tesa Tape) <-- I used a lot of this!
• Butyl sound-deadening sheets

Phase 1: Critical Safety First
Because you are working right next to the pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners, you must kill the power first.

1. Pop the hood and disconnect the Negative (–) battery terminal using a 10mm wrench.
2. Isolate the cable so it cannot touch the post.
3. Wait 3 minutes before touching the interior. This completely drains the airbag/SRS backup capacitors so the system is dormant.

🦺 Phase 2: The Step-by-Step Teardown Sequence
To avoid breaking tabs, you must work from the floor up.

1. Remove the Door Sills: Open both doors fully. Use your plastic trim tool {can also just use your hands} to pry straight up on the front and rear door threshold kick plates (scuff plates). Set them aside.
2. Peel the Weatherstripping: Pull the black rubber door seals away from the metal pinch-welds only around the area of the B-pillar. (No need to remove the whole seal).
3. Open the Floor Bolt Cover: Look at the floor-level seatbelt anchor bracket. The plastic cover is easily removed by spreading the long, vertical sides out and putting up and out.
4. Unbolt the Lower Anchor: Use a 14mm socket to remove the floor bolt. Keep your washers stacked in the exact order they came off. They're plastic and should be retained on the seat belt itself.
5. Pop the Lower B-Pillar Trim: Reach to the bottom edges of the dark lower panel. Move your passenger seat all the way forward and up. Pull the middle/top of the lower panel straight out horizontally to pop the white friction clips. The Maneuver: Once the clips pop, tilt the top of the panel inward toward the center console, and lift it straight up vertically to bypass the structural floor hump.
6. Unbolt the Upper Shoulder Anchor: Flip open the upper plastic cap on the sliding height adjuster and remove the upper bolt with a 14mm socket. (Torque spec for reassembly is 31 ft-lbs / 42 Nm dry).
   1. Unnecessary, I left the top bolt(s) in and just proceeded to tape and insulate around. I tried puttng TESA tape on the sliding bracket, but it would just bunch up no matter what I did.
7. Remove the Upper Cream Trim: Pull the upper panel slightly downward to slide the two top alignment wedges out of the headliner pocket, unhook the side J-tabs from the door jamb frame, and remove the panel entirely.

Phase 3: The "Scorched Earth" Insulation Fix
Now that you have a bare steel pillar and bare panels on your workbench, insulate absolutely everything:

• The Plastic Panel Clips: Pull every yellow/white push-pin out of its plastic slot on the back of the trim. Wrap a small square of Tesa tape over the slot, poke a hole through it, and pop the pin back in. This creates a permanent fabric gasket. If there are silver metal clips, pop them off, wrap the plastic tab in Tesa tape, and force the metal clip back on.
• The Headliner Wedges & J-Tabs: Wrap the two upper alignment planes tightly in Tesa tape. Line the entire inner curve of the side J-tabs with tape so they cannot touch raw metal.
• The Panel Overlaps: Apply Tesa tape where the lower dark panel tucks underneath the upper cream panel to stop plastic-on-plastic squeaking.
• The Wire Harnesses & Seatbelt Reel: Wrap any exposed wiring bundles inside the pillar column in Tesa tape. Put a few strips of Tesa tape on the outside faces of the white plastic seatbelt reel housing.
• The Metal Column: Clean the bare steel with rubbing alcohol. Slap a heavy 5x7" butyl deadening sheet on the flat metal cavity behind/below the slider mechanism, and a 4x4" square at the base joint. Avoid the moving tracks and bolt holes. Tap it with your knuckle—it should sound like a solid thud instead of a tinny echo.

Phase 4: Reassembly Notes
Reassemble in the exact reverse order.

• Make sure your seatbelt shoulder hardware is stacked correctly so it can pivot: Bolt Plastic Cap Wave Washer Seatbelt Bracket Thick Collar Spacer Vehicle Rail.
• Torque both 14mm bolts dry to 31 ft-lbs (42 Nm).
• Pop the weatherstripping back over the panel edges tightly, snap your sills down, and hook your battery back up!

I didn't have to reset anything after re-connecting the battery, the windows and everything worked as normal.

Haven't test drove it just yet, but I feel like taping absolutely every single plastic bearing surface and pin should alleviate whatever was going on.

I neglected to take photos of the tape and insulation job, but if you get this far it's obvious what needs done.

But, the rattle/buzz isn’t coming from the B Pillar. It sounds like it is, but it’s a wire harness that wasn’t affixed to the inside of the door properly…

 

[CO/ZA]

But, the rattle/buzz isn’t coming from the B Pillar. It sounds like it is, but it’s a wire harness that wasn’t affixed to the inside of the door properly…

If/when the pictures upload, you'll be able to see there's only one wiring harness - I'm guessing for the side impact sensor?

I reached up into that channel and couldn't feel anything else.

I've already had the front door apart for the window track rattle, and there's no wiring harnesses flapping around there either.

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