[jtap1]

Hi everyone,

I have a 2009 Base 4WD Rav4 that I have noticed developed a squeaky noise from rear door, I brought it back to the dealer. First the lubed the weather seal around the rear door and that eliminated the noise for couple days, then the noise came back. The second time the dealer replaced the weather seal, no noise for about a month or so. Now the noise came back again! I have noticed that the weather seal is slightly deformed (I will take pictures later when I get home). Does anyone have this problem? What could be the possible fixes? Replacing / lubing the weather seal every now and then isn't really going to cut it.

Thank in advance.

 

[yesitspeter]

I have a sound coming from my 09 limited. It sounds like the glass in the door shifting over bumps. Does yours sound like that?

 

[jtap1]

It could very well be, I am just curious why every time the weather seal is lubed/ changed the noise would be gone temporarily. When I close the rear door it does seem like the rear window tend to move a bit.

 

[Carbon]

Also see http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22783&highlight=vaseline

 

[jtap1]

Seems like my situation is similar as described in one of the replies, seems to creak every time there is body flex, bumps, etc. I am curious if there is a permanent fix for this instead of greasing the weather strip every week or changing the weather strip every month.

 

[carfan8]

I have the same problem and I am convinced that it is related to the nub on the bottom part of the door below the latch. I am going to see if the dealership can replace it or offer an alternative. Because it is an open cargo, the squeaky noise becomes extremely annoying.

 

[mrs sandman]

My 2009 Ray 4 makes rear door noises also

The rear door of my 2009 Ray4 has rattles and sounds like a styrofoam ice chest is back there. It has done this for the 2 years that I have owed the car. Dealership were I bought it could not fix it so I have taken it to a different one twice now and they work on it and tighten up things but on the way home today it started doing it again. Very annoying. I am sick of this. They cannot pin point what it is. At least they do hear it and acknowledge that there is a problem. They replaced the door latch and it worked for about 2 weeks then the noises returned again.

 

[mrs sandman]

I have the same problem and I am convinced that it is related to the nub on the bottom part of the door below the latch. I am going to see if the dealership can replace it or offer an alternative. Because it is an open cargo, the squeaky noise becomes extremely annoying.

It is not the nub. You can lubricate it and it stays quiet for a while but then it dries out and goes to making noises again.

 

[Cadman]

don't know how helpful this may be. i had a bad squeek coming from the back of my 2011 Sport. i found the jack to be the source as it was loose in the metal frame. i took the jack out and added some 1" wide weather stripping at the contact points in the frame.
i have noticed a slight metal to metal squeek as of late when the rear seats are in the upright position, once they lay flat no more noise.

cadman

 

[steve626]

Had a creaking, squeaking, rattling from the rear door on a 2011 RAV4. Noticed this about three months after purchasing the car new. Took it to the dealer. Mechanic rode around in the car for a little while. Then he took a clean rag, sprayed some silicon lubricant on it, and carefully wiped all around the metal part of the door that comes into contact with the rubber gasket. This goes all around the circumference of the rear door. He wiped it clean and dry and the noise were ALL GONE. Totally. They gave me a can of the silicon spray. Every 3-6 months or so, if I sense it coming back, and repeat the treatment and it is totally quiet. I think this is why car wash people wipe so carefully around all these metal contacts to rubber gaskets. A little grime gets in there and it causes the squeak as the seal isn't so good. I don't go to car washes much and I'm too lazy to wipe in there when I wash the car myself.

 

[daddyjoe07]

creaking in my 2011 rav

i thought i was the only one experiencing these problems with my car until findind this site. i had an 09 and sounds in the trunk didn't begin until after 2 years of owning it. CREAK SQUEEK CREEK SQUEEK AAAHHHHH! now i have a 2011. i purchased it this past feb and i am already getting the creaking sounds in trunk. despite emptying the trunk COMPLETELY the sound remained. i finally tried driving it SLOWLY with the hatch open on a quiet road and the noise was gone. is there any permanent fix.

 

[longdx]

I have an 09 Base AWD and mine does the same thing. I like the access with the side opening door, but the disadvantage is that the weight of the door may be contributing to the creaks/squeaks et al that come with that.

I have checked this forum when I first noticed this and it seems like only short term fixes are available.

 

[madmax01]

I had the same problem.since new, but one day I cover with electric tape the metal pieces (both upper and lowee) where the rear door engages when is closed and the rattling is gone never heard again. The noise is because the weight of the door flexes the frame.

 

[bradbamford]

Thanks, I've got the same noise coming from the rear door of my 2010 Limited, I'll be trying these suggestions as well to see if it fixes it.

 

[DrKatie]

2011 RAV4 tailgate creaking, squeaking

I am at the dealer and just tried to explain this exact problem to them with my 2011 RAV4 Limited. They have free wireless, so I thought I would Google it to see if others were experiencing the issue. You would think that after several years of this recurring issue, they would have converted to the lift gate and get rid of this heavy, awkward door. It's one of the only things I dislike about the RAV4.

I deduced it to the weatherstripping by sitting back there while my husband drove it around. I wanted to be sure it wasn't the jack, the leather seats, or anything else. It sounds like a rubber squeaking. It was amazing to hear that it is actually constantly making the noise and is only louder on turns and going over bumps or rough road. It has been driving me crazy.

I will definitely try some of these fixes, but am hopeful the mechanics at the dealer are aware of patches or some alternative fix. It's a shame though. RAV4 has "distinguished" itself by this weird tailgate that most other competitors moved away from, and probably for good reason!

So the only thing the dealer did was spray it with silicone. I asked the mechanic if it's a permanent fix and he said "should be." I am doubtful, but will report back. There's another forum relating to the same issue. Someone (Steve626) reported this:

"When the dealer fixed (got rid of) the creaking from my RAV4 rear door, I watched how they went about it. First, they cleaned the metal area on the door that contacts the rubber weather stripping that is attached to the main body part of the car. They used a wet cloth, cleaned the metal fairly carefully, and then dried it off. Then they used a can of silicon spray (and they gave me a new can to take with me) and sprayed it on a clean, soft cloth, and rubbed it all around that metal area of the door that had just been cleaned, and then rubbed it again with a another clean cloth. They said that keeping the metal area running around the door clean was key. Since then, I have only once in a while reapplied the silicon spray, it seems to never need it any more as long as I keep the door clean. I do reapply the silicon spray a couple of times a year, but I think keeping the door clean is more important. When it rains, some grime gets in there and then it can start to creak again."

 

[Blogson]

I am at the dealer and just tried to explain this exact problem to them with my 2011 RAV4 Limited. They have free wireless, so I thought I would Google it to see if others were experiencing the issue. You would think that after several years of this recurring issue, they would have converted to the lift gate and get rid of this heavy, awkward door. It's one of the only things I dislike about the RAV4.

I deduced it to the weatherstripping by sitting back there while my husband drove it around. I wanted to be sure it wasn't the jack, the leather seats, or anything else. It sounds like a rubber squeaking. It was amazing to hear that it is actually constantly making the noise and is only louder on turns and going over bumps or rough road. It has been driving me crazy.

I will definitely try some of these fixes, but am hopeful the mechanics at the dealer are aware of patches or some alternative fix. If they are, I will re-post. It's a shame though. RAV4 has "distinguished" itself by this weird tailgate that most other competitors moved away from, and probably for good reason!

I had the same sort of problem with my '05 Honda CR-V, rear door was the same type as the RAV's, squeaked and also rattled which was very annoying. Dealer service said something to the effect that, "They all do that," and had no fix. I got some thick rubber-type weatherstripping and used mastic to affix a strip to the chassis door frame at the top, so that it would put more pressure on the door when closed. That worked - no more squeaking or rattling. No such problem so far with my '11 RAV.

I have mixed feelings about eliminating the RAV's swing-out rear door - when Honda changed to the open-upward CR-V door in '07 the result was a much narrower opening especially at the top, making it much harder to load large cargo. Also the Honda spare tire was moved to under the floor which made the rear door much lighter, but the spare now is quite a pain to check for inflation since it's positioned with the valve down meaning that it has to be removed to check and inflate. I devised a workaround for that problem, but I doubt that Honda would recommend it.

 

[DrKatie]

I forgot about that aspect: that the swing gate means a wider opening. The CR-V was quickly eliminated from my list when I was buying because the back/trunk was so small. RAV4 has one of the biggest rear/trunk spaces in its class and works great for carting around my two big dogs. If you look at most mini-vans, however, it seems they have done a better job at achieving the wider opening while still having the lift gate.

 

[longdx]

@DrKatie:

I have experience with both my Rav4 and my wife's '08 Cr-V. We use my Rav4 more for utility.( I love the fold down rear seats). The swing out door is a double edged sword. I love the access it affords, but the squeaks and creaks over bumps is annoying. We use my wife's CR-V for traveling. It has better seats and offers a more comfortable ride. I hope the dealer fix works

 

[longdx]

@Blogson: Great idea.

 

[Blogson]

I forgot about that aspect: that the swing gate means a wider opening. The CR-V was quickly eliminated from my list when I was buying because the back/trunk was so small. RAV4 has one of the biggest rear/trunk spaces in its class and works great for carting around my two big dogs. If you look at most mini-vans, however, it seems they have done a better job at achieving the wider opening while still having the lift gate.

Was the dealer able to solve the squeaking problem? Good luck.