[Dundas]

I have had the car for less than a week and theres been this rattling noise coming from the cargo area roof liner and interior tailgate panel when ever I drive on rougher than normal roads. Come to think of it, the roads aren't even that terrible and the rattling noise is noticeable and obnoxious. Even driving over lane reflectors on the road trigger the rattling noises. I took it to the dealership to address the issue and after they were able to pinpoint where the noise is coming from, and found that the same noise is existent in other identical models on their lot, they told me they are unable to fix the problem because it is considered "normal." I'll be talking to the GM when I pick up the car because I feel that such a problem is unacceptable considering that it happens very easily on surface streets and of course the issue was nonexistent when it was taken on a test drive. I can only imagine what its like driving on dirt or off road terrain. Anyone else experiencing similar issues? Anyone have suggestions on how to tackle this problem?

 

[Texas Trailhawk]

Sorry, your having that problem. I have not experienced it, and I hope I don't. You could request to drive several of their Cherokees and take them on a test drive under the conditions you describe and see if you agree that it is "normal". I don't think I've heard anyone else on this forum with the described issue. Keep us posted.

 

[Microtroy]

I also have a small rattle or buzzing sound coming from the the interior light area on the roof. I noticed it the day after i bought the TH? I haven't looked into it yet, but will soon. Hopefully it's something easy. I have had terrible luck with dealerships screwing up vehicles :-0 If it's not something i can find and fix, i will just deal with it.

 

[Dundas]

I did take one of the tech guys on a test drive and he told me to take a surface street behind the shop. He said it was rough, but I don't think it was and told him the street is too smooth, so I took him to another street nearby that I know is in not-so-great shape and then the technician said he noticed the rattling too and that it shouldn't be happening. If it shouldn't be happening then I don't see why they can't fix it. They said that everything was where it should be and that everything was screwed in and fastened properly and that they can't do anything else. I suggested sticking in a piece of foam or some sort of cheap dampening material to put in between where the 2 objects are rubbing/tapping and making noise but they said they can't do that because its not standard procedure to do so. I hope it can be fixed one way or the other because my last car had terrible rattling noises from the roof as well and I thought finally getting rid of it and into a new car would give me some peace of mind for a while instead of dealing with a similar issue right from the get-go :-/

 

[clew]

Sounds like you should try a new dealer, as throwing a piece of foam or felt in has been SOP in other vehicles Ive followed online.

 

[Dundas]

Sounds like you should try a new dealer, as throwing a piece of foam or felt in has been SOP in other vehicles Ive followed online.

May have to do that. In my old car when I got it new there was some vibrations from the roof and the dealer had no problems installing a piece of felt to prevent it from happening again. I can't imagine why this dealership can't do it since its such a cheap and easy fix, unless it poses as a fire danger or something, which I highly doubt.

 

[JeepNewbieinNJ]

i have experienced similar to what you describe
http://jeepcherokeeclub.com/57-interior/6513-jingling-noise.html

I have not taken it to the dealer as it happens inconsistently. I had 1 passenger tell me they think it's coming from the spare tire storage. It's really tough to pinpoint.

 

[Tyler-98-W68]

Do any of you have the rear cargo cover installed? That rattles from time to time on my wife's Cherokee

 

[JeepNewbieinNJ]

yea that's what I have and have thought all along it's coming from that. i'm tempted to remove it to see, just haven't had a chance to give it a good look

 

[Dundas]

I just went back to the dealership and talked to the GM about the issue. He made me take him on a drive so that he could better understand the issue himself and sure enough he noticed the rattling noise. We then drove another identical car from the lot to see if it made the same noise and not surprisingly, the other car was very quiet. So he was very apologetic about the hassle from the service department and said that the tech guys are not doing their job well enough and that he would talk to them about it. Will follow up when I get the car back to see if the problem has been corrected.

 

[Dundas]

Just got an update from the service department and they pinpointed the noise down to the right rear seatbelt assembly and inside the assembly is some sort of box that houses the spring. The part is faulty and thus is creating a noise. I have no idea if this issue might have posed a safety threat to anyone who might have worn the seatbelt through a collision and it makes me wonder about the other seat belts and overall safety of the car. Last thing I want is to be in a wreck and have the seat belts fail on me and my passengers :-/

 

[ib516]

Check your license plate. There are little rubber adhesive blocks that are to be applied to the rear before the plate/tag/whatever you call it where you live goes on. Mine came in a bag in the glove compartment.

 

[JeepNewbieinNJ]

Right rear seat belt assembly? That's a new one. Who would have thought something like that would have been faulty? At least you're having it rectified. I rarely have anyone in my rear seats. I need to take someone out for awhile to try to pinpoint the noise. I'm still hoping it's just the cargo shade.

 

[Ausgti]

Yikes, glad TH dealer is sorting it out for you!

 

[Dundas]

Seat belt replacement came in and the dealership had it installed, but the rattling noise still persists, just as bad as it was before it was replaced. I am not sure who in the service department narrowed it down to the seatbelt, but it is apparent they did not put a lot of time or effort in to properly identifying the problem. Service department, along with Chrysler Customer Care has been notified of this problem and hope to get it resolved soon because at this point I have had my car in the shop longer than I have had it in my possession. While they were at it, they scratched my tail light so they had to order a new one to replace it >_< . Will update again once the problem is resolved and hopefully it will be the last time the car is taken in for service for a while.

 

[SkipW]

Sadly, techs have not had much time with these vehicles. As someone mentioned in another post about the salesmen not taking their down time to learn the vehicles, it seems the techs have not either.

It seems that with a new launch, the dealer or Chrysler should have had some training sessions to familiarize the techs with the new Cherokee.

I am hoping that the dealers will get up to speed soon. It would be nice if someone in each dealer (employee) would buy and drive one so the rest could get 'firsthand' experience before we show up with issues....

Good luck with your rattles.

 

[Dundas]

Just went to pick up my car after they said they solved the rattling noise. They put padding inside the roof liner from what they thought was the problem spot, took it on a test drive, and said that the rattling subsided. I picked up the car and headed to work, and sure enough the rattling came back, along with new rattle noises coming from elsewhere in the car! I turned around and headed straight back to the dealership to bring it to their attention that I am very frustrated that this issue hasn't been resolved and that new problems were arising. I had to take one of the tech guys with me on another test drive because the road that they test drive on is too smooth for the bumps to trigger the noises, so I took them on a road that I know triggers the noises and of sure enough the tech guy was able to hear it. I hope that this is the last time I have to go another day without my car over this issue because the last thing I want to do is claim this car as a lemon since this is now the 5th time its been in for the same issue. I will also check to see if I can get a lease payment removed seeing as the car has literally been in the shop longer than I have had it in my possession for the last month

 

[clew]

Dont think rattles qualify for the lemon law in most states

 

[Dundas]

Under California law it qualifies

 

[clew]

I really have zero idea, but according to this lawyers blog after a quick google, probably not
http://www.california-lemon-law-blog.com/2012/03/what_defects_dont_qualify_car_lemon.html

Recurring Noises: Minor squeaks and rattles are usually seen as a nuisance only.