Rear Windshield Rattle
 

Been doing a lot of research on this lately as this has been really annoying especially with the temperature dropping so much now that it's the winter. Anyways, I notice driving around town (roads really suck here) and backing up out of my driveway at my apartment which has a lot of bumps, I notice the noise. I know people are saying it's a loose bolt on the right rear in front of the windshield, but the noise I'm experiencing definitely sounds like the window and not as much a rattle, but like something flexing I guess you could say. I am going to try the bolt tightening fix, but I highly doubt this is the issue. Now I have read that some people got Mazda to replace the rear windshield seal under warranty, since it was a workmanship fault, but being that my car is an 04 with 52k miles, warranty is out of the question, and I can only imagine the cost. Is anyone else experiencing this issue and found an actual remedy to fix it that DIYable? If so, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

I chased a rattle for a bit, swearing that it was the rear window. Turned out to be the trunk interior panel behind the tire inflation kit. Take a look at that. (Easiest way I found to diagnose that was to ride in the back seat with the center pass-thru removed, reach back there and push on that panel to silence it.)

Back a few years my dealership found that there was a temporary glass alignment plastic block left in at the factory that should have been removed. The creaking noise was caused by the glass stressing around it. Once removed by them all was well.

Would you happen to have any more info on this piece so I can attempt to see if I can remove it myself if it is present? Thanks.

When you say "behind the tire inflation kit" are you talking about near the quarter panel wall?

From the rattle hunt thread I was told a bolt may need to be torqued to spec, which I'm going to investigate, but this definitely sounds like something is flexing more than rattling I guess you could say.

In my case the dealership had to de-bond the rear window and then upon removing the glass they found the 'temporary' alignment block. Not likely something you could do yourself and removing the glass was just a hunch on their part upon exhausting other more likely scenarios.

And I'm assuming you did this within warranty, so I'm SOL for that. Did you always have the noise from day one? If that's the case, this isn't my problem because I didn't have it a year or two ago, that I remember, but I have a camera mount I made that I just leave in the car, and I always thought that was making the noise. I just insulated every connecting joint on that, and the rattle is still present, so the mount never was the problem sadly.

I do notice that water drips from the corners of the windows seals after I clean my car, but IDK if this is normal or not since all the other cars we have, the rear window isn't shaped like the 8's.

Yeah, the inner trunk liner, on the passenger's side quarter panel, near the back seat. And I too thought it sounded more like a flexing, as if the window wasn't secured properly, which is why it kind of puzzled me.

Not saying you have the exact same issue... But it's worth a shot. ;)

For sure. Thanks. I'll try that.

Hey Nopstnz8, did you ever fix your problem? I have an 07 GT and I am having the same problem. "Flexing" sound is a perfect description and it only happens to me at cold temps and the car sitting for a while, like overnight.

I hear ya about the warranty issues with Mazda. They have been no help to me with my dash cracking or this problem. I've talked with Mazda HQ and all they tell me is sorry, you're out of warranty. I love my RX8 but I hate Mazda.

^^Sadly no. I just was going to bump this thread to ask the same thing. I took apart the entire center dash panel, and side airbag cover on the right passenger side in the rear and did tighten the one nut everyone said was loose (it was), but that did nothing. I had my brother sit in the back a while ago and he did confirm the noise sounded like the windshield itself. I really am hoping someone figures this out because it's the most annoying rattle I have, and I get it just backing out of my apartment complex driveway when it's cold, so it has nothing to do with our cars really being stiff since I hear it going a few mph. I have a feeling some kind of seal is worn, but I have no idea how this would be replaced through a DIY?

Why not just take your car to someplace like Elite Autoglass, and pay them to remove and reinstall the rear window? A bit of cash, and then you will know for certain if that was the issue.

BC.

^^That would be pretty damn expensive huh?

Bump

I'm quoting myself, because your response doesn't change the fact that you have done everything else, and even said that it sounds like the window itself.

Take the car to a window shop, and ask them how much to remove and reinstall the window is.

BC.

^^I'll have to wait a few weeks when I get home from school because I don't trust anyone down here doing that sort of thing. Lol

Ok guys... So I thought the rattle was coming from the rear defroster wire in the headliner that was making contact with the glass, so I insulated it with felt, but sadly, the noise is still there... I archived a few threads from the board and it seems people have determined the rattle is not coming from the rear windshield or its seal, but from something that is making contact with it? I already tightened that bolt on the rear passenger side behind the SRS cover, and that did nothing, so I'm starting to run out of ideas unless the noise is actually coming from the headliner or one of the SRS covers themselves?

The passenger rear trim panel behind the rear door was rubbing on mine.....re/re and some RTV made it stop.

I basically live with a lot of little rattles now with the stiff suspension and an 8YO car :)

Ok. That's what I'm thinking as well. I'll have to insulate that when I get a chance. Thanks!

Well... Ripped apart the rear interior of the car again and tried to apply felt to the airbag cover under the headliner, and literally anything in contact with the window, and the rattle is STILL THERE!!! WTF!!!

I have yet to try the suggestion of insulating the wiring in the trunk, but will lastly try that, but if it doesn't work, and I don't have much hope of it working, then there is pretty much no other source of the "tapping," other than from the window itself, and I don't wanna know what that will cost... :banghead:

Took apart the trunk and other than some thickly wrapped wires that touch the body, IDK what the cause is too this "tapping" noise. Those wires didn't seem they would be making the noise I'm hearing, but who knows...

Rattle Hunt thread, page 2, one of the first 5 posts (i think) has a possibility to try. Re-seating a retaining bolt behind the rear side airbag cover.

I've got the same kind of rattle, only on cold days. Body flexes, i hear a kindof "snap" and then it proceeds to rattle with every bump in the road. It may re-seat on a good smooth patch and quit, but as soon as the body flexes a bit, it breaks loose again.

Admittedly, i haven't taken any steps to solve it, and usually totally forget about it on warmer days, since it totally goes away.

Thanks, but did you even read the thread? Trust me, I've done the hours of searching, and NO ONE on here has posted about a solution to this problem. I did the gold nut behind the airbag cover months ago and nothing changed. I made this thread to compile all the fixes I've tried so people don't waste their own time trying to do the same thing and end up with no change for the better.

Bump. Anyone find anything new?