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Noisy X-Trail: Squeaks, Rattles, Etc

52K views 91 replies 33 participants last post by  molly 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I have a noisy, rattly X-Trail.

It makes me forget all of the things I liked about my X-Trail when I bought it, and I'm starting to hate this vehicle.

1. I have a loud plastic rubbing sound coming from the right (passenger) side of my X-Trail's dash.

To simulate the noise, take your thumbnail and flick the edge of your computer monitor. Now, do it over and over and over and over and over and over and... well, you get the point.

It happens every time I hit a sharpish bump in the road. I had posted a message a while back indicating I thought I had pinpointed the cause as being the tweeter grille. After removing it and driving for a short while, it seemed to be quiet.

But then it came back. I had a friend take the wheel of my X-Trail so I could sit in the passenger seat and feel the various dash pieces move around as we drove. It now seemed to be coming from where the A-pillar trim piece meets the dash. I could feel quite a bit of movement in there, and when I held the pieces apart, it was quiet. But you never really know, unless you're driving over a course where you know where each bump is. Maybe we happened to be on a smoother stretch of road.

I bought a tube of lithium grease and lubed the joint, but to no avail.

My repeated attempts to fix the rattle myself eventually broke the clips on the tweeter grille, so I gave up and brought it in to the dealer.

The service manager took me on the test drive, and wouldn't you know it, the stupid thing quieted right down. Silent as a freakin' S-Class Mercedes. Just when we were returning to the dealership, it started to do it again, but just a bit.

"AHA!" I said, "Do you hear that?"

He did, thank goodness.

Anyway, they took it in to put the new grille on and tried to fix the rattle. I think they glued in some foam. Their fix seemed to work, at least for the first 3km or so. Then it started up again, louder than ever. It's worst in the cold, but it's always there.

Flick. Flick. Flick.

It's driving me nuts.



2. The blower motor whistles loudly when the vehicle is cold.
Not extreme cold, just Toronto cold. It goes back to sounding normal when the vehicle's warm, but by then my 7km commute is over.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssssssssssss



3. The glove box rattles.

No, not the contents, the box itself rattles. In this case, it's only when it's cold, but lately that's every day. I think I can fix this with some foam myself.

Clicketyclicketyclicketyclick.



4. The cargo floor squeaks.

This is mostly audible when it's cold. My plan is to buy a cargo liner to keep the floor still and hopefully muffle any noise.

eeee eee ieee eeee eee


Am I the only one with such a poorly-built X-Trail? Was it "Free Sapporo Friday" :cheers: at the Kyushu plant when mine was built? Has anyone else had such noises that were successfully repaired?

I hope I won't have to prematurely sell my X-Trail to keep from going insane. :crazy:
 
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#52 ·
When i bought my 05 X-Trail LE in March 05, the passenger side dash rattle started within the first week of ownership. It would go away once the vehicle was warmed up and once spring time came and warmer weather started, the noise never came back, UNTIL FALL. Then every cold morning, tick tick tick. It would go away once the vehicle was warmed up, but the colder it was outside, the longer it took for the noise to disappear. Well, now that the weather has gotten cold here again, the noise was back and getting worse, and never goes away. I brought it in for it's 48k service (trans flush, coolant flush, diff oil change) and had the shop foreman go for a roadtest. I didn't even have to drive off the dealer lot and he heard it plan as day.

The wife picked it up yesterday and the fawkers had the gull to charge me $3.65 for some foam to fix the problem!! At first i laughed, but then i thought... are they on crack? Charging me for foam to fix a defect in their vehicle? Hmmmm... kudo's Nissan, your a class act!!
 
#54 ·
I own a 2003 2.2 diesel sport and have had it for 2 years with little or no problems. However in the last couple of month I have noticed a hell of a lot of thick balck smoke coming from the exhaust when I accelerate, it embarrassing to be honest. Can someone tell me what would be the possible cause or is this just normal? I would like to get some advice here before I spend a lot of money bringing it in for a service, by the way it was only serviced 2 months ago and the issue started happening shortly after that.
Thanks in advance for any assistance given,

Regards,

Eric
 
#56 ·
Fellow X-Trailers,

In my T30 2007 2.5 GX model I have a strange noise from the engine bay when I am on a rough road surface, e.g. cobblestones. It appears to come from the engine bay - a dull clopping noise, really just like a horse's hooves, that does not seem to come from the engine itself and has a rythmn that is fast and out of sync with the suspension movement, although, obviously, bad road surfaces bring it on. It seems to be something loose, swinging like a pendulum, but I can't see anything. I also don't suspect the engine mounts, as, on silky smooth tarmac, I can jerkily accelerate and decelerate without causing the noise. I'd be very grateful for any ideas on this mystery.
Cheers,
BRIAN
 
#57 ·
Several noises from my T30, 2006 editon.
Most of the noises are coming from the heat shields located on the exhaust line.
ther eis one in the engine bay, another up front directly under the engine and the a couple under the truck.
some I have removed, others I have solidified using clamps (same one you find to attach the air vent of a dryer).
Lately, another rattling noise coming from the muffler where one of the hooks has broken.

Oh, not to mention the sun roof track. Even after a complete change of the tracks after 16 months they started rattling again.... thank god this work was done under a recall.

hope this helps.
Joel..
 
#58 ·
Hi Jovig,

Very many thanks for your prompt reply with good pointers as to what I should check to trace the mysterious clop-clopping noise. I had been wondering if I would have to mount a GoPro cam inside the engine bay in different positions to spot this.

OTHER NOISES
1) My cabin air blower, as it had never had a filter, once had a cardboard-on-bike-spoke noise, due to a leaf stalk/vein that had managed to get past the outside air inlet holes. It went away on its own, but had at first scared me into thinking it was the camshaft chain. Before installing a filter, I'll back-blow the air system via one of the A/C outlets on the dash to see if I can dislodge any stuff accumulated over its 8-year lifespan, particularly from the internal A/C unit (like a little fine-mesh radiator - ideal for collecting dust +all sorts of foreign bodies).
2) My sunroof doesn't rattle (at least, not yet), but the sliding opaque panel keeps edging back when I come home up my 3-in-1 cobblestoned access road, which is not surprising given that there seems to be no latch or lock.
3) Inside the rear, if I don't carry any substantial load, the stiff springing shakes everything that's not battoned down or held with elastic grips.
4) Outside the rear, I found that the reg. plate was rattling (here in Brazil 2 of the 4 screws are used), so I put bigger washers around the 2 screws to prevent metal tear, tightened well and stuck on 2 little rubber squares about 3mm thick to take up the space between the door and the plate.
5) Another rattler was a removable plastic plate in the middle of the rear bumper, so I put an adhesive rubber strip over the whole bumper.
6) Rear door rattle can presumably be solved by adjustment.
7) My dash has a slight vibration at low revs, but it's not bad enough to disassemble and investigate.
I hope this will help you and our fellow Xyers.
Cheers,
BRIAN
 
#59 ·
Hi Brian,

No need for a Go Pro, simply open the hood and try to shake the shields by hand. Make sure engine is cold.
Next, crawl under the front and do the same with the other shields.
If they move by hand, this is a cause for noise.

Next, I forgot to mention that you may have a used/loose link/stabilizer bar and/or loose ball joint.
To check, jack the front of the truck so both wheels are not touching the ground.
Place one hand on the tire at 12 o'clock and the other at 6 o'clock.
Push at 12 and pull at 6, then do the opposite.
If the wheel moves, it is an indication that the link is loose.
As for the ball joint, it cannot be changed, you need to replace the entire table.
Easy to do but the bolts can be hard to remove, you will need a good impact gun.
To check the ball joint, you will need to make a search as I do not remember how I checked it.
Changing the links requires you to get front wheels alignment.
I had to change both links and doing so have taken the opportunity to change both tables as well and pay only once for the alignement.

Hope this helps and thanks for the tips.
Joel.
 
#60 ·
Hi Guys, just to correct some mistaken information-- you do not need an alignment after replacing sway bar end links. Nor do you really need one after replacing the control arms. Other than the tie rod ends which adjust toe in and out,there is not a whole lot of adjustments that are possible, as the geometry of it all is pretty fixed. Now granted bad control arm ball joints or even a bad end link will affect your steering, but what throws it off is the broken or worn part. Replacing it with a good one returns things to the way they were supposed to be. Unless something feels off after the repair, I would not rush to have an alignment done. And word to the wise, not every place can do an alignment on the X trail as some do not have the equipment to reset the steering to center.
In my opinion the odd clunking could also be linked to a bad strut mount, and the springs should be examined carefully as some do break.
Last thought there is a heat shield over the muffler that is held in place by four bolts. Any of these can rust and you will then have corner or two primed to vibrate and to even hit the muffler when going over a bump. Just get your hand on it and see if there is any movement. If so do the same thing you did for your license plate, and get a couple of big washers that you can use to secure the spot were the bolt is no longer securing anything.
Not sure why Jovig is calling the control arms the entire table, but if you are still running the original ones, odds are the ball joint is quite worn and the rubber bushings have seen better days. You will be most impressed by how tight the steering feels if you replace them.
Last note re heat shields-- sadly you cannot buy replacements-- but I just had some success using metal duct tape to cover the rot of the front one at the bottom. Applied 3 layers to the affected section and yeah its not making noise when I reverse anymore. Also used it to cover holes in shield section under the car, that like Jovic I used wire clamps on the ends to stop vibration. Not sure how long it will last as a repair, but its cheap and is holding after two weeks
 
#61 ·
CLOP-CLOP NOISE from FRONT SUSPENSION

Hi QUAD.,

I hope all is well with you and yours. I've finally traced and temporarily solved that strange clop-clop noise from the front suspension on e.g. cobblestones. Worn anti-roll / sway bar bushes. All other suspension parts, both front and rear, were perfect despite the 82,000 km. The bar could slide sideways instead of being laterally fixed. It should only be allowed to twist, right? The only Nissan dealer in Rio with new ones wanted to charge me the equivalent of US$ 240 for the pair !!! The mechanic wedged in a piece of hose, which temporarily fixed the problem. I decided to order parts from abroad. I tried that firm you recommended - Rockauto (?), but no joy. I 've ended up ordering via EBAY UK. Price with postage: equivalent of US$ 18. MASSIVE SAVING even with punitive import tax. I'm still really enjoying this car. What a pity Nissan in Brazil has discontinued its sales.
All the Best, BRIAN
 
#65 ·
Soooo.... Took LSB 2.0 (Little Silver Bus) out today on gravel for the first time. Now I had noticed a faint rattle inside the driver side door when I first got it and it seemed to go away after awhile. This rattle got annoyingly loud and did not go away, unless I rolled the window down about half way. It seems that a similar sound is coming form the passenger side although Hubby, being rather deaf, did not notice anything. The glass in my door seems rigid; it seems like it is coming from inside the door frame? Any ideas at all? It does go back down to a very faint level once hitting pavement again.
 
#66 ·
You may have to remove your door panel for a further , more intense inspection. Sometimes things get vibrated loose such as window motor/regulator mounting brackets and bolts/screws need to just simply be re-tightened . Or the door handle and lock mechanisms are having issues that can only be looked at and repaired once the door panel is removed. Or maybe it is just a simple thing such as a loose speaker screws. Actually , my bad. BEFORE you ( or a technician) remove any door panels, go over the door panel first and look for anything that may have come loose ( arm rest? you got junk in the map pockets rattling around? ) ....open the door (s) and give it a few fast shakes with the glass fully up/fully down/ half way up, without latching it shut and just carefully listen for any odd sounds just from shaking or swinging the door rapidly.
 
#68 ·
I forgot to update on this thread! I ended up getting the dealer in Lethbridge to diagnose and fix the door rattles, which ended up being in both front doors. They fixed it by putting extra foam inside the doors. That was a couple months ago and still good, although now there have been more noises developing, such as the rear hatch is rattling almost constantly (I rode back there yesterday to pinpoint that it seems to be inside the door), rattling heat shield(s), and another rattle which at first I thought was in the rear passenger door but while riding in the cargo area I decided it was actually coming from above, for when I pressed the roof above my head, it stopped. I am booked to go in to Nissan this Monday. so I am hoping they can solve these highly annoying noises. Oh, and my sunroof cover squeaks like a SOB, about 75% of the time. ARGHH! I am hoping they can also figure out a mystery noise from the rear that happens when I put it in drive. Stay tuned. :unsure: :rolleyes:
 
#69 · (Edited)
You'd go insane with the cacophony of noises in my money pit of an X-Trail. I can't keep it in good shape mechanically long enough to sell it. I've been trying for about 2 months and something keeps messing up as soon as I fix the first problem.
Fixed the brakes...the front struts started clunking.
Fixed the struts...the electronic throttle body died.
Fixed the throttle body...the left front ABS sensor died, waiting for the part from Ireland. $33 all in, $178 plus tax at the dealer.
 
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#71 ·
There are four X trails at Kenny U Pull Gatineau for a source of parts. Mind you I remember ordering parking brake cables from England for the very same cost-saving reasons. Not seeing as many X trails on the road anymore but most that I still see seem to be in nice shape and are being looked after.
I am hoping Molly's rear issue is not rear differential related or the rear subframe bushings. Also whatever happened to your local mechanics? I would have been scared to take it to the dealer for that kind of fishing expedition
 
#70 ·
X-hale, it appears many Exxie owners enjoy a litany of creaks and squeaks and rattles and thumps. My hearing is too good, says my deaf hubby, haha... What is annoying is that my last one made less noise at more than double the kms...oh well, it will be improved Monday, I am sure! I wonder why most of these noises started after I bought it? :unsure: :p
 
#73 ·
UPDATE: So, I took it in to Nissan. They thought the noise was some kind of harmonic thing coming from a loose heat shield , reverberating down the pipe to the muffler. They found a clamp missing on the front heat shield, so they fixed that. They thought the noise was gone, and signed off and when I got in, the noise was still there, haha! Hubby wanted to go home as he had enough waiting around and since the service guy was on lunch, I went home and called him about it. He felt very bad and said to bring it back next time I was in town...which happened to be yesterday. I also gave them some new headlight bulbs to put in. The head mechanic who is very nice, eventually came out and asked me to come back in to the shop to see. He again felt it was some kind of weird harmonic vibration which seemed to go away if he pressed on certain areas, like the flange thingy that goes into the muffler on the right side. He said someone had done some after market repairs on it and they weren't equipped to repair it there and suggested a muffler shop. Again, nothing unsafe was seen, just annoying. So, I got in at the local Fountain Tire which also does muffler work. The mechanic spent about 40 minutes listening and fiddling, and ended up saying about the same thing... a harmonic vibration that may POSSIBLY be coming from inside the muffler, and may even be partly due to older exhaust hangers. He didn't want to suggest a drastic "fix", as replacing the muffler and hangers, etc. is a pretty big job money wise, and thought just keep driving it and if it gets louder, it may be easier to diagnose later on. He said he did try to adjust the hangers a bit, and it actually is not as obvious a noise now. I got a quote from them to replace the muffler, etc. and it came to $976.00!!!! I think he quoted Nissan parts.... Anyway, that is my rather wordy update on the matter!!! :geek:

PS. Nissan didn't charge me any labour to replace my headlights...thought that was nice of them!
 
#74 ·
I got a quote from them to replace the muffler, etc. and it came to $976.00!!!! ----that's nuts. I would not let that shop do it for that price. Anyways, did he give you many muffler options? A while back i was asking on here what options do we have on our Xtrails. Seems mostly the stock nissan muffler Bosal or maybe a Walker brand. Earlier on i thought i hads to replace my muffler, but it turned out it was a resonator pipe. Had that replaced and now back to a quiet, factory like sound. At the time i was interested in getting something a bit louder/sportier sounding just to break up the quietness (if i really needed a new muffler) but now my truck is 14 years old and running very nicely, i do not want to spend any unnecessary money , only to keep it running safely to get me to were i need to go.
Eventually i will need something ''newer''.....like a ten year old Outlander or Rav4. I gots the ''small suv'' bug , they so handy that i don't think i want to go back to a sedan or hatchback unless it's something super special and brings a smile to my face.
 
#75 ·
Ya, there is no way I would ever spend that kinda dough on a muffler. The brands you mentioned are around $220.00 or so on Rock Auto! I might drop in top an actual muffler shop one day for an opinion. I recall replacing the muffler and the whole long pipe thing on my other Exxie, and it wasn't anywhere near that much.
 
#76 ·
There must be a honest and affordable Exhaust shop that has generic, universal mufflers for about $75-100 . Or are we once again, stuck with just the dreaded standard automotive shop reply '' You said Xtrail?? not Xterra? ...oh not many parts available for your vehicle. Only one part for your vehicle and not in stock!''.
That's a big reason why in due time i will return to a much more mainstream japanese suv. That and the winter freeze door locks issue. Lol.....i don't mean to rant. My Xtrail has been very good to me with the maintenance and upkeep i've done . But it's at the 14 year mark and eventually will need to get something a bit newer, with heated seats, cold AC in the summer and a broad choice of parts and service . :p
 
#77 ·
I thought the Rock Auto prices were good compared to $678.00 for the one quoted! Well, I will leave it for now....I have other rattles that piss me off even more than that one, like the freakin' sunroof! I agree with maybe getting into something else Next Time... Still keen to try a Subaru. As far as the Exxie, I have never had issues with the heated seats, or the AC, or doors freezing. But parts can be a challenge...thank goodness for this forum. Saved me a ton of money!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#78 ·
The Wrench Monkey has the Bosal muffler for $304 and the mid-pipe/resonator for $195 and free shipping, $525 all in. Rock Auto is at $640 with their new insanely high shipping rates.
Subarus are fantastic. I've owned 6 and have no complaints.
 
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#79 ·
Wow, the shipping is really high for Rock Auto!! So much for using them for a while! May I ask which Subarus you had/have? I was thinking if we get one later, 2012 is supposed to be when they stopped having head gasket issues, unless you can find one that has had it repaired. We like the SUV style, as opposed to the wagon.
 
#81 · (Edited)
seems all the Foresters from the start had issues with excessive oil consumption and the blown head gaskets. Plus the early ones had issues with rubber belt timing chains..? 2015 and up apparently much better but then they went to the cvt transmissions......hit and miss with problems with that. Not to diss Subaru as some owners really love the reliability with theirs, but i think i'd go for either a 2014-15 Rav4, 4 cyl, awd, auto. But what i'd really like is a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT V-6. ...only thing i dislike about it is that it drinks premium fuel. 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT
 
#82 · (Edited)
We had two 1997 and a 2012 Outback , two '92 SVX, and I still have a '97 SVX with close to 300K kilometers. All but the 2012 were in the high 200k. The 2012 we traded in on our BMW.
Never had a head gasket issue on any of them. None ever used any oil. Timing belts are important though because they are interference engines. If the belt goes, the valves get mashed by the pistons.
 
#83 ·
Tonyvancity you are making a rule out of the exceptions. Head gaskets have not really been an issue since 2008, and 2011 and up Foresters have a different engine that was redesigned and does not have the head gasket issues that affected some. The 2011 like I bought was the first to get the FB25 engine with the timing chain, a change in design that will not allow the coolant to mix with the oil, and the 2014s were the first year of a new generation and saw the intro of the CVT transmission, whereas the 09-13 used a super reliable 4EAT w sport and manual modes. Mine does consume oil to the tune of roughly half a quart per 1000 km, but otherwise runs great and it has 260,000 km on it. Basically, you just need to check your oil with every fill-up and not let it run super low. Almost a year with it now. I replaced the radiator, a front cv axle, front, and rear brake pads and rotors because I like new brakes though the ones on the car had life in them yet, spark plugs filters, and fluids. Should be good for a number of years, and I find it easier to work on than the Nissan.
Happy to report no squeaking or creaking anywhere. In my opinion, they are really well built. I was even able to buy a set of Crosstrek XV rims on Kijiji for $200 for the summer tires I used to use on the X trail.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone and I hope you are all staying healthy.
6762
 
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