Model Y back seat rattle: SC claims it's by design. Any fix?

[GoodManFrank]

My new Model Y 5 seater has this rattling / vibration noise upon delivery. It comes from where two seat parts contact each other, and it just sounds like leather rubbing against leather / cloth. If I set them to different recline level, or just lay one side down completely, the noise is gone.

Went to SC for this, and they said it's normal noise due to how the seat materials are designed, and refused to do anything about it. Am I supposed to believe this?

I know I can put some foam tape / grease between them to make the noise gone, but not sure if there is any better fix since it's a new vehicle.

Thanks!

 

[Resist]

One thing I've learned is that often Tesla Service Center staff don't know what they are talking about it. They are just like every ICE dealership service center.

 

[glide]

They are just like every ICE dealership service center.

Funny. I’ve never had a Porsche service center tell me a rattle was “by design” and could not be fixed.

 

[GoodManFrank]

Funny. I’ve never had a Porsche service center tell me a rattle was “by design” and could not be fixed.

So… maybe I could try a different SC

 

[NoICEallElec]

On my 2020 MYP I have found squeaking to come from the latch (the piece that locks the seat in place / stops it from folding down) on the center section of the rear seat rubbing on the metal bar it connects with. I put some cloth around it and the sound stopped. Maybe it's different from your issue but just thought I would mention it in case it helps.

 

[father_of_6]

Went to SC for this, and they said it's normal noise due to how the seat materials are designed, and refused to do anything about it. Am I supposed to believe this?

My take on this is... they're just people. Some issues with the vehicle will have a clear diagnosis and repair, but others take creativity and resolve. Some employees have those things and some don't.

Also, some service centers are overloaded at times and some aren't... so shrugging their shoulders might just be a defense mechanism.

 

[TypeX]

If its the mount that clamps into the seat, wrap some soft tape around the metal post then close it and it should remedy the issue.

 

[chan_man]

I found that if the rear seats are pushed to full recline, the rattling will be greatly reduced

 

[GoodManFrank]

I did an additional test: If I put down the center armrest, the rattle is also gone. So it's the center armrest rattling against left seat (where I circled below), and I can actually hear it precisely when sitting in the back seat.

Anyone has successful experience about DIY fixing it / letting SC fix it?

 

[Mrbrock]

So it’s two fabric pieces rubbing against each other? How do you propose this is fixed? Does it look like there is room to adjust them away from each other to stop the rub? If not, then the response of “this is how it was designed and we can’t fix it” is the answer. I think you interpreting that response to mean “we designed these parts to rub and make noise” is incorrect.

 

[GoodManFrank]

So it’s two fabric pieces rubbing against each other? How do you propose this is fixed? Does it look like there is room to adjust them away from each other to stop the rub? If not, then the response of “this is how it was designed and we can’t fix it” is the answer. I think you interpreting that response to mean “we designed these parts to rub and make noise” is incorrect.

I suppose it should be fixed by making the armrest stop shaking, or separating the two parts (or pressing them against each other harder) so they don't make a loose contact.

Their original word is like: "because of how these seat materials are designed, there is nothing much we can do about the noise".

Well... I didn't mean that they designed it to make noise. However I believe it's abnormal for the armrest to shake while driving and make this rubbing noise. Also I test drove some other Model Ys and there is no such noise. So this problem is specific to my vehicle.

I've already scheduled service at a different SC and will see what they say.

 

[SmallButWhole]

I suppose it should be fixed by making the armrest stop shaking, or separating the two parts (or pressing them against each other harder) so they don't make a loose contact.

Their original word is like: "because of how these seat materials are designed, there is nothing much we can do about the noise".

Well... I didn't mean that they designed it to make noise. However I believe it's abnormal for the armrest to shake while driving and make this rubbing noise. Also I test drove some other Model Ys and there is no such noise. So this problem is specific to my vehicle.

I've already scheduled service at a different SC and will see what they say.

Any update on this? I noticed mine has the leather rubbing sound as well. SC said it's an issue with the middle headrest and they adjusted it. It seems like they have have removed the headrest and added lubrication. However I still hear the rubbing a bit. I can mimic this by pressing on the headrest while it's in it's fully down position as it's rubbing against the top of the folding armrest.

 

[Millex]

Any update on this? I noticed mine has the leather rubbing sound as well. SC said it's an issue with the middle headrest and they adjusted it. It seems like they have have removed the headrest and added lubrication. However I still hear the rubbing a bit. I can mimic this by pressing on the headrest while it's in it's fully down position as it's rubbing against the top of the folding armrest.

I've also heard about this leather rubbing sound from a few others. If the issue persists even after their adjustment, it might be a design flaw or inconsistency in manufacturing.

 

[J Neptune]

SC sucked for me. The tech had no idea. Call the mobile service. They are more knowledgeable

 

[GoodManFrank]

Update:

So I presented this issue to a different SC. They acknowledged the problem and fixed it by "remove armrest panel and insulated".

From what I can tell they did two things: 1. Added lubricant oil to the fake leather surface, and 2. Loosen the armrest therefore further separating the armrest from the seat. I can fell the armrest folds down much easier than before.

I did felt an improvement, noise much lower than before although can still hear occasionally, but it's down to the level that does not bother me any more. But, not sure how long it can last because lubricant is used and it will definitely wear down some day.

 

[GoodManFrank]

Update:

So I presented this issue to a different SC. They acknowledged the problem and fixed it by "remove armrest panel and insulated".

From what I can tell they did two things: 1. Added lubricant oil to the fake leather surface, and 2. Loosen the armrest therefore further separating the armrest from the seat. I can fell the armrest folds down much easier than before.

I did felt an improvement, noise much lower than before although can still hear occasionally, but it's down to the level that does not bother me any more. But, not sure how long it can last because lubricant is used and it will definitely wear down some day.

I took a closer look at it. They managed to separate the two seat parts, so now they have a ~1mm gap and no more chance of rubbing.

Maybe they tried lubricant first and that didn’t work so they eventually tried this. And I assume this is the proper way to fix it

 

[SmallButWhole]

I took a closer look at it. They managed to separate the two seat parts, so now they have a ~1mm gap and no more chance of rubbing.

Maybe they tried lubricant first and that didn’t work so they eventually tried this. And I assume this is the proper way to fix it

Glad it worked out for you!

 

[enemji]

This rattle happens because the plastic covers of the latch meet as the seatback moves as the car flexes. The real fix is to attach a rubber shim on that plastic so that there is no gap between the two seatbacks.

The Tesla fix to wrap the latch with felt tape is stupid. It only works in certain cases if the latch is able to grip real good and does not let the seatback move.

 

[SimplyWyn]

This rattle happens because the plastic covers of the latch meet as the seatback moves as the car flexes. The real fix is to attach a rubber shim on that plastic so that there is no gap between the two seatbacks.

The Tesla fix to wrap the latch with felt tape is stupid. It only works in certain cases if the latch is able to grip real good and does not let the seatback move.

The latch is what's causing a lot of my issues as well, wrapping it with electrical tape helped tremendously.

 

[J Neptune]

This rattle happens because the plastic covers of the latch meet as the seatback moves as the car flexes. The real fix is to attach a rubber shim on that plastic so that there is no gap between the two seatbacks.

The Tesla fix to wrap the latch with felt tape is stupid. It only works in certain cases if the latch is able to grip real good and does not let the seatback move.

Hey hey hey watch it mister. Nothing tesla does is stupid. Lol.

I too have the squeaking back seat. For me I believe it’s the head rest. Tesla service center around my way has techs that only know to fix the car with “it’s within Tesla spec”. SMH