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Home Remedy Fix for rattles near moonroof

26K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  skiboarder119 
#1 ·
Just wanted to note how big a difference a simple fix for rattles in the headliner near front and back of moonroof made for me. I had intermittent rattles near the overhead console and in the headliner in the middle of the rear part of the moonroof area that drove me crazy for the first 4 months of driving.

All I did was wedge some small pieces of packing foam into the crevice of the headliner (between the headliner and some plastic shielding) to slightly expand the gap and stop the rattles completely. I did this by opening the sliding moonroof part of the headliner and then gently pulling the headliner down and stuffing the foam in a few strategic places. I only expanded less than a 1/4" and it is not noticeable from looking from any seat. Only if you put your head up into the moonroof when it's open can you see the small pieces of foam. I used 3 small pieces on the front part near the overhead console and 3 more in the back part of moonroof area (1 in the center portion and both sides).

I found these strategic places by opening the sliding headliner part of the moonroof (not the glass) and sticking my finger in there while driving and realizing that it would stop the rattle if I just slightly expanded the headliner away from the defective glue that caused the noise.

After getting used to the annoying little rattles for so long and relentlessly trying to push up on the headliner to locate and quiet the intermittent rattles this fix finally worked great for me and sure glad it wasn't necessary for a headliner replacement to fix this; since mine is cosmetically perfect I figured no reason for changing it and risking other issues, or other rattles!

Now finally it's a pretty quiet and peaceful ride ... at least whenever I turn down the rocking Sony system!
 
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#4 ·
here you go, first i used some packing foam ...



then I inserted it between the cloth part of the headliner and the first plastic shielding ... I used 3 pieces in the front since it has a bigger gap to fill ...







then for the rear part the gap is much smaller and I couldn't get the camera angle to show the foam but by gently pulling down the cloth headliner and wedging a smaller piece of foam between the headliner and plastic shielding I was able to quiet the worst of the rattles ....



the foam in the rear part cannot be seen at any angle, the front pieces are only visable if you stick your head up into the moonroof when it's open.

this fixed my rattling problems in the headliner! a few more slight ones in the door panels i'm still looking into tho but there not even as bad as the headliner ones.

hope this helps ... did the trick for me
 
#6 ·
Great work! I had a rattle too, but I had my dealer fix it. They put double sided tape and some glue lol. It stopped it -i think- or im just being paranoid and I can still hear it.

Now if only I can figure out a way to stop the rattling on my front passenger door and center console D:

Btw, since winter hit, I've been hearing rattles pretty much from every part of my car. Is that normal?
 
#11 ·
Ford is well aware of the issue with rattles in the headliners and they have a fix. YOU HAVE A WARRANTY, USE IT! I took mine to the dealer, complained of the rattle, and the next day they had totally re-glued the headliner and it's now silent as the grave. The service manager mentioned they've had plenty of Focii in for the same issue and that Ford NA has informed the dealers of the problem and how to fix it. Simple.
 
#13 ·
pretty much the entire front part of my headliner was detached from the ceiling and rattling like crazy in many different locations

the car is in the garage as we speak having the a completely replacement of headliner...i'm picking it up in just a few minutes

[:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)]fingers crossed[:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)]
 
#14 ·
Were you able to get the fix from the dealer covered under warranty? When I went in for a rattle when I first got my car they were saying they only covered it since it was only two weeks old. I've had it now for about 19 months and the headliner rattle (overhead console) started about two weeks ago.

Also how long did the dealer take? I don't really want to leave it with them overnight since I don't have a backup car.
 
#15 ·
this story is too "funny" not to share with the forum...as i mentioned above, i got a call from the service manager that my car was ready. repair is covered under warranty, by the way.

i drive up to my dealer, give them the keys to my loaner and they hand me the fob to my car. i walk outside to my car and don't see it. there are two rows of cars and all spots are filled. i'm hitting the "lock" function on my fob to get my car to "beep" so as to help me locate it...nothing.

I continue walking down the lot and all the way at the end in the second row is my car. as I walk closer to it i notice that the inside is still completely disassembled and the headliner is nowhere to be seen. i'm assuming my fob didn't work because they had the battery disconnected.

i walk back into the service area, speak to the manager and tell him i don't think my car is ready. he kinda looked confused...i told him the car is still completely torn apart inside. he marches out to the lot to confirm, marches back into the garage and starts raising hell with the techs...the tech tells him it was the wrong headliner.

needless to say, i didn't leave with my car last evening.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Dang, a simple, quick, and inexpensive fix. I was having the same problem with some slight rattles near the moonroof as well until I read this. Got some weather stripping foam, found where the glue had come undone and presto! Annoying rattle gone. Thanks for the tip.
 
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