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Passenger side B pillar rattle.

Cvaquerano

Member
My GCL was in the dealership’s auto body shop after 3 months and many attempts finally I got my car was really frustrating but I had a rental car paid for them they found some bolts rubbing against metal
 

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Moj

Well-known member
That is disappointing. Mine made a knock/creak sound. I would hear mine when stopping/accelerating and say turning into a driveway with a dip. Did not always do it on a straight road. I’ve put on 1k miles since my fix and it is gone. So are they going to try anything else?
I’m having this exact issue you described on my GCL limited. It’s pretty annoying
 

Moj

Well-known member
Anyone here got their pretensioner fixed/replaced, and dud that fix the knocking/creaking sounds from the driver side B pillar area?
 

Pittjeep15

Active member
Anyone here got their pretensioner fixed/replaced, and dud that fix the knocking/creaking sounds from the driver side B pillar area?
Are you saying there’s a noise coming from your driver side now? Yes I had my passenger one fixed and now I’ve been hearing a noise behind me on the drivers side now but haven’t been able to investigate. It’s def not as bad as the passenger side noise I noticed
 

Moj

Well-known member
Are you saying there’s a noise coming from your driver side now? Yes I had my passenger one fixed and now I’ve been hearing a noise behind me on the drivers side now but haven’t been able to investigate. It’s def not as bad as the passenger side noise I noticed
Mine has been always making a knock/creak sound by the driver side b-pillar. I hear mine when stopping/accelerating and turning into a driveway with a dip/bump. Does not always do it on a straight road. Similar to @Axg1040
 

jmfly30

Active member
I would like to give a shout out to Axg1040 for this info....this is exactly what I have been chasing down for a few months now.
I have a 21 GCL with 5k miles...and it started the creaking noise at the bottom of the passenger B pillar. Like he said, it was anytime the body flexed, such as turning a corner, accelerating hard or braking hard, and bumps. It was fairly loud, and I had come to the conclusion it was a weld joint or something that could never be fixed.
After seeing this post, I disassembled the B pillar and located the seat belt tensioner. With pliers, I grabbed the bolt head that holds down the tensioner bracket, and pushed and twisted and replicated the exact sound easily. I would have never guessed it could be this bolt...inside hollow body panels the sound travels and distorts and sounds like something other than a bolt tip rubbing on sheet metal.
I didn't have a camera to investigate like Axg1040 did, so I took his word that the bolt was slightly long. My fix was to removed the bolt and add a washer. It is a Torx head bolt, so I had to buy a flat Torx wrench. The Torx size is E12. I immediately realized I would not be able to fully remove the bolt without completely disassembling the tensioner mechanism, so I l loosened it a bit, then custom made a U shaped washer to slide between the bolt head and bracked. Tightened everything up, reassembled the interior panels....and the sound is completely gone. Thanks again.

I posted a few months ago with another rattle fix in the 3rd row seating area. Now if I could figure out how to stop the rearmost cooling vents from rattling, I would have a quiet Jeep.
 

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gpap925

Member
I would like to give a shout out to Axg1040 for this info....this is exactly what I have been chasing down for a few months now.
I have a 21 GCL with 5k miles...and it started the creaking noise at the bottom of the passenger B pillar. Like he said, it was anytime the body flexed, such as turning a corner, accelerating hard or braking hard, and bumps. It was fairly loud, and I had come to the conclusion it was a weld joint or something that could never be fixed.
After seeing this post, I disassembled the B pillar and located the seat belt tensioner. With pliers, I grabbed the bolt head that holds down the tensioner bracket, and pushed and twisted and replicated the exact sound easily. I would have never guessed it could be this bolt...inside hollow body panels the sound travels and distorts and sounds like something other than a bolt tip rubbing on sheet metal.
I didn't have a camera to investigate like Axg1040 did, so I took his word that the bolt was slightly long. My fix was to removed the bolt and add a washer. It is a Torx head bolt, so I had to buy a flat Torx wrench. The Torx size is E12. I immediately realized I would not be able to fully remove the bolt without completely disassembling the tensioner mechanism, so I l loosened it a bit, then custom made a U shaped washer to slide between the bolt head and bracked. Tightened everything up, reassembled the interior panels....and the sound is completely gone. Thanks again.

I posted a few months ago with another rattle fix in the 3rd row seating area. Now if I could figure out how to stop the rearmost cooling vents from rattling, I would have a quiet Jeep.
I think I may have the same issue….How tricky is it to pull off the b pillar panel? Any trouble spots to be aware of?
 

hamada128

Well-known member
This creeking noise and other interior & exterior noise from the engine bay was one of the reasons I traded my 21 Overland last month with only 11k miles.
 

jmfly30

Active member
It’s not that difficult, although I did break one of the snaps during removal. I epoxied it back in place before reassembly. If I remember correctly, the trim along the floor has to be removed first. Once you start removing; just feel along to the next clip and try to put your pull force right on the clip. A removal tool would have made it a little simpler I guess.
I think I may have the same issue….How tricky is it to pull off the b pillar panel? Any trouble spots to be aware of?
I think I may have the same issue….How tricky is it to pull off the b pillar panel? Any trouble spots to be aware of?
 

gpap925

Member
It’s not that difficult, although I did break one of the snaps during removal. I epoxied it back in place before reassembly. If I remember correctly, the trim along the floor has to be removed first. Once you start removing; just feel along to the next clip and try to put your pull force right on the clip. A removal tool would have made it a little simpler I guess.
Thanks, I havs a few different panel removal tools so I'll give it a shot today. Thanks!
 

jmfly30

Active member
Thanks, I havs a few different panel removal tools so I'll give it a shot today. Thanks!
The noise is very distinctive, it’s a metal on metal flexing sound, not a plastic rattle. The original poster of this thread was 100% right, the problem is not visible. It’s inside the welded body panel, where the tip of the tensioner bolt rubs the body panel. The seat belt tensioner does not have to be removed, it’s bolt just needs to not thread in all the way….hence my idea of the half washer. It’s been quite a few months now and I haven’t heard it again.
 

gpap925

Member
It’s not that difficult, although I did break one of the snaps during removal. I epoxied it back in place before reassembly. If I remember correctly, the trim along the floor has to be removed first. Once you start removing; just feel along to the next clip and try to put your pull force right on the clip. A removal tool would have made it a little simpler I guess.
Well, back to tbe drawing board....Today, I removed B pillar panels and was able to access the bolts for the pretensioner. It appears something else is causing my issue because I pryed back and forth on the bracket, but couldn't replicate the sound. I will probably end up bringing it in to the dealer after the holidays. We'll see what lie they come back with. Lol
 

jmfly30

Active member
Well, back to tbe drawing board....Today, I removed B pillar panels and was able to access the bolts for the pretensioner. It appears something else is causing my issue because I pryed back and forth on the bracket, but couldn't replicate the sound. I will probably end up bringing it in to the dealer after the holidays. We'll see what lie they come back with. Lol
It’s not the bracket making the noise and I thought the same thing at first. It’s the end of the bolt against the inside of the body. The body has to flex to replicate the noise, which is difficult to do in your garage. I could somewhat replicate the noise by opening the rear passenger door as far as it would go….and then bounce it back and forth in that spring back zone where the hinge have a few degrees extra of movement. This would flex the door jamb sheet metal enough to replicate the sound.
 

hamada128

Well-known member
Well, back to tbe drawing board....Today, I removed B pillar panels and was able to access the bolts for the pretensioner. It appears something else is causing my issue because I pryed back and forth on the bracket, but couldn't replicate the sound. I will probably end up bringing it in to the dealer after the holidays. We'll see what lie they come back with. Lol
I had the dealer technician expose the pillar and I drove while he was sitting in the back seat using his stethoscope to hear the squeaks while I was driving and the car body is flexing. You cannot replicate it while the car is stopped.
 

gpap925

Member
It’s not the bracket making the noise and I thought the same thing at first. It’s the end of the bolt against the inside of the body. The body has to flex to replicate the noise, which is difficult to do in your garage. I could somewhat replicate the noise by opening the rear passenger door as far as it would go….and then bounce it back and forth in that spring back zone where the hinge have a few degrees extra of movement. This would flex the door jamb sheet metal enough to replicate the sound.
So which bolt did you loosen and put the washer on? The picture shows the bracket bolt backed out, so I assumed that's where the washer went.
 

jmfly30

Active member
So which bolt did you loosen and put the washer on? The picture shows the bracket bolt backed out, so I assumed that's where the washer went.
Yep, the bracket bolt that I show backed out in the picture. To completely remove the bolt, the tensioner would have to be removed. I didn’t want to do all that, so I just backed it out and made the U shaped washer.
 
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