Check your mudflaps when dash mysteriously rattles.

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I've been looking up tacoma world for answers/tips/info on my truck for a few years, and I wanted to post info that may help someone out like I've been helped over the years. My truck started having random dash rattling sounds coming from what sounded like behind or inside the dash board for about 2 weeks. It was driving me insane since I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. It sounded like brittle plastic rubbing against plastic, and the sound was getting so loud I could hear the sound over the radio. What was more confusing is that sometimes it sounded like it was coming from behind or under the steerig wheel, and sometimes it sounded like it was coming from behind or just under the glove box. The sound only started when I'd be going above 20mph, and it was loudest between 20 and 50 mph. It always seemed to pick a side of the truck every trip, like you'd swear something had to be loose and going from side to side on the truck. I tred out most of the tips/suggestions I found in the forums, ruling out the usual suspects one by one, but I didn't see anything involving the mudflaps. Turns out, when inspecting the wheel wells, I noticed both front mudflaps were cracked about halfway through on both sides. Flicking the flaps made the same exact sound I'd been hearing for a couple of weeks. I taped the cracks to verify this fixed th problem, and sure enough, no more sound. I had the shocks replaced a few weeks back, and the mechanic must have cracked both of them. I'm currently ordering some new husky flaps to replace the broken oem ones. Check the mudflaps if you've got rattling or tapping going on! I would have sworn the noise was from inside the cab guys!

 

true that, I just found out today my RRear mudflap had a loose 10mm bolt, I noticed it washing my mudflaps today

 

My son owns the same identical vehicle. He was here over the weekend and we replaced u joints and center bearing. I noticed that his mudflaps were cracked and now wonder if he has that rattling you mentioned. I just texted him about what you posted, almost hoping that he does. After saving hundreds by us doing the driveshaft work ourselves, getting rid of an irritating noise with duct tape would be icing on the cake.

 

I had the same tapping noise, and after looking at everything and taping a few things that moved, I found it. Just ONE of the plastic rivets that holds the splash shields in place in the front wheel wells had popped out while pressure washing the truck a few days before.