I am having problems with squeaks and other noises from the dash. The dealer sprayed some foam on the dash board (underside of it) to quiet the noises. It didn't help. The repair order says he sprayed the air bag cover. I'm not an expert on air bags but would this effect the function of the bag? Any ideas?
Nope, I don't so. What he sprayed is more than likely just some lubricant. That wont effect your bags. Don't worry.
Since I've had my dash plate out; yes, I know what they are referring to. Have you ever wondered where the passenger's front airbag is? When you remove the dash board the Prius passenger air bag assembly is attached to the underside of that large plastic plate behind where the upper glove box is. The plate must be perforated or "weakened" in order for the airbag to deploy properly. My guess is they just sprayed foam around the assembly as a ditch effort to quiet your dash. You would not believe how many sub-components and plastic attachments are part of that dash plate. I had to remove each one and felt-line them to stop my creaks. Some got a good dose of silicon spray to prevent chafing creaks between plastic parts. I wish now I'd taken pictures during the procedure, but it was very intense and I wanted to get it done in a day. Sorry OP that you are having such grief with noises - you are not alone. I've fixed most of mine but I wonder if they will come back during colder days. Some say it's workmanship, but I can tell you it's the design. When you have somewhat brittle plastic parts directly locked onto other brittle plastic parts, normal car body twists can cause these creaks and squeaks.
I agree. That's why I think is workmanship. I don't think replacing parts will do any good. They just need to adjust or isolate the ones already installed. Just my 2 cents.
If you've taken apart the interiors like I have, you will notice almost all components are "stab-lock". In other words, pieces of the dash, doors and center console have a series of plastic prongs which press into slots in the joining piece. They can't go together "wrong" so I doubt it is workmanship. Yes, there are are some screws and bolts, but the ones I investigated on my car were secure and tight. My theory (sorry I can't prove it) is that some plants may have received plastic components that were pre-felted where the base of the prongs meet the slots. I have done this to pieces in my car with good luck. That's what my dealer did when he tore apart my dash. They just didn't do it everywhere. Bottom line here, this is really a mystery as to why some owners have no rattles and some have rattle traps. Could one plant be responsible manufacturing either the good or the "bad" ones? Maybe we need a new thread with a survey asking which plant (and other details) made your Prius to see if we as a group can figure this out.
