2019 Nautilus - interior plastic creaks, ticks, and rattles

[djjaeger82]

Hi everyone, I'm writing this to see if any other Nautilus owners are struggling with interior clicks, rattles, and creaks when going over minor bumps or seams in the road at highway speed. I've got about 16k miles on my nautilus in about 10mo and these noises have mostly been there since after mile 500 or so and they're driving me nuts! Most of them sound like plasticky clicking or ticking sounds, except for the ac vents which omit a distinct plastic creaking sound (the same type you'd yould hear if you pressed firmly on a plastic joint). I've noticed they are all much worse in the summer months when the weather is warm and not as noticeable in the winter. I live in upstate NY far from a dealer which is why I didn't get this taken care of sooner. I've had about 15 other ford/Lincoln products in my life and never have experienced anything like this. My 2016 mkc was silent inside. My sisters edge st doesn't have these problems, in fact I offered to trade cars with her last week after a long roadtrip because these minor things are really getting to me!

1.) After the car sits outside in the hot sun (at work during the day) and I start it and the ac comes on, the ac vents (the outermost near the side mirrors on both passenger and driver sides) creak even without bumps for about 15min. If you hit a bump during this time it's 10x worse (louder). Thermal expansion is my guess. Maybe someone forgot the foam insulation at the factory? I swear it's like the vents aren't glued / attached properly to the rest of the dashboard. Pressing gently on them even with the vehicle cold can make the same sound as this sitting in the sun situation.

2.) Multiple clicks / ticks / rattles when hitting bumps from different parts of the car. I believe the ac vents again contribute to this even when the car hasn't sat in the sun or heat. If I hold my fingers gently on the silver lever part of the vent some of the rattles go away. Is this a flawed design in the vent itself? Should I ask them to replace the vents?

There's also a trim piece right above the steering wheel. On the right side it feels like it's in firmly but the left side feels loose. If I hold it while driving it seems to help (maybe a broken clip)?

There's another rattle that sounds like it's coming from the driver door. And another from the middle of the dash near the display. Is it possible these are all separate issues or is my brain playing games on me?

I took the vehicle in finally for all these noise issues but the dealer called today and said the first tech marked them all CNV (could not verify). The ac vent creaking is obvious to anyone who has hearing, so I'm confident when they have the service advisor look at it they'll confirm it. But does anyone have tips for getting service depts to acknowledge and fix noise issues? I know they can be subjective and some of us are more picky than others, but this is the first Lincoln I've truly been disappointed in owning and I'm not sure what to do if they come back and say CNV again....

 

[Bato711]

Here is our experience with similar issues.

We bought our 2016 MKX with about 35,000 miles, 1 owner (a local government).

It had many small rattles: one was some chrome trim near right rear window on outside of car, loose sound deadening material under car, loose condensation vent on firewall under hood, and a loose relay near the battery on the fender. All of these contributed to a "noisy" ride experience.

The dealer warrantied the chrome trim and the loose panels underneath. I repaired the others.

Additionally, I also found (and this drove me crazy!), a large piece of gravel, a screw (not from the Lincoln) and small toy parts in the AC vents below both front seats. The previous owner had small kids. These rattled with every turn and bump! I thought I had it all fixed but nope...

I still heard a "clunk" at every stop sign. I removed passenger seat, removed AC vent, (found another small screw), and below the carpet in the body work of the floor panel cross member...A MARBLE! Fixed it right?...Not yet. STILL heard the same thing but under the DRIVERS seat!

Removed drivers seat, pulled back carped and found another MARBLE in the body work there too!

NOW it is all quiet! Some very minor sounds from interior plastics but not anymore than any other car. But I am happy now, all of those rattles were mostly due to previous ownership etc.

If yours was brand new, I would contact a Lincoln representative and let them know what is going on. Maybe go drive another one on the lot to see if yours is an outlier. You never know if your assembler was hungover when they installed the dash assembly. Who knows. I'd definitely speak to a rep and find a solution. If another one is quiet, see if they'll swap you cars? After fixing all of the rattles, we love our Lincoln. Could it be better? I think so. Could I find similar issues with a Cadillac, Land Rover, etc.? Probably.

Another tip when diagnosing creaks and rattles: remove every item from within the car. Even in the dash. Pop the hood and just grab things and lightly wiggle them. That's how I found the loose relay on the inside of the drivers-side fender.

 

[djjaeger82]

Here is our experience with similar issues.

We bought our 2016 MKX with about 35,000 miles, 1 owner (a local government).

It had many small rattles: one was some chrome trim near right rear window on outside of car, loose sound deadening material under car, loose condensation vent on firewall under hood, and a loose relay near the battery on the fender. All of these contributed to a "noisy" ride experience.

The dealer warrantied the chrome trim and the loose panels underneath. I repaired the others.

Additionally, I also found (and this drove me crazy!), a large piece of gravel, a screw (not from the Lincoln) and small toy parts in the AC vents below both front seats. The previous owner had small kids. These rattled with every turn and bump! I thought I had it all fixed but nope...

I still heard a "clunk" at every stop sign. I removed passenger seat, removed AC vent, (found another small screw), and below the carpet in the body work of the floor panel cross member...A MARBLE! Fixed it right?...Not yet. STILL heard the same thing but under the DRIVERS seat!

Removed drivers seat, pulled back carped and found another MARBLE in the body work there too!

NOW it is all quiet! Some very minor sounds from interior plastics but not anymore than any other car. But I am happy now, all of those rattles were mostly due to previous ownership etc.

If yours was brand new, I would contact a Lincoln representative and let them know what is going on. Maybe go drive another one on the lot to see if yours is an outlier. You never know if your assembler was hungover when they installed the dash assembly. Who knows. I'd definitely speak to a rep and find a solution. If another one is quiet, see if they'll swap you cars? After fixing all of the rattles, we love our Lincoln. Could it be better? I think so. Could I find similar issues with a Cadillac, Land Rover, etc.? Probably.

Another tip when diagnosing creaks and rattles: remove every item from within the car. Even in the dash. Pop the hood and just grab things and lightly wiggle them. That's how I found the loose relay on the inside of the drivers-side fender.

Bato711, thanks for your detailed and thoughtful response! I should have mentioned that before I took the vehicle into the dealer, I literally took every single thing out of the car. The vehicle was also brand new when I bought it, and I didn't notice these noises the first 500 miles or so (although maybe I was just ecstatic about the new car) Every piece of junk, charger, etc from the console, tire gauges and papers from the glovebox, sunglasses, etc etc. About the only thing left in the car when I dropped it off was the spare tire in the back and the manual in the glovebox!

I've definitely driven others, including the loaner and it does not make any of these sounds. I've also driven my sister's Edge ST extensively which also does not make any of these sounds (and doesn't even have all the sound dampening material my Nautilus has).

Today I received very good news, the service dept called me and after the first tech CNV'ed everything, they had another look at the dash carefully (even before driving it) and they found "the entire dash is slightly lifted on the drivers side". Initially I thought this meant they lifted it up to work on it, but when I inquired further they said they believe it was never fully installed properly from the factory. This seems kind of crazy to me, especially since I'm very detailed oriented and I looked it over myself and didn't see anything out of place to me. But clearly I don't know what to look for. They said they may need to disassemble the entire dash. Now I'm hoping that they check all the clips and snap ins fully, because in my mind if it was not seated properly from the factory, its possible some of those clips or parts could have cracked or broken off in the 16k miles I've put on it! I'm just happy at least they've finally found something that can possibly explain all my issues!

 

[bbf2530]

Hi everyone, I'm writing this to see if any other Nautilus owners are struggling with interior clicks, rattles, and creaks when going over minor bumps or seams in the road at highway speed. I've got about 16k miles on my nautilus in about 10mo and these noises have mostly been there since after mile 500 or so and they're driving me nuts! Most of them sound like plasticky clicking or ticking sounds, except for the ac vents which omit a distinct plastic creaking sound (the same type you'd yould hear if you pressed firmly on a plastic joint). I've noticed they are all much worse in the summer months when the weather is warm and not as noticeable in the winter. I live in upstate NY far from a dealer which is why I didn't get this taken care of sooner. I've had about 15 other ford/Lincoln products in my life and never have experienced anything like this. My 2016 mkc was silent inside. My sisters edge st doesn't have these problems, in fact I offered to trade cars with her last week after a long roadtrip because these minor things are really getting to me!

1.) After the car sits outside in the hot sun (at work during the day) and I start it and the ac comes on, the ac vents (the outermost near the side mirrors on both passenger and driver sides) creak even without bumps for about 15min. If you hit a bump during this time it's 10x worse (louder). Thermal expansion is my guess. Maybe someone forgot the foam insulation at the factory? I swear it's like the vents aren't glued / attached properly to the rest of the dashboard. Pressing gently on them even with the vehicle cold can make the same sound as this sitting in the sun situation.

2.) Multiple clicks / ticks / rattles when hitting bumps from different parts of the car. I believe the ac vents again contribute to this even when the car hasn't sat in the sun or heat. If I hold my fingers gently on the silver lever part of the vent some of the rattles go away. Is this a flawed design in the vent itself? Should I ask them to replace the vents?

There's also a trim piece right above the steering wheel. On the right side it feels like it's in firmly but the left side feels loose. If I hold it while driving it seems to help (maybe a broken clip)?

There's another rattle that sounds like it's coming from the driver door. And another from the middle of the dash near the display. Is it possible these are all separate issues or is my brain playing games on me?

I took the vehicle in finally for all these noise issues but the dealer called today and said the first tech marked them all CNV (could not verify). The ac vent creaking is obvious to anyone who has hearing, so I'm confident when they have the service advisor look at it they'll confirm it. But does anyone have tips for getting service depts to acknowledge and fix noise issues? I know they can be subjective and some of us are more picky than others, but this is the first Lincoln I've truly been disappointed in owning and I'm not sure what to do if they come back and say CNV again....

Hi djjaeger82. In addition to the advice by Bato711, I would also add another recommendation (it is what I do in similar situations).

To avoid the dreaded "Could not verify" tech diagnosis, do this next time you bring it in: Before handing the keys over, ask the Service Writer to send a tech with you or take a ride with you himself. Drive and demonstrate the noises to them. Turn off the radio, roll the windows up. Drive over bumpy roads. Do whatever you need to do to get your Nautilus to squeak and creak like it does on its worst day. And most importantly, get them to say, "Yes, I hear it".

Once they admit they hear it with you right there, they can not say it could not be verified. I find that to be the best way to have stray noises correctly diagnosed and corrected.

Keep us updated and good luck.

______________________________

 

[macgeniuspr]

Hi everyone, I'm writing this to see if any other Nautilus owners are struggling with interior clicks, rattles, and creaks when going over minor bumps or seams in the road at highway speed. I've got about 16k miles on my nautilus in about 10mo and these noises have mostly been there since after mile 500 or so and they're driving me nuts! Most of them sound like plasticky clicking or ticking sounds, except for the ac vents which omit a distinct plastic creaking sound (the same type you'd yould hear if you pressed firmly on a plastic joint). I've noticed they are all much worse in the summer months when the weather is warm and not as noticeable in the winter. I live in upstate NY far from a dealer which is why I didn't get this taken care of sooner. I've had about 15 other ford/Lincoln products in my life and never have experienced anything like this. My 2016 mkc was silent inside. My sisters edge st doesn't have these problems, in fact I offered to trade cars with her last week after a long roadtrip because these minor things are really getting to me!

1.) After the car sits outside in the hot sun (at work during the day) and I start it and the ac comes on, the ac vents (the outermost near the side mirrors on both passenger and driver sides) creak even without bumps for about 15min. If you hit a bump during this time it's 10x worse (louder). Thermal expansion is my guess. Maybe someone forgot the foam insulation at the factory? I swear it's like the vents aren't glued / attached properly to the rest of the dashboard. Pressing gently on them even with the vehicle cold can make the same sound as this sitting in the sun situation.

2.) Multiple clicks / ticks / rattles when hitting bumps from different parts of the car. I believe the ac vents again contribute to this even when the car hasn't sat in the sun or heat. If I hold my fingers gently on the silver lever part of the vent some of the rattles go away. Is this a flawed design in the vent itself? Should I ask them to replace the vents?

There's also a trim piece right above the steering wheel. On the right side it feels like it's in firmly but the left side feels loose. If I hold it while driving it seems to help (maybe a broken clip)?

There's another rattle that sounds like it's coming from the driver door. And another from the middle of the dash near the display. Is it possible these are all separate issues or is my brain playing games on me?

I took the vehicle in finally for all these noise issues but the dealer called today and said the first tech marked them all CNV (could not verify). The ac vent creaking is obvious to anyone who has hearing, so I'm confident when they have the service advisor look at it they'll confirm it. But does anyone have tips for getting service depts to acknowledge and fix noise issues? I know they can be subjective and some of us are more picky than others, but this is the first Lincoln I've truly been disappointed in owning and I'm not sure what to do if they come back and say CNV again....

I had a creaking/rattling sound coming from the cup holder area that was driving me crazy and it was definitely affected by temperature. Some days you could barely hear it and others, it was horrible. I initially thought it was the cup holders and they installed something in the cupholder area to help the noise, but it didn't work. After that, they couldn't verify the issue anymore so I took the vehicle back from the dealership. As soon as the noise started up again, I took it to the dealer and rode with the service advisor and technician and the tech was immediately able to identify where it was coming from. It was one of the wood trims on the side of the center stack. Not sure what he did to it but the noise is basically gone now. I also had a rattle coming from the vent and they took care of that by replacing the vent.

When the noise gets bad, I highly recommend you swing by your dealer and ask the service advisor and tech to take a ride with you.

 

[djjaeger82]

Thanks guys for all the advice! I got my car back 2 days ago and they fixed a significant portion of the rattles. One guy said the dash wasn't fully seated and another said the driver door was rubbing against the dash, both causing issues.

As soon as I left the dealer lot I heard the squeaky steering wheel they cnved and a few more rattles. Last night I was able to get someone else to drive and I listened from the passenger seat and isolated a bunch of additional rattles clicks and pops. I even found where to press or pull on the trim to recreate them on demand. This morning I put post it notes on the 5 locations and took both the service advisor and one of the techs for a 5m drive around the block. They were able to confirm all the noises, so thanks for that suggestion!!

For rattles what I found left to work on:
1. Higher pitched Ticking sound from passenger door speaker area (can recreate by pulling or pushing gently on the plastic door trim around door cup holder)
2. Lower pitch rattle coming from above when panoramic roof shade is open. Put my hand up there and it's the panoramic glass itself rattling on bumps.
3. On the drive in to the dealer I noticed another spring metallic rumble sound coming from center console. Turns out when the media door (wireless phone charging bay) is open it would rattle and when closed it stop. While open if you pressed it up (not as far to make it close but enough to make it spring a little) you could recreate it on demand.
4. Lastly I complained about the metallic clink sound from the RDU when approaching the vehicle. I had this on my list of issues during the first service, and they acknowledged the sound but said it was normal. Theres actually an ssm out for this, but in it the notice does say some level of this sound is normal and to have the customer listen to a new car on the lot. If it's similar then nothing to be done but if louder then there is a new RDU assembly available. I requested they put the new assembly in let's see what happens.


They must think I'm the craziest most picky customer ever, but in 15 Ford / Lincoln vehicles this is the noisiest interior I've ever experienced. I'm super disappointed especially since this is the first time I've bought (all my others were leases). I'm not sure if it's poor design on thr nautilus or if I just got a lemon... Curious to hear others experiences, and thanks again for everyone's advice and tips work with the service teams!

 

[Ladybird]

Wow, finally someone else who has a Nautilus that has lots of noise!!! I have taken this car into the dealership several times and no one can hear the noises I have described to them. The worst noise sounds like it is coming from the driver side door. Another really annoying sound comes from the sunroof. I can push up on the side of the sunroof and the noise will stop. One day I was so annoyed that I folded up my business card and stuck it up there between the plastic and the glass. Now i just drive with the stereo on loud so as not to hear anything!
Fortunately for us, this car is a lease and I will never, ever drive another American car again. Only 11/2 years left!
I also have the jerking motion when in low gear that was supposedly fixed (it wasn't). My biggest complaint is my bone colored leather seats. After 2 months of use my driver side seat looks so dirty! Cannot get it cleaned to save my life. When I complained to the dealership they said not to worry because Lincoln will just see that as normal wear and tear when I turn my crappy car in. NEVER AGAIN!

 

[bbf2530]

Hi Ladybird. Sorry you have had so many irritating issues.

Concering them "not hearing" the noises, my advice is: Never just drop off the vehicle, tell them you have noises coming from X,Y,Z, hand them the keys and leave. Always them send a Tech or Service Writer with you for a drive so you can demonstrate the noise, point it out etc. Get them to say 'Yes, I hear it." Once they say 'Yes, I hear it", they can not say they could not hear it, and you can not get the dreaded "Could not hear/duplicate the customers concern" invoice, when you pick up your vehicle. Hopefully that will help, if you care to try that Dealership again, or maybe try another.

Ironically, the issue you say is your "biggest complaint" is the easiest to take care of and not the fault of Lincoln or the seats.

All mass produced, automotive leather seats have a synthetic/plastic micro coating. Thinks of it as similar to the clearcoat paint on top of the color coat on the body panels of your vehicle. So this is not technically a leather issue. It is an issue with light colored leather and what is being on rubbed on it.

There are many good leather cleaners and conditioners. I prefer Meguiar's. However, Mother's Lexol, Tanners Preserve etc, all make good leather cleaners and conditioners. Even plain old soapy water and a little elbow grease will clean the leather. The key is to rub a lot, but relatively lightly, so the leather cleaner can do its job. You don't want to rub so hard that you damage the clear microcoating.

Of course, you have stated this is a lease and you don't really care. However, maybe this information will help someone else.

Good luck.

______________________________

 

[Javi2320]

Bato711, thanks for your detailed and thoughtful response! I should have mentioned that before I took the vehicle into the dealer, I literally took every single thing out of the car. The vehicle was also brand new when I bought it, and I didn't notice these noises the first 500 miles or so (although maybe I was just ecstatic about the new car) Every piece of junk, charger, etc from the console, tire gauges and papers from the glovebox, sunglasses, etc etc. About the only thing left in the car when I dropped it off was the spare tire in the back and the manual in the glovebox!

I've definitely driven others, including the loaner and it does not make any of these sounds. I've also driven my sister's Edge ST extensively which also does not make any of these sounds (and doesn't even have all the sound dampening material my Nautilus has).

Today I received very good news, the service dept called me and after the first tech CNV'ed everything, they had another look at the dash carefully (even before driving it) and they found "the entire dash is slightly lifted on the drivers side". Initially I thought this meant they lifted it up to work on it, but when I inquired further they said they believe it was never fully installed properly from the factory. This seems kind of crazy to me, especially since I'm very detailed oriented and I looked it over myself and didn't see anything out of place to me. But clearly I don't know what to look for. They said they may need to disassemble the entire dash. Now I'm hoping that they check all the clips and snap ins fully, because in my mind if it was not seated properly from the factory, its possible some of those clips or parts could have cracked or broken off in the 16k miles I've put on it! I'm just happy at least they've finally found something that can possibly explain all my issues!

I am having the exact same issue, I just bought my 2020 Nautilus and I am hearing the exact same thing. going to be taking it in.

 

[G-706972]

I am having the exact same issue, I just bought my 2020 Nautilus and I am hearing the exact same thing. going to be taking it in.

I have a 2020 and feel like I was losing my mind every time I got in my dream car. The rattle was insane and hard to pin point. When I was driving I would swear it was coming from the right rear seat area but my husband drove and I was in the front passenger seat I would swear it was coming from the rear left. Took it to the dealer today. This has been going on for about 3k miles but I’m done. I have 19,400 on it. Had Tech ride with me and he admitted he heard it before we even left the lot. First hurdle cleared. He rode up front and the rear. He feels like it is the fixed glass piece of the sunroof but after having it all day they have not resolved it. Hoping for better news tomorrow because once they fix that rattle they must address the vibration in my dash at my display screen. I absolutely love this car but will trade it if they can’t fix the problem. I cannot imagine driving with this noise for another 80k miles.

 

[greenvillesc2022]

I have a 2020 and feel like I was losing my mind every time I got in my dream car. The rattle was insane and hard to pin point. When I was driving I would swear it was coming from the right rear seat area but my husband drove and I was in the front passenger seat I would swear it was coming from the rear left. Took it to the dealer today. This has been going on for about 3k miles but I’m done. I have 19,400 on it. Had Tech ride with me and he admitted he heard it before we even left the lot. First hurdle cleared. He rode up front and the rear. He feels like it is the fixed glass piece of the sunroof but after having it all day they have not resolved it. Hoping for better news tomorrow because once they fix that rattle they must address the vibration in my dash at my display screen. I absolutely love this car but will trade it if they can’t fix the problem. I cannot imagine driving with this noise for another 80k miles.

Were you able to get this resolved? We are having the same rattle issues from the rear roof of the car. Rattles constantly. Only 10k miles.

 

[silverydragon72]

Were you able to get this resolved? We are having the same rattle issues from the rear roof of the car. Rattles constantly. Only 10k miles.

Do you have a moonroof?

______________________________

 

[greenvillesc2022]

Do you have a moonroof?

Yes. We are still dealing with this. Bringing it in next week to hopefully get this resolved

 

[tgara]

Yes. We are still dealing with this. Bringing it in next week to hopefully get this resolved

When my moonroof rattles and squeaks, it is usually caused by a dirty seal. It’s really astounding how dirty the moon roof seal gets, so it’s not surprising that it sometimes squeaks.

Open the moonroof and clean the rubber seal and the roof bit that it contacts real well with a cloth soaked with a simple cleaner, then apply a coat of rubber sealant. For me, that always solves the problem. You can do the same for the fixed portion of the moonroof, just push the sealant in with your fingers.

 

[greenvillesc2022]

When my moonroof rattles and squeaks, it is usually caused by a dirty seal. It’s really astounding how dirty the moon roof seal gets, so it’s not surprising that it sometimes squeaks.

Open the moonroof and clean the rubber seal and the roof bit that it contacts real well with a cloth soaked with a simple cleaner, then apply a coat of rubber sealant. For me, that always solves the problem. You can do the same for the fixed portion of the moonroof, just push the sealant in with your fingers.

Thank you - I will try this