Okay people... the fix is real easy! You don't need the dealer to perform this one or an official TSB from Toyota! Let's fix it ourselves... and let the greasy/nasty tech hands (sorry techs) touch something else!

After pulling the gear console cover off following the prior instructions, you simply add a piece of insulating material to two clips. [I used thin pipe wrap foam]. The two clips are toward the rear of the cover holding the translucent sub-assembly. This sub-assembly is simply rubbing against the retaining clips of the cover. It is short by about 0.5mm or so. Some engineer was sleeping during final design last year. Gently unclip the translucent sub-assembly. Add the insulator to contact area on both console cover clips where clear sub-assembly attaches at rear part (facing back). Re-install clear sub-assembly gently into cover and confirm tightness. Re-install back into center console.

This was my 5th attempt to repair the issue and looks like my last!! Hope this helps people!! Don't put up with the noise... fix it yourself in 5 minutes!!

 

Are you saying that you tried all of the felt pad solutions earlier in the thread and they failed? What has kept me from trying a solution is that everyone seems to have a different theory as to what the cause is. Even BERNT's post where his dealer fixed it is different from yours.

 

I'm an excellent troubleshooter and have lots of experience fixing lab instruments to everyday electronics and mechanical things. Trust me, this fix works. I believe it's what the dealers have "finally" realized. We are more familiar with our cars' daily operation and sounds than a service "advisor." Sorry SAs, but it's true. This was my fifth and so far final repair. See my photos:





UPDATE: When you remove the clear sub-assembly, add thin foam insulation to (5) more critical areas: underside of sub-assembly at two "feet" making contact with console cover; AND three points on the console cover next to the gear indicators where the clear assembly rubs.

 

What is pipe wrap and where did you get it from? What isle is it on in referance to other things?

Is it hard to unclip the translucent assembly?

How long has yours now been squeak free?

 

Wow! Lot of questions! Okay... I had some thin (1/4") foam pipe wrap (it's a 1.5" wide by 0.25" thin foam "tape" that's applied over pipe to insulate). The foam is dense and soft. I have lots of it! I just cut out two tiny 1/2" squares -- one for each cover clip; Home Depot (hardware section); no, it's a piece of cake -- just be gentle; 100+ miles not a single "cricket" noise. It works. I also used it in other places on the main cover; you can use two-sided foam tape too; see photo

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks Martin. Your fix makes sense. I must say the "felt" solution has done well for me for the past 2 months but your solutions sounds better. I'll try it and see how it does.

tom

 

I just followed lovekills's excellent instructions in post #63 of this thread. The steps were very easy to follow and my cricket sounds are gone. I recommend post #63 to anyone with the cricket sound problem.

Paul

 

I put weatherstripping in two spots and haven't heard the squeaking since then. It's been about two weeks.

 

Here's a post I submitted to another forum regarding an identical center console squeak problem affecting the 07 Camry XLE. It should work for the Hybrid Camry, too.

I have diagnosed and developed a solution to the rattle/squeak that emanated from my 2007 Camry XLE V6 center console and would like to share it with others so they can benefit from it.

NOTE: Although this rattle/squeak emanates from the center console, I actually thought it came from the rear seat-back area, due to the way sound bounces around inside cars. So, if you think you have a rattle from somewhere else in your car, consider checking as follows:

To determine if you have this rattle:

While driving over rough roads or bumps that you know cause the rattle/squeak to occur, press down firmly on the leftmost edge of the faux wood trim surrounding the gear shifter. If the noise goes away, then the fix described below is applicable to your problem.

Method:

1. Remove the shift-gate garnish (the faux wood trim on the center console through which the gear shift protrudes):

A. Firmly apply the parking brake, shift to Park, and shut off the engine.

B. Unscrew the gear shift **** and remove it.

C. Pull off the two thin vertical trim pieces (about 5" high) located at the very front of the center console, at the bottom of the center stack, on either side of the flip-open door of the cubby-hole that contains the audio input jack and cigarette lighter jack.

D. Reach into the rear opening in the shift gate where the gear shift protrudes, and pull the faux wood trim garnish up. The rear edge should pop up easily. It will not be possible to completely remove the garnish yet, because the gear shifter is in the way.

E. Press the shift-lock-override button and shift the shifter into N. The override button is located under the garnish to the left-front of the shifter hole. It's right under the 1/4" by 1/2" silver plastic panel on the garnish that has the notch in it for removal with a screwdriver.

F. Pop out the shift-gate garnish completely and remove it. If you have heated seats, remove the electrical harness from the seat heater switch by pressing the tab on the connector and pulling it out.

2. Refer to the picture below to see where the rattle/squeak is coming from. The black plastic tab from the PRNDL legend panel is rubbing against the clear plastic light-guide.



3. Apply adhesive-backed felt to the area shown in the picture below. I used a "Dr. Scholl's" shoe cushion insert for this purpose. This can be found at Wal-Mart or any drug store in the foot-care section. The felt is about 1-2 mm thick, and has a sturdy adhesive backing. Cut it to the desired size (about 1/4" square) with scissors.

A. Remove the clear plastic light-guide by gently prying away the tan plastic tabs shown in the above picture using a screwdriver. Set it aside.

B. Cut the felt to size (1/4" square).

C. Affix the felt to the area of the black plastic tab shown in the photo below.





4. Reinstall the clear plastic light-guide by inserting the tabs on the left and then pressing down on the right until it clicks. (See first photo.)

The finished product is shown in the photo below.



5. Reinstall the faux wood shift gate garnish.

A. Connect the seat heater harness (if applicable).

B. Snap the garnish into place on the center console.

C. Snap the two vertical trip garnishes onto the bottom of the center stack.

D. Screw the gear shift **** on.

This really reduced the noise in my car.

Regards,

-Doug