Road noise coming from back seat

Anybody have a problem with road noise from the back seat? Sounds as if the door is open.

 

The cab vent is located behind the rear seat panel, and is essentially an open air source.

 

It is very annoying. Any fix to this besides trading the truck?

 

Cover/seal both vents.

 

What is the purpose of the vents?

 

Same as any vent, air flow and ventilation.

To get to the vents you'll need to remove the rear seats and remove the rear storage panels for a marginal return on effort - and a trade off.

Read here.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/truck-cab-rear-pressure-vent-research-experiment.124909/

 

I test drove a 2011 or 12 and the cab noise was really loud and annoying...It also had some weird squeaking in the shifter when it was driving...I told the salesman both are a deal breaker for me and left...the guy was pissed to say the least.

 

Could you have mistaken the noise for the rear diff howl, I had an extended test drive of a new 17 for a few days and the rear diff howled at about 50 or 55 mph.

 

possible but If I remember right, when I revved the engine it was louder...just sounded TOO loud for me.

 

This could explain the road noise I hear from the back of my 2010 AC. Thanks!

 

To determine if the noise is from the vent, turn the recirculate mode on and off. There is a very noticeable difference in the noise level when I do this in my truck.

I don't have a solution but I was able to determine the source of the noise by doing this.

 

I don't believe the cab vent has anything to do with recirculation function.

It's not powered and is basically a check valve. Air goes out, doesn't come in.

 

Wouldn't re-circulation mode give the air in the cab another easier way out, which would keep the cab vent closed? That's the logic I see there.

 

I sent Toyota an email about this problem but haven't heard back from them. I drove a 2016 Colorado and it didn't have that problem. I also had a 1998 Tacoma and there wasn't a problem with it.

 

Not sure.

 

When recirculate in on, vents are closed and there is less noise.

When recirculate is off, the air is flowing out through the vents and there is more noise because they are open.

Try it for yourself. When I hit the recirculate button, it sounds like I'm closing a window in the back of my cab.

 

As Shakerhood mentioned it could be howling rear differential that many are experiencing. No fix for this yet...no promise that it ever will be fixed either. It is highly annoying and concerning.

 

Try parking on the side of a not very busy road and in a quiet area. I can't hear the the cars approaching me headon, but only after they pass by and the sound diminishes as they get farther behind me. I can also hear the cars aproaching from my rear but no sound after they go by me and heading away infront of me. All noise is coming from the back seat area of my truck. I assume the vents are the biggest area of sound entering my truck. And because I am not moving it sure and heck can't be coming from my third member.

 

The air vent does make an annoying noise, but I didn't like sealing it. I used some black RTV silicone for sealing of and gasketing the open bins in the bed and had some left over, so I ran 3 thick beads on top of the vent from the inside and let it cure. each bead is about 1/4 inch wide and 3/8 inch thick (well, not really. it's more than 1/4 inch and less than 1/2 inch, and I wanted to sound all exact and everything). Not to seal the vent closed but just to add some mass to it to absorb some of the high frequency noise. Before I put seats back, I slammed the door closed and the vent still opened to let the pressure out so it didn't impede the function MUCH. it did sound a little better. I have since put a bunch of winter prep in the back storage bins: blankets, some water, food etc since the only thing we use our cars/trucks for are long trips (public trans for everything else). The mass back there has made the biggest difference in absorbing that sound. It's definitely a different sound than the rear diff howl, which I have.

I wouldn't completely seal that vent off though. I did notice, that driving through the mountains after I did it, that there was a little more pressure in the truck than before with the AC on full blast. More just subjective based on pressure in our ears. It didn't do it the week after when the temperature was moderate and we didn't have HVAC on driving through the same mountains. door's aren't any harder to close pre and post. So, I'm not sure what sealing it off completely would do.

I'm thinking of taking the seats out again in the spring, and laying a thick layer of butyl rubber between the storage compartments and the sheet metal, based on how much the mass decreased road noise in the back. I did this in the trunk of our audi about 3 years back and it made a big difference in an already quiet car. Audi has 4 paper thin pads of what looks like butyl rubber in the trunk so I just put down $8.00 worth of butyl rubber caulk down and let it cure before I put carpet back. The only problem with this is finding butyl rubber vs just rubberized asphalt. Some engineers have told me non hardening RTV does the same thing, and you can find tubes on the internet for $5-$7. But these are electrical engineers not materials guys so, can't verify their claims. The RTV I used didn't seem to harden but it was $6.xx for a 3 or 4 ounce tube. I don't need it to be perfect silence but we only use are automobiles on trips greater than 1 hour, so that noise can get fatiguing. Best part is that it only cuts down high frequency sounds, so the exhaust sound is still heard at WOT, which I personally like.

Sorry for long post. Thought I had a lot of work to do tonight and drank a few cups of coffee around 5.

 

Running into this as well..

Once I get above 30mph or so, I hear road noise coming from the Access Cab. It sounds like I left the rear slider open or one of the access cab doors isn't shut fully.

Is that consistent to what others are hearing?