Road and air noise coming in through pressure relief vents behind rear seats

Hi just wondering if other 3rd gen. owners notice excessive air and road noise ; seemingly coming trough two pressure relief vents behind rear seat ; the pitch and level seems to vary on pavement surface and worsen in cooler temps ? Opinions and similar case info would be appreciated ; also wondering if anyone tried temporarily blocking vents to see if they are cause or if they are functioning properly and closing off completely when cab isn't pressurized ? Thanks John

 

Common Turd gen issue. I'll see what i can find on search for you but it's been brought up many times before.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/road-noise-from-rear-cab-vents.412801/

 

Thanks for response Smitty99; I'll follow up on info

 

Oh, is that what it is?! Hearing the engine behind me reminded me of my 1979 VW van!

 

This issue has been discussed. I am sure one or more will flame you for not using the search.

Here is my experience with the issue...

I described the sound to the dealership as hearing road and environment noise, much like a window is open in the back, though without the wind noise. The sound is presend while driving or sitting in a parking lot withteh truck off and all windows up. The dealer told me that they could not duplicate any problem and that the sound is normal. I muttered something along the lines of ...

Then I took my truck home and put a 2x2 strip of foam on the vent from the inside using good old duct tape to secure the foam the vent. The foam face pointing toward the vent (tailgate) and cabin (front seat) and open while the top and sides are covered with tape. I feel there is some improvement though still not ideal. This still allows air to move, just slows it down a bit. It was meant to be a temporary/tewst fix. I have not added Dynamat or done anything more to soundproof the back wall.

Additional work will have to wait for a while. After the wife's comment - "I really don't understand why we spent tens of thousands buying a new truck if you are going to have to spend every weekend working on it." I somehow got the impression that her opinion is that my current mods will have to be enough at this time.

Happy wife = happy life

 

My wife is happy because it reminds her of the VW van also, so why mess with it?!

 

In attempt to reduce the cabin noise, I found that pipe insulation stuffed between the cab and bed (laying one side of the truck to the other horizontally) just below the vents was effective. I ran this for awhile but did not like the accumulation of leaves and debris that got stuck and laid on top of the foam. I worried about leaves rotting and possibly starting the cab wall rusting, so I removed the foam. I lived with the continuation of the noise but looked for a better solution. Today I decided to remove the bed and see if I could figure out a solution.

In searching for how to remove the bed, I did not find many posts. However, the process was rather easy - 6 main bolts inside bed holding it to the frame, 2 tie down bolts, fuel filler neck plastic shroud, tail lights, numerous wiring connectors, and wiring harness anchors. Once completely disconnected, I had my strong boys lift the bed off and place on saw horses.

The problem vents are very apparent and easy to remove now. I stewed over what to do next and finally came up with putting a noise deflector below the vents.

At first, I was worried about how the piece of vinyl siding trim would fit and cause a gap with the vent. Shockingly, it fit very well. For the final product, I decided to go with a single deflector spanning both vent opening.

To protect the paint from possible abrasion, I placed electrical tape on the cab under the deflector. The only thing holding the deflector on are the long tabs that latch onto the sheet metal of the vent openings. The vents then lock everything into place. With the bed reinstalled, the fit is tight as seen below.

My plan is to run with this to see how I like it. Initial impression after a quick test drive is that it works just as well as the foam insulation. I will need to monitor debris accumulation and clean as needed. The vinyl will be easier to clean compared to the foam.

For those interested, the vinyl trim came from HD and looks to be 2inches wide.

Let me know what you think! This was my first post. I've been around TW for awhile, but have not had anything constructive to contribute until now.

 

Sub'd ........

 

Are these vents only in Double Cabs, or do they also exist in Access cabs?

 

Some guys have WAYYYYY too sensitive ears.

 

I'm not sure, but I do know a automatic V6 Double Cab SR5 4x4 I rented was MUCH quieter inside (road noise wise) and also smoother riding than a base model automatic 4 cyl Access Cab SR 4x2 with the rear seat delete trim. This was a great surprise because normally a 4x4 Toyota pickup would have a stiffer and more jarring on street ride than a 4x2 and more road noise to boot.

 

Normal, worse in access cabs, its a truck trait, these are not luxury cars.

 

Are these vents present in 2nd gen too?

 

What's the reason for a "pressurized cab"?

 

Nicely thought out and executed--damn shame you has to do this on a new truck...

 

following - I am guessing these vents needed to get bigger to account for the sudden pressure changes with all the airbags in case of accident. I've noticed the 3rd gen has much more road noise from the rear than my 2nd gen did.

 

Your time tests may prove me wrong. I would be worried about debris and water accumulating on the top of the deflector you put in and possibly invading the cabin.

Possible solution is to put a deflector on the top of each vent as well as one below. I would suggest the top to be 2ish inches longer on each side thus creating an overhang to block both debris and water.

I will follow along and see how your results are in several months.

 

My '09 DCSB has a whole bunch of air bags, but no such vents...

 

It's what happens when you enclose an environment, like a house or a car. You need pressurized vents so that doors will close, air will flow properly, and windows don't shatter if you slam a door too hard (this is an extreme case). Also, if your airbags deploy then your ears won't bleed from the sudden appearance of a large object taking up most of the interior volume.

With that said, do not not block the vent as they are needed for the above reasons. I can't imagine how to fully prevent the noise, but maybe try some kind of baffle or filter? I don't notice it in my truck.