Headliner rattle above the driver in the cold

[doolin64]

Well, my Bluecruise issue has been resolved! On to the next one.

When the weather is below freezing my headliner makes a rattle noise or almost a sticking / unsticking noise. I do have a pano roof, but it sounds headliner related. If the temperature is warmer, no noise at all.

I'm wondering if the headliner is partially attached with adhesive and it's losing its stickiness in the cold. Hoping for an easy fix. I thought I found a thread about this but I'm having trouble finding it using the search.

My old 2005 had a headliner in rattle in the cold but the foam hardened up and the fix was simple cutting a piece of carpet and placing it on top of the foam block. Never heard another knock while I owned it.

Here's a vid for (Ford the sound only). You'll have to turn up your volume.

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[Antimatter22]

I think I have a similar issue. I haven't dug into it but there's definitely a rattle somewhere now that it's colder. I too have the panoramic sunroof. I thought I might have had something in the back seat moving around since I had half of the seats folded, but it does seem to be coming from the headliner somewhere.

 

[JerseyGlock]

Me too on the rattle noise.

 

[doolin64]

Temps hit 38 today. My noise is gone and the cab is quiet. If I lightly pull on the headliner when it's cold and noisy I can silence it it. I haven't had a chance to open the sunroof and really get up there to see what's going on. I need to get my mustang in storage and get the truck in the garage for winter before I can do that.

 

[astrand1]

So I have the same noise. It appears to be the black plastic piece that runs from one side to the other at the half way point of the glass. I heard it a couple of times tonight and when I put just a slight bit of pressure on that piece it was immediately quiet. Definitely seems temperature related.

 

[GT4]

I have the same issue. It's due to the plastic guard rail, and the headliner. The headliner has adhesive/glue on either side of the moonroof in a couple spots. In only a short 10 months for me, in the summer and winter, that glue has detatched from the plastic guard rails and now makes a constant chatter. It's super annoying. Had a local dealer check it out and we scheduled an appt coming up to fix it. It's mainly a headliner and glue issue, from what I can tell. I don't know if any clips or anything are actually broken.

 

[doolin64]

Thank you! This is what I've found as well. I can reach up and stop the rattle if I rest my finger on the plastic rail just behind my head. Please keep me posted on how they fix.

 

[crazywayne311]

started a thread here last month about the same exact thing. noticed it when it got cold. have the twin panel as well and found out its from the black plastic piece that spans across the two panes of glass. @Roxerroneous mentioned he ran a piece of weatherstripping along the back of the divider and it was working for him. even shows a pic if i remember correctly.

someone mentioned on the other F150 forum that that a piece of rubber kinda comes but it wouldnt stay in place well.

 

[Big Cam]

I've lived in North Dakota my whole life, this is just part of the cold. Metal and plastic held together with plastic clips will definitely make noise when it is sub zero temps.

My 22 Tremor has a slight noise that comes from what sounds like the rear headliner, but only when it's super cold, just part of living in a cold climate.

 

[doolin64]

As of right now, I resolved my issue with the headliner. My rattle was coming from black channel/guides that are glued to the headliner. Since the noise was not constant, I was hesitant to go to the dealer and get the inevitable "we couldn't replicate the noise comment". Over the weekend I grabbed a tube of E6000 glue. I simply ran glue back where the adhesive had let go. I used some window foam insulation to wedge the channel tight against the headliner and used two small c-lamps to pull the headliner up at the same time. A day later I removed the c-clamps. Left my foam wedges in for 72 hours and then removed them. As of this moment, I now have a silent sunfroof/headliner.

 

[patmulligan99]

started a thread here last month about the same exact thing. noticed it when it got cold. have the twin panel as well and found out its from the black plastic piece that spans across the two panes of glass. @Roxerroneous mentioned he ran a piece of weatherstripping along the back of the divider and it was working for him. even shows a pic if i remember correctly.

someone mentioned on the other F150 forum that that a piece of rubber kinda comes but it wouldnt stay in place well.

so found this thread I am getting all sorts of rattles in cold weather that’s just science unfortunately . I would be hesitant to alter that middle cross piece because for me like many pano roof owners I get water in the seals, and that cross piece has a channel that actually carries water that comes in towards the side drain channels. I have no idea if it was supposed to do that but I would be concerned about the weatherstripping blocking that water channel. Maybe others can confirm that but in heavy rain if I pull that piece down a bit there’s a little water at that seal but the cross bar carries it to the side

 

[doolin64]

I solved my winter rattles and traded my truck. I'll try again in a few years when they do a redesign, but I'll also skip the sunroof unfortunately. My neighbor just ordered his 2025 F250 Platinum and was thrilled he could order without a sunroof. Sad, because I like how bright the cabin. We should be able to have no rattles. My '21 Ram piano roof was silent. My '24 Silverado's is too small to rattle. Haha.

Ford still remains my favorite.

 

[patmulligan99]

I solved my winter rattles and traded my truck. I'll try again in a few years when they do a redesign, but I'll also skip the sunroof unfortunately. My neighbor just ordered his 2025 F250 Platinum and was thrilled he could order without a sunroof. Sad, because I like how bright the cabin. We should be able to have no rattles. My '21 Ram piano roof was silent. My '24 Silverado's is too small to rattle. Haha.

Ford still remains my favorite.

At least you stayed American

 

[crazywayne311]

so found this thread I am getting all sorts of rattles in cold weather that’s just science unfortunately . I would be hesitant to alter that middle cross piece because for me like many pano roof owners I get water in the seals, and that cross piece has a channel that actually carries water that comes in towards the side drain channels. I have no idea if it was supposed to do that but I would be concerned about the weatherstripping blocking that water channel. Maybe others can confirm that but in heavy rain if I pull that piece down a bit there’s a little water at that seal but the cross bar carries it to the side

At this point, i've just been living with it...i got another rattle on my drivers side door though thats starting to drive me mad. damn shame a $75K MSRP truck would rattle unless the roads are glass smooth or its above 70°

 

[patmulligan99]

At this point, i've just been living with it...i got another rattle on my drivers side door though thats starting to drive me mad. damn shame a $75K MSRP truck would rattle unless the roads are glass smooth or its above 70°

I agree. It is what it is. I mean my 1997 S10 sounded like a box of Lego’s lol. I put a piece of weather strip under the headliner and that’s dampened the creaks there. But that overhead bar I’m cautious on becuase I think here is a water channel for penetration

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