Hey everyone. Let me start by saying I have very much appreciated all of the info on this site. It has absolutely helped with my issues. I bought a new 2014 Maxima on 2/20/15, not even 3 weeks ago. I had a Toyota Tundra that was destroying me on gas and I never towed/hauled anything. I rented a 2012 Maxima a few years ago when my car was in the shop and absolutely fell in love with it. I thought I would use a truck more so I bought my pickup. It just wasn't me. So when I heard about a good rebate deal on the 2014 SV models I went to my dealer and started looking at what was available. I ended up getting the SV Premium with Tech Package. It has the dual moonroof option. I love it; absolutely the best car I've ever had. There's just one small issue. There is this incessant popping noise around my left ear every time the road isn't 100% perfectly smoothe. I poked around a bit the first week and found that the small stationary window on the driver's side rear door was loose. It looked like the weather stripping wasn't sealing properly. I brought the car in for the second time (the first was to get an inspection sticker that was never put on). The service manager looked at it and saw some warping. He agreed to fix it free of charge but would have to order the part and have me come back. They would have to take the whole door panel off and keep the car for about half the day. I made them give me a loaner, which ended up being a base model Sentra. That sucked paying for a fully loaded flagship model and then having to drive one of their cheapest cars around for the whole day. I brought the car in for a third time and had them do the work. The rattle was still there, as I discovered later that evening. Well I wanted to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from before heading back out to the dealer for the fourth time. After reading about the Bose deck rattle I had my girlfriend drive me around while I sat in the back to see if I could hear it better. I could barely hear it from the back seat but thought maybe it could be coming from the deck. I found that the car seat hook covers sat pretty loose on the deck so I shoved some fabric in the crack to make it solid, and I jammed some towels between the rear window and deck. I could still hear the rattle/pop. I thought maybe it was a little more muted but honestly couldn't tell. I did some more research, primarily leading me to this site, and specifically to the dual panel moonroof rattle/pop posts. I believe the TSB is NTB09-132. It has to do with torquing down 18 bolts around the moonroof frame. One guy even said the noise they were experiencing was a popping sound over the left ear, just like me. It reminds me of someone tapping their fingernail on glass or tape sticking and being pulled off repeatedly. I can't make it stop by pressing anywhere or holding anything. It primarily does it over uneven terrain around 40-60 mph. A harder bump will almost always trigger it. I can't really hear it from anywhere else in the cabin. I called the dealer and told them about it. Yesterday was my fourth trip out their with the car, fifth if you count picking it up last time. I had to leave it over night so they could check it out today and try to pinpoint where the sound is coming from. I told them about the TSB for the moonroof and I told them about the common Bose deck rattle. They acted like they had no idea those things were ever an issue and looked at me like I had four heads. But, the guy that took it out with me yesterday did say he thinks he hears something, although the rain was masking the sound a bit. They have me an Altima as a loaner this time, so at least it's not so bad I guess. I hope to God above they find something and fix it, and I pray they don't screw up anything else while they're doing it. I read a few horror stories on here about people getting things fixed. I just think it's absurd that I've had to make a trip to the dealer five times within 2.5 weeks of buying a $40k car. I'm so frustrated right now. And the most ridiculous part is that my $18k loaner Sentra and $25k loaner Altima do not make a peep. They are quiet as can be. Seriously?

 

Try cracking open the drivers window just a tiny bit and see if that reduces or eliminates the rattle. Also, with the window closed, try pressing along the top of the window. If the noise goes away with the window slightly open or if you hear the noise when pushing against the glass near the top of the window then you will have to clean and lubricate the weather seals around the door but that is only a temporary solution.

 

TL;DR Summary of post:

Bought a 2014 SV Maxima. There's just one small issue. There is this incessant popping noise around my left ear every time the road isn't 100% perfectly smooth.

Found the small window above the rear driver's side door was loose. Took it in, Nissan repaired it, but the rattle remained. Think it may either be the dual panel moon roof or bose deck.

Full post with some actual structure instead of a wall of text:

 

He is a new member. Cut the guy some slack, you were a newbie at one time also. Have a nice day

 

Uh, what? I summarized his post and gave it some structure to help people read it more easily and give him feedback. Explain to me what part of that was d!ckish?

I didn't just say "Dude, your post is nearly unreadable....try some formatting noob."....that would've been d!ckish. But no. I took time and edited the post myself to help him out. You just having a bad day and looking for a target on internet forums to lash out at bruh?

 

My bad for the lack of writing structure. I wrote that at work on my phone and kept having to stop and check on a patient that was going bad. Grammatical correctness wasn't a priority at the moment. Thanks for the tip about the window though. I'm going to try that when I get the car back, hopefully Friday.

 

I'm going through the same thing with my 2012 Max now. They won't recognize NTB09-132 because it's not for my year model, so they want $1100 (I'm 5000 miles out of warranty) to remove the headliner and "troubleshoot" the sound. Took it to another nearby dealer, they said pretty much the same thing.

It's obviously an issue on newer models, too; not just the 2009-10. I know you're under warranty, so this should be fixed free of charge regardless. Let me know if they recognize it as NTB09-132 on your Max. Everyone at the dealership looked at me like I was completely naïve for referencing an "old" TSB.

 

They looked at me like I was stupid too when I mentioned it. I told them I realize it's a different model year, but it's the same generation of car, with the exact same roof design. Might not be the issue but it's very possible it is, and the fact that it's the exact same symptoms makes me question it even more.

They called yesterday and admitted they heard the sound too, so they pulled the headliner and checked the torque on all of the bolts. Supposedly they were all torqued correctly. A call to their corporate support led them to a new possible solution: loosen and remove all of the bolts, drive around the parking lot briefly to let the roof settle, and then properly retorque (word?) all of the bolts in an alternating pattern.

The tech seems to think this will solve the issue, IF the roof really is the culprit.

 

Update:
So I went this morning to pick up my car from the shop. The rep told me he took it for a drive this morning and believed the noise to be gone, confident they had found a solution. I was still skeptical. So off on a test drive I went before signing it back out. The noise was still there. Brought it back and told them what I had found.

They got the tech who worked on the moonroof to come out and he wanted to go for a ride in the back seat to see if he could locate the issue. It took us a half hour of test drives and playing with different stuff to finally figure it out.

Somebody had posted earlier in this thread about maybe the noise was from the weather seal on the door. That was a semi-solution. It turned out to be the corner of the weather seal at the top right of the frame, if you're looking at the driver's door from outside. Not the seal on the door, but the one on the chassis. The seal is glued all the way around except for this one intentional tab sticking up.

Apparently the dual panel roof models flex enough up top to make this corner ever so slightly loose, causing a popping sound upon impact of uneven terrain. He cut a piece of foam adhesive just big enough to stick on the frame behind the weather seal, under the tab, and make the fit between the frame and door tight. You can't even see the added material unless you purposely lift the tab away from the body.

It all but 100% fixed the issue. It's maybe 90+% quieter now, to the point that it's imperceptable, even over relatively large bumps. I got him to do the same thing to the passenger side and back doors just to be sure. Haven't heard a peep since. Thank God!

However, making one last check around the car for scratches, etc, I noticed a moderate size (3-4cm) gouge in the left lower front bumper plastic. They said they saw that and wanted to make sure with me that it wasn't there before it was in the shop. It absolutely wasn't. And the angle at which it's damaged could have in no way been from a rock or anything while driving. It would have had to be from someone bumping into it with some object while walking, such as in a shop.

They agreed and are now calling their body guy to see what to do. They said they would probably have to replace the entire front bumper. The service manager said he would drive in and get my car instead of making me go out there again, and tend to the issue while I drove a loaner...again. OMG, I'm so over this lol. Im glad the noise is fixed and I'm glad they were willing to correct their mistake, but this has been an absolutely ridiculous experience in exactly three weeks today of owning this car. Wow.

 

Glad you found a solution. Would you mind posting pictures of where the modification was done.

 

I can understand your frustration. However, you have to give credit to your dealer to actually complete from beginning to end and found the problem and fix for it. This is instead of sweeping it under the rug and ignore everything and will just push it on corporate to deal.

I would assume the dealer taking a hit on some of the cost but majority of the bill will probably go to Nissan headquarters.

It wasn't all that bad. It is not like you did not get a car to drive around during the whole time.

But I am glad you found peace in your issue.

 

 

Thank you sir!

 

Thank you for the follow-up and picture. I'm going to try this on mine now!

 

Placed some foam insulation at those locations but i still hear the creaking noise although it is better. Treated the rubber weather seals with Gummi Pfledge Stift and now there is no creaking sound. Not sure how long its going to last this time around as last time i used some silicone lubricant and that lasted only 2-3 weeks. In my case, the sound is definitely generated by the top of the rubber weather seal along the door rubbing against the frame. When i press against the top edge of the door (chrome trim) i can hear the rubbing/creaking noise but after the foam and Gummi Pfledge, there is no more noise.

 

Yesterday they came to get the car. They were nice enough to bring it to my work and pick up my car. Today they called and said my bumper was done and they're going to bring it back to me at work again. That made life much easier.

I noticed something when I was driving the loaner Maxima last night and this morning. There's that same popping/rattle noise by my left ear. It must just be the weather stripping they use on this model because, like I said, the loaner Altima and Sentra didn't do that. Granted it's much less than my car, so I guess the tech was right when he said the double moonroof allows the chassis to flex a lot more. This loaner has the standard moonroof. Just thought it was interesting.

 

I just wanted to thank you for posting this... along with the picture. I had the same noise on my '13 and it drove me nuts. A few pieces of foam in the same spot has quieted things down. Kudos for posting and updates to this.

 

You are very welcome. I'm glad I found the issue for my own sanity lol.

Bumper turned out perfect btw. Maybe now I can enjoy my ride for a while. Heck of a journey for a 3.5 week old car. Ha!

 

Thank you for posting. Will try this miniature surgery soon - - that popping noise is driving me crazy. What type of materials friendly for use on this fix, except foam?