Simple fix for a Rear Hatch Rattle
We have a 2007 RX350 with about 10K miles on the ODO. Recently the car developed a very annoying and persistent loud rattle in the back. I took everything out of the cargo area, adjusted the rear seats, added a weather strip shim to the tray holding the spare, added more weather strip to areas where the spare contacts the bottom of the vehicle all to no avail. Then I went on a short test drive with the hatch up and the rattle was gone.
At about the end of my patience I just happened to notice that one of the automatic retract knobs for the luggage cover was in the "active position" while the other side was in the "inactive position". Since we had the luggage cover stowed below in the auxiliary box, both knobs should have been in the "inactive position". I set both knobs to the "inactive position" and went on a test drive. That simple fix completely solved the hatch rattle problem.
Section 3-6/Pages 260-261 of the 2007 RX 350 Owner's Manual show a picture of the hatch area and the two knob positions. I suggest that Lexus add a cautionary note to the effect that when the luggage cover is removed, the owner should verify that the two knobs are in the "inactive position" to avoid an annoying hatch rattle.
