Concerns - Popping/Creaking Noise from Sunroof

[Othon Von Salza]

@Kamauxx

Is that fix still working for you? What should be placed inside to still have a functioning opening roof and to eliminate the sound?

 

[Kamauxx]

@Kamauxx

Is that fix still working for you? What should be placed inside to still have a functioning opening roof and to eliminate the sound?

I traded the car a couple of weeks after making that post. It was still working at the time that I traded it. I ended up putting a thin strip of clear silicon in the problem spot and it kept it quiet and didn't compromise the seal.

 

[rockydil]

Yes, that "foot" was not the issue. As I mentioned, I can replicate the sound while the sunroof is open. I traced it to those three bolts on the same rail.

 

[Marc Collins]

Here I am with the same ticking noise coming from the passenger side rails. 2021 GT Limited (Canada). After three appointments with the dealer's service shop (waste of time) I am trying to fix myself.

I tried the fixes in this thread with no luck. I can generate the sound I hear while rolling by pushing down on the front corner of the open sunroof. By doing that continually and feeling around at the same time, I've found the culprits.

The issue is where plastic meets metal under the three bolts on the left side of my picture.

If I gently press my finger down in that area the creaking stops. I've tried loosening the bolts, adding rubber washers, and adding foam and putty spacers, with no luck. Only my finger gently pushing down works, and I can't drive like that lol.

Any ideas?

If you look at what I posted earlier, you will see that I essentially found the same issue/solution. (And I have also wasted my time taking my car to the dealer who claims they have never heard of sunroof rattles in KIA's, ever.) What I did, that I know is not the completely correct fix, was to install double washers on both sides at the front-most bolt. That forced enough space to prevent the metal-to-metal and metal-to-plastic rubbing that causes the problem. Of course, it only did so for the front third of the sunroof which is where most of the ticking was coming from on my car. I am saddened to report that it had "cured" the problem for a few weeks, but the old ticking is now returning (much less than before) in the other parts of the roof that I did not "wedge" away from each other.

I am convinced that what we are doing is the right solution--but it needs to be done for ALL bolts around the entire sunroof perimeter. This is something the dealer should do, after KIA HQ determines what exactly should be used--rubber washers, regular washers, ???

Good luck--we need to do an organized campaign against KIA Canada. The squeakiest-wheel people have had their roofs replaced (for this unknown to my dealer issue), which I don't actually think is necessary. At a minimum, if KIA had any sense, they should want to try a simpler fix to see if it works. Instead, denial is the order of the day, hoping we will just go away or give-up (or fix it ourselves). Which is exactly what happens most of the time, so it is a good strategy for them. PM me (others, too, please) if you want to do something more forceful with KIA HQ.

 

[Othon Von Salza]

If you look at what I posted earlier, you will see that I essentially found the same issue/solution. (And I have also wasted my time taking my car to the dealer who claims they have never heard of sunroof rattles in KIA's, ever.) What I did, that I know is not the completely correct fix, was to install double washers on both sides at the front-most bolt. That forced enough space to prevent the metal-to-metal and metal-to-plastic rubbing that causes the problem. Of course, it only did so for the front third of the sunroof which is where most of the ticking was coming from on my car. I am saddened to report that it had "cured" the problem for a few weeks, but the old ticking is now returning (much less than before) in the other parts of the roof that I did not "wedge" away from each other.

I am convinced that what we are doing is the right solution--but it needs to be done for ALL bolts around the entire sunroof perimeter. This is something the dealer should do, after KIA HQ determines what exactly should be used--rubber washers, regular washers, ???

Good luck--we need to do an organized campaign against KIA Canada. The squeakiest-wheel people have had their roofs replaced (for this unknown to my dealer issue), which I don't actually think is necessary. At a minimum, if KIA had any sense, they should want to try a simpler fix to see if it works. Instead, denial is the order of the day, hoping we will just go away or give-up (or fix it ourselves). Which is exactly what happens most of the time, so it is a good strategy for them. PM me (others, too, please) if you want to do something more forceful with KIA HQ.

Shouldn't rubber washers work better in providing the cushioning than metal ones? Also is the removal of the bug guard/net difficult?

 

[rockydil]

If you look at what I posted earlier, you will see that I essentially found the same issue/solution. (And I have also wasted my time taking my car to the dealer who claims they have never heard of sunroof rattles in KIA's, ever.) What I did, that I know is not the completely correct fix, was to install double washers on both sides at the front-most bolt. That forced enough space to prevent the metal-to-metal and metal-to-plastic rubbing that causes the problem. Of course, it only did so for the front third of the sunroof which is where most of the ticking was coming from on my car. I am saddened to report that it had "cured" the problem for a few weeks, but the old ticking is now returning (much less than before) in the other parts of the roof that I did not "wedge" away from each other.

I am convinced that what we are doing is the right solution--but it needs to be done for ALL bolts around the entire sunroof perimeter. This is something the dealer should do, after KIA HQ determines what exactly should be used--rubber washers, regular washers, ???

Good luck--we need to do an organized campaign against KIA Canada. The squeakiest-wheel people have had their roofs replaced (for this unknown to my dealer issue), which I don't actually think is necessary. At a minimum, if KIA had any sense, they should want to try a simpler fix to see if it works. Instead, denial is the order of the day, hoping we will just go away or give-up (or fix it ourselves). Which is exactly what happens most of the time, so it is a good strategy for them. PM me (others, too, please) if you want to do something more forceful with KIA HQ.

I was hoping you in particular would chime in. I did try your fix but the problem with mine is more to the rear side of the passenger rails. I will try with the dealer a bit further before giving up. They plan to look at it with the Kia Canada "techline" so well see how that goes. In any case, I will report back.

 

[Marc Collins]

I was hoping you in particular would chime in. I did try your fix but the problem with mine is more to the rear side of the passenger rails. I will try with the dealer a bit further before giving up. They plan to look at it with the Kia Canada "techline" so well see how that goes. In any case, I will report back.

Techline is empty (of course). What I am postulating is that as soon as you cushion the area that is rubbing now, it will just shift the problem to some other part of the sunroof rails. And yes, @Othon Von Salza, I would surmise that rubber washers might be better--that's why KIA should be addressing this problem themselves instead of forcing customers to jerry-rig their own solutions. I took my car to the dealer to ask them to work with KIA to come-up with the "best" approach after I temporarily solved the problem and thus proving the source of the noise. Their response was, sorry, there is no recognized solution, so leave your car here multiple times and we'll investigate, likely never finding a solution, as has already been the case (with me and many others on here). Oh, and by the way, this won't be covered by warranty because "adjustments" are only covered for one year.

So, the response was exactly a I had predicted on these pages. Step 1: denial that the problem exists or that anyone has ever reported it in Canada (despite our knowledge from here that entire sunroofs have been replaced to fix it). Step 2: incompetence and head-in-the-sand approach to finding the problem after you sledge-hammer them with proof and given experience from #1. Step 3: no customer-friendly solution because self-serving corporate policy is to continue to deny rather than admit the problem to minimize costs to KIA of their design-flawed sunroofs.

Lastly, in case I didn't mention it already above, @Othon Von Salza, yes, the bug/wind guard is quite tricky and delicate.

 

[rockydil]

In a slight update to the foregoing, Kia Canada has washed their hands of it. They had my dealer's tech drive another Stinger from their lot to see if the noise was there. It was (!) and so Kia thinks this is normal.

Fortunately, the dealer wants to see me through to a satisfactory outcome (credit to them), so I have another appointment with a different tech there to see if we can solve it together. Will report back.

PS double-barreled birds for Kia Canada

 

[Marc Collins]

In a slight update to the foregoing, Kia Canada has washed their hands of it. They had my dealer's tech drive another Stinger from their lot to see if the noise was there. It was (!) and so Kia thinks this is normal.

Fortunately, the dealer wants to see me through to a satisfactory outcome (credit to them), so I have another appointment with a different tech there to see if we can solve it together. Will report back.

PS double-barreled birds for Kia Canada

What a surprise!

Please let us know what they come up with. I would start with rubber washers under all contact points as a 99% likely solution that will cost next to nothing besides the labour. Thin metal washers may also work just as well because it is the contact between the rails and the roof/body of the car that needs to be prevented, not the contact at the contact points themselves.

 

[Revvdmedia]

In a slight update to the foregoing, Kia Canada has washed their hands of it. They had my dealer's tech drive another Stinger from their lot to see if the noise was there. It was (!) and so Kia thinks this is normal.

That's literally what happened to me on my fourth visit. While the term "normal" might be the case if noisy roofs are common, acceptable is not what I would consider the situation.

Good luck though, keep working with them since they are willing, good on them.

Side note, in hindsight, my dealer offered to replace the entire sunroof assembly, but under the stipulation that if any other noises arise, they won't touch it. Out of morbid curiosity, since I got rid of the car anyway, I wonder if it would have worked? I'll never know.

 

[briguy]

It really does stink that owners are forced to come up with their own solutions to these things. I too have the sunroof rattle, in addition to popping on the top of my front driver's side door (basically right by my ear), which can get quite loud sometimes (it gets worse when it's warmer out and has been sitting in the sun for awhile). Gummi Pflege Stift did nothing to help the situation.

And as I've mentioned it before on here, I am questioning my Stinger purchase after having experienced the great build quality of Lexus. My almost 15 year old Lexus IS 350 with 94,000 miles on it doesn't have these pops and rattles at all. Lexus was also pretty great to also have paid for 60% of the cost of a new (rebuilt) transmission when my IS was already 12 years old with 83,000 miles on it, because the car was extremely well maintained and the dealership I took it to got corporate to agree that the transmission shouldn't have gone so soon.

With my Stinger, the dealership said they had to outsource it to a specialist for sunroofs. When I got the car back, they said the place they outsourced it to said it was my sunglasses in the sunglass holder that was making the rattling noise (it's DEFINITELY NOT the sunglasses and DEFINITELY IS the sunroof). They said they also replaced the door trim, but still getting the same popping sound.

At this point they said to contact Kia and request a technician to look at the car. Completely frustrating.

 

[Nasscar]

It really does stink that owners are forced to come up with their own solutions to these things. I too have the sunroof rattle, in addition to popping on the top of my front driver's side door (basically right by my ear), which can get quite loud sometimes (it gets worse when it's warmer out and has been sitting in the sun for awhile). Gummi Pflege Stift did nothing to help the situation.

And as I've mentioned it before on here, I am questioning my Stinger purchase after having experienced the great build quality of Lexus. My almost 15 year old Lexus IS 350 with 94,000 miles on it doesn't have these pops and rattles at all. Lexus was also pretty great to also have paid for 60% of the cost of a new (rebuilt) transmission when my IS was already 12 years old with 83,000 miles on it, because the car was extremely well maintained and the dealership I took it to got corporate to agree that the transmission shouldn't have gone so soon.

With my Stinger, the dealership said they had to outsource it to a specialist for sunroofs. When I got the car back, they said the place they outsourced it to said it was my sunglasses in the sunglass holder that was making the rattling noise (it's DEFINITELY NOT the sunglasses and DEFINITELY IS the sunroof). They said they also replaced the door trim, but still getting the same popping sound.

At this point they said to contact Kia and request a technician to look at the car. Completely frustrating.

That's quite funny. The sunglass holder. That's a first. Of all the sunroof noise problems mentioned on this forum, I have never heard a Kia dealer say that was the cause. Unbelievable. Bit of an oxymoron though saying your Lexus build quality was so good and then next sentence, stating you had to get the transmission replaced after 83000kms. Pretty good that they paid some of the bill though. Just shows even with the rock solid reliability of Lexus (Toyota), that they too can get it wrong.

Good luck with getting your Stinger fixed briguy.

 

[briguy]

That's quite funny. The sunglass holder. That's a first. Of all the sunroof noise problems mentioned on this forum, I have never heard a Kia dealer say that was the cause. Unbelievable. Bit of an oxymoron though saying your Lexus build quality was so good and then next sentence, stating you had to get the transmission replaced after 83000kms. Pretty good that they paid some of the bill though. Just shows even with the rock solid reliability of Lexus (Toyota), that they too can get it wrong.

Good luck with getting your Stinger fixed briguy.

Well, yea, while the transmission on the Lexus went at 83k miles, I guess overall what I was trying to convey is that it was more of the exception rather than the rule, and Lexus agreed with that assessment and did something about it. And the rest of the car has been pretty rock solid. Like I said, no creaks or rattles almost 15 years on, engine has had zero issues and still runs like the day I bought the car, and pretty much every other repair that has been done is stuff that would be expected to wear out over this much time. Currently everything on the Lexus works properly, and it was recently scanned by my mechanic and is not giving off any error codes at all. And no question it cost me much less to maintain over time compared to other luxury brands.

In terms of Lexus/Toyota reliability, I have other family members who have experienced how good they are. My grandmother had a 2003 Lexus ES that my uncle still drives and it still runs great, and my father had a 94 Toyota 4Runner that he got a few hundred thousand miles out of.

 

[Aurelian]

@Kamauxx

Is that fix still working for you? What should be placed inside to still have a functioning opening roof and to eliminate the sound?

@Othon - I put a variation on Kamauxx's method by cutting up a silicone cardholder that you stick on the back of cellphones. Take one and slice the top flap off completely, then cut an appropriately sized strip out of the bottom side with the 3M adhesive. Apply the strip on the sunroof rail depression and you're done.

Linking the silicone cardholders below. $6 fix and you get extra cardholders out of it.
Self Adhesive Credit Card Wallet, SHANSHUI Credit Card ID Card Holder

 

[Marc Collins]

@Othon - I put a variation on Kamauxx's method by cutting up a silicone cardholder that you stick on the back of cellphones. Take one and slice the top flap off completely, then cut an appropriately sized strip out of the bottom side with the 3M adhesive. Apply the strip on the sunroof rail depression and you're done.

Linking the silicone cardholders below. $6 fix and you get extra cardholders out of it.
Self Adhesive Credit Card Wallet, SHANSHUI Credit Card ID Card Holder

Not discouraging others from trying this, but just be aware that depression is not the source of the frequent ticking/popping/creaking (that is the topic here). I already tried it. I can imagine it could dampen some rattles caused by driving over bumps, though, if that's your issue. The ticking is the metal rails making contact with the metal body of the car, which not surprisingly, is subject to change with contraction and expansion (why it's always worse when the car has been sitting out in the sun).

 

[Revvdmedia]

Not discouraging others from trying this, but just be aware that depression is not the source of the frequent ticking/popping/creaking (that is the topic here).

Can ticking/popping/creaking be the source of our depression though?

 

[Silvermanor]

I have this now too. Not sure if it bothers me enough to want the dealer to start ripping my car apart. Interesting to know if those people who had their sunroofs replaced had the problem reoccur.

 

[briguy]

That's quite funny. The sunglass holder. That's a first. Of all the sunroof noise problems mentioned on this forum, I have never heard a Kia dealer say that was the cause. Unbelievable. Bit of an oxymoron though saying your Lexus build quality was so good and then next sentence, stating you had to get the transmission replaced after 83000kms. Pretty good that they paid some of the bill though. Just shows even with the rock solid reliability of Lexus (Toyota), that they too can get it wrong.

Good luck with getting your Stinger fixed briguy.

I ended up taking it to another Kia dealership, rode with a tech, and of course he immediately confirmed the noise is coming from the sunroof. I wrote to the service rep at the initial dealership and let him know that the new dealership I took it to immediately confirmed the rattling was from the sunroof, and how ridiculous it was that the "specialist" his dealership outsourced my car to for the sunroof thought it was the sunglasses.

The tech at the current dealership I took it to also confirmed the pulsating of the brakes after the rotors warmed up a bit, and so they ended up having to turn the rotors. What's odd is that I purchased the car brand new and it had just over 100 miles on it, but the rotors were bad right from the beginning. I tried re-bedding the brakes, but it ultimately didn't work. After the rotor turning, they seem ok (for now), but still have to schedule an appointment for the sunroof for a few weeks from now.

 

[Dodger Blue]

I have this now too. Not sure if it bothers me enough to want the dealer to start ripping my car apart. Interesting to know if those people who had their sunroofs replaced had the problem reoccur.

It's happened to quite a few of us. Mine was cured for about 500 miles. I'm bringing it back in a couple days to have some parts changed (all they did last time was put a strip of insulating tape where they thought there was a rub). Kia seems very reluctant to admit there's a widespread problem.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Kia seems very reluctant to admit there's a widespread problem.

I think it's more like Kia is reluctant to change out sunroofs. They know there's a problem, or rather a complex of problems that cause noises. But there isn't a TSB type of solution for these.