What is making a noise under my steering wheel when car is not moving?

Question

I have a Toyota Corolla Verso bought in 2005. Recently it has started to make a noise somewhere in the steering column. Whilst it is only as loud as a clanking keyring, the odd thing is that the noise is made at irregular moments, nothing to do with speed or turning.

Most odd of all, the car can be motionless (engine running, handbrake on) and the noise will start and stop of its own accord, without anything moving. Yes, with my hands off the wheel!

If forced to guess, I would say the sound is coming from that part of the steering column nearest to the driver's knees. It reminds me of a motorised kids toy that is held so that the parts cannot move, and the internal mechanism slips and jerks. (For the purposes of this test, all children and toys were removed from the vehicle).

If you know what it is - can I safely ignore it, or do I really have to get it fixed?!

Answer 1

I would venture to guess that it is a completely random, and in no way threatening plastic trim piece/wiring harness/adjustment lever under the steering column that is rubbing or vibrating against it's fasteners or another trim piece. It is completely intermittent because sometimes it catches itself in such a way that it doesn't vibrate, or it could be activated by a certain frequency of the engine, which can occur at several different speeds depending on the gear you're in.

In my car, I finally felt around enough to track an annoying rattle to the electric mirror adjustment knob which was located on my steering column. I ended up putting a piece foam tape under the edge, which put just enough force against the knob to keep it from rocking due to engine vibrations.

Your rattle may be that easy to find, or it may be buried under a trim piece. If you have a Chilton/Haynes manual (or some google/forum searching skills), it will tell you what panels can be easily removed, and may also have diagrams to give you a better idea of what could be causing the pesky noise.