ray101381

i have a 2012 A7 and i love everything about it but i've notice over mid to larger bumps i hear a clunkin or rattle in the hatch, i'm thinking it's the latch that's not holding to trunk snugly but i'm not sure. anyone else with this issue? is the striker plate adjustable? i hate going to the dealer over the small rattles and noises as they're never able to replicate and fix it.

CHZHD

The roads in SF are perfect for creating that sound...

JerryS4

I have had the same issue and I think it's due to the two metal tabs on the cover that slide into the hatch slots. Metal on plastic is not a good thing. I coated my tabs with plastic dip and that helped.

jfintexas

I was just going to post something about this. Happens on my 2012 too. I had cleaned out the spare tire well to see if something was loose there, tighted the jack just in case it was that and still get it. Only over sudden bumps and I can how it would be difficult to replicate. Thre is one spot on my way to work (an exit ramp) that it happens consitently at :-)

chicagoA6

Same thing was happening to me on my MY12. I thought it was coming from the hatch area and did the same cleaning out the cargo area and spare tire compartment. Went as far as having my wife drive around while I laid in the cargo area trying to isolate the sound on a number of occasions.

After a very frustrating month I tried lowering the right rear seat and the sound went away. Turns out that the latch from the rear seat was causing the issue. Little felt tape and problem solved

jfintexas

Hmmmm...very interesting discovery. I will try this tonight. Thanks for the insight!

jfintexas

I put my rear seats down and tested. Still have the noise. It does sound as though it is coming right from that hatch release area. Good news is, I have gotten really good about recreating it :-) Will see if the dealer bites.

chicagoA6

Best of luck! Sorry it wasn't the latch

melland

Reviving this thread to see if anyone was able to resolve this issue.

Swapping between me and my husband riding around in the trunk - fun times - we were able to isolate the rattle to the actual latch that holds the hatch; not the hatch itself. If you push back the cover, the metal latch moves around a lot... moving it is what makes the sound. The latch on our Q5 doesn't move at all. The only good thing about this rattle is it only happens at really slow speeds... once you hit 30-40mph, I no longer hear it.

We could adjust the rubber bumpers to cause the hatch to have more "pull" and likely dampen or stop the sound but ultimately I don't feel the latch should have that much give in it. Nor do I want the hatch to no longer align with the rest of the car body.

The chrome piece that covers the latch doesn't look like it would be easy to remove at all. Does anyone know how to tighten that latch? Have an exploded view?

Should I just keep the music at full blast so I no longer hear it?

Thanks.

perlfather

I have solved this exact problem by wrapping one turn of black electrical tape around these tabs. Noise went away!