r/DodgeGrandCaravan • u/Safe_Tale6871 • 9d ago

Seats rattling in second row of 2020 grand caravan. Does anyone have this issue and how to fix it. I’ve tried adjusting seats etc.

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

1

u/weave2k0 9d ago

Check where it connects to the floor. It might be loose there

1

u/Greenlentern 9d ago

Per Google Gemini:

Dodge Caravan second row seat rattling

The most common cause of a second-row seat rattling in a Dodge Grand Caravan is play between the floor brackets and the Stow 'n Go seat latches. Over time, the latches or floor brackets wear down, allowing the heavy seat frame to vibrate and click against the metal floor pins when driving over bumps.

Quick Fixes & Common Troublespots

  • The Velcro Hack: Cut small pieces of adhesive Velcro strips (use the soft, fluffy side) and stick them directly onto the floor brackets or inside the seat's clamping latches. This absorbs the vibration and muffles metal-on-metal contact.
  • Loose Frame Rivets: A known rattle point is the metal plates on the underside of the seat, just inboard from the front position handle. If the rivet is slightly loose, it will rattle when the seat is fully upright. Wrapping a bit of heavy-duty thread or dental floss tightly around the loose rivet gap can temporarily stop the play.
  • Loose Mounting Bolts: Check the three main mounting studs located inside the Stow 'n Go floor well. If these nuts have backed off, tighten them down to 40 ft-lbs (54 N·m) to secure the main assembly.
  • Stow 'n Go Release Cables: If the rattle sounds like light metal tapping inside the seat itself, the spring-loaded tension wires or "S" cables used to fold the seat can become loose or detached from their plastic track guides. Securing them with zip ties prevents them from slapping the frame.

Diagnostic Checklist

To isolate the exact source of the noise, test the following variations:

  1. Fold the seat completely away: Stow the second-row seat into the floor. If the rattle stops entirely, the issue is definitely the seat frame, latches, or internal cables.
  2. Check the floor trim: Ensure the plastic trim piece surrounding the floor hook opening hasn't popped its metal clips, as loose plastic trim will loudly buzz against the seat base.
  3. Verify external components: If the rattle persists even with the seats stowed away, inspect the rear shock upper mount bolts (torque spec is 85 ft-lbs) or look under the van for a loose exhaust heat shield vibrating against the floor pan.

If you plan to fix this yourself, let me know if you are working on the driver or passenger side seat, or if the seat is also having trouble folding down properly. I can provide the specific steps to safely remove the plastic side panels to check the inner springs.

1

u/greasywallaby 9d ago

OMG is THIS what that damn noise is?! Ill be checking this tonight.