2008 Rogue sounds like the back hatch is open when it is raining outside

[fstrchld15]

I have a 2008 Rogue SL AWD and I absolutely hate it when it is raining outside (or wet) it sounds like the back hatch is open. Even my girlfriend asked me if I had a window open. Is there anyway this can be fixed? If so...how? Thanks everybody!

[Iron Clad Lou]

hehe, my wife and I have the same problem on our 2011...I swore the back window was open!

[casperfun]

I concur that the noise was really noticeable the first time it rained. Quite bizarre if you tell me as if the hatch was open.

But recently I have not notice much sound back there even when it rains. I don't know if I became accustomed to it or what not because I always wanted to Dynamat it but never got to it. Then I realized that it was not that noticeable much.

It may be because of the following:

1) I bought a cargo floor mat protector made of tough plastic that covers the whole area. (heard the cargo protector works too)
2) I placed some type of garage absorbing mat in the back. (double size of a usual welcome mat)
3) I placed this black soft cushion for large dogs in the back to protect the area even more so I can throw junk in the back.
4) On top of that I placed some extra floor mats I had lying around as another layer of protection for the heck of it.
5) I once went to the post office and placed some priority boxes not folded yet for future use under the cargo mat. Hence any cardboard for that matter works. Is another layer to deaden sound.
6)Play a little music helps but no need to blast it.

All this was really to protect the cargo area from junk I throw in the back but it seems to quiet the noise there alot. Moreover, it still looks like a flat area and not a mound of mess either. Just use your imagination to muffle the sound and it should work too.


All this has really muffled the sound of rain to practically nothing for me at least. You can also try putting a blanket in the spare tire area.

These are quick ways to decrease sound.

[kerrton]

The problem is caused by the fact that this is a hatch vehicle, so you will get much more noise than a sedan where the trunk is isolated from the cabin.

More significantly, the Rogue has no sound insulating material under the cargo area which leads to the issue you're describing. If you are unhappy with the level of road noise, you can insulate the under-cargo area with a variety of products such as "DynaMat". You can google the product information and many equivalent products exist on ebay, all of which can be installed yourself.

There is quite a long discussion on the topic with a few different ideas for addressing the issue:

post6028361.html?hilit=road noise#p6028361

Myelf, I find the Rogue is slightly below average in terms of undercarriage road noise compared to others in the class, but it's well within reasonable limits. There is room for improvement but it doesn't bother me, others may have a lower tolerance for undercarriage noise, in which case I'd recommend installing some sound deadening product such as DynaMat. Good luck.

[tiggy_rogue]

Kerrton; I respectfully disagree with you. My wife drives vw tiguan, you couldn't tell whether it is raining or not when you drive. By the way, tiguan is also hatchback. so I agree with the OP that this is completely unacceptable. I wash both the cars every weekend, Nissan did not put any insulation in the rear wheel well. Tiguan has a very thick rubber insulation in the wheel well. So it is doable, it is just that Nissan cheapened out with these essential items. I am not a young guy and I only drove Nissan for the last 20 years. Rogue for sure will be last Nissan ever for me due to cost cutting here and there as compared to comparably priced to alternatives.

[kerrton]

Hey I agree, as I stated above, "the Rogue has no sound insulating material under the cargo area........and the Rogue is slightly below average in terms of undercarriage noise compared to others in the class". I also recommended installing some sound deadening material like DynaMat because several owners reported very good results. I too wish Nissan would have at least made some effort to address the issue, but honestly it isn't high on my list of annoyances, but everyone is different.

Nissan definately cut some costs in the cargo sound proofing department, but comparing it to the Tiguan is also not a fair comparison as the VW purchase price is several thousand more for comparable models.

Good luck and let us know if you have any success addressing this issue.

[fstrchld15]

lol here is how I address that issue:

12" Alpine type-r and my girlfriend yelling "its making my hair move!"

[Qashqai]

When it rains, I close the moon roof curtain (I don't know the proper name). It dampens the sound a lot. When it is open, the rain drops falling on the the glass of the moon roof make noise as well.

[TaiLuu]

I always have the music up so I don't really hear it. But one time when the song was changing and it was raining I heard it, and I thought there were holes in my wheel well from the liquid rust on the road lol.
I'm guessing that the Rogue will get really cold in the cargo area this winter.

And if you go to the spare tire and you knock on the metal under the spare tire its very hollow.

[casperfun]

IMHO, I think any vehicle over $21,000 (especially a SL $27,000) should not sound like you're driving with the hatch open for any reason weather-wise. Unfortunately, we do not become aware of the problem until it rains which for the majority of us did not happen during our purchase. I mean obviously Nissan saved money not implementing a locking gas cap at the very least they could have sound-proofed the cargo area with the money saved.

When it rains, I close the moon roof curtain (I don't know the proper name). It dampens the sound a lot. When it is open, the rain drops falling on the the glass of the moon roof make noise as well.

Wow, I must be an old fart because I really never noticed that. It is like those cell phones where only teenagers have that high pitch ring that they can only hear or those store fronts that play that high pitch sound to shoo loitering teens.

And if you go to the spare tire and you knock on the metal under the spare tire its very hollow.

Funny thing, I was checking the doors yesterday for the same reason and it was also hollow in the majority of the area. But at least the doors sound solid when you close it......... just don't tap it.

[kerrton]

I do agree that Nissan cutting corners in these areas is not acceptable, a small cost savings makes a big sacrifice in terms of the vehicles overall feeling of quality. For a very small cost ($50 worth of insulating material) they could have made the vehicle sound and feel much higher quality.

The other similar problem area that I will always be annoyed with is the door seals, they are very flimsy, and I suffered from terrible wind noise from my drivers side door which I eventually solved by experimenting with lots of layers of foam insulating tape - not what you should have to be doing with a new car. It doesn't look terrible but it doesn't look great either, and a new vehicle should not have these issues. The rubber seal in the lower hatch area got ripped in the first month I owned the car by my dog's foot. Yes those claws are sharp but a heavier duty rubber would not rip that easy.

Bottom line, Nissan did cut corners in these critical areas to save a few bucks but to me it was NOT a good decision at all - it will lose them money in the long run. It would have been much smarter to make a good investment in these critical areas as it would have resulted in a much more solid, high quality, upscale feel to the vehicle which results in happier customers, more sales and more return sales when those happy customers come back.

[tiggy_rogue]

Dear Kerrton;

I just checked the price of Tiguan in Canada and you are right, it is very expensive, I was shocked. It is not fair to compare Tiguan to Rogue for Canadian buyers. Having said that, in US, I paid 27k out the door for my 2009 Rogue (with all the options) and 28.5k out the door for 2010 Tigaun SE. For $1500 extra, you get much faster car, higher quality leather, 12 way driver, 8 way powered passenger seat, automatic climate control (single zone though), 6.5 inch touch screen radio, panoramic sunroof (covers entire front and rear passenger )one touch electrically foldable mirrors, memory seat (you program different key fobs, when you unlock door with respective key fob both front seats, radio channels, mirror settings automatically adjust).

Please do not get me wrong, my point is not the say Tiguan is a better car and Rogue is bad, but to point out that Nissan is making more money than VW when compared to what they offer for the money. It has the resources to spend few extra dollars to put insulation in the trunk area. Also, while we are on the subject, Tiguan has door sills both on the door and the car itself (the location where the door seal touches the car). My point is it is doable and Nissan choose not to in order to make $50 more from my car purchase.

[300winmag]

I searched high and low before settling on the Rogue, I looked at VW but the Tiguan was 10K more then my Rogue... Looked nice but its a Volkswagen.... One thats 10K more expensive then my Nissan....

[tiggy_rogue]

300winmag; To be fair, no way i would have purchased Tiguan if it was 10k more than my rogue. i believe VW's pricing strategy is different between US and Canada. Also, if you plan on keeping your cars for a long time, Rogue is a better car as it may be more reliable with higher miles. For instance, my Rogue now has 55k miles (90k km) and I all did was basic maintenance.