# Passenger Side Airbag Dash Cover **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 15, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/passenger-side-airbag-dash-cover/132690 "2019-01-15T10:20:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PipeTelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d9b06d/32.png) [@PipeTelle](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PipeTelle)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/passenger-side-airbag-dash-cover/132690/1 "2019-01-15T10:20:42Z")
Purchased new Ford Escape five years ago. Except for basic maintenance every few months at the dealer, I’ve had five years of problem free driving. Yes, I like this SUV! I realize the attached image is blurry, but you can easily see the dashboard cover for the passenger side airbag. When the outside air temperature drops below 50⁰F the top of the airbag cover makes a rapid tick-tick-tick sound. It’s a low level sound, but very annoying. My sister has long fingernails. I asked her to tap rapidly on a plastic laminate countertop. That’s the sound I hear from the airbag cover. During the spring and summer months the tick-tick-tick vanishes. Obviously, the plastic is contracting when it’s cold and expanding when the air temperature rises. If I run the heater for 15 minutes the cabin air temperature rises and the rapid ticking slows down and eventually stops. In my shop I found some 3/32" very flexible black vinyl. I cut a strip and pressed it into the crevice (red arrow on image) at the top of the airbag cover. I hoped it would silence the noise. It helped a little, but not enough. What can I do to silence the tick-tick-tick forever? ![Airbag%20Cover](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/8/8e09652bb3eeadec6c38efe95f8c5f74ac771db0.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 1:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/passenger-side-airbag-dash-cover/132690/2 "2019-01-15T13:25:23Z")
Why would you think the cover itself is ticking? There is no driving force to do that. It can’t contract then expand rapidly enough to make a tic tic sound. I would suggest that there is an actuator (motor plus sensor) that has driven to the end of travel and tries to drive further because the sensor is telling it to. Hence the tic tic tic noise. Super common on GM trucks. The shim you installed just blocks the noise somewhat. Take it to you mechanic, tell them what you are hearing, did to quiet it and that will direct him to the actuator behind the airbag cover. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 1:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/passenger-side-airbag-dash-cover/132690/3 "2019-01-15T13:54:47Z")
Whether it helps with the noise or not, I suggest removing the shim. Do you really want to take a chance on it being sent straight toward your eyeballs at high speed in a crash? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/passenger-side-airbag-dash-cover/132690/4 "2019-01-15T13:57:10Z")
Very good point Lion9car . ---
**Author:** ![PipeTelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d9b06d/32.png) [@PipeTelle](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PipeTelle)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 7:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/passenger-side-airbag-dash-cover/132690/5 "2019-01-16T07:38:49Z")
I never intended to leave that shim in place forever. I just wanted to see if it would stop the ticking sound. I discovered the exact location of the ticking noise by asking a friend to drive a few miles, while I occupied the passenger seat. When I pressed gently near the top of the airbag cover the ticking stopped. The narrow gap from the top of airbag cover to the dash is wider on the left-hand side. I can easily flex the upper left corner because the gap is slightly wider. Mustangman, electronics was my profession for many years. I thought it might be a relay chattering or motor/sensor like you described. The question is, why does the ticking stop when I apply finger pressure to the top of the airbag cover? Also, why does the ticking stop during the spring and summer or when the heater raises the temperature inside the cabin? An electromechanical device like a motor or relay would not stop making noise when I apply finger pressure to the top of the airbag cover or completely stop ticking during the warmer spring and summer months. Seems logical, right? Buying this new Escape was a strange experience for me. I’m accustom to performing at least 50% of all needed repairs and maintenance. The Escape has a very lengthy comprehensive warranty. The last thing I want to do is void the warranty! A few weeks ago a mechanic (at the Ford dealer) told me that five year old battery was good. Well, after a few days I had starting trouble. Fortunately, it started after charging the battery. I immediately drove to Firestone and purchased an **Interstate** battery. Not cheap, but in my experience **Interstate** is the best aftermarket battery you can buy. I’ve removed airbag covers on other vehicles. Before touching the cover you disconnect both battery terminals and ground the positive terminal for 15 minutes. That discharges the airbag firing system (capacitors, etc.). Once the cover is removed, a mechanic (or me) will probably find a quick solution to the great tick-tick-tick mystery! ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 10:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/passenger-side-airbag-dash-cover/132690/6 "2019-01-16T10:14:53Z")
> [@PipeTelle](#): > > Also, why does the ticking > stop during the spring and summer or when the heater raises the temperature inside the > cabin? I’ll answer 2nd one first - because you, the driver move the temperature controls to a different position in the spring and summer so the actuator isn’t at its travel stop anymore. > [@PipeTelle](#): > > why does the ticking stop > when I apply finger pressure to the top of the airbag cover? I’d say the ticking doesn’t stop, it is now damped to the point you can’t hear it anymore. It may also be engine vibration that is driving the cover to vibrate. You touch it and it no longer vibrates. The cover is loose. The engine mounts being rubber, are affected by ambient temps causing the noise to go away in the cold. I’ll fall back to my original reply > [@Mustangman](#): > > There is no driving force to do that. It can’t contract then expand rapidly enough to make a tic tic sound. I am a mechanical engineer that has worked with electro-mechanical stuff as well as doing “squeak and rattle” work to quiet project cars for decades, FWIW. Given that, my best tool to making things quiet is black (or colored) duct tape. Disassemble the cover and cover any edges that might rub or rattle with duct tape. Use the appropriate color Cut really thin strips to stick between contacting edges. Add tape over the clip-holes. Poke a hole so the clip goes through. It tightens the connection and damps squeaks and rattles. All this is behind the covers that need to open if the airbag deploys, not in front.