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2012 Titanium Front Strut Low Speed Noise (Clunk/Rattle)

645K views 3K replies 293 participants last post by  alex_5161 
#1 ·
My 2012 Titanium has an annoying low speed strut rattle. When it was new it wasn't there. It took a few weeks to materialize. It's only heard at low speeds. While turning or braking it is super noticeable. The service department freely acknowledged the sound was there. I must give them credit for not denying it.
We took the car to the dealer ship, and found nothing "technically" wrong. They greased the front strut bushings and the sounds went away for about two weeks. Yes. It really wasn't there anymore. I was thrilled.
However, it returned at the same exact rate and loudness as when I first bought it.
Now that it's been a couple months the sound is back full and loud.
The sound IS strut related. I know enough about automotive mechanics not to to be fooled by other sounds and noises. Since the grease made the sound go away for a short time the issue is clearly a strut issue.

Does anyone else have this problem?
The solution so far is only very temporary. I'd like to know if others are getting this noise.
Will Ford or the strut manufacturer make right on this? That remains to be seen.
 
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#1,920 ·
that's not right at all. it shouldn't be moving. usually there is a pin right before the transmission that "locks" the cv/axle in place. it should pop and lock in but not wiggle in/out.

why else would 2012s have different part numbers than 2013s?

everything else related to steering/suspension/handling seems to match up between '12 and '13 besides the spring.


Front Spring
BV61-5310-NF* Left Front Coil, BV61-5310-NF* Right Front Coil (Front)
$28.87
Vehicle Build Date between: 3/29/2012 and 12/5/2012


5310
Front Spring
BV61-5310-NG* Left Front Coil, BV61-5310-NG* Right Front Coil (Front)
$28.87
Vehicle Build Date between: 3/27/2012 and 12/5/2012



5310
Front Spring
BV61-5310-NF* Left Front Coil, BV61-5310-NF* Right Front Coil (Front)
$31.60
Vehicle Build Date after: 12/6/2012



5310
Front Spring
BV61-5310-NG* Left Front Coil, BV61-5310-NG* Right Front Coil (Front)
$31.40
Vehicle Build Date after: 12/6/2012
 
#1,921 ·
thejordan said:
that's not right at all. it shouldn't be moving. usually there is a pin right before the transmission that "locks" the cv/axle in place. it should pop and lock in but not wiggle in/out.
Not true. The CV axle will slide in and out of the output spline of the gearbox. If it didn't, there would be some serious drivetrain bind when the suspension compressed.
 
#1,922 ·
no, it should pop in and out, it doesn't just slide in/out effortlessly. there's a ring that holds it in place. drivetrain bind doesn't really occur because of the cv and hub assembly. if you compress the strut, the axle still isn't moving a whole lot. the CVs can bend and rotate internally (it has to for steering to work).

here you go:



regardless, it still doesn't answer why the 12s have different axles/cvs compared to 13s.
 
#1,927 ·
Wheel end motion is accommodated by plunge within the inner cv joints. The halfshaft can slide laterally inside this joint housing. It can also articulate in angle.

This is needed for steering because the outer cv joint center isn't completely coincident with the steer axis. It is also needed for suspension travel because the arc of the wheel end motion isn't centered on the inner cv joint center. It is also needed to accommodate movement of the powertrain on its mounts.
 
#1,928 ·
Okay that makes sense if the CV joint is allowing for this change at the wheel.

So the CV could be a likely candidate for the clunking sound? I'm wondering if the CV part of the axle is what they changed from '12 to '13 resulting in different part numbers then.

I'd like to see someone put in a '13 axle in their clunking '12.
 
#1,931 ·
Just to even clearer....

The sound my half shaft makes is when you are under the car, with it sitting on ramps, on the wheels, and you grab the half shaft with your hand and jiggle towards the wheel and towards the tranny. It moves about .030 and makes the same type of sound I hear when I hit tiny bumps, and that sound goes away when it gets hot, but it takes longer than you think. Like ten minutes, and if its colder than 45 it takes a really long time to go away, but the only time I ever had it down to 35 degrees it was silent too, and then started making the noise again at 45 degrees.

The way I understand CV joints the slack should be taken up within the parts that slide around each other, and there would be no clunking when the half shaft moved only a little bit. It's hitting something at each end of that 1/32 inch of travel.

When the suspension compresses, it would change the distance between the wheel and the tranny but way more than that, and that distance is accommodated by the CV joint. But I would think that accommodation would be silent cuz nothing hits anything.
 
#1,932 ·
Despite the noise from the half shaft. I mean even though it sounds similar to the clunk. The fact remains IMHO, that my dealership temporarily fixed my issue 100% for the brief 10k miles before the noise came back. As far as I know they did not replace anything to do with the half shafts, CV joints, etc. Only the Springs, Bearings, Top plate, bolts, etc. So I think were barking up the wrong tree by considering its CV/Shaft related. Obviously the noise has to be related to one of the parts replaced.

Has anyone had a close look at the dust boot on the strut? Is it pretty soft material or thick plastic that could be binding up? I recall in this thread that someone once applied a Bunch of Lithium grease somewhere on the dust boot (maybe up top) and it resolved the clunk until the grease dried up. Hmmmmm
 
#1,937 ·
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT9GwrJbN4g&feature=youtu.be

Let me know if you have any problems with the video.

So, once I discovered this item making this noise, I had my son do the exact same thing you see me doing in the video and I got inside the car. OMG its the EXACT same PITA noise I've been hearing all along. I took some universal packing grease and packed that upper foam piece as best I could. I also locked the lower black dust boot into place and zip tied it tight so it couldn't pop up and creak.

I put about 150lbs in the front seat and went to a parking lot of a nearby closed Food lion and went over several speed bumps, Braking over some really rough pot holes with the wheel turned. There's a place in my development that I can ALWAYS get to make the noise. GONE!. I came home and unloaded the weight. I had my son sit in the front seat and we went back to the same course. It always makes that same noise with him and this time. NOT even a hint of it.

I don't know if this is exactly the same sound others have had but it was really easy get too.

Also. I did tighten up the pinch bolt on the Strut where it connects to the spindle part. It wasn't as tight as I thought it could be so I was able to get that a little bit better.

I"ll keep a close ear for if it creeps back or not. That little part thats making all the noise. You can easily pry it out and down if really wanted to get rid of it. I don't know what function it really serves.

Hope this helps!.

This is the video that led me to check that area of the strut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se7pC9_LY3g

B.
 
#1,939 ·
That creaking Sound though when your inside the car. Sounds exactly like a dull clunking noise. Its bizarre.

My theory is, when you have some extra weight in the car from a passenger or when braking. Your compressing that dust boot and its' binding all up, popping and creaking and its like an echo chamber inside. The fact that I have completely eliminated all sounds from mine (knock on wood) tells me that I've found the source. Over the next week when I have more people to test riding with me, over some pretty rough terrain that usually causes the noise. If it passes that test then I'll feel 100x more confident that I nailed it!.
 
#1,945 ·
Didn't sound like my noise at all ... as I've said before ... my noise had a MUCH quicker attack and decay, meaning the sound was sharper ... and far more metal on metal sounding.

Hope it works for you though !

Hard to believe Ford didn't find that if that's the problem with some cars.

REV
 
#1,947 ·
Rev,

Ugh that sucks man. I was hoping this might have benefited you as well. I can't say that mine has ever sounded quite metallic. Just that hollow clunk sound similar to if you tap the brake pedal.

HEY! That's my video haha! I made that going over the curb at the end of my parent's driveway when I was there over the summer. I'm glad that its led to helping out someone in some way, nice [thumb]!!
Wilson, Awesome!. I have listened to your video a number of times. It was a big help!. Thank you for posting it..
 
#1,948 ·
Lip,

I jacked the one side up. Approx with the tire off the ground by an inch or so and removed the wheel. That was it. You can then sit down and easily get to that piece.

Its' so weird now, because on the way home from dinner. I'm cringing on the areas that Im driving toward because I know from experience its going to thunk and clunk like crazy here and there but to hear NOTHING now is a such a feeling of relief that this can be fixed. The biggest part was finding the source.
 
#1,949 ·
theres a couple posts on here where the strut bushing area has been greased ,noise went away temporarily, came back in a few weeks.
Ok.. It's been a long time since I posted here. We took the car to the dealer ship. They greased the front strut bushings and the sounds went away for about two weeks. It returned at the same exact rate and loudness as when I first bought it. Now that it's been a couple months the sound is back full and loud.
The sound is strut related. I know enough about automotive mechanics to to be fooled by other sounds and noises. Since the grease made the sound go away for a short time the issue is clearly a strut issue.
Will Ford or the stut manufacturer make right on this? That remains to bee seen.
 
#1,952 ·
Yep. I'm going to certainly give it a good week/month before I completely call the war won. I remember the post where the guy packed the bushing which was helpful in my looking into doing the same.. Where the other guy sprayed a bunch of white lithium grease I actually used axle grease (thicker). Hoping the grease will hold up longer. So far so good!

I really don't even see the need for this part anyway. I wonder if it could be completely eliminated without causing any harm to the struts or bearings.

Don't forget I also zipped tied the lower dust boot as well fwiw.
 
#1,950 ·
That's awesome that you found the source of your noise and were able to fix it. Congrats.

It's a pity that my car had to be ruined by an incompetent dealership (Hines Park Ford in New Hudson, Michigan) when they possibly could have fixed it with a bit of grease and a zip tie.

This just proves the old adage: "If you want something done right, do it yourself."
 
#1,951 ·
Should have gone to Bill Brown Ford in Livonia, MI! They were all over it and willing to help. They actually "fixed" my car with the whole suspension tsb blah blah, but of course the noise slowly came back. At least it's not as bad as it was. But maybe I'll investigate Dysans method [idea]
 
#1,955 ·
Glad you found the source of your noise, but I'm not so sure that solution would've worked on mine.

When I was experimenting with my Focus, every time I performed any kind of strut bearing swap/strut swap, I lubricated my bumpstops and dust boots with a good coating of white lithium grease (paste, not spray), and the noise never went away.

The only times my noise went away or improved was when I replaced the strut bearing and mount with completely new parts, only to have it return in 500-1000 miles.

So, this may reinforce the possible issue that the clunk isn't the same for everyone. [:(]
 
#1,956 ·
Glad you found the source of your noise, but I'm not so sure that solution would've worked on mine.

When I was experimenting with my Focus, every time I performed any kind of strut bearing swap/strut swap, I lubricated my bump-stops and dust boots with a good coating of white lithium grease (paste, not spray), and the noise never went away.

The only times my noise went away or improved was when I replaced the strut bearing and mount with completely new parts, only to have it return in 500-1000 miles.

So, this may reinforce the possible issue that the clunk isn't the same for everyone. [:(]
Z,

I certainly don't doubt that at all!. Sucks we have to contend with the strong possibility that there's more than one source for these abnormal sounds under there.

I don't know if I ever read exactly, but was your sound anything close to the noise I was able to make in the video or more like Rev's being of a metallic type sound?

Whats really weird is I did not even touch the bump stop on the right side yet. I wonder why there's been no issue there since they replaced that side back in June.

One thing is for certain though, the noise I've heard (My Clunk) has always been consistent in the type of sound it made. Popping, binding, dull hollow tapping kind of sound on the firewall like a loose sway bar or bad bushing.

There's at least several places I can ALWAYS reproduce the noise anytime and so far so good now. I still cringe when I enter those areas because I'm scared the clunk is going to come right back but I just plow into it with determination that I need to keep testing this fix for me and so far it remains SILENT.

If the noise does come back, I at least now know where to look and would probably give serious consideration to digging that Styrofoam POS Bump stop completely out and just packing some more grease up in there and being done with it. I hope the heavier grease I'm using will last much longer than the time frame you experienced using the lithium though. Time will tell.

B.
 
#1,958 ·
By the way, I really don't advocate the complete removal of the bump stop. They're no longer simple suspension limiters, but integrated parts of the suspension that work with the struts and springs to maintain handling characteristics at the limit and keep you from punching through your hood with the strut shaft.

My noise was more of a hollow clunking that occurred when the suspension would oscillate rapidly, such as over curbs coming into driveways, recessed manhole covers, potholes, or rippled/washboard pavement coming up to a stoplight. It was semi-metallic in nature, sounding like two solid materials slapping together. It was like the three strut mount bolts attaching the strut to the strut tower were backed out a couple turns and you could shake the strut up and down. However, mine were always torqued to spec.

I did have creaking at one point, but I eliminated that when I replaced the strut mounts. I think I damaged the strut mount by over-torquing the center strut nut while everything was still mounted to the car. The creaking noise, I believe, was from me breaking the metal insert loose in the strut mount.

I don't think anyone can do any harm, though, by pulling down the dust boot and lubing the contact points of the bump stop with grease. Apply grease where the bumpstop sits in the strut bearing, where it sits on the strut shaft, and where it contacts the strut boot. Just be careful to not apply grease to the shaft below the bumpstop; contaminating the strut seals with foreign grease could result in deteriorating strut seals, which will leave you with prematurely blown out struts.
 
#1,961 ·
By the way, I really don't advocate the complete removal of the bump stop. They're no longer simple suspension limiters, but integrated parts of the suspension that work with the struts and springs to maintain handling characteristics at the limit and keep you from punching through your hood with the strut shaft.
Another thought I had would be to simply pop the bump stop out of where it's connected at the top. I did pull down on the bump stop a little and it appears to just snap into place. I thought I could pop it loose and let it slide down the strut shaft and just float. That way it can't really squeak against the top of the mount and still provide a bump stop if the strut were ever compressed to that degree. On a lowered car I can see how critical the bump stop would be but I think I'd have to jump a huge ditch to ever compress the strut to the point that the bump stop would do anything.
Also by looking at the material it's made of, I honestly doubt it could prevent any serious damage anyway.
 
#1,990 ·
Does anyone know if there has been a TSB issued for the strut noise?...
...What would be valuable now is if Cory can check...
...Perhaps Cory can confirm that as well...
...when I took it in and they put it up in the air to chk it, (unloading the suspension) the sound would go away for almost a month...
...I'm thinking of taking my car to an independent suspension place to lube the bump stops to see if that solves the problem...
...Except for the clunk which is worse now...
...Noise is now back after couple hundred miles..
...my 2013 just developed this mysterious clunk...
I’m sorry for missing the updates on this thread, guys. No, I don’t have available info on this. These things take time, so I appreciate everyone staying strong. If you’ve experienced this, it’s important to PM me. For those who haven’t already, please include your VIN, current mileage, full name, phone number, and dealer details.

...I am finally clunk free!!!...
Han.MK3,

This is great news! Thanks for sharing. [woot]

Cory
 
#1,969 ·
Before I discovered this fix. I logged a formal complaint with Ford and they called me back today and told me that Engineers are aware of this problem and are nearing completion of a TSB. With that said, I have my doubts because she could not really give me any time frame whatsoever and I'm sure many on this thread will attest to the fact that a lot of us have been told this for well over a year now.

I tried to pry a little and ask if I should just call my Service dept and ask if a TSB has been released yet for this issue on a monthly basis or would I be notified. Also, if she could tell me what they call this issue around the office on her side of the phone. She said they refer to it as just a front end clunk or front suspension noise.

Perhaps Cory can confirm that as well.

So in the meantime,. Try lubricating that foam bump stop if your having the same noise until you hear of a real TSB for this problem. A little dab of bearing grease in the bump stop is all it took to cure my noise and I honestly didn't put as much as could in there. So I didn't pack it or anything. I was going to try and see if I can find some sort of automotive syringe to squirt a little more grease evenly all around the bump stop (inside of it) but again.. I believe the the bearing grease (comes in a can) is way thicker and going to last way longer than white lithium. Time will tell. I have other options if the noise comes back. :)
 
#1,975 ·
Thanks, Dysan, for the find. I'm thinking of taking my car to an independent suspension place to lube the bump stops to see if that solves the problem.

Will be out-of-pocket but may be worth it.
 
#1,976 ·
No problem and they make look at you funny for making that request but as long as the money's green and you explain whats going on, they should be able to get the boot to squeak like mine did in the video.

@Zillion - Man I sure hope so!. I need a few others to try this out and see if it fixes their noise as well. Where ya at LIP, Jordan. lol.
 
#1,981 ·
Thanks for the find Dysan, my 2013 just developed this mysterious clunk. At least I know where to look. Guess 2013's aren't immuned but I was hoping. Oh well...
 
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