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IMPORTANT: ALL MK3 Focus Owners, I could use your input.

48K views 302 replies 49 participants last post by  FordService 
#1 · (Edited)
IMPORTANT: ALL 2012+ Focus Owners, I need your input. Survey inside.

Alright everyone, I hate to be a bother, but I (and everyone else with the clunk issue) really need your help.

I've been heavily involved in trying to get rid of the suspension clunking issue that plagues the vehicles of many users here (see the master clunk thread HERE), including my own. I've replaced several parts on my own dime, with limited success. However, the noise has always returned.

Recently, a fellow member with a new 2013 Focus (late-August production) brought to light a discrepancy between strut tower braces used on Foci of various production dates. Under my own research, I have found that the updated strut tower brace has been issued different part number (#DV6Z-16A200A)

So, in an effort to hopefully correlate clunking suspensions with specific strut tower versions, I've developed a survey. However, to give you some background before you complete the survey, please view the following:

The following photo is from an early August production Focus ST (FF member: earthling_david, suspension does clunk)


And here is photo from a late-August production 2013 Focus ST. Take note of the reinforcing plate added below the factory strut tower brace that is conspicuously missing from the previous photo. (FocusST.org member: Kragbax, suspension does not clunk)


If your suspension clunks, please complete this survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDRLWE90cEVzcThkUVFjRkIyRVB1Zmc6MA#gid=0

If your suspension doesn't clunk, please complete this survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDRLWE90cEVzcThkUVFjRkIyRVB1Zmc6MA#gid=0

If you completed my old survey, please complete this survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDRLWE90cEVzcThkUVFjRkIyRVB1Zmc6MA#gid=0

Thanks, everyone. Your responses are greatly appreciated!
 
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#36 ·
Let me know what you've found, Lipshurt.

Here's an updated breakdown of the survey results as of 9AM this morning.

34 total responses.

Of those 34:
19 said yes to clunking symptoms
15 said no

Of the 19 that said yes, 18 have no extra reinforcement plates on their strut tower brace. Only 1 has the extra plates.

Of these 19, here's the breakdown by trim:
- 2 SE
- 7 SE w/Sport
- 1 SEL
- 3 SEL w/Premium
- 3 Titanium
- 2 Titanium w/Handling
- 1 ST

Of the 16 that said yes, breakdown by year:
- 16 are 2012 Foci
- 1 is an 8/12 build 2013 Focus that doesn't have the plates (built on 8/8/12, to be precise)
- 1 is an 8/12 build 2013 Focus ST that doesn't have the plates (built on 8/14/12)

Of the 15 that said no
- 7 have the extra plates, and 8 don't.
- 7 are 2013s, 8 are 2012s

It's a little muddier for those who don't have a clunk. However, nearly all that have the clunk, save for one person, are missing the extra reinforcement on their strut tower.
 
#37 ·
However, nearly all that have the clunk, save for one person, are missing the extra reinforcement on their strut tower.
I assume that's referring to me - in which case, my clunk is pretty much non-existent... maybe I should have said "No".

I think you're on to something! It's probably that plate (or lack thereof) causing this issue.
 
#39 ·
Hey folks!

For those of you who do have the clunk, please reach out to me via PM so I can get your cases documented and escalated. Zillon is doing some great work here, but it'll be helpful if I have documented cases to back up his data. If you haven't already reached out to me, please send me a PM with your VIN, dealer, mileage, daytime phone number, and full name.

Those of you who have already reached out to me, thank you. I have your information and will contact you if I need anything else.

Thanks!
Crystal
 
#42 ·
has anyone taken the strut brace out for a test drive? seems to me if that was the cause....without it the clunk would get worse or go away all together......i too can fit a credit card between the body and the paper thin strut brace anywhere except near the bolts.....going to take survey!
 
#43 ·
Ok guys. I've had this issue in the past as well and it's gone away since the weather got cooler. My 12 was built in April 11. My ford parts catalogue seems to say the part cutoff on the older one for my car (CV6Z-A) is from 1/31/11 to 3/19/12. Hope this is of some help.
 
#45 ·
Elwood, that's interesting. What's the date range on the new version (#DV6Z-16A200-A)? Also, would you mind throwing in a response to the survey?

I've been told directly that Ford is taking this very seriously; my survey spreadsheet has been passed on to body engineering, so all available information is pertinent.

To everyone else who has submitted a response, thank you!
 
#46 ·
I'm not 100% sure now since I don't hear a clunkng symphony on smooth roads but I do hear the suspension working over the speed bumps on the way into or out of the apartment complex, sometimes louder than at other times (that's usually related to being either over 15 mph (if being basically pushed by a tailgating car), or 0-15 mph when its usually quieter as the suspension isn't rebounding quite as hard. Most of the other suspension videos I've seen/ heard didn't even sound like there was something obviously wrong, but then again it could be that based on my old car I may have classified something as normal when it may not be on the new one.
 
#47 ·
I will do that soon, Dillon. I looked one up for an ST i had a vin # for and that part DV6Z specifies after 3/19/12
 
#48 ·
OK
This morning it was TOTALLY clunk free when it was 52 degrees. That was with the credit card jammed tight into the space. Only the drivers side has the space, and only that side makes noise.
Usually when it is 52 degrees the thing rattles like a model T or a Farmall Cub tractor.
It goes away when it gets warm, but it takes pretty long. sometimes 15 minutes to get warm enough.
Interestingly, I was up at lake arrowhead this weekend and it was 33 degrees and there was no clunk at all. It started clunking again later in the day when it was a bit warmer.

Ill drive it again in about an hour when i go to lunch. It usually clunks and rattles like crazy when i hit the speed bumps and uneven pavement joints in the lot.
 
#49 ·
Well, I just took a walk out to the lot and checked mine. I have a small gap on the driver side, but none on the passenger side, and the passenger side is where the clunk is.

I'll try putting something in the gap to see if it does anything, but you might have just gotten lucky with that.
 
#53 ·
Just got off the phone with my regional customer service manager. Certainly not the standard customer service call she's used to, I'm sure.

We did come to an agreement, though. Since I'm so far beyond getting this issue handled through standard warranty procedure, and I already have the updated strut tower brace on order, I'm going to be a guinea pig for the rest of you. I have the necessary tools, shop, torque specs, and installation instructions at my disposal. Whatever the result, she will be taking my findings and reporting them to Ford, which I'm hoping, if things go well, will be used to benefit the rest of you with your issues.

I'm hoping to have the new brace in my hands by Monday, maybe Tuesday at the latest. I'll then be doing the install in stages, so I can properly troubleshoot this issue. Initially, I'll be installing ONLY the brace. However, I have also ordered a new set of strut mounts and strut bearings that I plan on installing afterwards, just to ensure I don't have any more problems further down the road.

Thankfully, parts are cheap for this car.

In the meantime, keep filling out that survey!
 
#57 ·
Sweet, thank you!

Survey (second round) completed today...

2012 Titanium Hatch
Build 03/28/2012 (like, 11 days after the part cut off on the previous page)
No reinforcing plates
Clunk on driver's side

My driver's side strut plate has the aforementioned gap between the top of the tower and the plate... maybe 3/16". I wedged a keyring grocery store shopper card in there tonight, I'll report back tomorrow if I'm still clunking as badly as normal.
 
#55 ·
I just got a call from ford customer service canada, and he told me that the ossue will be resolved and my other issues as well. Thank you very much to Zillon, and crystal from customer service for getting this looked at! I was chuckling in awe how quickly i got contacted from crystal and ford canada.! 1 hour from me posting to the customer service rep here and ford canada contacting me. Thank you again made my day!
 
#56 ·


Starting from 23 seconds, sorry for the unsteady camera work, but I was trying to focus on driving. Oh and for some reason with the camera as far away as it was my voice still sounds funny. I don't believe I sound like that normally, but I don't record myself all the time either.

Idk, does that sound like clunk to you? It was 39F tonight, although the car should have been warmed up on the drive home from work.
 
#58 ·
I just completed the survey. I also completed one that you linked to from another thread. I'm not sure if that was the same one or not, so make sure I'm not double counted!

Thank you for doing all this work to sort out the problem.

Edit: I see from a prior post that I was already counted, so I shouldn't have filled in the survey again. Sorry! I'm the one with the ST builton 8/14 that clunks, and doesn't have the reinforcing plate.

Also, I have put a piece of thick, heavy duty double sided tape under the rubber piece that supports the coolant reservoir, on the off chance that the noise I'm hearing is the reservoir clunking. I haven't driven the car since I did that. I'll report back with the results the next time I'm out.
 
#59 ·
Well my car is a different car with the credit card wedged in there. I took it for a spin tonight when it was 57 degrees and my car was sitting outside. I could hear the sound a bit but it was muffled and the rattle frequency was faster. Without the credit card shim it vibrated at about 32 cycles per second (in musical terms, 16th note tripletsat 60 beats per minute) and with the credit card it vibrates faster, about 50 cycles per second (16th triplets at 90 beats).

I wedged another pece of credit card about and inch and a half away from the bolt where there was more play. Took it for another spin and its silent. The whole car actually feels better. It feels great.

In my opinion Ford has never spent any time on this. If they did, they would have stumbled on this loose area long ago. Especially if they were using chassis ears.

I'm glad zillon is narrowing down and homing in on the solution. Thanks zillion:)
 
#60 ·
I didn't write down all the times when it happened, but you can clearly hear it between 1:40-1:54, as well as several other times around the 2 minute mark, from 5:00-5:40 minutes. I'd have edited the video down but I don't think I have the proper software on this pc at the moment, or at least it doesn't seem to work properly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMSTvaXPMjY&t=23s

It seems to be making noise, but I'm not sure how much of that was due directly to the bad roads only or if there is some actual clunk, but its not quiet with the radio off.
 
#70 ·
Mine sounds like yours (passenger side ... my driver side is 'still' quiet after Ford replaced parts there) ... I was wondering the same thing as you. Whether or not it was this clunk or something else
 
#62 ·
Then it likely wasn't quite right from day one, but I guess its harder to notice it as being explicitly wrong if the radio is just loud enough. Although normally unless the blower was going very hard or I wanted to listen to a particular track loudly most of the time I stuck to between 5-10 (usually around 7) on the volume front.

I would have to say I think it was doing it from around the second day, but I can't be precise since I didn't think I was having an issue until I heard more about it. Most of the other videos did sort of sound "normal" to me based on my car, but if that just means my car is abnormal with the rest and that it should be quieter. I don't recall what my rental car had back in November of 2011 but I could swear it was quieter even though it was a sedan. It also had the LED dome lamps where as mine are freaking incandescent bulbs.

Great, so no just because you feel you're not experiencing an issue just could mean you've tuned it out, but its still there. I thought something seemed strange when it thwacked harder over bumps than I would think necessary. The tires are also a bit noisy at times, but the suspension is the part that would bother me.

Doesn't seem to be temperature related, but your survey says it needs to be and you can't choose both. Idk, seems like that happens over any bump at any temperature, although some don't seem to do it the same way.
 
#63 ·
So there doesnt seem to be anything visually wrong with the strut brace, that means nothing like other guys have been reporting with the gap. I i went around a right hand turn today, and there was a noticeable clunk/click throughout the turn. Also at lower speeds on uneven terrain there its what id describe a cluck/click/rattle.
 
#64 ·
Alright everyone, I hate to be a bother, but I (and everyone else with this issue) really need your help.

I've been heavily involved in trying to get rid of the suspension clunking issue that plagues the vehicles of many users here (see the master clunk thread HERE), including my own. I've replaced several parts on my own dime, with limited success. However, the noise has always returned.

Recently, a fellow member with a new 2013 Focus (late-August production) brought to light a discrepancy between strut tower braces used on Foci of various production dates. Under my own research, I have found that the updated strut tower brace has been issued different part number (#DV6Z-16A200A)

So, in an effort to hopefully correlate clunking suspensions with specific strut tower versions, I've developed a survey. However, to give you some background before you complete the survey, please view the following:

The following photo is from an early August production Focus ST (FF member: earthling_david, suspension does clunk)


And here is photo from a late-August production 2013 Focus ST. Take note of the reinforcing plate added below the factory strut tower brace that is conspicuously missing from the previous photo. (FocusST.org member: Kragbax, suspension does not clunk)


If your suspension clunks, please complete this survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDRLWE90cEVzcThkUVFjRkIyRVB1Zmc6MA#gid=0

If your suspension doesn't clunk, please complete this survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDRLWE90cEVzcThkUVFjRkIyRVB1Zmc6MA#gid=0

If you completed my old survey, please complete this survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDRLWE90cEVzcThkUVFjRkIyRVB1Zmc6MA#gid=0

Thanks, everyone. Your responses are greatly appreciated!
No reinforcement plate and no clunk that we have noticed. Our 2012 was built 08/09/2011.
 
#67 ·
Alright, here's the daily breakdown of survey results.

48 entries thus far.
29 of 48 claim to have clunking issues.

Of those 29:
28 do not have the reinforcement plates on the strut brace.
1 has the reinforcement plates.

Of those 29, here's the breakdown by trim:
- 3 SE
- 11 SE w/Sport
- 3 SEL
- 3 SEL w/Premium
- 1 ST
- 4 Titanium
- 4 Titanium w/Handling

Of the 29 that said yes to the clunk, breakdown by year:
- 27 are 2012s
- 2 are 2013s. These two also lack the additional reinforcement plates on the strut tower brace. One is a 2013 Titanium, produced 8/8/12, the other is a 2013 ST, produced 8/14/12

Of the 48 entrants, 38 lack the reinforcement plates on the strut tower brace. The remaining 10 have them.

Of these 10 that have the plates, 4 are 2012 Foci, produced in the first half of 2011.
- 1 of 4 has the clunk. The other 3 do not.
- #1 is a SEL/Premium, produced 3/11, no clunk
- #2 is a SEL/Premium, produced 5/18/11, no clunk
- #3 is a Titanium/Handling, produced 5/24/11, no clunk
- #4 is a SE, produced 3/28/11, does clunk

Of the 19 who said no to the clunk:
- 11 are 2012s, 8 are 2013s
- 9 have the reinforcement plates, and 10 do not

Breakdown of 10 without reinforcement plates and no clunk by year, trim:
- 1 2013 SE
- 2 2012 SE/Sport
- 1 2013 SE/Sport
- 1 2012 SEL/Premium
- 4 2012 Titanium
- 1 2012 Titanium/Handling

Breakdown of 9 with reinforcement plates and no clunk by year, trim:
- 1 2013 SE
- 2 2013 SE/Sport
- 2 2012 SEL/Premium
- 2 2013 ST
- 1 2012 Titanium/Handling
- 1 2013 Titanium/Handling

Looking at the date range for the reinforcement plates:
- 4 2012 Foci have them. All 4 were produced ON OR PRIOR TO 5/24/11
- 6 2013 Foci have them. All 4 were produced ON OR AFTER 8/27/12
- 34 2012 Foci do NOT have them. All were produced between 4/5/11 and 6/28/12
- 4 2013 Foci do NOT have them. All were produced ON or PRIOR TO 8/14/12
 
#68 ·
Alright, here's the daily breakdown of survey results.

48 entries thus far.
30 of 48 claim to have clunking issues.

Of those 30:
28 do not have the reinforcement plates on the strut brace.
2 have the reinforcement plates.

Of those 30, here's the breakdown by trim:
- 3 SE
- 11 SE w/Sport
- 3 SEL
- 3 SEL w/Premium
- 1 ST
- 4 Titanium
- 5 Titanium w/Handling

Of the 30 that said yes to the clunk, breakdown by year:
- 28 are 2012s
- 2 are 2013s. These two also lack the additional reinforcement plates on the strut tower brace. One is a 2013 Titanium, produced 8/8/12, the other is a 2013 ST, produced 8/14/12

Of the 48 entrants, 38 lack the reinforcement plates on the strut tower brace. The remaining 10 have them.

Of these 10, 4 are 2012 Foci, produced in the first half of 2011.
- 2 of 4 have the clunk. The other 2 do not.
- #1 is a SEL/Premium, produced 3/11, no clunk
- #2 is a SEL/Premium, produced 5/18/11, no clunk
- #3 is a Titanium/Handling, produced 5/24/11, very slight clunk
- #4 is a SE, produeced 3/28/11, no clunk

Of the 18 who said no to the clunk:
- 10 are 2012s, 8 are 2013s
- 10 have the reinforcement plates, and 8 do not

Breakdown of 10 without reinforcement plates and no clunk by year, trim:
- 1 2013 SE
- 2 2012 SE/Sport
- 1 2013 SE/Sport
- 1 2012 SEL/Premium
- 4 2012 Titanium
- 1 2012 Titanium/Handling

Breakdown of 8 with reinforcement plates and no clunk by year, trim:
- 1 2013 SE
- 2 2013 SE/Sport
- 2 2012 SEL/Premium
- 2 2013 ST
- 1 2013 Titanium/Handling

Looking at the date range for the reinforcement plates:
- 4 2012 Foci have them. All 4 were produced ON OR PRIOR TO 5/24/11
- 6 2013 Foci have them. All 4 were produced ON OR AFTER 8/27/12
- 34 2012 Foci do NOT have them. All were produced between 4/5/11 and 6/28/12
- 4 2013 Foci do NOT have them. All were produced ON or PRIOR TO 8/14/12
A MOST excellent job! kudos to you for following thru on this...
 
#71 ·
Steve from Tousley just sent me an e-mail, he has confirmed that the brace does come with the reinforcement plates attached.

So, just placed my official order. Everything is shipping out this morning.
(2) AD-1094 strut bearings @8.56ea
(2) AD-1098 strut mounts @10.80ea
(2) HN1 center strut nuts @7.08ea
(1) DV6Z-16A200-A strut tower brace @77.31

Parts total comes to $130.19. Hopefully this does it, comrades.
 
#72 ·
So if they come WITH the brace ... is there any real speculation as to why there was the gap in production where plates were not used? I know that problem isn't solved, but regardless, that seems to be a head scratcher. [dunno]
 
#79 ·
Ok, my car is silent with the credit card stuffed under the brace.
I think the obvious better solution would to simply drill a hole thru the thin sheet metal, and put in a machine screw to hold the two sheets together. Put some locktite and a lock washer and good to go pretty much permanently. Now that my driver side is quiet, i do hear a tiny version of the noise from the passenger side. There is a very small space there, I'm guessing about .008 or .012 or so.
looks like i have to take the cowl piece off to get a drill bit in there, but one screw per side should do it.

The sound (on mine anyway) is simply the sheet metal of the brace hitting the sheet metal of the top of the tower. Those tow pieces fit together in a compound curve. Hard to fabricate that exactly. there need to be more attachment points between the pieces. Thus the machine screw.
 
#80 ·
I think a better solution is to install the brace with the reinforcing plate. If there is indeed that much movement between the existing parts, a sheet metal screw isn't going to cut it. You need to address the structural weakness of the strut tower.
 
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