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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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#2,739 ·
Whoever is the customer service rep now, I need to escalate a case and get yet another TSB repair done on my car. It's been in numerous times already for this same thing, but when I took it in most recently, it was cool outside and they couldn't reproduce the noises. Plus, since I'm outside the bumper to bumper warranty, I got stuck with a big diagnostic fee... and they didn't even find anything to fix. Since that visit, I took the car in directly to the service manager when it was warmer out, and he heard some of the noise. He ordered the latest TSB parts, but he said I need to get someone at corporate to approve getting it paid for. I'm NOT paying out of pocket for this again.
 
#2,741 ·
From what I understand how this issue is supposed to work is, if you have been in before your warranty was up, then since its an ongoing known issue, it should still be covered.
 
#2,742 ·
Fellow FocusFanatics,

Our 2013 SE has been in a couple of times for the low-speed front end noise. First time in, the strut bearings were changed but the noise returned within a week. Second time in, new struts and all was quiet for a few months (cold months). I just lubed the upper bump stop with synthetic brake grease, making sure to pack it up in between the rubber and the strut rod and.... all is quiet. I am pretty convinced that the problem on our Focus (maybe not all) is the bump stop material of construction because a little grease quieted things down. The rubber or polymer is not very slippery so it squeaks when it contacts the strut rod. I don't know why new struts are quiet for a while and then start to squeak. Maybe Ford could redesign the bump stop to use a different material or they could incorporate a Teflon sleeve and no grease would be required. This would be a much cheaper option than replacing the struts which only provides temporary relief.

It's a fast and easy thing to do so why not try [synthetic silicone-based] grease (something that is compatible with rubber or polyurethane) and see if it works for your Focus. A needle fitting on the grease gun gets the grease where it is needed (between the strut rod and the rubber). The bump stop can be reached with the car on the ground, or, if you want much more access, the car can be jacked up to lift the wheel off the ground.

HTH,

Chris
 
#2,752 ·
Just thought i'd chime in with my experience with this issue. It developed for me around 2000 miles or so, I took the car in and they replaced something which remedied it for about 3-4 days, then the sound returned. I never got around to fixing it and it seems to have fixed itself. I have zero noise now since about 22500 miles or so.(yes i lived with it for about a year.) I don't know if whatever was making the noise finally seated properly, or if something broke that made the sound go away or what happened, but its self-fixed. The car handles normally and operates normally(except for the POS DCT) and has no ill handling or suspension related issues at all anymore. The car is at the dealer now hoping to get them to do the TSB to replace the clutches / seals so i can enjoy the car for however long I own it. If they refuse to fix it, i'll likely trade it in.
 
#2,755 ·
Well i have had sounds since i got this car last august, and yet they never replicate it when i bring it in.. I think they did the grease the strut trick last fall though

Ill be going in this week i hope now. The sounds are terrible:
while parked steering lock to lock i can hear noise or movement in the linkage
while goign through hard left handers(traffic circle) i hear a hard knock
while slowely entering my driveway over small curb i hear a knock..

ITs ultra annoying..

What hardware should i be asking to get replaced? Whats the most likely culprits.

Driving and handling i would not know i have issues. As far as i can tell the car handles as good as when i bought it.
 
#2,758 ·
... What hardware should i be asking to get replaced? Whats the most likely culprits. ...
There are apparently several different possible causes for the noises. Some troubleshooting should be done before you'd know what parts should be replaced.

Besides the causes already identified earlier in this thread (bump stops, strut bearings, sway bar links) I'm also very curious whether the change to the front strut and springs for 2014 might have been made to help solve the noise problems. You might ask the dealer about that.
 
#2,760 ·
Hello everyone! My head is spinning. Reading all these problems with our Ford Focus!

I am bringing my car to the dealer for the third time. Still have the clunking noise in front end. Also shuttering when going reverse or low speeds.

I was going to dump this car. But seeing what my dealership can do for me.

I have always driving Fords. Bye far this is the worst car I have driven by Ford!
 
#2,762 ·
...I am bringing my car to the dealer for the third time. Still have the clunking noise in front end. Also shuttering when going reverse or low speeds...
When's your appointment? Let me know, along with your mileage.

Meagan
 
#2,761 ·
I performed the TSB in the below link several weeks ago and so far it has worked. Almost 2000 miles and no noise. I picked up a similar grease that was recommended in the TSB at the local parts store. Try to find the mega size bottle with the applicator brush.

All in all it wasn't too bad. The hardest part was getting my sausage fingers in the tight space of the spring to work the bump stop loose. I used a ton of grease on each bump stop. Try to pack as much as you can between the stop and the shaft, above the shaft before you snap the stop back in, and on the shaft under the stop. The more the better IMO.

I'll update later on if and when the noise returns.

TSB: 13-12-09

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...71198958,d.aWw
 

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#2,764 ·
Update it was not struts it was strut bearings... Regardless when they got the car in the decided it was the grease the bump stop tsb time... Same things they did last year.
Clunk is gone. Asked for alignment as steering wheel was not centered after tranny seals where replaced. No charge yipi
 
#2,765 ·
Got my car back today for clutch replacement (Rev D) and the replaced the strut bearings again because I still had the "clunk". I did notice that it was a revised part # though.

The first time I got the bearings replaced they used part# DV6Z-18198-A. This time they replaced both with DV6Z-18198-B.

I did a quick google search and found this image of the difference:





The old part just kinda has ball bearings sandwiched in grease and snaps together. The new part seems to have the bearings contained in a plastic shell.
So far no clunking, but it came back within a few weeks last time. Maybe this revised part will finally fix it. Has anyone else gotten the REV B version?
 
#2,766 ·
... So far no clunking, but it came back within a few weeks last time. Maybe this revised part will finally fix it. ...
If I had an earlier year with this noise I'd press the dealer, or Ford directly, for information about whether the change in the strut and spring for the 2014 model year was made to help get rid of this problem. Anyone with a noisey 2012-2013 should probably try switching to them if they're not too expensive, unless you need to be able to lower it with aftermarket springs that won't fit the 2014 struts.

Of course, if my 2014 ever develops this noise I'll know that was not "the fix". I wonder if the 2015 struts will fit previous models without modifying anything else.
 
#2,771 ·
So..dumb question..in regards to TBS 13-5-11, my car has been making this noise now for a few weeks and was curious about if it's covered by warrantee or if u have to pay for it out of pocket?
 
#2,773 ·
Hi dnjnkns,

A Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) is a supplement to a vehicle's repair manual and does not suggest nor provide additional coverage. Coverage of any repair is determined by eligibility under the provisions of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty, a Customer Satisfaction Program or a Recall.

Meagan
 
#2,775 ·
For those of you that have experienced issues related to the strut bearings, are you getting a hard knocking/clunk type noise?
I'm getting a crunching type noise from the front end over slow speed bumps/driveway entries/dips in the road. It has only started happening since our temps have dipped below about 35 degrees.
 
#2,785 ·
I see your customer service manager has reached out to you on the 30th, the 2nd, the 5th, and plans on attempting again today. Have the voice mails gone through? Please let me know if there's a specific time of day that's best or least desirable to contact you so I can let your CSM know. I've also added your most recent updates to your case notes.

Meagan
 
#2,786 ·
I had my strut bearing replaced a year ago and the problem still exists. I don't think it is going to hurt the car, just annoying. At least I no longer live in a neighborhood with speed humps as that was the only time it was heard.
 
#2,791 ·
Got this work done again today (less than 12k KM later). Did the same TSB for the strut bearing replacements. I'll pick it up after work.

Does anyone know if Ford extends warranty on parts that it installed under warranty? My 3 years is almost up and I don't want to have to do this next year because the part is still faulty. (Assuming they are installing the same part number)
 
#2,792 ·
Got this work done again today (less than 12k KM later). Did the same TSB for the strut bearing replacements. I'll pick it up after work..


I'm here to assist, ellisd. What's the current odometer reading? Pass it over; I'll check the available resources.

Kwasi
 
#2,797 ·
So I was in for the same issue twice when i first got my car. First time they replaced something and it came back quickly. second time they did something else and its lasted quite a while, but now its back. My issue is that i am 6k past the bumper to bumper. Has anyone been able to figure out if the issue is still covered since it was a recurring issue while under warranty and it was "fixed"? Im gonna call my dealer later and ask them about it. (theyre freakin awesome by the way). I just wanted to see if anyone had a definitive answer before hand.
 
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