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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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#2,850 ·
Hey fellas I positively fixed the Clunk noise in my Focus, although it was a real pain to fix. I removed the front subframe and replaced the bushings in the subframe. The bushings have rubber rings on both sides, when the rubber gets a little worn, or hard it allows the subframe to move back and forth contacting the subrame attaching bolts and causing a "clunk" sound. the bushing inside diameter is quite a big larger than the bolt diameter going through the bushing. I found some plastic tubing to line the bolts with to effectively stop the clunking should the subframe ever get to the point where it moves again. I do have a way to "shortcut" fix the problem, if anyone is interested, I will pass on the info. If your "clunk" is related to the movement of the subframe, this should fix it. I do have all the torque values for reinstalling the subframe if needed. thanks.
 
#2,852 ·
Hello Ryan
If this is the area your clunking noise is coming from, you might remove the rear subframe bolts where you might find evidence on the bolts themselves that they have been contacting the bushings themselves. the bushings do have metal on the inside diameter, so the bolt contacting the bushing would be metal to metal leaving a mark on the bolt. Mine did show evidence of contact. MY noise began with a "creaking" sound on acceleration, which I believe was the rubber of the bushing rubbing against the body. My noise advanced to the clunking noise made on acceleration and deceleration. Movement of the subframe could be felt when the clunking noise was heard. I used a mechanics stethoscope with modified tubes long enough to attach the stethoscope to the area of the rear attach bolt and bushing and listen from the drivers seat as I accelerated and stopped abruptly duplicating the noise in my ear. The noise could be coming from either or both of the rear mounts. Hope this helps. Let me know if I can be of any further help. Larry
 
#2,854 ·
I have a 2013 Titanium, Job 1 (built September 2012).

During my 3 years warranty, I went 3-4 times for suspension. All they did was greasing the strut like they say to do in the TSB.

The problem came back in February of this year. I greased the struts again but the problem didn't go away.

Two weeks ago, the tech suggested to change both front lower control arm. Well, it did indeed solve the problem. The sound it made was the same as the TSB. But different parts.
 
#2,856 ·
Two weeks ago, the tech suggested to change both front lower control arm. Well, it did indeed solve the problem.
Now that it's getting warmer, I’m going to be tackling this repair in a few weeks!

If I’m replacing the LCA for the clunk, should I replace the strut bearing too since it’s the original 2012 design prone to clunking?

BUT... if I’m taking the strut apart to replace the plastic bearing piece, should I just replace the entire strut considering I’m over 140k miles? There’s nothing wrong with them, but a lot of people on here recommend replacing them often even though it’s kind of against my mantra to replace something that's not broken.
 
#2,858 ·
Just checked - even the OEM struts/coils are pretty cheap. I haven't decided if I'll keep the Ti Handling package or go touring this time around.
 
#2,866 ·
Hello,
Did you find a solution? I have the same problem, a dull clacking when I ride between 10 and 40 km / h on a road in poor condition or bump. The garage looked at the vehicle 1 week, they checked everything, they changed the left shock absorber, the shock absorber stop, the stabilizer bar linkage and also the electric power steering. The noise is always present, it drives me crazy. They do not want to do anything. The vehicle has 28,000km, the noise started at 11,000km
 
#2,869 ·
Hello, I'm back ... for some time, I suspected the cv axle to make noise, it moved wheel<===>gearbox. I had it replaced. It moves less, and the noise is much less strong on the bumps or paving stones. There is still a noise, but not all the time, but not as strong as before. If it can help someone ... I will post a video of the old piece.
 
#2,870 ·
i get the same scraping noise on startup and when driving over rough roads. my strongest suspicions were it was clutch related but now i believe its the motor mounts. i also hear a scraping noise that seems to coincide with the clutch either engaging or upshifting in low gears? Seems like the clutch may be noisy too or is it just a case of a bad motor mount? The rubber seems to be fraying on the passenger side MM.
 
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