I have a 2007 FEH with 28,000 miles. The squeaks and rattles coming from the back were driving me crazy so I wrapped the strikers on both the lift gate and flip glass with electrical tape. The striker is the metal part that the latch grabs onto when you slam the gate or glass. This worked great.

Now to my other rattle. It occurs when I run the front wheels over a bump like an irregularity in the pavement or a pot hole at 20 mph or less. It sounds like a low thudding or clunking sound that repeats about 5 or 6 times in succession before it dies out. Brakes on or off make no difference.

I looked at the struts to make sure they were tight, the antisway bar and brake calibers and all seem tight.

Anyone out there with a similar issue?

Thanks.

 

I'm sure you looked (if they even have them) since you said something about struts. Im my 81 'Stang I had a quarter-golfball sized rock get stuck in the spring around the shock/strut, whatever it had.

I had the real rattle too, I double sided the plastic wire channel to the glass, then duck taped it, then electrial taped the glass latch too.

I just noticed this a few weeks back, not sure how long it's been this way.

 

OK, here is another clue regarding the chassis rattle - at a slow roll in a parking lot, if I turn the steering wheel left or right quickly, it clunks. Wheel bearings?

 

check the shock bushings and the sway bar bushings. Doubt its the wheel bearings they make a howling noise above 20 mph before you will hear any low speed noise.

 

My '07 with 23,000 miles has just started to make the squeaks and rattles from the tailgate area that you described. I'll see if I can fix it the same way. Disappointing the the vehicle began to squeak and rattle so soon however. Even my old '88 Chevy S10 Blazer went 100k miles before developing this level of noise from the tailgate.

 

Mark, thanks for the feedback. I lifted each front wheel and checked for looseness by holding the tire at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions and trying to turn the wheel (about the vertical axis). The left wheel has a slight looseness, the right wheel has none. I can't tell if the looseness is in the bearing or in the tie rod end, as the movement is so slight.

Given that it makes the clunking sound with a rapid steering motion at low speed, wouldn't this point away from shock and stabilizer bushings and more toward lower control arm bushings, wheel bearings or subframe bushings? And at only 28,000 miles it is hard to believe that any of these have significant wear. Last night I drove it across a grass parking lot and it was clunking like crazy.

The good news is that it is still under warranty, but I feel that I don't do the diagnosis myself, I'll get the old "could not duplicate" response and waste a day of taking it to the dealer.

Thanks again for the helpful responses.

 

On the liftgate striker issue, my dealer found a bulletin advising that they install a 'felt/velcro' covering on the post itself. I had discovered the same thing, wherein I could wrap a thin rubber covering on the post to completely eliminate the squeek/rattle. The bulletin fix...done under warranty...worked great ! Looks much better, too. Completely under warranty, & a 3-minute fix by the dealer.

I had an '02 Escape with the identical condition, which I tolerated for a loooonnnggg time, before I resorted to gluing that rubber strip on. Sure wish they had come out with the fix back then.

Gary

 

Travelover,
You may want to check your control arm/trailing links on your front sway bar.. I just replaced mine 65K and the clunking went away.. My local Ford parts manager said they were improved...but at 22 bucks I wasn't complaining...easy to r&r...
Good luck
Mike

 

Do you happened to have the reference number for that service bulletin? I'm having that identical problem, and would also like to get it fixed under warranty. Thanks.

 

Don,
I didn't find a TSB for it, my mechanic found it while replacing
the tie rods.. If you're under a bumper to bumper warranty just tell your dealer your problem...these suspensions are pretty lightweight...
M