2013 Explorer Sport - Front end noise that CANNOT be solved | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

2013 Explorer Sport - Front end noise that CANNOT be solved

Mattvkm

New Member
Joined
September 8, 2016
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
City, State
Aurora, Ontario
Year, Model & Trim Level
2013 Explorer Sport
Hello, new to the forums. I see Ford reps in here, I would love to hear from one.

We got our 2013 Sport new in 2013 and now have 150k on it.

Great car, I wish the bloody interior didn't constantly rattle like a can full of marbles though. Only major complaint.

Had to change an upper strut mount fairly young and 2 rear wheel bearings but nothing else suspension wise has been done.

We have this hollow sounding clunk in the front end that's pretty bad, and not just noise you can feel it.
Happens over small sharp bumps, such as going over a parking lot entrance with that 1-2" ledge; approaching at an angle. That's the best way to replicate it.

The whole front and rear end has been checked by multiple (good) mechanics and one mechanic said struts so we did struts and shocks all around. A big chunk of $$ later, NO improvement in noise.

Front end ball joints and bushings completely checked. Lower control arms even taken off to inspect. Sway bar links detached and road tested, noise still there.

There's pretty much nothing left. Any ideas?

Thanks
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Hello, new to the forums. I see Ford reps in here, I would love to hear from one.

We got our 2013 Sport new in 2013 and now have 150k on it.

Great car, I wish the bloody interior didn't constantly rattle like a can full of marbles though. Only major complaint.

Had to change an upper strut mount fairly young and 2 rear wheel bearings but nothing else suspension wise has been done.

We have this hollow sounding clunk in the front end that's pretty bad, and not just noise you can feel it. The whole front and rear end has been checked by multiple (good) mechanics and one mechanic said struts so we did struts and shocks all around. A big chunk of $$ later, NO improvement in noise.

Front end ball joints and bushings completely checked. Lower control arms even taken off to inspect. Sway bar links detached and road tested, noise still there.

There's pretty much nothing left. Any ideas?

Thanks
Welcome to the Forum.:wave:
The Ford reps are here to assist you with getting issues with your vehicle addressed by the dealer through your Regional Customer Service Manager. They do not diagnose problems. Have you checked the other threads on front end noise? There are several of them.

Peter
 






Engine/transmission mount in good order? When does this noise occur? Just another thing, sway bar mounts? Did they check these?
 






Does the noise occur when you are braking, accelerating, going over road imperfections or "all of the above"?
 












Oops wow, sorry forgot to mention more detail about the noise. Happens over small sharp bumps, such as going over a parking lot entrance with that 1-2" ledge at an angle. That's the best way to replicate it. To me, that could indicate sway bar but my mechanic took both end links off and drove it and still had the noise. And that was after we changed the struts. So I'm lost.

Yes i've searched the forum thoroughly and Google'd quite a bit on the subject.
 












If you take some time and go through the link I provided above, you will learn a lot about this issue. Perhaps you already have? I've gone through it on a 2011 Limited and now a 2014 Sport. My 2014 Sport has had the struts, strut mounts (twice), sway bar links and sway bar bushings, and control arms (including the ball joint and rear hydro/compliance bushing) replaced. Each time, the noise came back. I was in recently and they noticed I had the code for the steering rack. They ended up replacing the steering rack, outside tie rod ends and then the rear sub frame bushings. It's only been 100 miles, but mine now feels much more "solid" in the front end when going over uneven road surfaces. The steering is also much tighter than it once was.

Based on the way you've described yours, I would suspect the rear, lower, compliance/hydro bushing that holds/supports the control arm. The challenge you will face is that Ford now longer sells JUST that bushing. You have to replace the entire control arm as it's now part of that part. The reality is that the pricing isn't that much different - I think it ended up being $20 more/side. With that, you get an entirely new control arm that includes the ball joint. Well worth the extra $/side. You have to remove the control arm, anyway, to replace the rear hydro/compliance bushing, so you might as well do it all at once.

Depending on the miles you have, that's where I would start. Let me know if you have questions; I am considering writing a book on the issue now that I've been through it twice on two different vehicles.

Shumax
 






It's the rear bushings (called hydro bushing) on the front lower control arms. Replaced with top quality aftermarket brand called Moog. My Ex had 45K miles on it.

here's a link to what I'm talking about:
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/MOO0/K200778/02936.oap?year=2013&make=Ford&model=Explorer&vi=1503810&ck=Search_control+arm+&+components_1503810_-1&keyword=control+arm+&+components

If you take some time and go through the link I provided above, you will learn a lot about this issue. Perhaps you already have? I've gone through it on a 2011 Limited and now a 2014 Sport. My 2014 Sport has had the struts, strut mounts (twice), sway bar links and sway bar bushings, and control arms (including the ball joint and rear hydro/compliance bushing) replaced. Each time, the noise came back. I was in recently and they noticed I had the code for the steering rack. They ended up replacing the steering rack, outside tie rod ends and then the rear sub frame bushings. It's only been 100 miles, but mine now feels much more "solid" in the front end when going over uneven road surfaces. The steering is also much tighter than it once was.

Based on the way you've described yours, I would suspect the rear, lower, compliance/hydro bushing that holds/supports the control arm.

Depending on the miles you have, that's where I would start. Let me know if you have questions; I am considering writing a book on the issue now that I've been through it twice on two different vehicles.

Shumax

Thanks for the info guys.

What procedure can be done to confirm these bushings have indeed gone bad? Did not see any grease like the Volkswagen engine mounts that ooze out when they've gone bad.

I am not going to just keep throwing parts at it, it's a waste. I want to properly diagnose this.

To understand the conditions, which may help target certain parts; We do a 1,800km round trip every year for the past 3 years which of that, 160kms (both ways) is a dirt logging road. Also, we put on about 50,000kms a year, see's about 3/4 highway driving. The highway it see's is rather bumpy, that's why we thought struts in the begining. They get worked pretty hard on this cement highway(407).

My mechanic went over the front end with a fine tooth comb. Isolated sway bar, checked sway bar bushings and links. All ball joints and tie rods. Even removed lower control arms to inspect closely. As well as we started with changing the struts all around.

Just a note for reference, I was a tech and I am an avid car guy. I'm familiar with all this stuff. Just not specifically Explorers, so don't hesitate using the correct lingo. I know some people dumb things down to make it understandable. Just makes it hard to communicate proper car talk.
 






Your best bet is to get a set of chassis ears hooked up - either through the dealer, or buy your own and resell when done. Otherwise, it's next to impossible to find. I had countless repair shops tell me the same - it's nice and tight in the front end, sir.

The Explorer's suspension is such a delicate flower that I'm convinced that even the smallest amount of "play" is going to result in noise and a loose feeling in the front end. It's really unfortunate as the vehicle looks very sharp; however, the suspension is terrible.

Shumax
 






Maybe this will help some. Here is a couple pics of the front suspension and nomenclature associated. I was wondering if the half shafts and front wheel bearings have been check. With as many miles as there are on your vehicle, it wouldn't be unusual for these to be worn out. Especially driving on the road surfaces involved.

Front Susp. 1.jpg


Front Susp. 2.jpg
 






Making a new noise now for the first time since the noise started 6 months ago. Woohoo, maybe I can get somewhere with this now. I will check back in next week with an update.
 






I just dropped my 2016 Sport off with a similar complaint. I explained to them that it was probably the right front subframe bolt that there is a TSB for. They called me back and said it was actually the transmission mount.

Might be worth it to check both.
 






Hello, new to the forums. I see Ford reps in here, I would love to hear from one.

We got our 2013 Sport new in 2013 and now have 150k on it.

Great car, I wish the bloody interior didn't constantly rattle like a can full of marbles though. Only major complaint.

Had to change an upper strut mount fairly young and 2 rear wheel bearings but nothing else suspension wise has been done.

We have this hollow sounding clunk in the front end that's pretty bad, and not just noise you can feel it.
Happens over small sharp bumps, such as going over a parking lot entrance with that 1-2" ledge; approaching at an angle. That's the best way to replicate it.

The whole front and rear end has been checked by multiple (good) mechanics and one mechanic said struts so we did struts and shocks all around. A big chunk of $$ later, NO improvement in noise.

Front end ball joints and bushings completely checked. Lower control arms even taken off to inspect. Sway bar links detached and road tested, noise still there.

There's pretty much nothing left. Any ideas?

Thanks


I just spoke with Ford and the more people complain with the issue the more likely it will be to get a recall. My vehicle has 72,000 miles on it and I have replaced strut mounts 4 times. Please go to this site and provide your information!! Lets help recall this issue. Contact Us | Ford® Customer Service, Help & Live Chat | Ford.com
 






I just spoke with Ford and the more people complain with the issue the more likely it will be to get a recall. My vehicle has 72,000 miles on it and I have replaced strut mounts 4 times. Please go to this site and provide your information!! Lets help recall this issue. Contact Us | Ford® Customer Service, Help & Live Chat | Ford.com
Welcome to the Forum.:wave:
What exactly is the issue? There seems to be several different ones noted in this thread. Also, if the 'issue' is not safety related, then you won't see a recall. A TSB perhaps if it is a common issue, which judging by the low number of posts here, it doesn't appear to be.

Peter
 






Welcome to the Forum.:wave:
What exactly is the issue? There seems to be several different ones noted in this thread. Also, if the 'issue' is not safety related, then you won't see a recall. A TSB perhaps if it is a common issue, which judging by the low number of posts here, it doesn't appear to be.

Peter
This is a common issue with the 2012-2014 Ford Explorers. Search for Ford Explorer Strut Mount issue and you will be inundated with threads from all kinds of sites! The Strut Mounts go out on these vehicles anywhere from every 10-30,000 miles. Mine car has 72,000 miles on it and ive replaced the mounts 4 times! This very well could be a safety issue. So sad cause I love my car, but i cant keep paying $500 a crack to have it fixed all the time. If you have any thoughts as to what is causing these mounts to go out, any help would be appreciated! I have even paid for higher end parts
 






This is a common issue with the 2012-2014 Ford Explorers. Search for Ford Explorer Strut Mount issue and you will be inundated with threads from all kinds of sites! The Strut Mounts go out on these vehicles anywhere from every 10-30,000 miles. Mine car has 72,000 miles on it and ive replaced the mounts 4 times! This very well could be a safety issue. So sad cause I love my car, but i cant keep paying $500 a crack to have it fixed all the time. If you have any thoughts as to what is causing these mounts to go out, any help would be appreciated! I have even paid for higher end parts
You must have the patience of a saint?
After the 2nd replacement, I would have dumped the EX already.
I've had my fair share of problems, which have all been covered under warranty, but looks like I have will be able to sell mine after winter, as my coworker wants a crack at it.
 






You must have the patience of a saint?
After the 2nd replacement, I would have dumped the EX already.
I've had my fair share of problems, which have all been covered under warranty, but looks like I have will be able to sell mine after winter, as my coworker wants a crack at it.
Well, if I didnt pay so much and still have payments to make, I would've traded it in already.
 






Well, if I didnt pay so much and still have payments to make, I would've traded it in already.

Ah, I assumed it was already paid or will be done very soon, as you have a 2013.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





We had similar and had to replace the passenger side sway bar link, the clunk over bumps is gone I just have a small annoying knock when the steering hits centre now
 






Back
Top