Rocking Sound Coming From Behind Passenger Side Dashboard

[All Things Ford]

Hello all, I am new to this forum but I've been around Fords for a very long time, with Mustang GT's, a 1964-1/2 Mustang, a bunch of Explorers and an Escape, and a 1928 Model A. I've run into and solved many problems, but this one is making me scratch my head:
I have a 2002 Explorer 4.0 Liter V-6 SOHC with a few thousand miles short of 200K miles. Great truck! Except for......the rocking. Behind the dashboard on the passenger side is a distinct rocking sound as you accelerate, decelerate and make turns, as well as when you hit a bump in the road or stop. Also, when the car is parked at the curb with the engine off, simply closing the door will cause the rocking sound to appear.
Imagine if you had a wiffle ball in a large serving bowl, and you moved the bowl forward and back or left and right and then stopped moving. The ball would continue to rock back and forth in the bowl until it came to rest. That is exactly the sound I hear directly behind the vicinity of the passenger side airbag. I would like to get an idea of what it is before I tear the whole dashboard apart looking for it. I had emptied the glove box and took it out to make sure nothing fell behind it. Any ideas? Anyone???

 

[Number4]

Can’t say I’ve heard this before. Unless a marble or something has actually gotten into the fresh air system.

 

[All Things Ford]

I considered something like that, but I have owned the truck for a long time and I can say with certainty that nothing such as a marble made it down into the ductwork. In fact, it sounds somewhat large. I'm wondering if there is something in the air bag that's rolling around in there. When I have the time, I'll take a video and post it here so all can hear it.

 

[Donystoy]

I have hickory nuts in my hood frame that the mice kindly put there. When I open the hood they roll from one end to the other. Still trying to figure out how to get them out

 

[swshawaii]

Unlikely, but any possibility something's rolling in the bottom of the passenger door?

 

[All Things Ford]

No swshawaii. The sound is definitely up in the dashboard area. In fact, if you stand outside and close the passenger door with some force, you can hear the rocking sound in the cowl area from outside. It sounds as if you have a hollow metal ball in a cereal bowl rocking back and forth up the sides of the bowl until it settles down in the center, as if it was nestling into a seat. Very strange.

 

[swshawaii]

Strange indeed. Possibly a rolling object under the plastic windshield wiper cowl?

 

[All Things Ford]

Anything is possible, but this sounds like it's behind the dashboard and not outside in the plastic cowl cover area. I need to take a video and post it on the forum.

 

[sfhess]

Probably the blend door actuator.

 

[All Things Ford]

sfhess, it's not the blend door actuator. That noise is a resounding *click* *click* *click* sound. This noise is a rocking sound and happens even when the car is shut off and you slam the passenger side door. I appreciate you input though. Thanks.